Meet Toby
Toby Matthews is a Certified Advanced Rolfer® and Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist in North Carolina (NC License #3687).
Background
Body, movement, and mind
Before becoming a Rolfer®, Toby studied drama, biology, and dance at Duke University as an A.B. Duke Scholar. Since then, he has done graduate work at The University of Akron in Theatre Arts and at Naropa University in Somatic Psychology and Dance/Movement Therapy, and was a member of the New World Performance Laboratory.
Toby’s abiding interest is in the relationships between the body, movement, sensation, space, and the mind. He is a member of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute®.
Duke Basketball
Team Bodyworker
Duke Men’s Basketball, since 2006
Toby is currently the Team Bodyworker for the Duke Men’s Basketball Team, a role he has served in since 2006.
He has taught bodywork at the Body Therapy Institute, GYROKINESIS® classes at the American Dance Festival, and Experiential Anatomy lead-ins for Sommer and Paul Sobin’s Yoga Immersions, as well as physical actor training for the New World Performance Laboratory.
In the press
Massage Therapy Journal
How NCAA basketball teams are using massage therapy
The American Massage Therapy Association’s Massage Therapy Journal talked with Toby about his work with Duke’s players: how he assesses posture and gait before each treatment, watches every game, and adjusts each session to what a player’s body needs that day.
“If there is reason for structural or functional change, we go there.”
Toby Matthews, Massage Therapy Journal, May 2026
Teachers
His teachers
The people who shaped his practice
Toby’s life and practice have been especially influenced by his teachers:
- Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
- Hubert Godard
- Liz Gaggini
- Jon Martine
- Susan Aposhyan
- Christine Caldwell
- Barbara Dilley
- Clay Taliaferro
- James Slowiak and Jairo Cuesta
- and, particularly, Deborah Matthews
Outside the studio
Off the table
Running, birding, and Duke athletics
In his spare time, Toby enjoys distance running, birding, gardening, writing, reading, vintage film watching, and Duke athletics.
Free 30-minute consultation
Not sure yet? Let’s talk first
Talk through your goals with Toby and get a feel for the work before you book a session.