Bodhi Heart Rolfing & Meditation

I had sciatica and lower back pain for a very long time. This Rolfer, Soken Graf, saved me from this agonizing pain. In my personal opinion Rolfing is better than seeing a chiropractor, better than seeing a physical therapist, better than massage. My pain from a scale from 0 – 10 was at a 9 when I fist saw him, now my pain hovers between 0 to 1. I continue to see him because I am doing intense physical training, working out 3 to 4 times per week. I am putting myself through this training for self improvement, and I see Soken to patch me up and put me back together again. Highly recommended!!! Worth every single penny.

I went to Soken because he had all these amazing reviews. Now that I’ve been seeing him for 6 months it’s time for me to write an amazing review of my own.
So consider this a confirmation that Soken Graf is the real deal. I’ve got skeletal issues I though would require surgery to solve. Soken has fixed them. As a runner (~30 miles a week), I’ve come to rely on him, which is a true joy, because he’s as reliable and responsive as he is gifted.
At one point a few months ago, over-​training had injured my ankle to the point where it hurt to walk. To make matters worse I was days away from heading out of town for a few weeks. He squeezed me in on short notice and fixed my ankle in one session. I know it sounds crazy, but this was my experience: he literally fixed my ankle in an hour.
The spiritual and emotional progress I’ve made since I started working with Soken months ago is truly amazing as well. Soken’s awesome.

My life has changed thanks to the monthly four week meditation classes Soken guides and teaches on what it is like to meditate from a pure Zen place with a modern twist.
I am a completely different person and continue to grow and learn about myself and the universe and all that is.

I just had my first rolfing session with Soken Paul Graf this weekend. I went in not knowing if he could help relieve some of the pain and tightness I have been experiencing in my upper back and neck region. My neck has had chronic stiffness for years. With the techniques, his knowledge and experience, he «opened» up areas that have been congested and contracted for years.
Soken Paul Graf is awesome. I am planning to see him for a second session to continue the work. It is pricey, but if you’re willing to invest in yourself and your health and well-​being of your body, Bodhi Heart Rolfing is worth your time.

Soken’s contemplative sessions have been life changing and it’s only been two months since I have started this journey with him. He is caring, intuitive, insightful and most of all, extremely patient. The energy he radiates gives you such a sense of inner calm and peace. In two months alone, I have gained the courage to start my own business, find better balance in my life, and unravel layers and layers of childhood baggage. He is by far the best money I have ever invested — absolutely worth every single penny and more. I can’t thank him enough and I look forward to growing with him as we continue our sessions.

