What is Rolfing?

BY GRAY KIMBRELL

Rolfing is a hands-on soft tissue technique for reordering the body to bring its major segmentshead, shoulders, thorax, pelvis and legs-toward a vertical alignment. The goal of Rolfing in general is to lengthen the body, create better symmetry left to right, front to back, inside to outside, through a progression of ten hourly sessions.

More importantly for the client is that movement feels more flexible and fluid. We are attempting to create greater sense of ease in the body. Dr. Ida Rolf's work was centered on organizing the body in gravity. Rolfers work with the connective tissue system (or fascia) in an effort to balance, or organize the body in the field ofgravity. She postulated that imbalances in the fascial system manifest themselves in the many ills, or forms of disease that people live with. A common expression of this phenomenon is expressed as chronic soft tissue pain.

How do bodies become imbalanced? From a mechanical standpoint, distortions are the result of the remarkable plasticity of the body, that is, the tendency of fascia- the connective tissue which envelops the muscles and which gives the body shape-to be remolded by applied force. The primary force comes from repeated patterns of self-use. The way an individual walks, sits or sleeps.

Imbalances may also be the result of trauma or an injury like twisting the knee falling off a bike, which causes a limp for a few weeks. The shifting of weight to the strong leg restructures the play of muscular effort not only in the legs but also through the pelvis, up the spine, and eventually throughout the whole body. Although the limp seems to disappear as the knee strengthens, the system of compensations leaves its imprint in a broad, complex pattern of shortened fascia.

These patterns of imbalance tend to reinforce themselves; they feel comfortable and natural, one may not notice they are even there, yet as time passes, they may manifest as pain, tension, loss of flexibility and the like. foints may lose their ease of movement; circulation is restricted as the body tightens becausdthe vessels run in and
through the facial network.

One individual may perceive his "losing fight with gravity" as a sharp pain in his back, another as constant fatigue, or sagging posture. With Rolfing we are decompensating those old compensations. According to Dr. Rolf "all bodies have some degree of disorder and compensation in their structure."

The Rolfing technique rebalances the fascial network by taking advantage of its tendency to hold the shapes induced by applied force. In a carefully worked out sequence of manipulations the Rolfer is moving tissue back toward the symmetry and balance that the body so clearly calls for.

Rolfing takes place in a series of ten sessions, each lasting about an hour and usually spaced a week or more apart. We begin working on a superficial aspects of the body and toward deeper levels as we progress through the series, and from the relief of specific local areas of contraction and displacement in the first seven hours to the
reorganization of the relationships between major segments of the body in the last three. The longterm consequences of Rolfing vary a great deal, since the body continues to be plastic and therefore subject to forces around and within, both constructive and destructive.

If a conscious effort is made to replace old destructive habits of self-use, structural changes tend to bring about behavioral changes as people use new more balanced patterns of movement and meet situations with less tension. Sadly, the one thing that most people know about Rolfing is that it hurts.

"Because Rolfers work with the deep myofascial structures, some people can experience the work as uncomfortable. Over the years Rolfers have gradually developed a broad range of techniques that produce profound results with less discomfort for the client."

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER BEING ROLFED?

Most of the clients that choose Rolfing have experienced some accident or trauma. They find that even though it was an old injury or a seemingly minor incident, that it is interfering with their daily lives and activities. Many have been through the traditional
medical model and not gotten the results that they anticipated. Many have tried alternative techniques such as acupuncture, chiropractic or massage therapy with shortterm benefits. These individuals can definitely benefit from Rolfing, as long as the problem has its origins in the neuromuscular system, and might include people
with physically demanding jobs, or athletes.

Another group is those people who want to improve their posture, flexibility and overall quality of life. Rolfing gives one a greater sense of ease and fluidity of movement. It is a wonderful waY to "get in touch" with your body, to learn
more about how you move, and to create new, positive alternatives to
habitual movement patterns that may have led to problems in the
past.

WHAT IS THE DIFFFERENCE BETWEEN

ROLFING AND MASSAGE?

Massage and Rolfing are alike in that they are both "hands on" softtissue techniques.
Both are very good at relaxing and releasing tight muscles and adhesions. A major difference is that with Rolfing we are working towards balancing the body segments in relation with each other and within the field of gravity. It is also an active process, meaning that the client plays an active role in their process, through guided movement work during and after the sessions. We are educators as well. We make an effort to help the client increase their awareness and understanding, so that they can take these changes out into the world and use
them.

For more information on Rolfing
refer to the Rolf Institute website at
www.Rolf.org.