In my previous profession as a massage therapist, it did not take long for me to realize that many people really enjoy having their feet worked on. Feet have to put up with a lot of abuse, so foot work can be very calming. I especially saw this frequently when I was working with many elderly people in a spa on a cruise ship. Not only do the elderly need a lot of attention to their feet in general, the salty sea air causes water retention and that water tends to follow gravity down to the ankles, so I was dealing with a lot of swollen ankles. Once I started Rolfing, we would spend nearly a whole session on the feet and lower leg, often session two. It was then I saw some unexpected changes happen over and over again. Problems in completely different parts of the body would sometime go away after a foot session. A client would come in with a shoulder problem, and it would be all better after working on the feet. I explained this by the fact that our nervous system depends on the feet heavily for taking in information, and working significantly with the feet is like working directly with the nervous system. What I did not know then, is that this may be even more so with the hands.
Humans have the most unique and agile hands of any creature in the world. Although monkeys and apes have hands and opposable thumbs just like us, they are not nearly as dexterous in terms of find motor skills. The more intelligent the creature is, the more dexterous the hands. Chimps and Gorillas are probably smart enough to be taught sewing, but their hands are not dexterous enough. A chimp could be taught to drive a small vehicle, but probably not basked weaving. To have such nimble hands also means we must have very sensitive hands, hands that can take in a greater amount of information, to be able to feel fine detail. I always thought that because the feet were meant to make contact with the ground throughout the day and explore various surfaces, and the hands dangle freely when we are not actively exploring, that the feet would have the greatest effect on the nervous system's ability to orient the individual, but experience has been starting to suggest that it is even more so with the hands.
During a basic 10 series the Rolfer may touch in on the the hands here and there, and may even give them more attention during session 9, or session 8 if that is to be the upper body session for that individual, but even during this session we have many other areas of the upper body to consider, in fact we are trying to integrate the entire upper body. It was not until my advanced training that we really began to slow down and focus on an areas like the hands and fingers, maybe even the forearm, for the whole session. If the client has been through a full 10 series we feel like we have addressed most of the basics, and now we can slow down and get into greater detail. Tendons and ligaments, joint decompression, mobilizing the bones of the wrist, organizing the fingers, these are all things we can pay more attention to post 10 series. The effect of spending nearly the entire session on the hands and the forearms has a much different effect than spending 10 min there. I was taken back by how deeply relaxed so many clients would claim to be after a full hand session. It is like we are working directly with the nervous system.
Studying feline acupressure on my spare time, I have made some observations that are well known in Chinese medicine. Most of the meridians that the acupressure points follow end or begin at the fingers and the toes. These meridians and points are responsible for the proper flow of life force through the body and the organs, as they are all associated with an organ. While reading about the various acupressure points used to help with fear, anxiety, and general stress in a cat, I noticed that most of them are in the lower legs and the paws, so I guess even these areas can be soothing for cats too, if they trust you enough to let you mess with their paws.
We all know our hands are important, and so does our nervous system. Our hands are how we explore the world and take in information, as well as act in the world. Tension and disorganization in the hands, fingers and wrists can radiate strain up the arm, into the the shoulder and even into the larger muscles of the back. This can be exacerbated by ordinary movement like walking. Restriction in one are can hold up the kinetic energy of walking, producing more strain and shock in the system as a whole. One restriction anywhere in the body can cause a whole slew of problems throughout the body, and this is particularity true of the hands. So lets give your hands the attention they deserve and book a Rolfing appointment today!