About Anna I have been working as a Rolfing Practitioner since I qualified in 1987, so far 34 years.
Ever since being a child and watching the Nutcracker Suite on stage in London I have been enthralled with the wonder of human anatomy. I did a 5-year degree in fine Arts in Barcelona University, specialising in sculpture.
I loved the work but found I had no vocation as an artist and was much more moved to work with people, so I went on to study at the Humanistic Psychotherapy Institute of Barcelona.
After this I learned Anatomy with Tom Myers, in London, and then went to train as a Rolfer in Germany, and later in Colorado, USA.
My first practice was in Pittsburgh in the USA, after which I travelled and worked in a number of places, Spain, France, and South America, finally settling in Bristol, England.
Later, I became a Rolfing Movement Instructor, then an Advanced Rolfer.
I do offer dedicated Rolf Movement sessions, but more often, the Rolf movement is included as part of the general Rolfing that I do, though my areas of specialization are Breathing and Walking. The latter is particularly useful for people who dance, walk a lot, or run, whether it is simply running or in the context of a sport.
What I think is most unusual and effective about what I do, compared to most other types of bodywork, is looking at an individual human structure and identifying its unique stress patterns. This is useful for anyone wanting to find answers to such myriad questions as:
Why do my hamstrings remain tight when I stretch them regularly? Why does my back-ache keep coming back? Why does my head always tilt to the side? Why do I feel tired so often? Why can't I retain good posture?
Many such questions can be answered by understanding the structure.
This in no way means that we can unravel every pattern. The human body is massively complex. After 34 years of practicing, I still find new patterns which completely surprise me.
So far this has been a journey of learning. My passion is to share the understanding I have gained, with those who want to review the tension they have accumulated over a lifetime and move their body towards integration.
"I can't thank Anna enough. She performed miracles to help me regain my strength after a very serious, debilitating and excruciatingly painful spinal problem. I am now pain-free, fully mobile and lead a very active life. Anna is very professional and compassionate with an amazing ability to diagnose and treat serious muscular/skeletal problems."
Hilary Templar (Planning Officer)