Biography
I have been practicing bodywork since 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’s 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 skeletal system 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 outcomes such as: 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. I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities at IPSB. Since then I have mostly been focused on building my private practice in the North Park area of San Diego.
My Resume
Archie G. Underwood, B.A., C.M.T. #29374
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 unorganized holding patterns in the body. This facilitates enhanced body awareness where we can explore new ways to relate to movement and posture with ease. 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 specialize in Structural Integration.
Experience
1999-Present Private Practice – San Diego, 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.
2006-2009 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.
2005 Esalen Institute – I taught Structural Integration, assisting 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.
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. My roles included assistant, secondary and primary teacher.
Education
2018 Deeper Grounds: Hands on with the Pelvic Floor – Esalen Institute, CA
Tom Myers in an incredible speaker. This course was not only an amazing presentation but the anatomy is deep and Tom’s grasp of it is phenomenal. I love to be challenged in this way, learning new ways to conceptualize the body nurtures my passion for the work I do. Thanks Tom!
2018 The Issues are in the Tissues – San Diego, CA
Tom Myers is masterful at making his talks engaging and thought provoking. He integrated practical applications for movement, yoga and bodywork into this 3 day course.
2017 Astanga Yoga Center Teacher Training – Tulum, MX
I took this training directly with Tim Miller who continues to oversee the first Astanga Yoga studio in the US. He has a deep mastery of the work as passed on by his guru, it was a joy to learn from him.
2016 The Biomechanics Method – San Diego, CA
This course was a great way to learn more about corrective exercise for my clients. This added to my understanding of exercise and movement as it relates to function in the human body.
2014 Sharon Hancoff-Wheeler – San Diego, CA
Returning to one of Sharon’s workshops was a delight. Her unique approach to working with visible scarring and the underlying scar tissue was quite interesting. Always a pleasure to learn from a master of the work.
2012 Sharon Hancoff-Wheeler – San Diego, CA
I took an amazing workshop focused on the cranial work of the 10 series. I learned work pioneered by Sharon who was one of Ida Rolf’s first students.
2011 Gil Hedley – San Diego, CA
I took an intensive workshop related to his unique approach to anatomy learned through dissection. He is a Rolfer® who practices dissection through a holistic lens focusing on the connective tissue.
2010 Esther Gokhale Wellness Center – Palo Alto, CA
I learned the foundations of her unique approach to posture and movement education.
2009 IPSB College – San Diego, CA
Ethics and continuing Rossiter System classes.
2008 Mueller College – San Diego, CA
Bill Mueller shared his unique take on client assessment, pulling from 30 years of experience working with clients.
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.Richard Rossiter is a Rolfer® from way back who decided to break the mold with his work and now teaches it to others.
2004 Rolf Institute annual meeting – Boulder, CO
Represented the IPSB Structural Integration teaching team and attended various workshops.
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 including: Relational Somatics, TuiNa Chinese Medical Massage, Thai Massage, Deep Tissue
