Zoga Movement Therapy – A Healthy Physiqe’s Promise
Zoga Movement Therapy is a type of bodywork. It focuses on balancing muscle tension and improving the flexibility of fascia – connective tissue. It optimizes movement coordination by adjusting the structural relationships of individual body parts through manual interventions. The main goal is to help the body return to its natural, balanced form.
Zoga Movement Therapy
Restore proper balance and full integration of all parts of the body
After therapy, clients often describe it as:
- Relief from discomfort and pain
- Feeling of greater space and lightness in the body
- Emergence of new motor skills
- Increased body awareness
- Higher levels of energy and vitality
- Improved well-being
What You Need to Know
Area of Treatment
Whole Body – Head, Neck, Shoulders, Arms, Torso, Spine, Hips, Legs
Number of Sessions
12 treatments
Price
160 Euro each session
now 130 Euro with discount code: ZOGA2
Recommended Frequency
Once a week or every second week
Session Duration
1 hour 30 minutes
Therapist Qualifications
Certified Zoga Movement Practitioner
ZOGA MOVEMENT THERAPY is a specialized form of manual bodywork that emphasizes the smooth movement of fascia, the proper balance of muscle tension, and the alignment of skeletal structures.
During each session, we focus on identifying areas of the body that are not functioning as they should. Through targeted physical techniques and guided movements, we work to restore mobility and improve the way these areas interact.
Course Of Zoga Movement Therapy Session
During ZOGA MOVEMENT THERAPY sessions, we aim to restore the proper relationship between tissues, joints, and bones. This is done to restore their correct functioning, allowing our body to heal itself.
During the sessions, a full range of manual tools is used to influence all aspects of our anatomy: the skin, adipose tissue, fascia, muscles, and bones. At the same time, we understand the body’s range of motion and utilize it in a precise and targeted manner to improve the body’s relationship with gravity.
Goal Of Zoga Movement Therapy
The goal of ZOGA MOVEMENT is to restore balance in the body. It aims to create renewed movement possibilities and eliminate restrictions that force the body to overload in other areas. The objective is to have a body that moves freely, without pain, with grace, fluidity, and minimal energy expenditure.
ZOGA is a movement concept for anyone seeking freedom and awareness of movement and posture. It tests all possible relationships between the body and gravity and creates multiple global and local vectors of movement available within the body. It utilizes the map of Anatomy Trains to guide the biomechanical process of intervening in the tensegrity system of fascia. Yogi asanas serve as functional tests and positions that evoke different pulling vectors between various fascial layers. ZOGA is designed to support and achieve Structural Integration goals while creating lasting changes in the organization of the muscular-fascial system in the human body.
Gravity always affects our bodies, and we constantly have to resist its force. If the balance of individual elements in our body is disrupted, maintaining an upright posture requires greater energy input. The same applies to movement – walking, running, swimming, or any other activity. Increased energy costs and potential restrictions in tissue movement lead to cumulative overload. This can result in injuries, oxygen inefficiency, lack of mobility, a sense of stiffness, or simply pain.
If different segments of the body (head, torso, pelvis, legs) are held in random positions, muscular tension becomes necessary to maintain the body in an upright position. Additionally, the body will respond to repetitive movements, stress, tension, and injuries by reinforcing the fascia. To restore the body to its most efficient functioning, the segments need to be aligned around the central axis or in line with the center of gravity.
All the muscles in the human body form a connected structure. Therefore, a change or tension in one area can result in problems elsewhere. As a result, the body gradually “forgets” its bad habits and regains its original balance.
A body that is aligned and balanced in gravity moves with greater ease, fluidity, efficiency, and grace. Movement becomes pleasurable, breathing becomes easier, and good posture becomes effortless. Moreover, more efficient muscle utilization allows the body to conserve energy and create more refined and economical movement patterns. This can lead to increased energy levels and awareness of body organization in space. The feeling of stress decreases while relaxation levels increase.
