Kinesis Myofascial Integration (KMI) is designed to restore structural balance, ease of movement, and a feeling of “fitting” into your skin. KMI was developed and reinterpreted by Tom Myers from the pioneering work of Ida P. Rolf.

    Thomas Myers, the founder of KMI (Kinesis Myofascial Integration), bases his approach on the Structural Integration work of Ida P. Rolf. Ida Rolf stated that the human being is organized around a vertical line and lives in a gravitational field. The basic premise of KMI is to look at the relationship between the various parts of the body - the head, neck, shoulder, ribcage, pelvis, legs and feet - and how they are organized around this vertical line.

    The part of the body that the KMI practitioner employs is the fascia, or connective tissue. Fascia is both elastic and plastic and has the ability to respond to stretch, warmth and pressure, and thus be remolded and reshaped. Structural Integration is based on this basic principle of plasticity or pliability. Just as the body changes shape due to trauma or life’s accidents and injuries, it can also be reshaped. The chemistry of fascia allows it to be changed from a hardened, brittle state to a more fluid state.

    Space, length, lift, balance, differentiation and integration are the words representing the core goals of KMI. Space must first be created so that there can be movement. By bringing space and length into the body, and by relating the various segments to each other, this work brings the body into vertical dimension. The result often produces symptomatic relief, improved posture, greater range of motion, and deeper breath.

    Ida Rolf said “Gravity is the therapist.” One need only look at how people carry themselves to realize the force that gravity exerts on our physical structure. The uprightness that this work tries to achieve lends grace and ease to the body. These transformations can often be accompanied by psychological/emotional changes. By restructuring one’s spacial orientation, it is possible to create dramatic change in the psycho-emotional area. How we feel about ourselves through bodywork of this caliber has a huge impact on the way we view the world.

Thomas Myers

KMI