Gurney, 44, is a certified rolfer practicing structural integration at 222 St. John Street in Portland. For the uninitiated, structural integration is a form of body work that helps people to find and maintain optimal posture. It involves hands-on manipulation of the connective tissue in order to release tension, correct misalignment and allow the body to relax and function more efficiently.
The practice was pioneered by Dr. Ida P. Rolf in the mid-é0s, and it was Rolf who coined the term “Structural Integration.” Practitioners who study the practice at the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration in Colorado, however, generally refer to it as “Rolfing,” a brand name that is now registered in 27 countries.
As a certified rolfer, Gurney works with many clients who come to him suffering from chronic pain, but he notes that a lot of people could benefit from his work long before their pain becomes manifest. According to Gurney, poor posture can create strain on the muscles of the body, eventually causing long-term pain, but too often people don’t realize that the way they habitually sit, stand or move could be damaging to their bodies.
“People tend not to have good body awareness in our culture. They only become aware of their bodies when something hurts,” Gurney says. And unfortunately, many people tend to associate “good posture” with the rigid stance of a soldier at roll call — chest puffed out, shoulders back, arms and legs tight and straight. Gurney, however, says that is not the case. “The body should be at rest, at ease. Good posture should be effortless. It should create a lift in the body, but it is not the result of tension.”
Through Rolfing, people can find their natural alignment, learn to sit, stand and move in ways that will not create tension, and develop a better sense of body awareness. A complete sequence of Rolfing treatments generally consists of 10–15 sessions, after which many people find that they never need work again. Others, particularly athletes or people who put a great deal of strain on their bodies through their work, may return on a regular basis, but the process is different for each individual.
Gurney remembers his first experience with Rolfing as a profound one. Back in 2004 he had already tried out a number of careers — first as a professional sound engineer, touring with rock bands and jazz orchestras for seven years before becoming a New York cabbie. Eventually he enrolled in Columbia University to study Eastern religion, and over the next few years spent time working for an artisanal plasterer and then a Wall Street bank. But his career path drastically shifted in 1992 when a friend dragged him to a yoga class.
“It was a big eye opener for me,” Gurney says. He realized positive effects immediately and began practicing yoga for two hours a day, five or six days a week. His interest in bodywork was sparked, and he went on to study polarity, shiatsu and therapeutic massage, becoming a licensed massage therapist in 1998. He returned to Maine, where he had grown up, and began teaching yoga in Portland. But as fulfilling as his yoga practice and teaching were, he still had a sense that there was more he could be doing — both for himself and for the overall health of his clients. In 2004, he was introduced to Rolfing.
Receiving work from a certified rolfer, he says, “was so profound that I stopped doing yoga right then and started studying Rolfing.” His normal levels of stress and anxiety decreased and he felt more at ease in his body. “I could see that the changes I could make through Rolfing were really fast and really profound.” And for Gurney, change has been a big life theme.
“I’ve made a lot of changes professionally,” Gurney says, and he believes that through Rolfing he can support and even help to affect positive change for others.
These days, he’s added resistance stretching to the list of alternative therapies and body work he is able to provide. Inspired by the story of Dara Torres, the 41-year-old mother who won three silver medals in swimming at the Beijing Olympics, Gurney became a certified resistance stretching trainer. Resistance stretching is one of the training methods Torres used to increase her strength and flexibility and enable her to compete with athletes half her age.
“For older athletes,” Gurney says, “it’s not the workout, it’s the recovery,” that can be difficult. Through resistance stretching he hopes to help some of his clients continue to pursue their athletic goals and maintain excellent levels of fitness as they age.
“I’m always looking for new things to add to the practice,” Gurney says. To see what he’s offering now, check out his website at mainerolfing.com.
— Belinda Ray