What is Rolfing?
Rolfing is direct and to the point hands-on bodywork (think slow intentional, targeted “massage”) that strives to find balance and integrity in the body’s structure. Along with manual releases, we are working with your movement, intuition, and awareness to find where your body wants to be.
Rolfing is ultimately a process of tidying and removing structural clutter. This process begins to give the body new options. With more options, the body (which is always looking to be as efficient as possible) naturally begins to find its way “up” into a configuration that more harmoniously relates to gravity. Living in a body that can effectively navigate gravity is a body that has less to do. This inevitably translates to more capacity of the body and mind.
Commonly reported benefits of Rolfing®:
Improved posture/alignment
Better mobility
Feeling lighter
Fewer aches and pains
Improved athletic performance
More embodiment / sense of self
How does Rolfing differ from massage?
The intention of Rolfing is to have your body occupy space differently in a lasting way. We are exploring where your “home” is.
We also are working in your fascia.
Fascia is more-or-less a “memory tissue” that records our movement history, and allows us to continue moving in the same manner (for better or worse). Rolfing directly manipulates this network of fascia and establishes new movement patterns which over time crystalize your new shape.
Further, Rolfing is most often delivered as a series of multiple sessions that build on one another. Different sessions have different goals and work different regions of the body. I do not encourage receiving this work open-endedly. It should be done for a period of time (maybe 3 to 12 sessions depending on person and goals), and then it’s over.