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The
bodywork that makes the body work! |
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*Photos from a Rolfing Session *Advanced Trainings classes: *Exercises: *Directions to Frenchman’s
Creek Drive, Durham, NC *Fort Collins Colleagues |
Tired of feeling …
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Questions about Rolfing… Top of page
What is Rolfing?
Rolfing is a type of bodywork that has the client and Rolfer working together to
unwind, support and balance a person’s body. The goal of Rolfing is to help a
person move better, have a better posture, balance the muscles, reduce stress
or pain and to help increase the natural energy within a body. Rolfing is also
an educational process of learning about your body and what you can do to help
yourself look, feel and move better.
How is the Rolfing work done?
Rolfing is done in 10 sessions working with the muscles, ligaments and tendons
of the client. The actual work is done by applying slow pressure within the
different layers and sections of the muscle or muscle attachments. While the
pressure is applied, the client does different movements to aid in releasing
the muscle. The movements are in the forms of relaxation breathing, small ligament
movements and larger muscle movements and stretching. The client actively
participates while lying down in the different positions, being seated, or
standing upright.
What are the 10 sessions?
The 10 sessions are a recipe for balancing
the body. Each session has a certain goal and sections of the body that it
works with, while still attending to the goals of the client. The first 3
sessions in Rolfing work on superficial layers of the body, softening and
opening the outermost layers. The next 4 sessions work with the deeper muscles
of the body reorganizing the postural muscles in individual sections,
derotating and vertically aligning the body. The last 3 sessions deal with
integration of the whole body, creating a freer total body for movement with
less stress.
How long does it take?
Each individual session takes about an hour. The sessions are spaced from a
minimum of two days to as long as three weeks apart. A person can complete the
10 series anywhere from 5 weeks to as long as 6 months.
Optional Session Plans
At times Rolfing is used to help people recover from
surgery or traumas. Any number of
sessions can be arranged around a person’s needs and physical requirements.
Rolfing techniques?
Rolfing techniques are very slow
and designed to enable the person to relax and accommodate the work being done.
It is similar to a good workout where at the end you will know that you and
your body have been through a good session of muscle stretching and
contracting. If a person is in too much tension for the work to be done,
different approaches are used to enable the person to adjust to the work for
maximum results without a lot of discomfort. The ultimate goal is for the
muscles to release and relax. This not only has an effect on the muscle being
worked but on the entire body.
How long do the effects of
Rolfing last?
The changes a person goes through
in Rolfing have been known to last a lifetime. It is similar to adjusting the
wheel alignment of a car’s front tires. Once the adjustments are in place, you
are good to run for a very long time. If an accident occurs, slipping on a
hiking trail or being rear-ended in a car, slight adjustments can be made in
either single sessions or 3-5 sessions of post-session work. The biggest effect
will be that once you know what a balanced body feels like, you can take better
care of yourself.
How is Rolfing different than
other therapies?
Rolfing applies a wholistic
approach to the body. A Rolfer will do a lot of structural movement analysis,
watching the client sit, walk, do knee bends, or even run, to see which areas
of the client are not in line, or not moving and twisting with the rest of
their body. This analysis will show the Rolfer which areas to work. Sometimes
the place causing problems might not be the focus of the discomfort. An example
of this is when a person’s feet are not contacting the ground properly; the
rest of the body will twist and bend to balance itself causing hip, back or
even neck pain. The work itself is similar to a workout in the gym. The client
is in their underwear or sports clothes. There isn’t any soft music or water
fountains because this is a training and learning session for the client. The
client must be mentally present and focused. The work is also done in different
positions. The client ranges in position from lying down to standing upright,
often changing positions many times throughout the session. Muscle realignment
is done by slow muscle releasing techniques instead of quick snapping or
twisting movements. Each session is building and preparing for the final
integration of the whole body. The goal is an integrated, palintonic body that
is free of discomforts within gravity.
Why would a person go to a
Rolfer?
People will have a variety of
reasons for seeing a Rolfer. Below are some examples of what people come to see
a Rolfer about.
Chronic pain is one of the biggest issues for clients. This pain
can come in the form of trauma from an automobile accident or the day to day
repetition of sitting at a desk. Most of these people have tried other
approaches to their problem and are still seeking something that can help give
them some relief. Rolfing is a great modality for people that deal with chronic
pain, working deeply to unwind and restructure the body to will help create a
less stressed area of pain.
