Unlock Your Body's Natural Function Through
Rolfing
So What is Rolfing?
Rolfing was developed about 50 years ago by Ida Rolf, PhD, a
biochemist who became interested in the subject of body
structure and function while trying to relieve her son's pain.
She originally named it "structural integration" and although
this name is still used today, it has become more popularly
known as Rolfing - a name that is now trademarked.
The theory behind Rolfing is that the body's natural state
is relaxed, comfortable and aligned with the Earth's gravity.
However, over time the stresses of everyday life cause people
to adjust the way they hold their bodies and the way they move.
An example is what happens when people spend long hours at a
computer - their head drops down and forward, their shoulders
hunch over and their ears end up over air instead of directly
above their shoulders.
Newly-learned positions and movements become patterns and
for a while may be more comfortable, but eventually, because
they work against gravity, they put even more stress on the
body.
Muscles may become shorter on one side and longer on the
other and the tissue that connects them - the fascia - may
become stiff and even fused, creating adhesions.
A Rolfing treatment is designed to not only release the
adhesions and relax the muscles, but also teach better body
mechanics so that the patterns the client has just "unlearned"
don't return.
How does Rolfing Work?
A Rolfing session does use massage techniques, but these are
usually done more slowly and deeply; since Rolfing is intended
to affect the structure of the body, the more superficial
techniques of massage are not helpful. The work the Rolfer does
can be intense, but the level of discomfort the client may feel
will depend on how out of the balance the body is and whether
the Rolfer has to do a lot of work to release the effects of
old injuries. The best advice is to try to avoid tensing up by
"breathing through" the more difficult techniques. After a
treatment the client will usually feel lighter and more
balanced and may even be taller.
Rolfing is usually done in a series of 10 sessions, starting
with specific areas and progressing to whole-body treatments.
These sessions are usually done about a week to two weeks
apart. The Rolfer may also give the client exercises to do
between sessions to help them move more correctly and stay
aware of how they move - in other words, to keep the
re-education process going. Some people would rather get only
one or two treatments focusing on what they think are their
problem areas, but most Rolfers discourage this. They believe
that focused treatment is not helpful and does not have lasting
effects, because each part of the body supports each other
part.
Benefits
Some of the effects of Rolfing are - increased flexibility -
better posture - relief of pain, muscle tension, or headaches -
smoother, more efficient body movement - emotional balancing
(which results from the physical balancing and release of old
injuries)
Because it works to change the structure - and therefore
function - of the entire body, Rolfing may not be as relaxing
as some other forms of bodywork, but for long-term effects many
people prefer it to anything else.
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