Community Highlights: Meet Kelly Ochis of Kaposia Body Works
Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Ochis.
Hi Kelly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My path to this work developed over time. Earlier in my life, I worked as a construction laborer in demanding environments where effort and endurance were emphasized. I sought massage to help with some of the physical strain I was experiencing and in 2007 enrolled in massage therapy training at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis. Soon after beginning my career in bodywork, someone suggested I “get Rolfed.” That experience led me to pursue training in Rolfing®Structural Integration and Rolf Movement ® education. Around that time I began practicing in South Saint Paul near Kaposia Park and was drawn to the meaning of the name Kaposia, interpreted by some local historians as something like “traveling lightly”. Today my practice continues just down the river in Newport, an area historically connected to that name.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One ongoing challenge has been resisting the pressure to simplify or speed up the work. In hands-on professions, there’s often an expectation that visible effort equals effectiveness. I’ve learned that restraint, patience, and timing are essential skills, and staying aligned with that has shaped how I practice.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At Kaposia Body Works, my Rolfing practice combines fascial manipulation, movement, and embodiment work. Through hands-on touch, I explore whether physical patterns may be affecting how someone’s body is organized, similar to “unkinking a hose”. Movement work helps clients see their body as an integrated system. With slow, subtle motions, we can reveal how the nervous system compensates for past pain or strain. It is a continuous processes to help people move toward an easefully upright relationship to themselves.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’ve been fortunate to learn from a wide range of teachers, colleagues, and clients over the years, all of whom deserve a great deal of credit. My training in Rolfing Structural Integration and Rolf Movement introduced me to mentors who shaped how I think in practice and who I continue to learn from to this day. My clients themselves deserve much credit, as they continually teach me through their attention, questions, and willingness to notice themselves differently. In many ways, the practice has been shaped by relationship rather than any single influence.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kaposiabodyworks.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kaposiabodyworks
Image Credits
Grierson Photography, Angele Designs (brochure design & visual).
