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Our Base of Support Feet are among the favorite subjects of a Rolfer, and for good reason. If you are addressing a person's posture, and their movement in relation to gravity then it makes sense to want a stable foundation, and to work from the ground up. When Ida Rolf was developing her series she naturally began with the feet, but it proved somewhat problematic. It turns out trying to introduce significant change at a person's base of support caused many issues if that change had no room to fill out up above, and so people were walking away with headaches, breathing problems, and even heart arrhythmia. It was because of these issues she started working with the torso, the chest and the breath first so the individual would have more space for change to occur, which seemed to be the best approach. That being said, the traditional Rolf session 1 is a topic for another blog, lets talk about feet today. The Foot is a Mobile Structure The foot is a mobile structure made of many bones and strong myofascial (muscle and connective tissue) components. It is designed to be both sturdy and strong, as well as being flexible and springy. If the components are too lax, we loose our springiness, and if they are too strong and inflexible we also loose this spring, both can result in pain and strain in the foot, the knees, the hips, and even the lower back. People will rarely connect their hip and back pain to their feet, because we do not commonly think of what the structure of our body is like in action, but anyone who drives a car with faulty struts (shock absorbers) knows that they will not only feel a lot more shock while driving, they will have ongoing axle and suspension repair ahead of them. Our feet are unique in the animal kingdom, humans being the only bipedal mammals, apes and monkeys can only stand on two feet for a short time, their hips are not really built to stand upright. In order to walk and run without producing a great amount of shock the dense connective tissue of the bottom of the foot, the plantar fascia, must lengthen and allow the bones of the foot to spread. If it does not, it will send the shock of walking, standing and running straight up, like a car without functional struts. If the bones and connective tissue of the foot are too lax, and spread too much too easily, we have will have flat feet and there will be nothing to absorb the shock of walking/running. If the arches are two high, and fixed in that position, again, it's like having shot struts, and that will also produce shock. Arches high or low most importantly need to be FUNCTIONAL, which means flexible, adaptable, and springy! Muscles of the leg are Muscles of the Foot When considering the arches it is important to note that the entire foot is made up of many bones, 26 bones to be exact, giving us 33 joints and well as over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Likewise, the arches are made up of multiple bones and joints, and are therefore mobile structures. The foot has 3 arches, the lateral arch (on the outside line of the foot) the medial arch (on the inside line of the foot) and the transverse arch (across the top of the foot). When people say they have high or low arches, they are usually referring to their medial arch. When people put arch support in their shoes, this is usually for the medial arch. What is important to visualize is that the foot can be divided into two structures, the lateral arch going from the lateral heel to the to the last 2 toes , and the medial arch going from the medial heel to the first 3 toes. The medial arch basically sits on top of the lateral arch like a shelf holding it up, so in reality a failure of the medial arch is actually the failure of the lateral arch. What typically causes the lateral arch to fail? The lateral arch and the medial arch are held up by groups of muscles in the lower leg that wrap around the foot like a stirrup holding up both arches. The muscles are the tibialus anterior and posterior along with fibularis longus (previously known as peroneus longus). If these muscles are not engaging the arches when necessary, then we wind up with flat arches. In short, the muscles of the lower leg are muscles of the foot. A failure of the arches is a failure of the leg. The western approach to muscle issues is usually to strengthen them. We have not really evolved far beyond gym exercises as far as physical therapy is concerned, but the real issue is not so much weak muscles, but rather that the muscles are weak from not being used. What might cause this? Sitting around, not going to workout regularly, and overall a sedentary lifestyle? What about the idea that we often use the wrong muscles to do the wrong things, and those muscles are weak as a result of our poor co-ordination and lack of a sophisticated ability to move with ease? Many of the muscles in our body will become strong through ordinary use if we just learn to use our bodies better. Certain muscles and muscle groups won't be able to do their job if other muscles are overpowering them, and we may be using muscles that are not well suited for that job. When this happens, the muscles that are designed for that job may atrophy from disuse, and we learn to function without them, albeit- inefficiently. Arch Support may not be the Answer So what is the answer to real arch support? A podiatrist will prescribe orthotics, and there are many companies out there ready to sell you expensive shoes designed to support your arches, but all these things may serve to make your foot immobile and stiff. More so, they can stop the muscles of your foot and leg from functioning properly, causing them to further atrophy and simply stop trying to work. Having shoes with thick soles may buffer your footfalls with cushion, but will interfere with the natural springy action of the foot, which is nature's way of absorbing shock when stepping. As a Rolfer I see these things every day. It is hard to tell someone that is experiencing foot or hip pain that the problem is their overzealous foot support, but we can encourage people to take a break from arch support when ever possible to allow for a more natural movement of the foot and lower leg. Some clients have found that tossing out their orthotics altogether has eliminated their foot pain. Let's be frank about this, arch support like