Thomas Walker
Certified Advanced Rolfer® - 1992
Certified Rolf Movement® Practitioner - 2002
Faculty, Dr. Ida Rolf Institute of Structural Integration® - 2002-2020
RCST - Registered Craniosacral Therapist
I discovered Rolfing® in 1980 while recovering from back surgery. The surgery allowed me to walk again but I often still had severe pain. Rolfing alleviated my ongoing pain, by resolving old injuries (football) and compensations which lead to my crippling back pain and eventual surgery. This experience and an ongoing interest in the human body and movement, as an athlete and ski coach, lead me to begin my Rolfing training in 1985. I received my basic certification in 1987, finished my Advanced Rolfing Certification in 1993, and received my Movement certification in 2002. I was on the faculty of the Rolf Institute® for 18 years and have conducted classes with students from all over the world.
I completed my foundation training in Biodynamics with Michael Shea in 1998 and am certified as a Registered Craniosacral Therapist (RCST). I also have over 1400 hours of training in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and have spent the last 30 years integrating the Rolfing paradigm of structural integration and the biodynamic perspective.
Rolfing involves an assertive/direct approach to the myofascial system. Because of my Biodynamic training, I am now able to more easily help bring balance and organization to the body with a much more gentle, comprehensive, integrative approach than with Rolfing alone. I get more done with much less effort.
The Rolfing paradigm alone is inadequate in helping to resolve the whole body impacts of trauma. The biodynamic model has provided me with many more tools for not only helping with the physical trauma but also helping to normalize the autonomic nervous system's response to trauma. It is particularly rewarding to help people to resolve severe trauma and to work with those who thought they would never be comfortable in their body again.
The principles of Biodynamics are derived from Spiritual and Natural Laws. Deepening into the principles of biodynamics has provided me with the greatest emotional and spiritual growth of my life. To experience Wholeness, is to experience oneness.
As a native Coloradan, I’ve spent most of my life in the mountains and now live in Steamboat Springs, CO. My passions include biking, skiing, rafting and hiking. My most rewarding work is teaching manual therapists how to more easily help the body rediscover its inherent grace, order, and freedom of movement.
Listen to Episode 22: Thomas Walker – Rolfing, Biodynamics, and the Quest For Greater Fluidity. Here Thomas talks about his journey to incorporate a biodynamic understanding of embodiment and treatment into the Rolfing model.