Biography
I have been practicing bodywork in San Diego for the past 11 years (I started in 1999) and I love what I do. I get to know people and I help them get to know themselves on a very tangible level. I think that primarily it is my job to educate everyone I can about the importance of awareness. Especially important and most immediate is our relationship to the body we inhabit. This internal environment can either function as a burden to proper function or as a great boon. The burden of a dysfunctional structure can result in pain, weakness, imbalance, discomfort or a basic lack of vitality. But with proper function in your connective tissue and skeleton you can allow for the flow of gravity to lift you up rather than tear you down. This improves your structure dramatically and can result in less pain, more mobility, increased height, better balance and an overall increased level of physical performance. This is my experience with the work and I hope to pass some of it on to each and every client I see.
Raised in a macrobiotic household and regularly receiving acupuncture as a youth I was surrounded by holistic living from a young age. I was introduced to bodywork as a career at age 17 by a good friend who was also pursuing a career in Holistic Health. From there I did some research and ended up at IPSB College here in San Diego. I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in humanities at IPSB. Being one of the few bodyworkers to receive that level of education at the time, I had a graduating class of 4. I went on to teach with my mentor Ed Maupin, Ph.D. for 5 years mostly at IPSB, completing their teacher’s training program along the way. Since then I have mostly been focused on building my private practice in the North Park area of San Diego, CA.
My Resume
Archie G. Underwood, B.A., H.H.P.
Holistic Health Practitioner (SD#01000391)
Objective
Work with with positive minded beings seeking and creating holistic sources for wellness. I offer a unique perspective to therapeutic bodywork, recognizing the role of personal body awareness in healing.
Skills
By establishing a comfortable environment, engaging aware touch and movement I assist my clients in relieving painful and unorganized holding patterns in the body. This facilitates enhanced body awareness where we can explore new ways to relate to movement and “posture” without pain or struggle. Through somatic education and various stretching/movement techniques I provide clients with tools for clarifying specific issues in and out of the treatment room. I include Swedish Circulatory Massage and Deep Tissue Sculpting as an adjunct to the Rolf method of Structural Integration. I specialize in:
- Structural Integration
- Deep Tissue Sculpting
Experience
1999-Present Private Practice – North Park, CA
I maintain a practice focused on Structural Integration and Therapeutic Bodywork. I seek to help my clients become more aware of their body through touch, movement and posture education.
2006-Present Vision Magazine
Articles centering around holistic health and well-being. Vision is a publication focused on being a catalyst for conscious living. 90,000 copies are distributed monthly throughout California as well as in Arizona and Hawaii.
2003-2008 International Professional School of Bodywork – San Diego, CA
I taught Structural Integration at IPSB College, they offer a 350 hour program of specialized Structural Integration work.
2005 Esalen Institute – I taught Structural Integration alongside Ed Maupin, Ph.D. Esalen was a catalyst for new forms of body therapy in the 50’s and 60’s and remains one to this day.
2002-2005 IPSB Massage Therapy Center – Pacific Beach, CA
As a professional at the center I address clients needs through Deep Tissue as well as Swedish Circulatory massage. I also offer Structural Integration “spot work” as an adjunct to massage.
2001-2002 Clothey Wellness Center – San Diego, CA
Working in conjunction with a Doctor of Chiropractic I primarily used my skills as a Tui Na and Structural Integration therapist. The Wellness Center is focused on treating acute and chronic injuries through Nutrition, Chiropractic, Massage and Physical Therapy.
Education
2008 Mueller College – San Diego, CA
“Customizing” with Bill Mueller. Bill shared his unique take on client assessment, pulling from his 30 years in the field.
2007 Rossiter System Workouts – San Diego, CA
A powerful program you can implement starting today to get your employees back to work and your medical costs under control again.
1998-2006 International Professional School of Bodywork – San Diego, CA
- Bachelor of Arts in Humanities; speaker at graduation
- 2500+ hours of training with a focus on Somatic Bodywork
- Specialization in Structural Integration with training in many other modalities.
2004 Rolf Insitute annual meeting – Boulder, CO
Represented the IPSB Structural Integration teaching team and attended various workshops.