special shoes or orthotics do not correct the problem, they are a crutch. Some people may genuinely need this crutch, but over time they can make the very issue they were enlisted to help worse. If a person decides they want to move toward minimalism with shoes and arch support, I would advise them to do so gradually. If there are certain activities that aggravate your foot, then wear the othrotics or supportive shoes for that activity, but when you don't really feel that you need them, go without. Get some barefoot time in every day, make those muscles work, but spend about a year or so building up to more minimal shoes and lots of barefoot time, if you jump straight into it you may wind up with plantar fasciatis or some other unpleasant foot issues. Barefoot is Nature's Way From the perspective of a Rolfer, we want to see functionality in the arches, flat or high. They are not carved out of stone, they are made of tendon and bone. If they spring into action when needed, then there is probably not a problem. We want these muscles, tendons, and fascia to be flexible and pliable, to glide across other structures without getting stuck. We want the 26 bones of the feet, with their 33 arches to likewise be mobile and not stuck with one another. Ida Rolf compared a well Rolfed foot to a bag or marbles. We likewise want the muscles of the leg to be flexible, pliable and to be able to glide across one another without getting stuck together. We want them to be able to tighten and lengthen appropriate and to be at rest when they are not needed, allowing for the deeper muscles of posture to be active when no powerful expenditure of energy is needed. Most of all, we want the foot to be a sensory devise for the nervous system, exploring the world around us, informing us not only of our surroundings and where we are in space, but also feeding our sense of balance and our relationship to gravity. All of this is hard to do when wrapped up in a stiff shoe! #rolfing #rolfer #idarolf #structuralintegration #archsupport #feet #foot

Like all complex life, humans are amazing self organizing/self maintaining organisms, and the best thing is our bodies have an intelligence that works without us having to exert any direct control. This is good because all the factors governing function, repair and balance are too complex for us to have to "do it" ourselves. The end of a bone will usually match the joint capsule it fits into. If the bone becomes distracted from the joint capsule it might not go back in if the ligaments are coiled up and won't let it. Distracting the bone and holding it in a different position can allow the ligaments to uncoil and the bone may go back into the capsule as if it "wants" to go back in, because the end of the bone and the joint are shaped to fit together. In like fashion, many things that a Rolfer does that seems like an "adjustment" is really the Rolfer helping the structure to find its natural place again. The could mean anything from vertebrae to muscle tissue. The body has an intelligence that strives for balance, but sometimes needs assistance to allow the intelligence to find what it needs to do. Some of this is based on shape and structure, a square peg many need help finding the square hole it fits into. The Rolfer's real job is to give the client's body input their body will re-organise itself around, and in that way, the Rolfer does not do it, it is up to the intelligence of the body to do it. Muscle tissue and muscle tension function in the same way. Muscle tension is governed by the body's own intelligence, and no amount of stretching and massage will change that if a group of muscles need to be tense for the person to function in their daily life. It is the Rolfer's job to help the body find balance and ease, so that unnecessary tension can be minimized. #rolfing #rolfer #structuralintegration #balance

In my practice I am asked this question a lot. How often should you come in? This all depends on the client's needs and what our plans are. The most fundamental approach to Rolfing is to do a series of 10 sessions. During that time an individual might come in anywhere from twice a week to once a month, though every week or two is a good general rule of thumb. After the series has been completed, things will take some time to settle. It is said that a Rolfing series is 10 sessions followed by a year of adjusting to the changes made. This does not mean that one needs to wait a year before coming in though. It is suggested that one wait anywhere from 3-6 months before getting more Rolfing work, unless something happens to you and you need more help. The purpose of systematic work is to help one become more balanced in a sustainable fashion, so if we have achieved this then you hopefully don't need as much attention. Even if a person is doing quite well though, it is a good idea to get some maintenance done, at least a few sessions a year. For others this is too infrequent and they may feel they need to see their Rolfer more often, maybe once a month or so. There are some people that decide they need to come in slightly more than monthly, for many every 3 weeks is good. Sometimes we need more attention until we are stable, so deciding to come in more frequently for a period of time until things balance out is a good idea. In my opion all that really matters is that you feel like it is adding to your quality of life. There does not always need to be too much rhyme or reason. Why not book a Rolfing appointment today? #rolfing #rolfer #rolfingseries #structuralintegration

