Anatomy Trains

Anatomy Trains (AT) is not actually a type of massage. It is a book that explores the characteristics of fascia. The aspects of fascia studied by the author, Thomas W. Myers, have been put into a therapeutic technique called Kinesis Myofascial Integration. This type of massage uses patterns of myofascial release to relieve muscular pain and tension.

Tom Myers studied Rolfing under Ida Rolf in the mid 1970s. He later went on to study under Moshe Feldenkrais and Buckminster Fuller. He created AT originally as a game to teach students about the interconnectivity of fascia while teaching at the Rolf Institute in the 1990s.

Fascia is a three dimensional web of fibrous tissue that runs throughout your body. It runs through muscles and around organs giving support to the internal structures of the body. It is easy to think of fascia as being stiff and rigid because the tissue is so tough. In reality though fascia is quite slippery. It easily glides around itself and over other tissues.

All of the fascia in the body is connected to each other. If the fascia in an area becomes stuck it can pull on other areas of fascia causing pain. This interconnectivity of fascia is what makes healthy fascia important to your physical health.

Myers became very interested in the properties of fascia and its interconnectivity and started submitting articles on the subject to various journals. These articles proved popular encouraging him to study the subject even further.

Eventually, he noticed the similarities the fascial plains running throughout the body had to the meridians referred to in Traditional Chinese Medicine. This became the basis for his development of a series of myofascial release techniques used to progressively open the plains of fascia that run throughout the human body.

Myers released a book that details AT in 2001. Check out the book here. He also continues to teach workshops about the therapy worldwide.

Myers's technique is practiced by massage therapists, osteopaths, physical therapists, yoga teachers, personal trainers, acupuncturists, and other bodywork professionals. You can learn about AT from his book or his AT video series. People who want to explore the concepts in the book and video more intensely can take a 500 credit hour course to become a Kinesis Myofascial Integration or KMI practitioner.

KMI is used to treat health difficulties that are a result of problems with movement and posture. The treatment is given over a series of 12 progressive sessions that restore the body to balance.

This therapy is developed to treat the underlying causes of pain. It doesn't just treat symptoms. The therapist will take a holistic approach to your treatment and consider all areas of the body that may be contributing to your discomfort. This holistic approach makes the therapy quite effective.

Sessions are done with you in your underwear or a bathing suit. Much of the session is done on a massage table, but you may also be asked to stand or sit during different points in the session. During the session you'll be asked to move sometimes to help facilitate the therapist's treatment.

Find out more about Anatomy Trains and KMI by watching these videos.