Learn with teachers who love what they do.
You are the reason we are here. With a combined experience of over 75 years, we truly care about your learning.
The Soma Institute is a delightful place to learn and develop oneself. I feel very lucky to have learned Soma from these amazingly talented educators.
— A.W., Class of 2016
Jesse Guerrero, LMT, Advanced Soma Practitioner: ASP
Teaches: Soma theory and method, clinical applications, kinesiology, pathology
I’ve been practicing Soma since 2002. Yet, my connection with Soma Structural Integration began much earlier—when I received the Soma Series at the age of eight. Not long after, my aunt, Karen Bolesky, took over the Soma Institute of Structural Integration.
I credit this work with helping me overcome severe asthma and recover from multiple sports injuries and traumas. Those early experiences, along with years of witnessing the positive transformation of students, inspired me to become a Soma practitioner and teacher. I’ve been teaching at the Soma Institute since 2005 and officially took the school reigns with my spouse Kelsi Giswold in 2022.
I’ve taught continuing education classes in Slovenia, Croatia, Oregon, and Washington to healthcare professionals and aspiring structural integrators. I’m fascinated by all forms of movement arts and have studied Somatics, 5-Rhythms, yoga, pilates, Gyrokinesis, skateboarding, Aikido, and Laban/Bartenieff Fundamentals. I bring this knowledge into every aspect of my teaching.
When I’m not teaching or practicing Soma, you can find me playing with my daughter, exploring the landscape on a skateboard or snowboard, or digging around in the garden.
I want my students to find themselves in this work, in their body, in their own essence. Structural Integration has to become your own expression, so you not only gain knowledge, but you awaken your own unique brilliance. From this place a student can create a practice with confidence and authenticity. Supporting the embodiment of an uplifting and joyous profession is more than my passion, it is my ethos.
Kelsi Giswold, BFA, LMT, Advanced Soma Practitioner: ASP
Teaches: Soma theory and method, clinical applications, ethics, business
I was a graphic artist first. As a freelance designer I worked for a number of years until my body refused—carpal tunnel, neck and back pain etc. I was always interested in anatomy and natural medicine and after my first Soma session I realized it was the style of bodywork I had always wished for, but didn’t know existed.
Soma is a kind of art that allows me to see beauty, look deeply and think creatively, like in graphic design, but in an immensely more satisfying way. Helping folks live a more balanced and vibrant life is a true honor. Supporting folks to playfully engage in their lives by being fully present in their bodies is a genuine joy. It’s wonderful to witness (again and again) the power that comes when we acknowledge the union of mind, body, and spirit.
I’ve been practicing Soma Structural Integration since 2008 and teaching since 2015. Jesse and I offically took over running the Soma Institute in 2022. Before becoming a Soma practitioner, I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and worked as a freelance graphic designer. In my free time you can find me trail running, backpacking, painting, skiing, gardening, traveling, spousing, or the most important “job” of all, mothering. I truly believe that curiosity and lifelong learning are the fuels of a creative and fulfilling life.
My desire is to empower my students to deeply trust themselves, bringing their wholeness and presence to the table. I delight in encouraging students to be creative, compassionate and critical thinkers who value continual learning.
Alex Goldstein, LMT, Advanced Soma Practitioner: ASP
Teaches: Soma theory and method, clinical applications, anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and business
I’ve been in private practice in Seattle since 2015 and came to Soma with a background in chemistry, software development, business management, and movement arts. Movement has always played a major role in my life—most recently as a professional dancer and instructor of circus and aerial arts, and now through my Certification as a Franklin Method® Educator. Movement provides me with balance, expression, and joy, and I see Soma as a powerful way to help others experience that same freedom in their own bodies. Whether a client is seeking pain relief, improved mobility or athletic performance, or a deeper sense of body awareness, my goal is to partner with them in achieving those outcomes.
Teaching at the Soma Institute is also a partnership—this time with the students. I strive to create an environment that is both supportive and collaborative, where students have the opportunity to grow and realize their potential through the learning process. With a focus on Anatomy, Physiology, and Kinesiology, I aim for students to leave the training with a genuine curiosity about the container we live in every day—our body!—and a desire to keep learning as they begin their own practices.
A&P can be A LOT! But there is so much wonder and excitement in learning about how we are put together and how it all works. My hope is for the students to take that knowledge and carry forward the joy of discovery so they can support themselves, and their clients, in being empowered, embodied, and welcoming of change.
Kimberly Lorton, LMT, Advanced Soma Practitioner: ASP
Teaches: Soma theory and method, clinical applications, pathology
My love of anatomy and physiology began in high school through an accelerated program that allowed me to observe cadaver dissections. That early fascination continued as a Division 1 scholarship swimmer and eventually grew into a deep enthusiasm for pathology, shaped by countless opportunities to support people with diverse bodies, abilities, and goals.
I completed a double Bachelor of Science degree and my Master’s at the University of Washington. I’m also a certified POSE running coach and a Level 1 CrossFit coach. More recently, I completed a two-year program in wild medicinal plants and hope to become a Registered Herbalist. I’ve pursued advanced trainings in breathwork, craniofacial harmony, and pelvic floor work.
I bring my athletic background, a depth of empathy shaped by a lifetime of challenges and healing, intuitive insight, and academic discipline to both my teaching at the Soma Institute and my work with clients.
There are so many avenues of being and of healing; one of my goals is to help individuals find balance and a communicative and compassionate relationship with their body.
As a teacher, helping students gain the confidence to trust themselves is a wonderful journey; to explore their edges in order meet challenges and opportunities for growth.
Vanessa Wood, BFA, LMT, Soma Practitioner, Certified Advanced Equine Natural Movement Practitioner
Teaches: Soma theory and method, clinical applications, pathology
I’ve been working in Structural Integration since 2007—starting with horses, then expanding to include dogs and other four-leggeds. Eventually, my path led me to the Soma Institute, where I began working with people as well.
As both a practitioner and a teacher, I love witnessing the transformation and happiness that Structural Integration brings to humans and animals alike.
Karen L. Bolesky, MA, LMHC, LMT, LAMP, Advanced Soma Practitioner
March 9, 1941 – February 12, 2023
Karen was the Director of the Soma Institute of Structural Integration and worked with Structural Integration for over 30 years. She was a psychotherapist and licensed Mental Health Counselor from 1975 to 2019 with a broad scope of psychological and somatic training. In 1986 she became a practitioner and instructor of Soma Structural Integration and took over as owner and director of the Soma Institute. Part sage, witch doctor, and rascal, she enjoyed working on the farm that she created. Rural Washington provided much insight into the rhythms of life and nature, which she shared wisely with much tenacity and joy.
She studied Gestalt therapy with the Polsters, grief therapy in death and dying with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD, and drawing interpretation with Gregg M. Furth, PhD. Her Bachelor’s Degree was in Fine Arts and she used drawing interpretation as a tool to enhance personal development. She learned nutrition and business practices by owning health food stores. Her powerful work with her clients and students, tapping into their personal creativity and capacity to manifest their vision and wisdom, was aided by her own synthesis of the creative process and knowledge of somatic education.
Karen wrote a book entitled: Bony Landmarks: Making Somatic Connections
She will be missed, but her life’s work lives on through the many students she taught.
“I want the student to leave with a true and deep sense of their own self, to live the work they are providing, to have a powerful, experiential and academic knowledge of Soma to take forth as a creative act.”