When we experience stiffness, restricted range of motion or pain in general, we are likely to blame muscle tension. We conclude that if our muscles are tight, then the problem is symply that...we have tight muscles. The answer to this this problem is usually stretching or massage. If you have pain or restiction in an area, a massage thereapist might put their hands on you and say "your muscles are really tight here" and conclude that this is the source of your pain, and the answer is to massage the muscles until they are not tight anymore. Sometimes this does the trick, but more often than not, you will have tight muslces in that area a week, a day, or even an hour later. What is the answer then? Get massage once a week for the rest of your life? If you enjoy seeing a massage therapist, that would be great, but have you ever stopped and asked yourself, why your muscles in this or that area keeps getting tight and restricted? Is there something else that can be done to help you? When we expericne discomfort or even pain, we want to do something about it right away, rub the area, stretch the area, ice, heat, whatever. Stretching can be helful, but what makes muscles tight in the first place? What controls the contraction and lengthening of a muslce? We are built from innervated tissue, not clay or stone. If a muslce is tight, then the nervous system is sending the signal to the muscle those nerves control to shorten. Sometimes stretchign or massage can be a helpful suggestion to the nervous system to let go of these areas and allow them to legthen but not if you need them to be tight to function. If, for instance, a person needs to clench their glutes or tighten their hamstrings unessisaraly just to stand upright, becuase they are not stacked well in gravity, no amound of stretching or massage is going to allow those areas to loosen up. You can stretch your hamstrings all you want, they will be tight again an hour later. Likewise, if your shoulders are slupped forward, or you have to exert force to hold them back, good luck having that massaged out. We typically are very short sighted in they way we recognise and treat health and wellness issues, we only see the result of the problems and do not even suspect that those results might be cause by using our bodies ineffecitenlty. A graceful well organized system does not exert unnecessary strains to do ordinary daily tasks. Even a high performance athlete will not use unnecessary force to do great feats, they are trained in efficiency. We could learn better effeciency as well, by allowing our bodies to go about dailly activities with a minimum of excessive force. For this to occure we need to be able to sit, stand, and walk with only the muscle tension necissary to do those things. This mean our bigger, more powerful muscles need to be at rest when not being used, and the smaller deeper muscles of posture and movement need to be more active. For this to occure a person needs a better since of embodyment, muscles and connective tissue that are adheared to one another need to be differentiated, a person needs to be better supported in gravity, and they need to learn to move about and do things with ease not force. In conclusion, most of the activities we engage in to combat stiffness, pain, and to help recover from injury may help in the short term, but a weed will continue to grow back until you pull up its roots. By getting massage and stretching you are probably doing some short term good, but probably not getting at the root of the problem. Rolfing is wholesitic, thus addressing the system as a whole, trying to build a more efficient and supported system, stacked in gravity, moving with ease and grace. Your stiffness, your discomfort, your tight muscles are not the problem, they are the result of a bigger problem. #rolfing #rolfer #structuralintegration #stretching #massage #muscle #pain #posture

How to breathe, we would all like to think we know, but what do we actually know? Fortunately our breath will usually continue with or without our intervention, but sometimes there is the distinct impression that we could be breathing better, and that something is not right with our breathing. We might blame our health, stress, and our mental fitness in general for what we perceive as poor breathing habits, but have we considered our actual physiology, and how it has changed with humanity over time? In this fascinating work Nestor shares his exploration of breath, breathing exercises, and current research on the subject. It begins with a Stanford experiment that he himself participates in that illustrates the ill health effects of mouth breathing from which sleep apnea, high blood pressure and high cholesterol quickly develop. He explores research on how mouth breathing even begins to change human and other animal anatomy, even within a matter of weeks. Dental and even Mental health are affected. He goes on to site research on changes in human skulls, face, and jaw that have begun to occour not 100,000 years ago, but within the last few hundered years, with the dawn of industrialization and the widspread advent of processed food. This book and the research sited start to paint a gloomy picture of humanity in it's current state, but he also offers research and his own experience in breathing and facial exercises, C02 treatment, and even palate retainers. At the end of the audio book, breathing Guru Anders Olsan walks you through a handful of breathing exercises to help you attain a healthier manor of breathing and find new way of experiencing breath. For anyone who has considered the idea that something might be wrong with the way they breath on a daily basis, this book is a must! Warning, this book is hard to put down! You can find this book on Amazon and Audible

Clients often ask what exercises or stretches they should be doing? They ask about foam rolling and other disciplines such as chiropractic and massage. If this are things you do and enjoy, then great but the problems you experience in your muscles and connective tissue might have more to with your mind, and your nervous system then your muscles. The muscle tension is often the end result of a deeper problem. When someone comes in with a physical issue, I am faced with the question "is it a hardware problem or a software problem"? Is it just something that needs be worked out, is it a mechanical issue, or is it a question of how they go about their daily life? If it was the first issue, ie. muscles and connective tissue that need to be worked out, the solution would be pretty easy and the session would be more like a deep tissue massage, but that is where Rolfing is different. If a muscle or a group of muscles need to be tight to hold a person up, a person can stretch all they want and that muscle will be tight again soon afterward. For example, if a person stands forward on the balls their feet, their hamstrings and probably their calves will have to engage even in a relaxed standing position, just to keep them from falling forward. That person may come in saying they have issues with their hamstrings, but the Rolfer may see that they are standing more toward the balls of their feet, and the real problem is