Practitioners of SI do not feel ourselves to be therapists. The gravitational field is the therapist. What we do is prepare the body to receive the support from the gravitational field which gives a greater sense of well being.
Dr. Ida Rolf
about evelyn
I grew up in southeastern Minnesota, where the quiet and hilly wooded landscape, farming culture prepared me well for life in the Idaho backcountry. I moved to Portland, OR in 2007 to attend Reed College, where I received an art degree and studied the Mandarin language and modern dance on the side. Right after graduating in 2011 I followed my brother to Missoula, MT and began working trails just over the border in Idaho. I felt so at home in the Idaho backcountry and in the Missoula community that I stayed, living the seasonal life and using winters to explore movement and rehab my body. I loved my job but the physical imbalances were piling up and I wasn’t getting the dramatic change I hoped for with yoga, a practice called Foundation Training, and other explorations.
I received my first Rolfing® SI session after working seven seasons maintaining wilderness trails. I was amazed at how quickly the work worked, improving my breathing dramatically in just one session. The day after the session I was stuck in Spokane traffic, taking deep, easy breaths and basking in calm! When I received my full ten series, I found it worked efficiently to create the changes I had been seeking from yoga, meditation, and Foundation Training practices, as well as giving me a greater capacity to sense my body, which allowed me gain more from my previous movement practices and grow the changes the Rolfing SI work had begun.
As a Rolfer®, I bring together my experiences with abstract painting, Vipassana meditation, and physical labor. These experiences have been an exploration of balancing softness with strength, being with doing, and serving others with serving the self. I named my practice Middle Path Rolfing SI to honor this process of seeking what the Buddha called the “middle path” or “middle way.” I believe Rolfing SI can be a terrific tool for people to find balance not only in their physical structure, but also in the emotional and spiritual aspects of themselves.
Missoula has been my home since 2011. I began my practice here in 2021 and continue to work for the US Forest Service in the summers, though now I staff a remote fire lookout. This time in the tower as well as time spent away on meditation retreats is an important part of my practice as a Rolfer. In an increasingly chaotic, distracting, and polarized world, I aim to cultivate quietude to share with those who come to my practice.
B.A. Studio Art, Reed College – Portland, OR 2011
250 Hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training, Evolation Yoga – Santa Barbara, CA 2015
Foundation Training Instructor Training with Dr. Eric Goodman – Santa Barbara, CA 2018
723 Hour Basic Rolfing® Certification, Dr. Ida Rolf Institute – Boulder, CO 2021