Hellerwork is a unique and powerful combination of deep-tissue structural bodywork, movement education and dialogue. This modality of bodywork is named after its founder Joseph Heller, who was a student of Ida Rolf and head of the Rolfing Institute for many years. The eleven section series transforms your relationship with your body and with your experience of being alive. Hellerwork makes the connection between movement, body alignment and personal awareness.

Bodywork

The bodywork is a systematic ‘hands on’ process working with the connective tissue (fascia) to realign the entire musculo-skeletal structure, restoring balance and ease to the body.

Movement

The movement education process guides you to move in ways that minimize effort and tension while maintaining and improving the results of the bodywork.

Dialogue

The dialogue process leads you to explore how your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and feelings impact on and through your body.

What to expect in a Hellerwork Session

The bodywork is received primarily while lying on a massage table, although seated and standing work may be included. The hands-on work generally feels like slow deep pressure followed by a pleasant sense of ease and release. As a client you may be asked to make slow movements while the practitioner guides the tissue, releasing patterns of strain and tension. Sensations may range from pleasure to temporary discomfort depending on the condition of the tissue.

An important part of the session involves body/mind awareness and movement education and. The dialogue component of a Hellerwork session helps to enhance your awareness of the inseparable connection of mind, body, emotion, and spirit. Movement exercises are designed and taught to meet your individual needs. Proper mechanics involved in walking, sitting and standing are emphasized.

The eleven sessions are designed to gradually work from the outer layers (superficial fascia) towards the inner layers (deep fascia) of the body. Those new to Hellerwork are advised to take an introductory session and then enroll in the series. Otherwise, it is also possible to do ‘touch-up’ sessions, or to get treatment for specific conditions/injuries.

Read interview with Lucienne Vidah and others in Pilates Style Magazine.

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note on healing:

“Healing and finding healing is not something obvious and not something one 'does'. The process is inherent to its structure, which is the body/mind complex, a vibrational being that constantly shifts and interacts with itself and its surroundings, including gravity and the greater universe. Healing as a process of balancing layers of body/mind structures not only from the eyes, not only in reaction to environment, but also in relation with spirit. Spirit observes and is balance itself; it does not act to do but it allows to see. Perspective, sense of peace and balance, feeling loved...all are aspects of spirit. Therefore healing is a process that communicates between all layers of oneself”.

                                             Lucienne Vidah 

                                             Certified Practitioner of Hellerwork and Board Certified Structural Integrator