that they are not stacked well in gravity. Maybe the issue is that they they have high fixed arches and the ball of their foot is closer to their heel, in this case the Rolfer may work on their feet to lengthen the arch and allow them to stand more over the middle of their feet. This in turn could allow the hamstrings to finally relax. Not all physical problems are mechanical in origin. It could be behavior. If a person tenses up their shoulders as a reaction to stress, this is at its root, a software problem that becomes a hardware problem. Waking around with locked up shoulders does not allow for natural movement. The free swinging of the arms while walking allows kinetic energy to escape out the arms. When not allowed to do so, shock will go up into the neck, and one might develop neck problems. There are many examples of things like this happening, but it all boils down to learning how to relax and allow for free fluid movement. In the west we still have a mechanistic view of biology, which is somewhat outdated. Looking at the human body as a machine was a product of the industrial revolution, it made sense back then but the human is more than a machine, no machine has the adaptability of an animal, and humans are most certainly animals. Our ability to adapt to our environment is the key to our success, but can also result in all sorts of compensation patterns that may remain long after the initial issues that caused them have been resolved. Developing a relaxed awareness of our bodies and movement can help to correct unneeded compensation patterns. Western solutions to things often revolve around force and over efforting. From the Rolfer's perspective, taking a walk and allowing the attention to take in physical sensation are far better than going to the gym, though being physically active is obviously important. If you find yourself regularly needing to stretch this or that part of your body, you might ask yourself why it continues to tighten up like that in the first place? #rolfing #structuralintegration #relax

When we think of self improvement we often think of increasing desirable qualities. If we go to the gym we probably want to get stronger, more fit, and increase stamina. In doing so our aim is to get healthier, to increase health and fitness. One may read to increase knowledge, practice music to become a better musician, and may go to church to gain a better sense of community in order to become a better person. Any of these things can be important contributions to a feeling of balance and well being but the fact is if they all stay on the same level, they do not lead to transformation. From the Seed to the Tree Discerning between simply increasing desirable attributes on the same level and actual transformation, a move to another level, can be difficult. One reason is that very few people even try to do so. At first glance they are the same, but what does transformation really mean? Imagine, if you will, at nut or a seed. Likewise imagine if it had some form of self awareness. To the nut or the seed, improvement and growth might be taken as becoming a bigger and better seed, a larger and healthier nut. How could the nut or seed fathom that to gain full actualization, they might sprout into a plant or a tree, which would put them into a whole new realm of being, a different cosmos as you will, just as the sperm and the ovum live in a different cosmos than we do, unimaginably different. Likewise, think about how ridiculous it would be if a baby just grows into a bigger and smarter baby, with the same dimensions only 6 foot tall. It sound ridiculous, but this is our typical world view when it revolves around self help. But how could the seed possibly know the tree? A nut may lie dormant until the right conditions are present. Most nuts will probably become food for other creatures. This does not represent a failure, a waste of the nut's life as it lives out its potential on its own level. Just like us, it needs the right conditions to thrive and when those conditions are present it begins it's journey on the the path that will take it to a new level, a new cosmos if you will. But unlike the nut, we need more than just food, water, sunlight and good weather to begin our journey, there needs to be something more, but what? There needs to be a different kind of food, a greater nourishment that can only be taken in through the practice of self awareness through sensation and embodiment. Through practices like meditation, mindful movement, and somatic disciplines like Rolfing this journey might begin. A Healing Crisis When a seed or a nut begins to sprout, it will begin to change shape, its shell will crack, its form will begin to change. At the level of a seed, this may be a crises, decay, even death, but on another level this is simply the beginning of a journey of transformation. It is not uncommon in many healing disciplines to experience what is sometimes referred to as a healing crisis. Things might get worse before they get better, and because we rarely are able to see the big picture, we may think we are going downhill. Rolfers, in particular will warn of this, but people don't always take this warning seriously, because people often identify Rolfing with massage, and therefore think they are always supposed to feel better after each session, overlooking the fact that Rolfing is a transformative process, especially if they are doing a series. When we make real changes to a person's structure, you can usually count on new strain patterns arising, and sometimes with those new strain patterns, new pain and discomfort. This is something that needs to be understood if you want real change you don't get to be a well formed seed and a tree at the same time! The Right Conditions Rolfing can be life changing for some people at the right time and place. Just as the conditions must be right to grow into a tree, so must the conditions be right for Rolfing to have a life changing effect. It could be the Rolfer the client is seeing, but it also has to do with how open the individual is to change at that particular period of time. Even on a lesser level, Rolfing should be helpful as long as it is carefully conducted. Through myofascial manipulation and movement education, the client gains further sensory input and a deeper relationship with the body. If it leads to new strain temporarily, this is just part of the process, as long as it does not lead to injury. If the Rolfer does not force anything, the results should have some benefit one way or another. At the end of the day, transformation occurs primarily through embodiment , and embodiment develops as a result of taking in physical sensation consciously. This provides a nurturing effect that can allow the body and nervous system to grow, expand, adjust, and find balance and a new experience of the self. #rolfing #structuralintegration #transformation #embodiment

