Mary Bond

With “Your Body Mandala,” I share 45 years of experience in helping people improve posture through bodywork and movement education. I think of this book as my “legacy” and hope it will serve somatic teachers from any discipline as well as anyone interested in posture. Its multimedia format offers audio and video “meditations” to help readers embody what they’re reading about.

It has been my experience that people who understand and respect their bodies tend to have an open and compassionate perspective on life. My mission, as a writer, teacher and bodyworker, is to help people further that understanding and respect. I believe that becoming more attuned to our physical experience affects the choices we make in relation to ourselves, to our fellow human beings, our environment and to our planet. My mission, then, is to contribute to humanity’s deeper embodiment.

After receiving an MA degree in Dance from UCLA, I was privileged to study with Ida Rolf, originator of a type of body therapy known as Structural Integration. I'm proud to have been certified as a Structural Integration practitioner by Dr. Rolf herself. Rolf taught that gravity organizes human structures and that people can achieve an optimal relationship with this determining force through bodywork and education.

"The New Rules of Posture" presents new developments in movement education. It evolved out of my wish to share Ida Rolf’s message with the general public. While this message includes understanding of posture and movement, it also has philosophical implications: that the way we inhabit our bodies affects the ways in which we perceive the world and behave toward one another. I produced my DVD, "Heal Your Posture", in response to readers' requests for a video version of my teaching.

Formerly Chair of the Movement Integration® Faculty of The Rolf Institute in Boulder, CO, I also offer national and international workshops tailored to the needs and interests of various groups such as bodyworkers, yoga and Pilates teachers, dancers and anyone interested in better understanding of their bodies.