Testimonials
“Such a nice experience! Jan is gentle, he listened to my needs, did an awesome job and even gave me advice on how to strech. I will book him agsin very soon, 100%”
Maria
Jonny
Sarah
Rebekah
“Great treatment – attention to the details + offer to focus on the areas that are impacted by the sports. Thank you very much!”
Natalia
Rodrigo
Kim
“Exceeded my expetations, his professional standards fulfilled my needs, therapeutic relieved all blockages and pain, better than result at my usual massage therapist”
Joseph
Philip
Key Elements Of Zoga Movement Therapy
Detailed Diagnosis
A key element of the procedure is a detailed diagnosis based on an interview and a postural and functional analysis of the entire body. The information obtained allows the therapist to determine the primary cause of the problem, often located far from the area of discomfort, and apply precise and effective techniques.
Holistic approach
ZOGA MOVEMENT aims to impact the whole person emotionally, physically, and energetically through structural changes in the body. The experience of structural integration can help unleash an individual’s potential, promote positive changes, increase body awareness, and allow one to feel comfortable in their own body.
Bringing Relief
ZOGA MOVEMENT method aligns axial disturbances and chronic musculoskeletal complaints. If posture and movement quality improve, these complaints can naturally subside. By bringing balance and harmony to the body, one can experience a renewed sense of vitality and relief from chronic musculoskeletal problems.
Restoring Balance
ZOGA restores proper balance and full integration of all parts of the body. It is perceived as relief from discomfort and pain, a sense of increased space and lightness in the body, the emergence of new ranges of motion, heightened body awareness, higher levels of energy and vitality, and improved well-being.
Principles Of Zoga Movement Therapy
Muscles are connected through longitudinal pathways called Anatomy Trains, which allow tension to shift between various trains across nearly every joint during movement. In both proper and dysfunctional movement, these Anatomy Trains experience constantly changing tension, influenced by mechanical links formed by bones and ligaments within the joints. Each joint acts as a switching point, redirecting the pull of tissues in different directions.
Each of us has our individual Anatomy Trains that are unique to our pattern. The goal is to create connections and lines of tension that approximate balanced patterns of Anatomy Trains presented by Tom Myers, which represent correct anatomical connections between different compartments and layers of the body.
Muscles change their function depending on the spatial organization of the body in which we analyze that function. Flexors can act as extensors, and adductors can act as flexors if we change the initial position of the bones in the joints according to the gravitational pattern in which someone functions. Similarly, during movement, different relationships to gravity change their function in relation to other body parts.
Where Does This Idea Come From?
Yoga
“For me, Hatha Yoga was a path of self-exploration and the process of balancing forces around my body in relation to gravity. It helped me release areas within myself in such a way that they didn’t have to constantly fight against gravity.” – Wojtek Cackowski
STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION
The concept of structural integration dates back 100 years and was initiated by Ida Rolf in the early 20th century in the United States. Ida was a woman of science who obtained a doctorate in Biochemistry from Columbia University. She later moved to Europe, where she studied Mathematics, Physics at the University of Zurich, and Homeopathic Medicine at the University of Geneva. Combining her scientific passions with a growing curiosity about the mechanisms determining the functioning of the human body and the limited level of medicine at that time, she began delving into the study of osteopathy, chiropractic, and yoga in order to help her loved ones.
After years of in-depth study, she began assisting her friends and family. Drawing from her education and experiences, Rolf, as one of the pioneers, recognized the significant role of fascia in the body. She perceived the body as a complex system in which everything is interconnected and in mutual relationship. She encapsulated her understanding of the body as a continuous structure, where everything is connected, in the method she developed based on 10 sessions of manual work. During these sessions, specific areas of the body are addressed in a specific sequence to help the individual achieve the best relationship between their body and gravity. She named this process Structural Integration, which is often referred to as Rolfing.