Rolfing is about more than good static posture, it's about freedom of movement. If we can achieve more fluid movement, we will incur less strain, old injuries may have a chance to heal, and our bodies can find balance. When there is restriction in the joints, muscles, and in the way we hold ourselves while moving about, there is excess strain and this can lead to problems. Learn to allow your body to express itself, while having restrictions addressed, and graceful effortless movement could be the result. #rolfing #structuralintegration #bones #posture #movement

In my practice and personal life I get asked the question, "how is Rolfing different than massage"? It is easy to lump any sort of manual therapy dealing with manipulating muscle and connective tissue into the category of massage. A lot of other disciplines manipulate muscle tissue- physical therapy, osteopathic, chiropractic too, but these practitioners are not labeled as massage therapists. A chiropractor might address the muscles involved before or after a spinal adjustment, but that does not turn the session into a massage. It is true that deep tissue massage and myofascial release all have techniques in common with Rolfing, as these practices were created by osteopaths and Rolfers, but it has been my opinion for some time that the biggest problem with the term Deep Tissue Massage is that it contains the word massage in it. Unlike massage, Rolfing is not defined by its techniques. There characteristics that put Rolfing into a completely different category. Rolfing is Holistic It is easy to think of any health practice that does not involve pharmaceuticals as holistic, but Rolfing is different than other western forms of health and maintenance in that it has the view that everything in a person exists in relation to the whole and must be considered in relationship to the whole. If you have a tight or sore back, you are likely to go to a massage therapist and ask them to work on your back. As a Rolfer I will consider the strain patterns that affect your back and may do little to no back work with you at first. Another example is the knees. I rarely work on people's knees to address knee pain, but rather feet, ankles and hips, with the idea that if the knees are tracking straight they may stop hurting and be able to heal naturally. The holistic viewpoint that Rolfing holds is the reason Rolfing is commonly done as a series. During this series strain patterns are addressed, and new strain patterns arise to be dealt with as we try to find better alignment, so one should not expect to always feel better after a Rolfing session, as they would expect after a massage. Fortunately most people will notice a difference after each session and continue on with the process, because stopping a Rolfing series before completion can leave things out of wack, and is not recommended. Ida Rolf herself said that a Rolfing 10 series is not 10 Rolfing sessions but rather 1 session split up into 10 parts. Rolfing is Health Care, not Service Industry It is unfortunate that nearly any form of massage will be thought of by most people as service industry work, and therefore the massage therapist is considered a servant who's job it is to please people. This is perhaps understandable in pampering massage modalities like Swedish massage, but the logic is questionable with deep tissue and myofascial release. Even if the massage practice is directed as a health and wellness session, people still think that they should come in and order the massage therapist around by telling them what to work on, which would be ridiculous with a doctor, chiropractor, or a physical therapist. A doctor will decide the course of treatment, which the patient can accept or refuse, but they don't get to tell the doctor what sort of medicine to give them, and likewise I don't go to an acupuncturist and tell them where to stick the needles. So why do people feel they can go to a deep tissue massage therapist and micromanage the session? It is a fact that most massage therapists themselves mix up pampering practices like Swedish massage with deep tissue and myofascial release, to the point where there are very few practitioners who practice any massage without pampering practices woven in, and a service industry attitude that the customer is always right thus supporting the believe that the massage therapist is there to serve them. This is not so with Rolfing, because we are dealing with a process of strain patterns in light of a vision of the whole individual, the client needs to be aware of the fact that they probably do not understand how it works. I try to explain things as I go along, but the reality of the situation is that the process is not overt and can not be easily understood. So just because an individual comes in with a sore shoulder, it does not mean that the best course of action is to spend the session rubbing the client's sore shoulder. Rolfing is alternative health care, not service industry work, so that is why most of us do not accept tips. Just as it is a doctor or a nurse's job to do their best without a tip looming over them like a carrot on a stick, it is the Rolfer's job to do their best without a bribe hanging over them. It is unfortunate that many massage therapists are barely scraping by, and often depend on tips to help make a living, but that further causes people to classify them as service industry. Rolfing is Transformative Rolfers don't really address symptoms, they address the individual. The symptoms may or may not resolve themselves during the course of the series. The idea is to optimize posture and movement, and encourage a greater sense of embodiment, through addressing restrictions in the soft tissue and through breaking habits by exploring new ways of moving, standing, and sitting. For some people this can be truly transformative, even