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FAQs About Rolfing
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What is Rolfing?
--also known as Structural Integration-- is a sophisticated and detail-oriented approach to releasing patterns of stress and impaired function in every part of the body through manual medicine techniques, physical manipulation, and movement re-education. Simply, it focuses on underlying causes of acute and chronic structural pain where misalignment of a joint(s) or body segment(s) can be determined to be a cause or contributing factor(s) to the pain.
Rolfing is not a technique or a tool and can only be performed by a certified trained practioner from the Rolf Institute in Boulder, Colorado. It is not just a deeper tissue massage.
Who Gets Rolfing?
Athletes, dancers, children, students of yoga and meditation, musicians, business people, people riddled with chronic pain and stress. People from all walks of life and of all ages come to Rolfing not only for relief from their pain and stress, but also for improved performance in their professions and daily activities.
How Does my body get out of balance?
Your body is the history in flesh of physical and emotional injuries, your responses to cultural attitudes and beliefs. Trauma, abuse, limited expression, fear, or the way you do your work each day will fix limitations in your body. Small bumps and falls, which seem insignificant, may produce enough discomfort to cause you to protect the area by tightening muscles. The whole body will begin to shift to adapt to the deviation. The more significant the injury the greater the holding pattern. The pattern will be more fixated throughout the entire matrix the longer it has resided.
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How does Rolfing work?
To align the body segments, Rolfing systematically organizes the body's soft, connective tissue network. This soft connective tissue network, known as the myofascial system, is the "organ of structure" in the body. The myofascia supports and shapes the body, starting with the surface layers, wrapping around the whole body, similar to a body stocking. It continues into the deeper layers enveloping and connecting groups of muscles, individual muscles, the tendons and ligaments, and all of the organs.
When healthy and balanced, this inverwoven system is supportive yet flexible, elastic and resilient. When the connective tissue is damaged from accidents, surgery, high fever or chronic misuses, it scars, shortens and restricts full ease and range of motion in the joints and muscles. This can be felt as aches, pains, tension, and stress as well as lack of flexibility, movement, and energy. When we compensate for these restrictions, more restrictions occur. The job of Rolfing is to free the shortened fascia, allow the muscles to return to a balanced relationship and the body to release the compensations.
How Does Rolfing Feel?
Sensations in the area being worked may range from pleasurable warmth to momentary discomfort. At times there may be little sensation at all. How you will feel during Rolfing depends on several factors such as injuries to the area or tension caused by chronic stress.
After Rolfing, people report feeling lighter and better balanced. Movement feels easier, as if the joints have been lubricated. Feelings of well-being reflect the body’s higher energy level. Chronic discomforts often disappear immediately or soon after the series is completed.
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Is Rolfing Painful?
A sensitive and skillful practitioner can change long-standing patterns with little discomfort. The most important thing to remember is that you are in control. It makes no sense for me to work in a way that is painful, as you will hold your breath, tighten up, and withdraw from my hands.
How is Rolfing different from deep tissue massage?
Few people realize that much of what goes by the name of "deep tissue therapy" and "myofascial release techniques" have their origins in Rolfing. Because of the proliferation of deep tissue therapy, people may mistakenly consider Rolfing to be a deep tissue technique. But as Dr. Rolf observed years ago, the concept of deep tissue implies the concept of surface tissue. As every Rolfer knows, in the attempt to organize and integrate the body in gravity, one certain way to unbalance the body is to manipulate the deep tissue at the expense of the surface tissue.
The intention of Rolfing is different than massage work. Rolfing helps to create length and space in your body, which in turn will help to increase range of motion and flexibility. Muscles and bones can return to their proper alignment and relationship, which in turn allows more efficient movement. This attention to proper body geometry and relationships distinguishes Rolfing from those forms of bodywork that simply seek deep tissue massage and relaxation.
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How is Rolfing different from Chiropractic?
In general, chiropractic seeks to change the relationship of the bones through direct manipulation and usually limits the focus of the manipulations to the spine. Structural Integration (Rolfing) is immediately concerned with the fascia, not the bones. Rolfing recognizes that the soft tissue (muscles and connective tissue) directly influences the position and movement of the bones.
How many Rolfing sessions do I need?
A Rolfing series is usually 10 - 12 sessions. These sessions are 90 minutes long with different goals and intentions and different anatomical areas that are worked. Your entire body is never touched in one session, but your entire body is always considered in each session.
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