SZAJA CHARLES GOTTLIEB, M.A., CERTIFIED ADVANCED ROLFER®

My name is Szaja (pronounced Shaya) Gottlieb and I practice in San Luis Obispo California. I was certified at the Rolf Institute in November, 2001. I became a Certified Advanced Rolfer® in 2008. In the 22 years since I became a Rolfer®, I have done over 10,000 sessions and the experience of doing and learning from those sessions has been equal or more important than my original schooling. I also have been an editor and frequent writer for the Journal of Structural Integration, a compendium of articles written by practitioners, published quarterly, and available for purchase online. I have included many of my articles on this site.

I became involved with Rolfing in the late 70’s after continually experiencing back problems for many years. Rolfing not only eliminated those problems but unexpectedly set me off on a course of personal transformation. For the next 20 years I was an artist/sculptor working mostly in stone. Previously, in 1970, I had received a Masters degree in European intellectual history and was destined for a career in academia. For more on my journey, please read “The Art of Rolfing®SI and the Art of Sculpture: Seeing, Embodiment, and Space” included in my writings.

As I enter my 76th year, I am personally convinced that the body is an entity we take for granted. We often feel betrayed when it fails us, whether simply aches or pain or in a major way with disease and metabolic breakdowns. We expect a lot from our bodies but put little into it. The body, not the house or home we sleep and eat in, is truly our primordial structure.

On a personal note, I am also husband to my wife Ko and father to my daughter Judith Dabin, who attends Barnard College and is a captain on the Columbia University archery team.