life changing. For others, at least it should be helpful. The results of a Rolfing series depends not only on the Rolfer and how they choose to conduct a series, but also on where the client currently at in their life. If they are in a space where great change can take place, the results may be greater. Over the course of a person's life they may go through quite a few Rolfing series, and some may have greater results than others. It may not be because of the Rolfer and their approach, it may be where the individual is in their life at the moment. Hopefully a series will result in good changes, but one should expect some growing pains along the way. The changes that are set into motion in a series should continue long after a series has been completed, and the client adjusts and re-orders themselves. It is said that a client will be more integrated a year after they are done with the 10 series than the day after they are done. This is because Rolfing is not a massage modality, it is a process of transformation. #rolfing #rolfer #structuralintegration #massage

"The principles of Rolfing contradict established medical knowledge, and there is no good evidence Rolfing is effective for the treatment of any health condition. It is recognized as a pseudoscience and has been characterized as quackery." Wikipedia Anyone who has looked up Rolfing on Wikipedia has probably seen this quote. It has a tone that is biased to the point of sounding nonobjective. This is typically out of character with Wikipedia articles on most topics. On any topic that I do have a fairly solid background in, I would say that the articles are pretty well written and have an objective tone. When anyone has tried to edit the Rolfing page, it has been changed back again nearly immediately, suggesting that there is a team of medical professionals dedicated to denouncing Rolfing entirely. The odd thing is there are many other alternative health practices that have little to no scientific backing that are not so viciously attacked on Wikipedia, so what's the problem? Ida Rolf, and the Rolf Institute presently, made a study of physiology and anatomy to help explore what can be done with posture and movement, but have never made the claim that Rolfing is a science, so referring to it as a pseudoscience is foolish. The Rolf Institute has kept up with scientific investigation to inform our understanding of how things in the body and nervous system work, but at the end of the day, just like psychology, it is really and art and not a science. Ida Rolf was concerned that Rolfing, previously known as Structural Integration, would be co-opted by the mainstream health care community and changed for the worse, so she warned against the tradition being taken over by scientism. This has been seen in other alternative health care professions as well. Many, formally fringe healthcare practices had to fight very hard to be taken seriously in America, against a virtual mafia of health care associations that decided on what was and was not acceptable. This includes, chiropractic, osteopathy, and even physical therapy. If these associations had their way, these practices would have been stomped out completely. Generally speaking, Osteopaths are now considered doctors of one sort, D.O., and chiropractors another, D.C., but not without a great deal of struggle and compromise to their teachings. Osteopathy revolves around a lot of esoteric and spiritual ideas, much of which has be weeded out by the scientific community, thus requiring the government to put pressure on them to not teach anything unscientific or funding will be taken away. In a country where many people can't afford health care, and where health care is totally unaffordable without insurance, the last thing we need is to have alternative health care stomped out. People can wait around for science to "prove"that something appears to work or not, but the fact is that there needs to be studies and those studies need to have funding. There have not been many studies revolving around Rolfing, and because it is not profitable to drug companies there probably will not be. The benefits of Rolfing can usually be felt immediately after a session, and for some time to come after that. It's true that it could be a placebo effect, but I personally do not care if it is or not. If an individual feels better, and experiences less pain, if they feel like Rolfing is contributing to their quality of life, then I will take it. That's all that matters. To say that Dumbo's feather is useless because it did not give him the power to fly is quite frankly DUMB, it helped him bring out a power that was within him. It's a dated reference, go watch Dumbo if you are curious. :) The Rolfer does not claim to "heal" anyone. They help bring out an innate ability to find better posture, movement, and find a higher sense of order. Through addressing restriction in muscle and connective tissue, and working with embodiment we are speaking to the body's inner wisdom. Just as we do not claim to heal anyone, we also do not diagnose, which is good because we keep our observations and inquiry open. I myself have been misdiagnosed by medical doctors with the utmost confidence and arrogance, only to find that they were totally wrong once I have gone to another medical practitioner in a different field. Medical specialists have a very narrow view in this country, so it's a good idea not to get stuck in an approach that does not seem to be working. The reason that may people continue to pursue Rolfing is that they feel like it works! Even more arrogant and illogical is the claim by medical professionals that Rolfing does not do anything. If you are doing direct, and often deep, muscle tissue work with a client for an hour, how could that not do anything? The practice of massage and myofascial release (also known as deep tissue massage) do have some scientific backing, because some scientists bothered to do studies on them. The irony is that myofascial release was invented by Osteopaths and Rolfers from Osteopathic and Rolfing techniques. Yes that is right, deep tissue massage is comprised of Rofling techniques. Don't believe me, check out the Wikipedia article on myofascial release. On the topic of placebo, one thing that is starting gain attention, is that placebos can also have negative effects, and when medical professionals diagnose