Fascia surrounds individual muscles and muscle groups, nerves, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and internal organs. On one hand, it binds the structures of our body together, and on the other, it allows them to smoothly glide over each other. It is elastic and freely moves with muscles and bones. Injuries, stress, repetitive monotonous movements related to work, and the aging process can cause the fascia to lose its elasticity. It becomes shorter, denser, and more compact. Altered fascia resulting from these processes affects our muscles and bones, changing their proper position and posture, which can lead to pain, discomfort, and quicker fatigue.
ANATOMY TRAINS
One of Ida Rolf’s students was Thomas Myers, who developed and expanded the concept of Structural Integration. Through years of dissection work, he observed that fascia in the body forms specific chains or lines that could be dissected. Based on his discoveries, he mapped the pathways of these fascial chains, creating the concept of Anatomy Trains. These trains correspond to supporting muscles in specific movements performed by an individual. Structural Integration based on Anatomy Trains follows the methodology developed by Dr. Ida Rolf and expanded upon by her student, Tom Myers.
FASCIA RESEARCH
New fascial research shows that movement must occur in every anatomical layer of the human body’s organizational structure. This movement is essential for fluid exchange, physiological processes, neurological stimulation (proprioception), and the body’s ability to distribute loads to multiple elastic structures, which is necessary for all the movement tasks we encounter. Multidirectional movement, engaging long muscle-fascial connections, promotes stretching and strengthening of the soft tissues of the human architecture.
ROLFING
Rolfing significantly reduces or eliminates tension, stiffness, and pain in the body. Due to the elastic properties of fascial tissue, influence the adaptive processes of the tissue. Rolfing Structural Integration, through mobility education, can change postural patterns – how we sit, walk, stand up, etc. – that have led to problems, pain, or discomfort.
History Of Zoga Movement Therapy
Over the years, as scientific knowledge and understanding of the human body have advanced, Structural Integration has continued to evolve, and its initial assumptions have been increasingly confirmed through research.
The principles of this bodywork method are simple and inspiring to many practitioners working with fascia. If different segments of the body (head, torso, pelvis, legs) are held in a random alignment, muscular tension becomes necessary to maintain the body in an upright position. Additionally, the body will respond to repetitive movements, stress, tension, and injuries by reinforcing the fascia.
To restore the body to its most efficient functioning, the segments must be aligned around the central axis or in line with the center of gravity. ZOGA aligns axial disturbances and chronic musculoskeletal complaints. If posture and movement quality improve, these complaints can naturally subside.
During a session, the therapist actively influences the structural alignment of individual elements of our body. They make subtle changes aimed at improving its overall functioning.
In Zoga Movement Therapy, we use the map of Anatomy Trains to organize the process of movement assessment and interventions in the muscle-fascial system.
“All Trains participate in movement in every plane, all the time.”
One of Tom Myers’ students is Wojtek Cackowski. After years of practicing Structural Integration, Wojtek himself became a certified teacher and passed on his knowledge to other therapists.
Thus, the origins of ZOGA can be directly linked to the creator of Structural Integration. Although the method itself cannot be officially called Structural Integration, the deeply rooted philosophy of both classical Rolfing and Anatomy Trains makes it difficult not to perceive it in such a way.
In contrast to Anatomy Trains or Structural Integration, ZOGA is a much more comprehensive method of working with the body. In ZOGA, in addition to working on muscles and fascia, which dominate in the mentioned methods, we also work on joint spaces, adipose tissue, scars (ScarWork®), bones (BoneWork®), and the skull. The last three tools were developed by Sharon Wheeler, another inspiration, teacher, and mentor to Wojtek.
Sharon is Ida’s student with 50 years of experience. What may seem “physiologically” impossible according to mainstream medicine is not only possible but increasingly supported by extensive scientific research. In 2021, Ardem Patapoutian received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for “the discovery of receptors for temperature and touch in the skin.”