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The following text is adapted from a Jason Mixter brochure titled:
Rolfing®
by Jason Mixter, Certified Rolfer
The term "Rolfing® " now refers to a system of body education and physical manipulation originally called "structural Integration." It is the product of 50 years of study and practice by Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D., and, since her death in 1979, the many people she trained to carry on her work. Fundamentally, Rolfing® consists of some simple ideas about Human structure: (1) most human beings are significantly out of alignment with gravity; (2) we function better when we are lined up with the gravitational field of the earth; and (3) the human body is so plastic that its alignment can be brought into harmony with gravity at practically any time of life.
Ida Rolf's Discoveries
Ida Rolf earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Columbia University in1916. Somewhere in her scientific research she made a fundamental discovery about the body: the some network of connective tissue which contains and links the muscle e system when it's healthy can be used to reshape it when it's been pulled out of proper order. Each muscle (and each muscle fiber) is enveloped in a connective tissue called fascia. Toward the end of each muscle, this fascia thickens into straps we call tendons which work to bind muscle to muscle and muscle to bone. In fact, this strange stuff we term connective tissue might better be called the prima meateria, the basic stuff of the body. Part of it evolved into bone, and the muscles actually develop as tissue tendrils growing out through the fascialnetwork of the embryo.
Dr. Rolf's discovery of the importance of the fascial system revolutionized thinking about the body. Instead of muscles, her followers emphasize their covering, much as if, when looking at an orange, one emphasized the rind rather than the meat. The enwrapping fascia supports the muscles and holds muscle and bone combinations in place. But it has one troublesome property: it can support whatever patterns of movement and posture the body adopts. The fascia can aid normal balanced posture. Or, when muscles are overloaded by the constant strain of off-balance movement, these connective tissues may take over some of the load by shortening and giving up their elasticity. In this way the body actually changes shape t reflect how it's being used. Fortunately, the fascia can be restored to health by returning muscles and bones to their proper alignments and inducing proper movement.
Dr. Rolf's discovery of the importance of the fascia was based upon another insight. She recognized that gravity is the basic shaper of the body. We have to balance our bodies somehow against the pull of gravity. From birth to death gravity is always working on us. Because it is, deviations in the muscle-bone system are never merely local. Gravity's influence spreads them throughout the body. If the natural balance of the body is disturbed - if it doesn't follow the best geometry of the skeleton - then the whole body will gradually change form to adapt to the deviation. For example, a child falls from a bicycle and injures a knee. To avoid pain, he or she tightens the muscles around the knee. Since the body must work against the tug of gravity, the entire muscle and fascial system gradually shifts to compensate for the first change. Movement through the pelvis is influenced, as is the pattern of breathing and the set of the head. Because muscles alone cannot carry the additional tension, the fasciae shorten to support the new movement, and, in time, the shape and function of the whole body alters with them.
The human body is like a house. It's structured so that each part has its proper place, and each piece interlocks to balance the load of the others. As in the well-built house whose every post and beam is in place, the well used (more than well built) body functions efficiently. Because gravity pulls down on everything, out of place body parts - beams out of alignment and unsupported by a post - are pulled into painfully unnatural positions. What the Rolfer seeks is a return of the construction to its original blueprint specifications. This is often compared to, first grabbing the client by the hair and lifting him or her straight up until he or she is hanging in a perfectly vertical position, and then, setting the client going again. Putting one out-of-whack piece back into place is usually not enough. Everything should be right before a house can stand or a body can work smoothly. This kind of arrangement, in turn, produces what Dr. Rolf called "the gospel of Rolfing® : when the body is working properly, the force of gravity can flow through it. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself."
The Body's Geometry
Dr. Rolf's view of the role of the fascia in posture led to still another major discovery. It might be called the theory of body geometry. When an elbow, knee or any other joint is properly balanced, the individual experiences an internal sense of rightness. The body senses that it is aligned along the true planes of movement. The hinges of the legs ( hips, knees, ankles, even toes) all work within a single plane. The paths of the legs have parallel courses. The head and spine feel a clear sense of "up." Th elbows move naturally through their angle in a smooth course. Compared with this new organization, the previous functioning of the body appears random, even chaotic. In contrast, the new geometry, this new orientation in space, feels much more secure. The goal of the Rolfer is to bring the body close to its center line of gravity so that fewer muscles are required for basic standing and sitting. "posture" is no longer an immobile holding action but a floating balance and ease. It is this attention to the proper body geometry that distinguishes Rolfing® from those forms of body work that simply seek deep tissue massage and relaxation.