I was a mess when I came to see Soken. I was on disability from a back injury, living with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, diagnosed with fibromyalgia, dealing with bouts of depression and having anger management issues. My life literally started to turn around when I started working with him. So far I’ve been working with him for 3 and half years. I’ve made a Complete 180. I’ve recovered from fibromylgia, chronic pain and fatigue. No more bouts of depression or anger issues and my energy level is great! Most importantly, I live with a constant level of happiness that I simply could not have conceived of before I began working with Soken. The lines of stress that once marked my face are gone. Friends who haven’t seen me in years, say I look like I did in high school. I finished high school 18 years ago.
Here are my thoughts on his services:
Rolfing
Soken has the gift of a healing touch. He intuitively knows what part of your body to work on. He’s been able to fundamentally shift the structure of my body and eliminate compensatory patterns. I’ve even been complemented on my posture by people.
Cranio-​Sacral Work
Earlier this year, I passed out and hit my head on the side of a bed. Shortly after I recovered, I could feel that my cranial plates were off. I went to Soken and within minutes they were fixed.
Cultivating Awareness Meditation Class
At the time I took this class it was offered over the phone. We started each session with a short group meditation. When I’ve done other group practices in person, I feel like the group sort of lifts your practice when it dips. I was surprised to feel the same effect over the phone, its really quite amazing. After each meditation Soken speaks about a topic, guides us on individual initiatives and answers our questions. I was really surprised at the how universal the discussions are. When he’s answering other people’s questions, I found direct applicability to my life and practice. This weekly meditation class is a great opportunity to deepen your practice and most importantly work with a truly gifted teacher.
Contemplative Sessions
Soken’s energy brings a deep clarity within me. I have a clarity over my thoughts and emotions that I simply can’t get on my own. He had deep insights into the nature of my true self and led me down a path to get there. I’ve always considered myself a spiritual person, but didn’t have the regular practices to actually BE a spiritual person until I started working with Soken. He routinely points out the roadblocks in my meditation practice. With his guidance, I now meditate over an hour a day. When I’ve meditated with him, I’ve had truly transformational spiritual experiences. The types of experiences that bring you closer to being one with the universe. He’s enabled me to see the trickiness and subversiveness of my own mind. Sometimes we simply can’t see the judgment and attachment within ourselves. Continued work with him is so transformational that words will never do justice to the experience and change.
To summarize — Soken is a deeply gifted healer with intuitive insights not only about your physical body, but also your mind and spirit. Working with him transformed my physical body from being disabled to feeling younger than I was 18 years ago. Working with him cleared my mind of the baggage I held onto for most of my life. Working with him transformed my spirit to now being aligned with its true purpose. Working with him is the most profound investment that you could ever make in yourself!

My sessions were with Jenny, and I can’t say enough great things about her. She was kind, listened to my concerns and issues, had good energy, and made me feel better. She always took her time to work with my body, and was very sweet. I always left feeling much better, and I feel that my overall health is better, because of the time spent. So why not five stars? Well the scheduling could be very difficult. And the cancellation policy was not practical. I’ve never heard of a five-​day cancellation policy before. Most places have a 24 hour (48 Max) cancellation policy. I realize they are trying to keep their books tight, but I felt that the lack of any flexibility was a bit harsh. Even when I gave a very valid reason for needing to cancel, they still wouldn’t budge. It sort of kills the good energy of the place.

I began as a patient of Soken in the beginning of 2010 due to long standing neck and upper back tension and strain. I have an years of experience with bodywork from everything from massage to craniosacral to chiropractic to acupuncture, but I have never experienced anything like Soken’s Rolfing skills.
I had no idea what Rolfing was, but after one session with Soken, I was totally hooked. So hooked, in fact, I worked with Soken for the next year and a half collaborating on a yoga program. During that time, I never stopped being a Rolfing patient, and I never stopped continually healing after a session with Soken.
To be a truly gifted bodyworker, I believe that you must be a blessed with an intuitive nature and spirit – it is not something that can be taught. It is the difference between a good Rolfer and a great Rolfer. Soken is truly a great Rolfer and an inspiring human being.
He is knowledgable about every kind of bodywork and the body’s energy systems – but do not be intimidated by his incredible breadth of knowledge nor his Zen background – Soken’s Rolfing will produce immediate, lasting, tangible results in your body. His friendly demeanor and peaceful presence makes every Rolfing session an educational, comfortable, and healing experience despite the intensity that Rolfing sometimes produces in the body.
No matter what kind of healing you are looking for – physical, energetic, spiritual, mental – Soken will be there for you.

There are not enough stars on Unilocal to rate Soken’s rolfing skills. He has truly transformed my life and every penny is worth it. Soken approaches rolfing with a true heart and he not only helps to align your body but also helps you to heal mentally and physically. Because he is also a buddhist monk he has an intuitive sense of your body and inner workings. At first, I was hesitant to go to him because I didn’t have that much physical pain in my body and it was expensive. However, I decided to give it a try. After a few sessions, I started noticing improvements in my neck, hand and shoulders. Rolfing is definitely relieving a lot of the tension from my computer usage. It also improved my posture and has increased my overall energy level.
At one point, I had a terrible jaw pain because I was under a lot of stress. I went to see my dentist and they provided a mouth guard to keep my teeth in place that I had to wear every night. It was completely useless. Soken was able to solve my jaw issue within 2 – 3 sessions. I am very lucky to have found Soken and I hope he is able to also help you in the same way! This is definitely the best investment in my health that I have made.