an individual with a condition, it can make their condition worse and install a sense of hopelessness. Pain is subjective, it's not so much a question of having nerve endings triggered, it's how those signals are interpenetrated in the brain. If someone has occasional neck pain and is then diagnosed with spondylosis, their pain can suddenly become much worse, even unmanageable, until drugs and surgery becomes the only perceived solution. Medical doctors are now being cautioned about how they speak to patients. Nearly every health care practitioner, fringe or mainstream knows that practically everyone over that age of 30 has a herniated disk, or degeneration in one or two vertebra, or osteoarthritis, even professional athletes. Most people don't even know it until they receive an X ray or an MRI. The point is, most of the time we can adapt to these issues and be quite functional, even Olympic athletes. We have scientific studies to thank for that knowledge! Many clients come in to see me with a looming sense of doom because they we diagnosed with spinal degeneration, or arthritis, or what ever. I say, welcome to the club buddy. We are not working to cure anything, we are working with the individual's natural sense of order and balance, something that we all have inside. You can sit around waiting for science to prove something, or you can get out there and experiment. If you enjoy the work, as most people do, what do you have to loose? No one needs approval from scientific literature to justify going out and getting a massage, so why would they need that to try Rolfing? Despite it's reputation for being painful, a carefully executed Rolfing session should be mostly pleasant, with some challenging moments of course! But if you have not yet, why not try it out for yourself? #rolfing #rolfer #structuralintegration #chiropractic #osteopathy #physicaltherapy #science #healthcare

Doing a ten series is the most fundamental approach to Rolfing. It was actually developed by Ida Rolf as a way to teach principles and techniques in a meaningful sequence. Usually referred to as "The Recipe", I think of it as a formula, or rather a musical scale to be improvised in, the arrangement of the notes within that scale will lead to a song. Every session within the series has a few goals, what goals are emphasized and how those goals are achieved will depend on what the client actually needs to develop those outcomes. I have a brief description of the series on my website, but for those who would like a more detailed presentation of it can read on. The Sleeve The sleeve sessions are the first cycle of the Rofling series. They are comprised of the first three sessions. In the sleeve cycle we address the larger more exterior muscles of action, known as the sleeve. Muscles can become adhered together, via connective tissue, and some can remain in a short and tight state. We often tend to over use these muscles, and that burns lots of oxygen causing fatigue. More so, the deeper muscles of the core will tend to be under used when this happens and may even atrophy. Our first concern is to liberate the core muscles from the over use of the sleeve muscles so they can start functioning properly again. More about the sleeve cycle Session 1 In the beginning we want to help address restriction to the breath, as well as the hip and shoulder girdles. We first address the external fascial sheath that raps around the torso to gain some freedom of breath, release the shoulders, and lengthen the front of the body. Work around the ribs and diaphragms will be involved. We address the lateral rotators of the hips and the hamstrings in order to begin the process of freeing up the pelvis. More about session 1 Session 2 The objective of session two is to address the foot, ankle and the lower leg in order to affect the strain patterns that link up to the hips and the lower back. We want to restore mobility to the arches and ankles, to allow the calves to let go of the heel, and to encourage the lower leg in general to be flexible and act like shock absorbers. Spending some time on the feet can allow sensation to open up, and back work can take place in a seated position involving the use of the feet for stability. We will usually address the hips directly in session one, but now the feet must be addressed in order to allow for a smooth gait. Just as uneven wear on tires will pull the car's alignment off, and just as the alignment needs to be adjusted when we put on new tires, so do the hips affect the foot/ankle and the foot/ankle affect the feet. More about session 2 Session 3 Now that we have addressed the feet and ankles it will be time to focus on the hips and shoulder girdles again. The purpose of session three is to differentiate and sense of front and back, so we work along the sideline from hips to shoulders. In this session we work to help elongate the lower back, finishing up with the sleeve sessions and preparing to move into the core sessions. More about session 3 The Core Once we have worked to differentiate the larger muscles of action, the sleeve, we will address the deeper muscles of posture, the core. The smaller muscles are often overpowered by the sleeve muscles, and have become less active, in some cases even atrophied. The key to rehabilitating these muscles is to allow them to become more active again rather than trying to exercise them. They will gain strength from ordinary use, but that means the other muscles we are using need to back off and stop doing their job for them. The deeper skeltal muscles burn less oxigen than our muscles of action, and are less subjected fatigue. This is why we need to find ways of achieving good posture and movement that do not revolve around excess strain. Session 4 The first of the core sessions, we address the inner line of the legs from the medial arch to the pelvic floor. This is to allow the leg to drop out of the pelvic floor when walking in order to improve gait. Differentiating the abductors from each other and from neighboring structures like the quads and the hamstrings is an important part. Allowing the pelvic some freedom from the thigh, and allowing some awareness and movement in the pelvic floor is also important. Lower jaw work and possibly intraoral work is sometimes done, and as usual there will be some neck and back work. Session 5 This is the core of the core