Naturally, each person has his or her own version of this ideal geometry, which depends on the person's height, the length of his or her limbs, and other similar factors. But Rolfers consider five basic points when planning individual goals for a client. In order for the human body to function properly and maintain an upright position, these five landmarks must be in alignment: the ear, the shoulder, the hip, the knee and the ankle. The head, neck and shoulders tell the story of the structure below them. The body should glide along, rather than look as if it has to do extremely hard work with every step. The head and neck must be centered over the middle of the body, and the spine that supports the structure must be at the back of the pelvic section. The spine must then curve in conjunction with the natural back curvature until it enters the base of the skull in a central direction. Any damage or constant pressure will disturb the balance of the upper torso.
In quite a few words, that's Rolfing® , but the definition may make no sense to you because you've never seen or felt Rolfing® . To remedy that, let's follow a client through her first session and then get into a little routine that will give you a few of the feelings that a Rolfing® client has in that initial encounter.
A Visit to a Rolfer
Marcia had known about Rolfing® for maybe ten years. She knew that the technique was developed by a biochemist and that it was designed to improve posture and flexibility. She had also heard that it was sometimes painful, although people she knew who had been Rolfed did not emphasize this aspect as much as people who had not been Rolfed. She decided to try it.
After answering a health questionnaire and discussing what she hoped to gain from the sessions with her Rolfer, Marcia was asked to undress down to her underwear and pose for some "Before Session One" photos. Then she stood in front of the full-length mirror and was introduced to her body through a Rolfer's eyes. She began to see that her body was far from organized: not only were her shoulders a different height, but they were also rotated distinctly to the right, while her pelvis was turned to the left. She noticed that she could breathe either from her upper chest or from her abdomen, but not both. From the side, she saw that her midsection protruded out in front because her upper back slumped ahead of her pelvis and abdomen. Following her shoulders, her neck and head also came forward. The Rolfer helped her to see that if her head were balanced properly on her spine, the muscles in her back would not have to support it's 12 pound weight.
Finally, she was asked to lie down on the cushioned table, and the Rolfer began to work on her ribs. She felt a brief burning sensation as he did, as if the skin was being stretched and kneaded. He worked around her left armpit and asked her to perform an arm movement as he did. The discomfort was different here - sharper, more precise. His hands seemed to know just where to find tightness and tension. First in front, then along her side, back under her shoulder blade, down under the line of her rib cage. Soon she was feeling light and airy. She was breathing more deeply and with less effort. Her left arm was moving easily, almost by itself. But when she moved the right one, it seemed blocked. She had never noticed a problem there before, but the difference between her arms was very noticeable.
As the session continued, Marcia felt more at ease. The Rolfer worked on her hips and then on the back of her thighs. He explained that years in high heels had caused her knees to hyperextend, or "lock" backward. This had cut off circulation in her lower legs and left her with a tendency toward cold feet. He also connected the locked knees to the forward just of her upper body. As he continued to work, the back of her thighs had that same burning sensation for a moment, but it was soon replaced with a new sensation of "length" and freedom.
When she stood up, she felt straighter, even though she had not previously thought her posture was especially crooked. As she walked around the room, her legs seemed to glide under her; her knees did not lock as before. Looking in the mirror, she saw that her upper back was pulling back, but it did look better. Her body felt alive and tingling. The Rolfer gave her a mental image to think about: her motion should come from deep inside her body. She felt more expansive, taller. When she sat, she sat straighter and liked it. When she slouched, the position was uncomfortable! Intrigued? try this self-help routine.
Feel What Marcia Felt
One of the major distinctions made by Rolfers is the difference between holding and supporting. As children, most of us are told to "sit up straight." The well-meaning relatives who usually make this command are trying to teach us good posture, and by good posture they generally mean some variation of "chest out and shoulders back!" Try this posture right now as you read. Notice that when your shoulders are pulled back, they cannot be SUPPORTED by the rib cage, that, instead, your trunk is lifted up off the pelvis and HELD in an uncomfortable imitation of good posture.
While sitting, most of us droop forward and let our bodies hang off our spines in various forms of collapse. When we do remember to "sit up straight," we often reverse everything and hold our chests up and keep the shoulders high and aloft. Some people even become locked in this position. Although they look good to the untrained, most trained observers agree that the body structure is not supported from below in this posture; it is uncomfortably held from above. In either case, with the held posture or the collapsed one, energy is being expended, which might be conserved with proper structural support and balance.
