The 12-series, session by session
The arc of the work, from the surface layers to the core and back to integration
Structural integration is done as a series, not a one-off, and the order matters. The classic arc moves from the superficial layers, into the deep core, and then integrates the whole. Here is what changes session by session, so you know what you are committing to before you start.
Why it is a series and not a stack of one-offs
The single most common question I get is why structural integration is sold as a series instead of session by session, the way most bodywork is. The answer is structural. Your body is not a pile of separate parts you can fix one at a time. It is one connected web of fascia under tension, and tension anywhere pulls on everything else. If I only worked the spot that hurts, I would be tugging on one corner of a sheet that is wrinkled across the whole thing. The wrinkle would just move.
So the work follows an order. You open the superficial layers first, because you cannot reach the deep core cleanly through a locked-down surface. Then you work the core, where the oldest and deepest patterns live. Then you integrate, tying the new organization together so your body actually keeps it. That three-phase arc is the method. The order is not a preference. It is the reason the change holds. The full structure of the program lives on the 12-Session Series page. Here is the shape of it.
Phase one, the sleeve (sessions 1 to 4)
The first four sessions work the sleeve, the superficial layer of fascia that wraps you like a bodysuit just under the skin. This is where the surface lines of pull live, the ones that get tight from how you sit, stand, and move all day. We are not digging deep yet. We are freeing the outer layer so everything underneath has room to move.
Early on the focus is the front and back of the body and the sides, opening the breath and getting the ribcage and shoulders to release. A lot of people notice their breathing change in the first session or two, because so much surface tension lives in the chest and the band around the ribs. By the fourth session, the superficial layer is open and the lower body has started to free up at the hips and legs. The common report at this stage is that you feel taller and lighter, like a coat you did not know you were wearing came off.
Phase two, the core (sessions 5 to 8)
This is the heart of the work. With the sleeve open, I can reach the deep core, the inner layer of fascia that runs from the arches of your feet up through the deep front line to the floor of the mouth. This is where the psoas, the diaphragm, and the deepest postural patterns sit. It is the layer that holds the oldest stuff, the compensations from old injuries and years of habit that surface work never touches.
The core sessions move up the inside of the body in order. Feet and lower legs, then the inner thighs and pelvic floor, then the psoas and abdomen, then up through the deep front of the spine and into the neck and jaw. This is slower, more precise work, and it is where the deep, lasting shifts happen. People often describe a change they cannot quite name after these sessions, standing differently without trying, or a chronic low-grade pull they had stopped noticing finally letting go. This phase is also where things like long-held hip compression actually resolve, rather than getting stretched and snapping back.
Phase three, integration (sessions 9 to 12)
The last four sessions are about making the change yours. You have opened the sleeve and reorganized the core. Now we tie it together so your body moves as one integrated unit instead of a set of newly freed parts. These sessions work the connections, the diagonal and rotational lines, the way the upper and lower body coordinate, the way the arms relate to the spine.
This is where I lean hardest on the movement side of what I do, coaching your body to organize around the new structure so it holds under real life. We refine rotation, balance the left and right sides, and lock in the changes so they survive your next training block, your next season, your next year at the desk. By the end of the series, the goal is not that you feel great walking out of the last session. It is that the new baseline is simply how you are now.
What to expect across the whole arc
A few honest notes so you know what you are signing up for. The sessions usually run a week or two apart over three to four months, because the tissue and the nervous system need time to absorb each layer before the next one. The change is cumulative, not a single dramatic moment. You will likely feel specific wins early, the bigger structural shift over the full series. And it is normal to feel a little worked the day after a deep session, the way you might after a hard workout that hit muscles you forgot you had. You can keep training and living your life throughout. We just time the deep sessions sensibly. If you are coming off a season, this pairs naturally with an off-season reset.
Why work with me
Most people in this field do one thing. A bodyworker frees tissue. A trainer builds strength. I do both, and that is the difference. I am certified in Anatomy Trains Structural Integration with more than 750 hours of training, I am a teacher-in-training under Tom Myers, and I am a NASM certified personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist. I have spent time in the dissection lab learning how fascia actually connects, so the map I work from is the real one.
That means I can reorganize your structure with hands-on work and then teach your body to hold the change with coached movement. Studio in Santa Cruz, mobile sessions across the Bay Area. Direct, honest, and built around what your body actually needs instead of a template.
See if the series fits you
The series is a real commitment, so it should be the right call before you start. Come in, let me watch you move, and I will tell you honestly whether the full arc makes sense for what you are after, or whether a few targeted sessions would serve you better.
Questions, answered
Why is it a series instead of just booking when I feel tight?
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Because the body is one connected system, and you cannot reorganize a connected system out of order. Each session sets up the next. You open the surface before you can reach the core safely, and you integrate the whole thing at the end so it holds. Random one-off sessions feel good and fade. The series builds a new baseline that stays.
How far apart are the sessions?
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Usually a week or two apart, so the tissue has time to settle and your nervous system can absorb the change before we add the next layer. The whole arc tends to run over three to four months. We set a rhythm that fits your schedule rather than racing through it.
Do I have to do all twelve, or can I stop partway?
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You can stop whenever you want, and a partial series still helps. But the twelve sessions are designed as a complete arc. The early ones open things up, the middle ones reach the deep core, and the last few lock the change in. Stopping at session five means you opened the structure without integrating it. Most people who start the series finish it because the later sessions are where it ties together.
Will I feel different right away or does it take the whole series?
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Both. Most people notice something specific in the first three or four sessions, often easier breathing or a shoulder that finally drops. The bigger, more durable change shows up over the full arc as the deep work and the integration sessions do their job. It is cumulative, not a single before-and-after.
Is this the same as the classic ten-session Rolfing recipe?
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It is the same family and the same logic. The classic structural integration arc Dr. Ida Rolf developed runs as a series with a sleeve phase, a core phase, and an integration phase. I work the Anatomy Trains version of that arc. The phase structure and the order are what matter, and those are shared across the field.
Can I keep training and surfing during the series?
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Yes. Most people keep their normal activity going. We just time the deeper core sessions so they do not land the day before something big. If anything, the work tends to make training feel cleaner as the series goes on.