One of the goals of Structural Integration is to bring your body into mindful alignment with gravity. Instead of teaching my clients exercises, Renate often recommends some form of awareness training such as chi gong, some styles of yoga, or mindfulness meditation. Using mindfulness, you become more aware of your body and may find you respond more calmly to life’s stressful situations.
Two classics on mindfulness are by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I recommend them to friends who are interested in learning more about meditation:
Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life. New York:Hyperion. 1994.
Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Full Catastrophe Living. Using The Wisdom Of Your Body And Mind To Face Stress, Pain And Illness. New York:Delacorte Press. 1990.
Will Johnson is a Rolfer and Buddhist who has written several books about mindfulness in the body. His last book explains how mindfulness of the body grounds you in reality and can help if you are continuously lost in thought.
Johnson, Will. Aligned, Relaxed, Resilient. The Physical Foundations of Mindfulness. Shambala: Boston&London. 2000.
For an exploration of mindfulness and psychotherapy, I recommend Mark Epstein’s books:
Epstein, Mark. Thoughts Without a Thinker: Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective. Basic Books. 1995.
Epstein, Mark. Going to Pieces without Falling apart: a Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness. New York: Broadway Books, 1998.
Tall redwoods growing in gravity