To see how much better efficient posture can make you feel, first sit down. Then, let your chest fall so that your spine curves to the front. now sit up so that your spine arches to the back. Do you feel relaxed, or is it an effort to hold your body in this second position? Return to the collapsed position, and put a hand on each hip bone. Push your hips forward until you feel the bottom of your pelvis (the two "sit bones") touch the chair seat. As you do, notice that your chest floats up as the pelvis rolls forward. Now rest on the forward part of your "sit bones"." Notice that you can sit and maintain a feeling of support without either collapsing or holding your body up.
Learned body patterns become so much a part of us that, at first, you may not be able to sit in this new, supported fashion for very long. You may also need to "play" with it until you can feel your body learning to support itself. But most people eventually find that they do not feel quite "right" unless they are using this supportive posture in place of the old holding patterns.
What, Exactly, Is Rolfing®?
Rolfing® is normally taught or applied in a series of about ten sessions of variable length. Each segment of the process is both a continuation of the previous one and an introduction to the next. The body is systematically and physically manipulated during this initial series of about ten sessions, each of which lasts about an hour. Spacing of sessions is quite flexible. Some people chose to schedule their sessions once a week, others once a month. The cost of each session varies from $75 to $125, according to the local economic conditions and the experience of the Rolfer.
Rolfing® 's ten-session series is designed to uncover a structural ease and kinetic balance that is unique to each client. Rolfing® cannot accurately be described as therapy or as a returning of the body to a "normal" state from which it has deteriorated. Rather, it is a process of education in which a Rolfer seeks to help a client discover the most efficient way of using his or her body, given the limitations liabilities and virtues of that body. In effect, the plan of each group of sessions must be created anew for the needs of the particular person seeking help. However there are certain guidelines and landmarks which every Rolfer follows in each program of sessions.
Advanced Rolfing®
Six months to a year after completing an initial series, many clients need a refresher session, or "tune up." Many Rolfers also recommend one or two sessions per year after the first ones to maintain the benefits of the original ten. But it is possible to have too much Rolfing® , and most practitioners recommend that clients use what they have already learned rather than seek more and more material.
Somewhere between one and five years after an initial series, most clients return for the shorter (four to six sessions) "advanced" series, which is conducted by Rolfers who have completed the "Advanced Rolfing® Training" program. This sequence concentrates on ways of balanced movement in gravity using the organization established by the original tens sessions. Often areas that were painful and frozen even during the first sessions are found to be pliable and free during the advanced work. As one client described her advanced sessions:
"On going back . . . there was so little pain in my body I accused my Rolfer of getting soft. The intense emotional experiences weren't there after the later sessions either, but what joy I felt walking on the beach afterward. The pure and simple joy of being ecstatic in my body!"
Training and Certification
Certified Rolfers and Rolf Movement Practitioners undergo a training which is considered "postgraduate" in nature. Many aspirants to either of the training programs must spend up to three years meeting the Rolf Institute's prerequisites and preparing their applications for admission.
Persons seeking admission to Rolfer training are required to have an extensive background in the biological and behavioral sciences, training and professional experience in body manipulation, and a facility in working with people. A written application is submitted to the Rolf Institute, and the candidate is interviewed by the Institute's admissions committee to determine the person's qualifications for the work.
Having been admitted to Rolfing® training, the student attends a series of classes at the Rolf Institute over a period of one to two years. Throughout the training program, each student's progress and readiness for continued training is evaluated by the instructors. Classes are kept small in order to give students personal attention.
Rolfing® students are committed in writing to a program of continuing professional education and must gain advanced training within five years of their initial certification. Certified Rolfers are governed by a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. In order to practice Rolfing® and to identify themselves as "Rolfer," they must be members in good standing of the Rolf Institute. Rolfing® training is available only through the Rolf Institute, the sole certifying agency for Rolfers. A directory of Rolfers is published by the Rolf institute and is free to requesters. Rolf movement practitioners receive an additional year of training and must participate in an apprenticeship. Movement teachers also agree to a program of continuing professional education.
Reprinted by the Rolf Institute with the kind permission of Rodale Press, this article is from the book Whole Body Healing by Carl Lowe, James W. Nechas and the Editors of Prevention Magazine. Copyright 1983 by Rodale Pres, Inc.
For information about purchasing this book, you may contact your local book seller or the publisher whose address is:
Rodale Press Inc.
35 E. Minor Street
Emmaus, Pennsylvania 18049
USA
This text has been edited for www format and to reflect changes in Rolfing® and the Rolf Institute® since the original 1983 publication.
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