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What is Rolfing |
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This is the gospel of Rolfing: When the body gets working appropriately, the force of gravity can flow through.
Then, spontaneously, the body heals
itself.
What is it that Rolfing changes? The Rolfing Ten Session Process
Rolfing is the name coined for the original system of body work developed by Dr. Ida P. Rolf. It can and does make dramatic changes in a person's physical structure. Rolfing has an unequaled and unprecedented ability to dramatically alter a person's posture and structure. Professional athletes, dancers, children, business people and people from all walks of life have benefited from Rolfing. People seek Rolfing as a way to ease pain and chronic stress, and improve performance in their professional and daily activities. It's estimated that more than 1 million people have received Rolfing work. Rolfers believe that the shape of the body reflects how well it is operating and how balanced it is. The general goal of Rolfing is to bring the body (head, neck, torso, pelvis, legs, and feet), into a balanced and supportive relationship with one another, as depicted in the "Little Boy" illustration above. As this is achieved the body will no longer be “battling” the ever present pull of gravity, in fact it will be “lifted” by tensional soft tissue system. Rolfing Research has demonstrated that Rolfing creates a more efficient use of the muscles, allows the body to conserve energy, and creates more economical and refined patterns of movement. Research also shows that Rolfing significantly reduces chronic stress and makes postural changes in the body's structure. For example, a study showed that Rolfing significantly reduced the spinal curvature of subjects with lordosis (sway back); it also showed that Rolfing enhances neurological functioning. (top ...) What is it that Rolfing changes? Rolfing works with the connective tissue of the body called Fascia. This tissue is ubiquitous; it positions all of the organs, bones, nerves, blood vessels and muscles and in fact gives the body its form or structure. Fascia is pliable and can have its shape changed by injury, repetitive motions and the manipulations of a Rolfer. Shortened or “stuck” fascia causes our body to move in a limited range of motion. Old movement patterns, whether from an injury or just sitting in front of computer, can become imprinted in the fascia and can prevent our ability to fully utilize our body. A Rolfer uses his or her hands to remove these patterns from the fascia and bring it back to its normal length and consistency. Through the release of the fascia the body comes back into alignment, more vertical. The Rolfer is trained to release the fascia in such a way that the body starts to line up along a vertical line; head over shoulders, shoulders over pelvis, pelvis over legs, legs over feet and feet articulating with the earth. While Rolfing doesn’t specifically attend to the “pain” the body is having if this pain is associated with a shortening of the fascia it is often relieved. Similar to putting on a tight shirt that is uncomfortable until it is “straightened” out. (top ...) Some Physiological Improvements When your fascia is working properly and freely, certain physiological improvements should occur. Body fluids, blood and lymph will flow easily, nerve impulses will be conducted more smoothly, thus creating a more effective motor response. Breathing will be easier, and cellular waste product removal will be more efficient. The body’s movement will be more precise, less random as the body’s ability to adapt to changes is more immediate rather than stuck in old patterns. Movement is more efficient which translates into more energy available for other activities. Athletes see these benefits very clearly, lungs no longer stuck in a rib “cage” are able to expand easily with a more efficient gas exchange. When the body assumes a more vertical position many of the symptoms of soft tissue strain and pain go away. Imagine how difficult it is for the muscles of the back to constantly fight the fall of a twelve pound head! When the head is supported by the shoulders the strain on the upper back can be relieved. The symptoms of this strain, headaches, pain between the shoulders and upper back can disappear. The aligned body no longer requires the amount of muscular effort to remain upright that the un-aligned body does. It is free to move supported by gravity rather than fighting against it. (top ...) As we progress through a Rolfing series the body becomes more aligned (the series is described below). This new alignment is the result of removing old patterns in the fascia which have caused the body to stay in a rut, to limit the range of movement available. Have you ever wondered about our response to a child running down a hill legs and arms flaying, that sense of terror that arises in our body/mind as we imagine from our stuck body how it’s going to feel when they fall? And then, when they do fall, how they, who have a tremendous capacity to adapt get up laughing and do it again? Rolfing returns adaptive capacity to the body that was taken out by those falls. Yeah that’s right every time those kids fall they write a check against their adaptive capacity bank account and if they don’t make a deposit in the account they’ll be just like us in 10, 20, 30 years, stuck in a rut. If you’ve lost that capacity to adapt such that you have more of the “I can’t do that’s” then can do's then Rolfing is for you. It’s not “old” age that wearing us out, it’s not putting adaptive capacity back into the account, that's catching up to us! (top ...) The client may feel a localized or general burning sensation, as if the skin were being stretched too far. This only lasts while the tightened tissue areas are releasing. Soon after, the client usually reports a sense of "warmth", "length", "lightness", tingling sensations and new freedom in the area worked on, as well as in surrounding areas as the changes spread through the connective tissue network. Clients report greater ease in movement and breathing, as well as improved balance and stability. (top ...) The Rolfing Ten Session Process Initially, clients receive a basic 10-session sequence of Rolfing. This gives me the opportunity to work systematically and comprehensively in releasing the fascial patterns in the client’s body. The ten series is systematic approach to aligning the body with break points where Rolfing logic allows for this: Session 1-3 are one block. In these sessions we free the superficial (just beneath the skin) fascia that is like a body suit. The client should experience more freedom of movement, greater ease in breathing (while this doesn’t affect asthma the greater gas exchange is beneficial) and a possible reduction in aches and pains associated with those superficial patterns. Sessions 4-7 are another block. In these sessions we work the deeper segments of fascia freeing the pelvis from the legs and torso and allowing it to be more horizontal. The spine is freed from the fascial restrictions binding it and it moves with more freedom which promotes the transfer of cerebral spinal fluid. By the end of this block many common strains are relieved and their associated pains are resolved. Sessions 8-10 are the last block. In these sessions the skill of the Rolfer really comes into play as they now have a body that is responsive to work with and they can ask it to adapt in ways couldn’t have before. (top ...) A second option that I offer is what Rolfers call “fix-it” work. These are anywhere from 1-3 sessions in length and address some issue that you feel you have: shoulder problems, headaches, backaches that have an origin in fascial restrictions. I limit the number of times I’ll do “fix-it” to three sessions to assure that we don’t fall into the trap of chasing symptoms that could prevent you from finding a modality (Feldenkreis, Chiropractic, PT, Acupuncture…) that is more suited to helping you. Why waste your time and money if it’s not making improvements? Often I find that the person in need of fix-it work is more in need of adaptive capacity that can be returned through the 10 series. The third option I offer is Advanced Rolfing. This is only an option for people who have been through a ten series of Rolfing with at least 3 of those sessions with me or someone I know. (There is no benefit to advanced work without the basic work). I usually work with my clients for a couple of years before I suggest advanced work. (top ...) Clients of Rolfing regularly acknowledge that they feel taller, more at ease in their body, "lighter", recover from strain easier and have more physical energy. These come, in my opinion, from a body that is more aligned with gravity. Other often reported benefits are:
Rolfing is considered a Holistic or Whole Body therapy, not concentrating on one area of the body. There are many specific symptoms that Rolfing has been noted to help. Such as:
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