Debbie Mihal’s Blog

***[This post is repeated on the Page, "SI, Artists, Athletes & Everyone Else"]***

Sometimes  artists become so engrossed in their creativity that they forget their bodies. For example, writers may be bent over laptops for hours, musicians may repeatedly practice the same bars, and dancers may tire and resort to bad habits learned at a younger age. Add that to the everyday stresses of making a living, raising families, uncomfortable sleep positions…and the body can become a burden even to those who don’t believe they use it for their creative process.

Structural Integration can help ease the artist’s body so that rather than be a pain to be ignored, it can be a comfort to be celebrated. Whether you’re a performance artist, writer, musician, filmmaker, painter, sculptor, master craftsman…whether you are a professional or hobbiest, Structural Integration can help you relax, reducing the body discomforts that can drive your muse to distraction.

The basic “recipe” of Structural Integration is comprised of ten sessions called the Ten Series. Because each body is different, every session is catered to the unique individual, meaning no two series are ever alike. As a matter of fact, because the body is not perfectly symmetrical, how each side of the same body is worked is unique. That means no two tuba players will ever get the same rote strokes, nor will all writers or all pianists, for that matter. During our sessions, how one plays, writes, sculpts, or holds the camera will be integrated into the work with the intention of creating healthier movement patterns for that individual. As a practitioner, I see and treat each artist as a customized miracle here to bring something special to the world.