Rolfing. Lots of people have heard of it. Many more have not. So
what is it? What does it do? And what's with the funny name?
Rolfing gets its name from the late Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D. Rolf was a
biochemist whose knowledge of physiology and curiosity about human
structure led her to develop an extraordinary technique, which she
called "Structural Integration." In the late 1920s, Rolf
began tinkering with ways to improve the structure and function of the
human body. With keen observation, she noted that too many people were
struggling with their own bodies. She became convinced that there was
something she could do about it.
Over the
years, Ida Rolf's technique evolved into a refined hands-on method
that yielded dramatic results. With ten one-hour sessions, Rolf found
she could literally transform people. The public gave her work the
nickname Rolfing. Practitioners who now carry on in her footsteps are
called Rolfers. Many of us are treated to quizzical looks when asked,
"What do you do for a living?" It's a good question.
Just what does a Rolfer do? The goal of Rolfing is to organize the
structure of the human body within the gravitational field of the
earth. It seems simple, but just by shifting focus from looking at a
person as an isolated individual to seeing him or her as an organism
in an environment (gravity field), a whole new set of possibilities
opens up.
For example,
when a client shows up in my office with a pain in the neck, one of
two things can happen. First, I could palpate their neck, notice all
the tension and soreness, and dig right in to "fix" the
problem. Might work. Might not. But being a good Rolfer, I choose the
second option. I look at the whole person standing before me, note
where there is imbalance and lack of support in the pattern of
structure, and work first to help my client find an easier way to be
in gravity. By the time I go to "fix" that neck, it will be
getting better already and will probably stay that way. After a
standard series of sessions, not only is the neck pain gone, but the
client is standing taller, moving with more fluid grace and ultimately
experiencing a wave of order spreading into every aspect of his or her
being. This reorganization is the natural response to being balanced
with respect to the field of gravity.
Most people see their body as a collection of bones and muscles,
along with a few organs thrown in there somewhere. What a Rolfer sees
when viewing a person is a seamless river of fascia flowing in and
around the various places in the body. Fascia is that shiny, slippery
stuff that encases each muscle. Actually, it encases every muscle
fiber, becoming tendon near the end of the muscle, becoming the
periosteum covering the bone and continuing on without a break right
into the next muscle.
Fascia is what Ida Rolf called the "organ of form." It is
literally the stuff that holds us together and gives us our shape. If
you took away everything in your body that is not fascia, you would
still look like you. When we are relatively balanced with respect to
the gravitational field of the earth, our fascia stays supple and
resilient. When we are off balance, it must thicken and shorten in
some places or stretch wide and stringy in others in order to hold us
erect. Once this happens, we are pretty much stuck with our imbalance
unless we actively do something about it. The good news is that fascia
is very plastic. It can be molded and reshaped by the hands of someone
trained to work with it -- namely, your local Rolfer.
Since the 1960s, when Ida Rolf trained many of the early Rolfers,
Rolfing has experienced waves of popularity. Along the way, various
rumors and misconceptions have sprung up. So let me say a few words
about what Rolfing is not. First, Rolfers do not use equipment or
machines to work on your body. People often ask about this and I am
always surprised. Rolfers use only their hands (okay, sometimes an
elbow) to soften and stretch the fascia surrounding your muscles.
Another misconception I often hear is that, "Rolfers pull the
muscle off the bone." I wish I knew where this idea comes from!
I've heard it from coast to coast, and I swear it isn't true.
What
Rolfers do is gently separate layers of fascia that have become stuck
together from trauma, poor posture or illness. Since fascia is made
mostly of collagen, it tends to form bonds with itself in much the
same way that scar tissue forms to heal a wound. Luckily, the bonds
are fairly weak. Rolfers can restore mobility to areas where it has
been lost. Lastly, the big fallacy: Ask anybody who has never had a
Rolfing session and they will tell you, "Rolfing is really
painful." The answer to this one is simple -- maybe it hurts a
little, but it feels so good! In general, Rolfing feels great. That's
why people love it. For fleeting moments at a time, there might be
some discomfort. A pleasant feeling of release immediately follows,
however, as the restricted tissue lets go and opens up. The client is
always an equal partner in the whole process. If anything doesn't feel
right, speak up and your Rolfer will stop or adjust the pressure. The
idea is to open and release, not to shrink and guard against the work.
There are no sudden movements in Rolfing. Everything is slow. You
can see it coming a mile away. Even though this type of bodywork can
be intense, it feels profoundly right. The Rolfer and client engage in
a kind of dance around the limitations and boundaries that exist.
Respect for those boundaries is primary.
People come to Rolfing for many reasons, most of which can be
summed up in the phrase, "Please touch me deeply." The
Rolfer is happy to oblige. People of all ages seek Rolfing, from
newborns to senior citizens. Some are looking for relief from pain;
some are looking to improve their appearance or performance. Most are
looking for something that will allow them to get on with their lives.
A series of Rolfing sessions can be a perfect chance to explore who
you are and to experience the fact of your physicality in a new way.
As a Rolfer I am treated to the exquisite pleasure of seeing my
clients open and blossom into richer and more whole people on a daily
basis. The only thing better than seeing it is feeling it happen in
your own body as the wave of opening spreads through your entire
being.
Ed Toal is a Certified Rolfer practicing in Anchorage and
Cordova. Call 279-9444 to schedule a free consultation. To find a
Certified Rolfer in your area, contact the Rolf Institute at (800)
530-8875 or visit their website at www.rolf.org.
"The word ROLFING is a registered service mark of the ROLF
Institute of Structural Integration."
