Balancing Your Body: A Self-Help Approach to Rolfing Movement

Mary Bond guides you with step by step, with great awareness and clarity, in a great series of self exploratory exercises. These are not "work-out" exercises, but closer to guided explorations. Every page is chock full of insights and useful guidance. This is not a book for intellectual reading, but one that has to be actually experienced.The only thing is that it doesn't come with a CD (or perhaps cassette in the days that it was published), thus the 4 stars. It is not very practical to use the book without aural guidance, e.g. a friend reading it, or making a recording yourself.I've also read her newer book "The New Rules of Posture" (which I read first.) I also highly recommend that book, which has more up-to-date formatting, and has images. I love that book so much I "went back" to buy this older publication. I am very glad I did.

The exercises on this tape focus on connecting with one's body, then re-educating one's body to move as nature intended, using gravity as an ally rather than a foe in attaining good balance. First one learns to breath deeply, fully, and effortlessly--which in itself can have a profound impact on every facet of one's life--but that's just the beginning! Gradually one works through the entire body, using one's newfound breath as a tool to attain both deep relaxation and efficient movement (one is not possible without the other). While the exercises themselves are short and simple, you'll begin noticing changes in the way you feel and move almost immediately. There is nothing "New Age" about this tape: It is based on sound anatomical and physiological principals. Yet, in a manner of speaking, it ties together many ideas & techniques popularized by the New Age movement . . only here you see how the fit together and make logical, practical sense, such as the visualization exercises alluded to by the last reviewer. An excellent tape all around!

This is a very good book. It's well written and has good information. The book tells you the basics about Rolfing Movement Integration and has some good excercises.

I really appreciate the body explorations that Mary Bond sets out in her book, Balancing Your Body, to help the reader/students,etc. soften fascial tension, release deep seated holding patterns and move with greater fluidity and flexibility. While very subtle, the exercises are also very effective. There are explorations for individual areas of the body and for integration of parts of the body, as well as for revealing unconscious holding patterns. The work is equally useful for students to do on their own or for yoga teachers and body workers touse with student or clients.Lori

This book requires no prior knowledge to apply its principles. It seemed a bit simplistic at first but as I went through it, I found some of these simple exercises to be of tremendous use. I actually got rid of some chronic lower back pain by using several of the exercises

A very informative book. I learned a lot from Mary's expertise about body mechanics and how we can implement the Rolfing Technique in our daily lives.

This may be an excellent book for professional Rolfers, but not for people wanting to heal themselves. As a matter of fact, Rolfing has to be experienced first in ten lessons, as I learnt in the excellent book called "Rolfing structural Integration: What it achieves, How it works and Whom it helps". This is the book I warmly recommend to lay people like me, who simply want to learn about Rolfing and see if it could help them with their problem.

If you've been out of touch with your body, it's hard to know how to get connected. The exercises in Balancing Your Body give you a great starting place to find out what's going on inside, nurture yourself, and build balance and posture. The instructions are easy to follow and Mary's gentle guidance put me right at ease. I use many of these exercises as movement lessons for my clients and recommend this book highly.Anita Boser, Certified Hellerwork Practitioner and author of  Relieve Stiffness and Feel Young Again with Undulation

Mary Bond is a gem!!! I ve discovered her recently and already read all her books and started practicing her short online courses. The biggest A-Ha bodymind moment I had in my life. Her work to me is nothing short of life changing. If only this was though in schools or before any movement practice or exercise. If you like this book I highly recommend her book on posture too.