What is a Rolfing® Renovation?
Are you finding that your body is limiting your movements and activities because of pain, stiffness or a lack of balance? Are you frustrated because you have tried several different therapeutic approaches and your body just doesn’t seem to hold on to the changes for very long?
Rolfing Structural Integration is a unique therapeutic approach that changes the structural patterns of the whole body to create an effortlessly upright posture, and fluid, pain-free movements. The Rolfing process does for your body what braces do for your teeth, but without the wires. You do it for many of the same reasons: less pain, improved function, better appearance, and lower long term maintenance costs. This whole body renovation lasts because a well balanced body has its structural pattern reinforced by gravity day in and day out.
What does a Rolfing Renovation look like?
Here is one of my clients. He is a professional snow boarder who came to me with a very long list of sports injuries. As a 33 year old athlete, he was concerned that his career was nearly over due to the increasing frequency of injuries. He wanted to find new options for posture and movement that would reduce the wear and tear on his body. His Rolfing Renovation took thirteen sessions with me.
That his body has changed is readily observable. Rather than puzzle out all the details of the mechanical changes, let us take a look at the big picture of his form:
- Does his body appear to have gained more uprightness?
- Do the feet and legs look like they are more comfortably supporting his body?
- Is his torso less compacted?
- Can you see that the structure of his face has changed?
Observe what the Rolfing process has done for his body language:
- Is he more at ease and happier to be present in his own body?
- Does he look more alert and confident?
- Does he look stronger?
- Does he look healthier?
These are not unusual results. What the pictures are not able to show is how much freer, lighter and more fluid his movements were after his Rolfing series.
Now imagine that the pictures were of twins, one who had a Rolfing Renovation and the other who did not. How does his Rolfing transformation impact you as an observer?
- Which one would you more likely approach at a social gathering?
- If they were both vendors at a farmer’s market offering the same product, which one would you be more likely walk up to first?
- If they were both applying for the same position in a company, and you were the one doing the hiring, which one do you think is more likely to land the job?
- If they were both in a snowboarding competition, and you were going to place a bet on one of them, which one would you place your money on?
- Do you have any doubt which one is going to have more opportunities to shine in life?
Do the changes last?
About a year after he completed his Rolfing series, I asked him about how the work we did was impacting his life. This was his response:
I highly appreciate your work as I killed the slopes this winter and managed to keep my body in one piece. Everyone keeps commenting on how much taller I look. Thank you for ‘straightening me out’, ‘keeping me in line’, ‘lightening the load’ and ‘enlightening me’.
Who can benefit from this work?
Living with chronic pain?
Most come looking to find relief from chronic pain. Does your neck or back “go out” and leave you miserable for weeks at a time? Do you live with constant pain or numbness in your arms and legs? Are you suffering because of a degenerative structural problem such as scoliosis? There is no better long term remedy than correcting the structural components underlying your pain through a Rolfing Renovation.
Scoliosis progression over 10 Rolfing sessions
Feeling your age?
Others are looking for a functional fountain of youth. As we age we stiffen unless we do something about it. Imagine how good it would feel if you could move again like you did at half your present age. A Rolfing series will impart a grace and ease to your movements that you likely have forgotten ever existed in your body.
Looking to excel?
Athletes come seeking the Rolfing advantage for their sport. To maximize your potential, you need to do two things. First, get the obstacles of pain and stiffness from injuries out of your way. Secondly, hone your efficiency by improving coordination and balance. Regular Rolfing work progressively strips away these limitations, and then creates an environment in which exceptional performance can emerge.
Ready for a transformation?
Some are on a quest for change. The Rolfing process not only alters your perception of how you occupy your own skin, but it increases your capacity for bodily expression. This change in body language is readily perceived by others. With more than half of all communication being non-verbal, this physical change in relationship dynamics often leads to life transformations that are as profound as the structural renovation of the body.