Recovery from Traumatic brain injury

Bodies remain a mystery to me, especially caring for my own. Jazmine was amazing, compassionate, and clear during our time together. She paced our sessions based on my needs, helped me refine my homework and body care goals, and was necessary in my journey with my TBI recovery. I am so thankful I found her.
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-Paul

Relief from CTS pain and numbness

Jazmine, you have made my life exponentially better, and I routinely say that you have saved my career.  You have.
  "Specialists" and MDs laughed me out of their office because "I was too young and strong" to have these problems.  Chiropractors wanted to see me 2-3 times a week for the rest of my life.  Not only did I find relief from the 10 series, but Jazmine offered tips and changes I could make in my daily life and work that have made the results sustainable. During the 10 series I went to see her once every two weeks or so.  Since I finished that over a year ago I have seen her twice just for "tune-ups". Also in this kind of healing the practitioner makes as much of a difference as the kind of treatment.  I think that Rolfing is a great thing in general but Jazmine Fox-Stern is exceptional. It has taken work on and off the table but the healing and relief have been lasting. 

-Helen McCarthy 
Age: 24
Job: Scenic Artist 

Learning about my body

I loved working with Jazmine. She knows so much about bodies. I learned something new every time, and she made sure knew how to work on the new things between sessions. She gives the highest-quality of attention and care. I am so grateful!!
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​-Joslyn

Improved posture

For years I have struggled with poor posture and have tried multiple approaches to address it but to no avail. After my first session with Jazmine I immediately noticed a drastic change in my posture which lasted without effort on my part for about one day after our session. After our second session, the improvement was maintained for four days. In addition to the hands-on work Jazmine is doing, she has given me "homework assignments" to implement between our sessions. The nice thing about these "assignments" is that they do not require a lot of effort or time. Instead, she suggests very minor adjustments to be mindful of. I have found this technique to be more effective in creating sustainable changes in my posture than any other technique I have tried in the past. 

I have enjoyed working with Jazmine tremendously. She is incredibly knowledgeable about Rolfing and about the body, and creates a very comfortable and friendly environment during sessions. She is very open to answering questions and extremely thoughtful in her explanations, often providing helpful and eye-opening analogies as well as descriptions of specific muscles to help you understand how the body works. I have learned a lot and changed my perception of my body from working with her, and I look forward to learning more as we continue our work.

-Jessica G.

Relief from back pain

Jazmine is super friendly and makes you always feel welcome and comfortable.  I came into my first session of Rolfing in a good deal of discomfort and a have recently finished my program in a positive direction to full recovery.  

I wasn't too familiar with Rolfing and did some research online before making my first appointment. (I had been recommended by a Doctor to try it out) Boston Body Balance had many positive reviews from past clients and because of that made my decision to choose to go there pretty easy.   

Throughout my 10 sessions I would ask a lot of questions.   Difficult/complex questions, regarding biomechanics and anatomy, why my movements hurt, best practices for movement. Jazmine was ready to provide an answer to them all but also in terms that I would be able to understand. 

She did her research!  I was having pain in a specific area of my back and between sessions she researched techniques that would be beneficial to work that area.   Unlike message therapists and practitioners in other areas of sports medicine I was getting customized care for my treatment not what the guidebook said.

Rolfing teaches you to be more aware of individual muscles and movements. By the end of my 10th session I felt I had more control of my movements, I'm pretty coordinated but I feel I improved even more. I can now isolate muscles and can differentiate between different muscle groups.  For an athlete this is great as you can apply this to your sport to get further ahead.  

You definitely get what you pay for.  Compared to other treatment options I got the most return on investment from Rolfing.

If your body hurts or you put your body through a lot of punishment Rolfing is a great option to get back to a higher quality of life.  I would recommend Boston Body Balance to everyone.  I will be back in the future for follow-ups! Thanks Jazmine!

-Kyle S.

Post-Mastectomy embodiment

Jazmine is a gifted Rolfer. If you are unfamiliar with Rolfing you are missing out. It is a type of bodywork that has changed my life. I have had the pleasure to work with 3 different Rolfers over the past 20 years and while all were very talented, Jazmine is the best I have ever worked with. She has a gift to integrate the body, mind and spirit with ease and grace. She is extremely talented and I feel lucky to have found her. She helped me through a very challenging time in my life as I was recovering from a double mastectomy. She helped me accept the changes to my body and find a way to move forward. I am eternally grateful for her help.