I had no idea what Rolfing was when I went to Bodhi Heart Rolfing. I just finished the 10 series, and feel and move like a million bucks! I mostly was treated by Jenny. She is sweet, funny and smart, and her treatment is gentle yet the effect is powerful… I work as a nurse on night shift, so my energy level was low and had some numbness and stiffness all over my body. Now I sleep better, has so much more energy, and really feel together with my body. It’s hard to explain, but let’s just say I crave Rolfing now.
I also got treated by Soken a couple of times, and his style is different from Jenny’s. His treatment feels physically stronger, and the effect is also amazing. He is a Buddhist monk who runs his Rinzai temple near by, and I go there for meditation too.
Bodhi Heart Rolfing offers so much of calm and comfort that I am very thankful I stumbled onto the place.
Anyway, doing the 10 series is a commitment, but I really think this is the way to go to get the maximum benefit. They both book up very quickly, but I hope you can give them a try and can come to feel as well as I do!

Jenny Liu is a very gifted Rolfer. I saw Jenny for a couple of sessions to address a year-​old upper back tweak I’d incurred during a Capoeira class and because I’d discovered through another practice that my legs weren’t very grounded and stable (I had been through the 10-​series three years before at a different place). Jenny is an intelligent and intuitive healer with a touch that can be both deeply precise and gently balancing. After my sessions with her I noticed that I had regained a lot of the flexibility I had lost in the right side of my back. Also, very happily, my legs were well-​grounded underneath my body, providing me with more power and ease in my stride, and a sense of connectedness between my whole body. I felt upright, stable, and had a newfound awareness of the habits that led me to an unstable posture in the first place. Thanks Jenny!

I’d been curious about Rolfing for a while, hearing stories from friends who did ten session packages and felt at the end like their bodies were completely transformed.
I had my first session of a ten-​series last week with Jenny. It was fantastic! I felt reborn in my body afterwards. I quickly became more aware of where my body was holding tension, especially where left and right sides were asymmetrical, especially around the shoulders.
She’d work out blocks in one area and the tension would move. It was fascinating — like pieces in a puzzle — you put two in and one comes out. She’d follow the sensation using varying degrees of pressure and at other times do a sort of energetic scan a few inches from my body
to find the next point of contact.
By the end of the session, the pieces fell into place. My shoulders, arms, and legs felt so much more free and «normal» than they did at the start (surprising, because I didn’t know how contracted they were). Actually, I’m still feeling more freedom in my body a week later.
The session as a whole felt very well-​held. Jenny has an unwavering presence. Humble, warm, and deeply powerful… hard to describe in words. I left with a relaxed and freer body and more awareness of my body and its holding patterns. Looking forward to my next session!

I am updating to 3 stars because Soken called me (presumably after reading my prior review) and he offered to see us personally on an extra long Saturday, but ultimately the timing didn’t work out and they refunded our sessions. I appreciate the great followup service!

Soken is sort of spooky. Sometimes during the appointment I don’t feel like he’s working very deeply, and then in the days afterwards I always have these little revelations: when running it was, wow, THIS is what it feels like to be aligned! I was walking down the hallway and it hit me, I don’t think I’ve Ever stood up this straight!
I went to see him because after a year of spending tons of dough on acupunture, massage, chiropractors, etc. to fix first a shoulder issue, then a hip issue, it occurred to me that I needed to get to the bottom of the problem, which was a motorcycle accident at 16 that put my whole left side out of whack. I’m halfway through the 10 sessions, and physically I feel better than I’ve ever felt since I was a pre-​teen. I just wish I’d had the foresight to go to him at the beginning of that other stuff, but oh well. At least now, I’m rockin it.
And it’s funny, with the body alignment some mind stuff is getting straightened out too. He’s worth every penny.

