Open the Breath/ Create Space
When beginning a series of myofascial work, like a Rolfing series, the question is "where to start"? Just like painting a room, there is a logical order, trim first, then the ceiling, then walls. This is so we are less likely to have to do things over again. This is also true with Rolfing, if the way we walk is putting excess shock and strain on our hips, then it would make sense to address the way we walk before trying to work out the hips, and that might mean addressing the feet first. Being the base of support, starting with the feet and the lower legs would seem logical, and that is how Ida Rolf first began when developing a series, but time and experience began to prove otherwise, starting with the feet was not the best idea. For change to occur, the must be room for those changes to move into, so the unexpected answer appeared to be, make room in the torso by opening the areas restricting the breath, including the hip and the shoulder girdles. This became apparent when people were experiencing issues after the first session, pain, headaches, even heart arrhythmia! So the answer appeared to have be counter-intuitive.
Opening the Breath
For change to occur we must address unnecessary strain, and one of the most immediate and constant forms of strain is the restriction of the breath. We will certainly be healthier and feel better if we breath better, but this is not just about getting more oxygen, and pumping out more carbon dioxide, it is about the strain that restricted breathing causes through out the body. We typically think of the breath as only affecting the the chest and abdomen, but taking a look at an anatomy diagram shows us just how massive the lungs actually are, even rising up through the thoracic diaphragm and feeding into the connective tissue of the scalenes, the muscles of the front and side of the neck. More so it is the respiratory diaphragm that is the motor of the lungs and that spans most of the lower ribs.
Our entire torso, really the whole body, is wrapped in a sheath of fascia (connective tissue) that we wear like a sweater, just under our skin. This is known as the external fascial sheath by Rolfers, and like a sweater, it can get bunched up and restricted in areas, and therefor restrict the movement of breath, the shoulders, and even the neck. So we begin by "ironing" out this sheath, and freeing it from the muscles below, allowing more space for breath, and more space for movement. This will also be achieved by addressing the shoulder girdles.
"The Body is Solid Material Wrapped Around the Breath" Ida Rolf
The Shoulder Girdles
The arms and shoulders can wind up fairly locked up and immobile in many people. We usually realize this because of the feeling of strain and stiffness we feel in our shoulders. The arms and the shoulders can cause a line of force that lock up the neck and compress the chest, because of this Rolfers view the arms as being part of the neck. (See my previous blog Why is my Neck Always Tight. Just as the shoulders restrict the neck, so too can they restrict the chest and the movement of the torso in breathing. To free the movement of the breath we must address the shoulder girdles.
Free the Hip Girdles
In session one we want to address things that limit the breath, and the hips can actually play a role in that too, so some attention to the lateral hip rotators, the I.T. band and even the hamstrings can help to free up the pelvis enough to allow more of the desired movement that breathing causes in the abdomen. Ida Rolf said that the whole 10 series is about horizontalizing the pelvis. This is because so much of our mass must be balanced over it, so many sessions will address different aspects of the hips and pelvis.
In a Rolfing series there are a few things that should be addressed in most or even all sessions. The neck will be touched in on from many different angles. In session one we are concerned with what affects the front of the neck. As, with many sessions there will be some back work, probably performed upright and in gravity. There may be some breath coaching to help the client breath into areas of their front, back, chest, or abdomen, depending on where the restriction is, and there may be some coaching around allowing the shoulders to be relaxed and the arms to swing when walking. A traditional session one is a good stand alone session, and also a good place to start for most people. It's a good introduction to Rolfing, and a great way to see if one wants to commit to a series. If you haven't, why not give it a try?