A New Posture, A New Perspective

Jazmine Fox-Stern is a tremendous Rolfing practitioner. I came into my session with recurrent pain, poor posture, and debilitating stress. By the end of the session, I was totally revitalized. 

I had read a few articles citing that Rolfing could be a painful process. I can assure you that this is not the case with Jazmine Fox-Stern. Jazmine’s techniques ranged from feeling gentle to firm (in the sense of a deep-tissue massage). I actually found the session remarkably relaxing. Unlike a massage, however, the feelings of rejuvenation aren’t temporary. It’s been well over a month since my session and I am still feeling refreshed. This is primarily due to the fact that Jazmine provided me with the tools and strategies to lastingly improve my posture and well-being. She taught me methods to eliminate pain, discomfort, and soreness, and she carefully showed me how to incorporate these methods into my walking, sitting, and standing postures. To use a cliché, Jazmine doesn’t just give you a fish; she teaches you how to fish.

Jazmine is exceptionally affable and maintained a convivial deportment throughout the entirety of the session (from intake to departure). Her office is easily accessible and situated in a pleasantly uncongested section of Cambridge. The session room is full of sunshine and has a beautiful view of the city. It’s an extraordinarily calm, comfortable, and relaxing environment.

-Kevin
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Soothing experience

I enjoyed the experience of being rolfed by Jazmine.  She was very responsive to the idiosyncrasies of my body under which my biomechanical problems lurk.  We discussed the proscribed ten session approach to Structural Integration and the critical importance of posture.  Unbeknownst to Jazmine, I have an approach/avoidance to treatment and caretakers, but I found her to be very forthcoming and comforting.  I was able to relax and take advantage of the adjustments she was making to my fascia.  I would leave feeling lighter and more fluid.  She has a way of humming while she worked that was both fascinating (is that part of the treatment—I still don’t know!) and charming.  Ultimately I am still on that life-changing journey to move my body through space as it was meant to move, leaving my bad habits behind, and when I achieve a movement goal I realize that it was something she was trying to tell me all along! 

-Chris L.

Help with physical and emotional pain

I discovered Rolfing many years ago.  Rolfing has helped me to balance my body and muscles.  Whenever I have a body pain I consult a Rolfer.  I have seen many good Rolfer over the years.  However, I could say for Sure that Jazmine Fox-Stern is the best Rolfer that I have seen up to now.  She not only does a great job Rolfing, but, she gives me exercises and movement that I can do at home.  These exercises help me further to balance my body.  A balanced Body helps release negative emotions and in turn helps produce a balanced mind.  I recommend Rolfing to everybody.  

-Kazem Mahdavi, Ph.D.

Running a pain-free ​ultra-marathon

Years ago, a friend told me about her experience as a Rolfing client, and she painted a picture of physical intensity.  Having recently completed the Rolfing Structural Integration 10 series with Jazmine, I can report that it was intense, but in the best ways, and not in any of the painful or uncomfortable ways I had imagined.

Indeed, Jazmine guided me gently into regaining awareness of my body, and into new awareness, and every day, that experience continues to support me.  I feel grateful to myself for giving it a whirl.

In recent years, I'd heard more positive reports of Rolfing experience, and I felt more willing to consider trying it, but I wasn't actively searching for a practitioner, nor did I budget for it.  Then, in October of 2010, I was in the last challenging phase of training to run my third 50-mile race when I began to have strange pains in my lower legs which I'd not suffered before.  As the race drew near, and as the pain increased and even migrated, I became a bit anxious about whether I'd be able to run at all in late November.  That's when I had the fortune to meet Jazmine and discover that she's a Rolfer.

In our first session, I immediately felt encouraged by her clear knowledge of the human body, and her ability to listen carefully, not only to my words, but to what she could see and feel of my body.  She quickly diagnosed my leg-pain symptoms, and her description of the nerves and fascia in that area made sense to me.  I knew that she could help.  Still, I wasn't entirely sure that we could ease the pain before my race, but Jazmine expressed optimism, and I went with it.  

After the 3rd session, I was amazed at how much better my legs felt.  Jazmine thought that one more session would be beneficial, and I agreed, but time was short before I left town for the race.  She was willing to schedule an early-morning session before my flight, for which I am extremely grateful.  Her Rolfing skills, and her guidance of me had completely removed that leg pain.  

Still, 50 miles can be a long way, and during the race, I wondered if that healing would suddenly unravel.  By mile 30, I knew that I could stop worrying about that possibility.  She became one of my most-valued crew members that day.  I went on to run my fastest time, and not a hint of that leg-pain has returned.  Magic.