Soken is a true healer, no gimmicks. The process is not inexpensive, but when you live with pain, and you find relief, it is so very worth it. Soken is intuitive and sensitive, strong and skilled. His process is individualized and tailored for whatever is ailing me during the particular session.
On one occasion I was suffering from a lingering flu, but I didn’t want to miss my rolfing appointment. I left feeling better than I had in weeks. A TRUE HEALER who makes me feel at ease in his presence. Each session is completely relaxing and useful.

Soken is both compassionate and skilled. I feel emotionally and physically better every time I receive treatment from Soken. Deep and long lasting conditions have been greatly improved. I feel my breathing is better after a gentle realignment of one of my ribs and his treatments place me in a blissful meditative state.

Have you ever watched one of those television evangelists, who «heal» someone? The person being «healed: jumps up waving their arms shouting «I can walk/​talk/​play the piano again!»?
Well I have to tell you that Soken is the real deal in the real professional world.
I have suffered from injuries from several bad falls for DECADES. Although I have had the benefit of excellent medical doctors and a fine chiropractic professional, deep tissue scaring created symptoms of chronic pain and misalignment throughout my body. I’d been to other health providers; acupuncture therapists, massage therapists, and even other Rolfers and not found relief.
As I am a massage therapist, I met Soken at a Deep Tissue Myofacial Release workshop. He needed a body to work on for a demonstration, so I volunteered. After working for about a half hour the improvement I felt in my body was enough to make me believe that this man could help me. I found his skill in identifying energy blockages where injury exists allows him to focus exactly where work is most needed. Often in a session I would forget about something that had been bothering me and he would identify it and say «So tell me what’s going on with your foot.» His work is so effective, and the result so profound that I could feel deep tissues tingling and releasing in my body long after each session.
He has been able to clear decades old causes of my neck, back and pelvic pain. My body feels relieved, relaxed and renewed. I HIGHLY recommend Soken to everyone I know.

If your looking to gain balance in your mind, body, spirit and your life in general, then Rolfing is right for you. Rolfing aligns and tunes your energies with your higher self and with the universe at large. It awakens you to your dreams and gives you the energy you need to fulfill them. I can no longer walk through life without recognizing and appreciating the beauty of all things. I am forced to pay attention to the awe and wonder of everything around me, around us.
I have realized there is nothing I can’t do, so long as I can find a way to to do it. Rolfing has enabled me to wake up to myself and to realize the true potential I have, and we all have. I have never felt more alive and inspired to create and manifest my dreams.
Thank you, Soken!

I’ve never heard of rolfing until a friend mentioned it to me one day.
I began searching for rolfing practictioners in the SF area (the one my friend saw was flown in my his boss… lucky him!). As we all know, searching for any type of new holistic/​medical practioner can be cumbersome.
I came across Soken’s website and read more about his background. I emailed him about some questions and he thought it was best I came in for an assessment. We talked for a few minutes, and that’s when I told him it’s hard to understand with words, so we started my first session.
Soken noted my spine was way out of alignment, as such, I started the treatment right then and there. We started a session that same hour and I was sold after the treatment was over. After only 60 minutes, I’ve never felt so recharged and energized. This was a good feeling… not like a caffeine buzz where you end up crashing a few hours later. This alterness went well into the late evening.
I cannot describe this technique in words. I highly recommend seeing Soken. He’s patient, understanding, and has a very gentle, yet strong touch.

Today will be my fourth of the «Rolfing 10 Series» and so far, I am incredibly impressed with the quality body work I’ve received from Soken. At the end of each session, I feel more rooted in my body, have greater agility, and am capable of more freedom and economy of movement than before I started treatment.
Soken is one of the most intuitive bodyworkers I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
Will try to update this post as treatment progresses.