ROLFING

Rolfing is the name for the original system of body work developed by Dr. Ida P. Rolf. Rolfing 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.

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 more vertical alignment.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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:

Improved balance

Better posture

Breathing is easier

Improved joint and soft tissue Range of Motion

Improved soft tissue flexibility

More mental energy

Decreased physical pain

Easier recovery from exertion

Movements are easier and more fluid

Athletic performance is improved

A calmer mind, well being

Improved body awareness

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:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Whiplash injuries

Back pain

Temporal Mandibular (TMJ) problems

Plantar Fasciitis

Frozen Shoulder syndrome

Tennis Elbow

Foot problems, pronation,supination and flat

Scoliosis

Spinal Lordosis or Kyphosis

Neck, Shoulder and Back hyper-tension

Headaches

Knee pain

Hip pain

All of the above are helped through the release of the fascial restrictions and the alignment of the body.

Rolfing is not a medical procedure and should not be pursued in lieu of proper medical care.

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