The magic of skill and care.  Jazmine not only knows what she's doing, she's well aware of how she's wielding her skills.  I always felt that she was eagerly curious about her work, and it is clear that she's doing what she loves.

After the race, we finished the series, and I was regularly impressed by how much I learned each time, and how grounded, how with-my-body I felt.  Now, several weeks after our last session, I daily feel some particular awareness in my body, and my patterns of movement that I can recognize and adjust because of Jazmine's guidance.

To give a brief explanation of the process, I offer the following.  Her touch and manipulation are solid, subtle, and highly-attuned.  A good deal of Jazmine's work involved cueing me verbally to very particular, subtle movements, and I had a mental-imaginative workout as I redrew the map of my body for myself.  She was patient when that redrawing was slow, and welcoming of my questions about what I was experiencing.

Jazmine also taught me stretches and exercises that I could do on my own to continue what we had improved upon during sessions.  She recommend books which could augment my increasing body awareness.  Jazmine is also reliable and easy to communicate with about scheduling.  She offers her skill at what I now consider a great bargain.  If you're iffy about the finances, find a way to afford it.  

If I were in charge of health care for the world, I would offer, insistently, everyone the chance to benefit from Rolfers the like of Jazmine, at least once a decade.  It is that magic.

-Jeffry B.

skilled holistic bodywork

​Jazmine is the best body worker I have ever had the pleasure to work with, and I have worked with many over the past 30 years. She sees the whole body and also understands the body mind connection in a way that is both gentle and effective. Jazmine is a truly gifted body worker and I feel so grateful to have found her. If you get the chance to work with her you will leave more connected to your body and feeling a whole lot better. I recommend the 10 session series if you have never done this type of body work. Thank you Jazmine for taking such great care of my body, heart and mind. There are not enough stars for how amazing Jazmine is at her craft, she has a true gift for this work.

Staying active, feeling good

I recently received a series of work from Jazmine and remain very grateful as I wake up and move around each day with more awareness and respect for the miracle of having an ongoing and great working relationship with my body. 

In my mid fifties, I still love to play hockey with friends, some half my age and twice as fast! And I love to stay reasonably physically active. This is not my first experience with Rolfing and it won't be my last either. It has always been remarkable to me, for instance, that Rolfers have done so much good for my entire back and upper body by starting their work on my feet and legs. Heck, we spend enough time on our legs, so it makes sense, but its just not something that we think about! And Rolfers help bring mobility, awareness and self control throughout all of the body over a series of time. 

I highly recommend Rolfing and Jazmine in particular to anyone who is truly looking to learn something about your ability to feel "normal" in your muscles, bones, joints... hell, in your self! I'm relearning, yet again, that part of my physical health is a collaborative effort; about my own body awareness and intention, stimulated by the educated and gifted interventions of the Rolfer.

-Mark B.

improved mobility

I just completed the ten series with Jazmine. I heard a lot about how Rolfing was painful. Lots and lots of reviews scattered online. I've had worse and it's not really that bad. And honestly, I don't mind a little pain, grinning and bearing it, if that means I will have less tension and restored mobility. I know that's not for everyone and Jazmine is really good about watching your facial cues, muscle tension, and breathing and responding quickly with a "How are you doing?" or "Are you ok?". 

One of the biggest benefits I've gotten is more flexibility in my spine. I have a pretty stiff spine to begin with and I can feel a huge difference while dancing because really when else are you going to be able to freely express yourself in a non-rote manner? Also, I can rotate my hips better which is cool because I have a shorter leg and that movement has always been a bit choppy.

I also liked the internal Rolfing with the mouth work especially. It's bit weird but really not that bad and well worth it for the payoff. My jaw used to do this clicky thing and it doesn't do that anymore.

One of the interesting things that I didn't anticipate was how relaxed I would be the night after a session. It was a different type of relaxation than just being tired or maybe having a few drinks. I didn't feel wiped out or really tired. Just a pillowy sense of chillness. I'd always forget about this before the next session, have a session and come home prepared to do some errand or chore and just have to say to myself, "I guess I'm going to chill and enjoy the post-Rolfing sensations.

I liked working with Jazmine and I learned a lot about my body. Tons of stuff I had no idea I was doing - folding my neck and back in a certain way, holding my arms way forward and so on. Little things that I could work on that I wasn't aware of. I liked going to Rolfing and doing the exercises, but I think now is the interesting part. After Rolfing 10 series, changes keep happening and you keep improving. I am excited to see what happens next.

-Anonymous, age 30
Job & Activities: nanny, jogging, yoga, pilates