Thomas Walker
Certified Advanced Rolfer®
Certified Rolf Movement® Practitioner
Faculty, Rolf Institute of Structural Integration®
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, as an athlete and ski coach, and an ongoing interest in the human body and movement, 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. As a member of the Rolf Institute® faculty from 2004 to 2022, I had the privilege of teaching classes to students from various parts of 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 25 years integrating the Rolfing paradigm of structural integrity into 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 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 natural and spiritual 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.
Thomas Walker, a faculty member for The Rolf Institute®, talks about his journey to incorporate a biodynamic understanding of embodiment and treatment into the Rolfing model. Listen to Episode 22 – Thomas Walker – Rolfing, Biodynamics, and the Quest For Greater Fluidity.