These are some of the chronic pain problems Rolfing has helped with…
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Plantar fascia |
Low Back Pain
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Athletes
and performers have used
Rolfing to help them perform better on the playing field or on stage. Whether
you are a professional athlete or just wanting to remain in shape longer,
Rolfing can help assist you to become better at what you do. Professional
baseball and basketball players and even Olympic skiers have used Rolfing as a
tool to help them compete. Professional dancers and musicians also use Rolfing
to help keep their bodies freer and mobile for their concerts and performances.
Stress within a body can make a person feel like they are
all tied up in knots. Rolfing can help untie those knots by slowly unwinding
each end and working deeply to the center of the knots. It helps ease the
weight of the world off of your shoulders by creating a freer support structure
to carry your load.
Freedom from the constant pressures of life can be found
through Rolfing. Many people just come to experience the feeling of freedom
within their own bodies. Rolfing works with the muscles so they do not have to
work as hard. EMG studies have shown that Rolfing can help the body work more
efficiently. Life tasks become easier because your muscles are only using what
is necessary to complete the task instead of engaging additional muscle groups
that will expend your energy. People have found they have more energy and have
a better feeling overall because their body isn’t working as hard.
Variations on Rolfing?
Rolfing is taught and designed as
a 10-session recipe, with post session work optional after the 10 sessions.
Many Rolfers also work with doctors and health organization helping clients
with special needs targeting the injured portions of their body. Some of these
sessions are done in less than 10 sessions because that is what the doctor
recommends. An example of this would be
a recommendation for 4 sessions of head and neck work for TMJ. While this does
help the client, a wholistic approach of doing the addition sessions can help
the person further by balancing the whole body. Regardless of the approach
Rolfing is a powerful tool to help people better their bodies and their lives.
Origin of Rolfing?
Dr. Ida Rolf is the namesake of Rolfing. Dr. Rolf received her Ph.D. in
biochemistry from Columbia University in 1920. She worked in New York in the
fields of biochemistry, chemotherapy, physiology, and osteopathy. She was also
fascinated with the studies of yoga and homeopathy and studied with famous
people such as Frits Perls and Moshe Feldenkrais. All of her experience led her
to develop the 10 session series of Rolfing Structural Integration. Although
Dr. Rolf is no longer with us, her legacy lives on in her schools and students.
Rolfing is now taught in Boulder, Colorado, Germany and Brazil and there are
more than 1000 Certified Rolfers in 27 different countries throughout the
world.
Other Questions on Rolfing?
Please feel free to contact me if
you have any other questions on Rolfing Structural Integration.
Phone- 970- 223-1308
email – rolftech1@earthlink.net
The Rolf Institute has its own website that contains additional
Website - http://www.rolf.org/ .
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These photos show some of the different techniques used. Working first on
the Rolfing table, into a seated position and finally vertically to help a
person adapt from a prone position of relaxation into the tension free
vertical position in which gravity has the most impact. This also shows an example of what the
client can wear and in addition to a sheet or blanket being used for warmth
and privacy. |
Thanks to my daughter for being the
model for the photos!
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For Class
information and schedules please call or email Larry |
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Classes |
Presentations |
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Presentations are available for either medical
professions or different groups that will cover the following topics. They
last about 1 hour and are tailored for the specific audience.
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Larry’s bio… With having a talent for
seeing how parts work together, Larry worked in the field of mechanical
analysis aiding new designs to become reality. He has taken that design
experience and gone from working with mechanical parts to the human anatomy.
Larry started studying different bodywork modalities in the early 1990’s but
his goal was to become a Rolfer. Rolfing is the perfect match for Larry who
has the "hands and heart" to help people feel their best. Larry is certified in
Advanced Myofascial Release techniques and teaches classes in Spinal
Mechanics, Pelvis and Sacrum, Head and Neck, Shoulders and Arms, Feet and
Lower Legs and Movement Analysis and Techniques for Rolfing. This past year classes have been added for
Whiplash, Scoliosis and TMJ. See a
location near you for these classes by clicking on http://www.advanced-trainings.com/.
Larry also teaches at the
Rolf Institute in Boulder, CO with classes in Skillful Touch and Unit II and
Unit III classes in Rolfing. |
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Rolfing® is
a service mark of the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration,
located in Boulder,