Rolfing:postural restructuring

I first experienced Rolfing before I left Toronto to live and teach English in Pusan, South Korea. It was one the best things I could have done. I was leaving a long term relation ship and a family I refused to accept. I was leaving all that was familiar and going into the unknown. Rolfing helped me to break with all the pain and conditioning that I was carrying around in my body. Rolfing helped me to release and open up. I was able to cleans my past body patterns and pains; this helped me change the direction of my life, and I was better equipped to handle the challenges ahead.

After being Rolfed, I was able to be more in tune and within my body, and I became more aware of how many people’s bodies are trying to compensate for injuries and emotions that we hold within our bodies. Stress and daily work routines twist and bend us in odd shapes, and yet somehow we keep going, pushing forward, enduring and suffering. Rolfing helps to relive the load and helps us to straighten up and walk tall, with self confidence and presence. I also find that through Rolfing we learn to occupy our bodies and live more fully, filling out the skin so that we may burst forward; and that’s the way life was meant to be lived. What I find with massages, is that it helps to loosen some knots and peel back layers, they soon return and we get addicted to the release that message brings. With Rolfing I feel it’s more of a treatment; a to z, from head to toe process that gets the body to realign and heal its self, so that we can take on our true form and shape. Rolfing is healing and release and after the comprehensive ten week session is finished, your body will continues to re-adjust heal itself. Talk about getting your money’s worth! Here are the two Fantastic Rolfers that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in my journey, Jennifer Hayes and Jim Lewis. Here is Rolfing in their own words.

Jennifer Hayes B.A. Certified Advance Rolfer.Certified Movement Teacher. 15 Watford Ave. Toronto Ontario. (St.Clair and Christie) (416) 588-4989 www.rolfingstudiotoronto.com

What is Rolfing?
Rolfing is a system of postural restructuring and movement education which is performed through treatments of soft tissue manipulation.
Named after the renowned biochemist Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D., this technology offers a person of any age the ability to start fresh and reclaim their inherent vitality.
Rolfers believe that like all other material structures, the human body submits to the basic laws of physics. When we are out of balance, gravity that drags us down, just as it drags down a building that has lost its architectural integrity.
To fully understand poor posture and why it results in chronic head, neck, back, and hip pain, healthy posture or good posture must be clearly defined. Simply put, good posture is a condition in which body mass is evenly distributed. The geometry of tension in the joints must be perfectly balanced between compressive and tensile forces of the Fascial web (the connective tissue of the body), so that standing and walking require minimal energy expenditure.
As we move through life and are forced to compensate for injuries, physical or emotional traumas, work habits or habitual activities, the soft tissues in our bodies lose their elasticity. Over time, our bodies get molded into a set shape that prevents us from standing, moving, sitting, or even resting comfortably or efficiently.
During a typical Rolf session, we start by evaluating a person’s structure. A Rolfer is trained to see bodies and how the dynamics of standing and movement occur and to determine how and where the body is restricted. To a Rolfer’s eye, slouched shoulders, knock-knees or bowed legs, flat feet or high arches, sway back, spinal curvatures, a short leg, and/or hip problems all display complex patterns of strain, tightness, and thickening in the body’s soft tissues.
Rolfing accomplishes its results through a set of ten specific goals designed to open and balance the whole body. This is known as “The Rolfing Ten Series.” Through refined and intelligent pressure applied by a Certified Rolfer, specific areas of the body are carefully manipulated to release areas where the body is restricted. The “Series” is administered progressively; each session builds upon the last until complete integration of the structure is achieved. The average spacing between sessions is one to two weeks.
Note: Additional sessions may be required depending on the individual during their process.
Upon completion of the Rolfing process, habitual and inappropriate patterns of movement are corrected. The body retains these corrections and is effortlessly upright, balanced, and at ease with itself in the field of gravity. As a result of being “Rolfed,” a feeling of well-being and self-confidence develops as the structure returns to its own dynamic, upright support. A person feels lighter, freer, and has a higher level of energy. Old attitudes that were held and encouraged by stuck body patterns become easier to release.
Rolfing is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. It does not attempt to diagnose or prescribe. Its sole purpose is to bring order to structure, and it is through the accomplishment of that purpose the function of the whole person is enhanced.
More information:

* The Rolf Institute
* European Rolfing Association
* Australian Rolfing Association
* Brazilian Rolfing Association

Jim Lewis: Montreal: 514- 281-8492
or send me an email: jim@rolfing.qc.ca In 1970, I read an article on Rolfing that captured my imagination, and I sought out one of the few Rolfing practitioners of that era. The results of my first session were spectacular: My chest expanded so much in one hour of work that a new suit jacket I had just bought no longer fit properly - an expensive session! And the practitioner, himself a former electronics engineer as I was at the time, put the idea in my head that I too should consider becoming a Rolfer. A year-and-a-half later, I did just that. I returned to school part-time, acquired the prerequisite courses and was accepted into training. I was fortunate to be with the founder, Dr. Ida Rolf, as instructor. I received my initial certification in 1973 and returned to attend the advanced course with Dr. Rolf the following year. I’ve had advanced certification and a full-time private practice in Rolfing since 1974.
Since then, I have worked with hundreds of clients. Many individuals come to me as a last resort having tried many other methods first. My clients have ranged from a 3-week old baby to seniors in their 80’s. Our bodies are malleable, and it is rare that a situation is presented that Rolfing cannot benefit at any age.
My work is classical in form with some modifications and follows the teaching of Dr. Rolf. It is direct, deep soft-tissue manipulation. I see myself though as more of a sculptor working the connective tissue (fascia, ligaments, tendons, aponeuroses, scar tissue, adhesions) as if they were clay in order to differentiate and restore tone and balance to the various muscles and muscle groups. Once accomplished, as Dr. Rolf stated, “Gravity is the therapist.” Sometimes, Rolfing triggers old memories and facilitates emotional release. In this, I am a silent companion providing a safe space in which clients may fully express their joy, their sorrow and their pain.
I have also studied and practice the Zero Balancing® method of structural-energetic bodywork developed by Dr. Fritz Smith since 1977 and worked as a volunteer spiritual healer from 1984 - 1997. These two activities have strongly influenced my practice of Rolfing and have given me a greater appreciation for the effect of subtle touch and subtle energies on the healing process.
I am available for consultation and Rolfing sessions at my office in Montreal or on-site at business locations for work related injuries and prevention. I also offer a workshop on body reading and postural alignment for personal benefit.