sessions. Here we are concerned with the abdominal region, and the relationship of the legs to the front of the spine. Addressing the abs in order to allow for some length up the front of the body is important. Work on the front of the hips and deeper structures like the psoas is likewise important to allow for mobility through the torso and to release the lower back from the front of the body. Session 6 Until session six we have been focusing on getting length and support up the front of the body, prevertebral support. In session six we focus on the the back line, legs, posterior pelvis and the posterior spine. Session 7 In session seven we address the neck, differentiating it from the chest and the arms as well. More intensive work can be done with the neck now that have worked to free up restricted movement and give the neck and head more support. We can then focus on the jaw, doing intraoral work, muscles of the face and head as well as some intranasal work as well. The Integrative Phase After we have gone through the core sessions and worked extensively with differentiating structures that may be stuck together, we now focus on integrating those structures, so less emphasis on restriction and more on encouraging unity. Sessions 8 and 9 Sessions 8 and 9 will be focused on the upper body and the lower body, bringing a unity of posture and movement together. The lower body session will revolve around relating the legs and hip girdles to the spine, in order to encourage core extension rather than contraction. This core extension is focused on in the upper body session in regard to relating the arms and shoulders to the spine. Extension is the key word here, as most other western methods revolve around contracting muscles to gain support. Session 10 Session ten revolves around integrating the upper and lower body, decompressing joints, and attention to diaphragms, i.e. the respiratory, thoracic, and pelvic diaphragms. Much of what we have done before this has focused on vertically, now we relate that to our horizontal structures. Post 10 Series Work Once we complete the ten series we are done with series work for a while. All the myofascial work we have done has really been a process off working with the nervous system to find better ways of standing, sitting, and moving. By the end, we have really just began to get the ball rolling, and changes will continue for a good year or so after we are done. It is said that a person will be better organized and better integrated a year after we complete the ten series than the day after we complete the series, so there is no rush to jump back into more Rolfing sessions. Although post ten series work can be done later, it is a good rule of thumb to wait three to six months before coming back in for Rolfing. There is also the possibility of doing an advanced series, if the Rolfer is trained as an Advanced Rolfer. Some people will come in for sessions regularly, some as need be, and others may be good for quite a few years down the road. It will be up to them to decide on what frequency is necessary after completing a series. So why not begin your adventure and book with a certified Rolfer today? #rolfer #rolfing #structuralintegration #rolfingseries #tenseries

Most of us want better posture but how to achieve this is the question. We think that if we look at a diagram of what posture is supposed to be that we can press ourselves into that mold. Western disciplines only understand force and overlook subtlety, so if we want to achieve good posture we try to forcefully hold ourselves in positions that we think exhibit good posture, but through our naive understanding of how our muscles and nervous systems work, we are not only deceiving ourselves but probably doing ourselves a disservice in the process. When we use force to hold ourselves in this or that posture we undoubtedly enlist a whole range of muscles to do so, and many of those muscles are not really fit for the job. This happens because we do not understand the deeper mechanics of the body, what it takes to sit, stand, and move around with the near effortless elegance that we are designed for by nature. Western disciplines, physical therapy, Pilates, almost all common gym exercises, and most of the yoga we see in the west only understand the overt gross over simplification of physical movements and alignment but do not understand the covert subtly that is necessary to actually do these things with any grace. This is not necessarily true of eastern disciplines, at least some of them have a refined attention to movement and sensation. In traditional Japanese swordsmanship there is the understanding that if a person goes into a battle and becomes fatigued they may quickly tire and be killed. Anyone who practices a fighting art or who has been in a fight knows that even 10 minutes is a very long time to be in a physical conflict. In order to not become fatigued the swordsman must not use any unnecessary force or strength and use only what is necessary. Many martial arts revolve around this idea. Just as the swordsman understands that unnecessary force leads to fatigue, we must also understand that walking around holding our shoulders back, sucking in our gut and trying to tuck our pelvis this way or that will result in fatigue, because we are using muscles that are designed to be at rest with not performing activities like running, climbing, or defending ourselves. If posture and movement are not optimal, we need to address the restrictions that are causing problems, we need to get support for structures that are not stacked well in gravity, and most importantly, we need to learn to participate in posture and movement in a better way. There is an innate wisdom in the body, and when we try to control it with our ordinary minds, we overpower it with our limited understanding. If we can learn to let up the habitual tendency to control everything it can eventually start expressing itself and we can start to move with greater freedom. This exploration of the innate wisdom of the body will lead to an inner balance and a greater mastery of movement as well as posture. This idea can be boiled down to just trying to relax while we do things. A master does not use force, but rather skill and understanding. We could all work toward trying to master being embodied creatures. #rolfing #structuralintegration #posture #balance