| STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION/ROLF METHOD "No matter how much our world changes, our science, our understanding, what our hands can do to flesh and the Structural Integration experience will not change." Ida P. Rolf 1. Gravity is the unseen environment in which we live. 2. Most of us are significantly out of alignment. 3. We feel and function better when we are aligned with gravity. 4. Our bodies are plastic enough that we can be brought back into balance. Dr. Rolf developed this work called the Rolf Method of Structural Integration by following the body’s innate wisdom leading her to formulate the "10 series Recipe" for creating order in a random body. She developed a system of manipulative bodywork that reshapes the body as a whole by releasing chronic tension patterns while moving tissue back towards the symmetry and balance that are so clearly required by gravity and the architecture of the body. In a series of ten sessions (the "10 series Recipe") the compression is removed from the tissue where chronic pain is often stored. The result is length and organization in the body which lasts. A well ordered body results in greater freedom and ease within its frame and allows it to work with gravity rather than succumbing to constant gravitational pull and pressure which can lead to many imbalances within a structure. As living organisms become more random and disorganized we tend to get “stuck” in static patterns and positions. Positions such as one shoulder consistently higher than the other, shoulders rounded inward and hunched, fingers unwilling to lengthen – forever clutching the mouse or steering wheel. We begin to resemble a plastic action figure rather than a fluid living organism able to spring into action with ease when the need arises. As Structural Integration takes place over a series of 10 sessions, something in the properties of the fascia and the nervous system itself allows the practitioner and the recipient of the work to remodel the body in such a way as to allow a more organized structural pattern to emerge. Ultimately the frozen, stuck and imbalanced areas begin to move with greater ease. In other words more often than not the result is less pain from chronic imbalanced patterns. Physiologically it’s harder than one may imagine to find a succinct answer to what changes are taking place at the cellular level of the body in order to allow the visible physical changes to take place. Until I am more qualified to explain the science of the work I will leave that to the experts. Two schools which have dedicated themselves to teaching the work of Dr. Rolf are The Guild for Structural Integration, www.rolfguild.org and The Rolf Institute www.rolf.org. I encourage you to visit both of these web-sites for further information regarding the work and Dr. Rolf herself. The Rolf Method of Structural Integration is not a massage nor is it an emotional release therapy session. It is a series of 10 sessions received over a period of time during which both the practitioner and the recipient work together manipulating connective tissue and fascia to bring about order in a random body. With the creation of more order come more choices for emerging structure to use in order to move about more freely in the world. The practitioner and the recipient are re-educating the body back to a free and fluid and more productive and energy efficient state of being and movement. Structural Integration is very different than any other style of bodywork I have studied so far. Similarities may be drawn to Cranial Sacral, Myofascial Release, Deep Tissue Massage, Trigger Point Therapy and Reflexology but it is not any one of these nor should it be combined with these modalities in one session. The Rolf Method of Structural Integration stands alone in it’s uniqueness of “the Recipe” itself. When I am working with someone during the 10 sessions I feel like we are working through a maze, a puzzle of unwinding rotations and guiding the person back to a freer state of being. When I was receiving my initial 10 Series I felt the work spiraling through me as my body was releasing cluttered areas and creating a larger space for me to breathe in. I strongly recommend this work to anyone, whether pain exists or not. Receiving the 10 Series will not only change your physical structure but it will change the way you relate and move within the physical structures surrounding you. |
SoCalRolfMethod
| Out-Call Massage, Foot Reflexology and Structural Integration in San Diego, California DR. IDA P. ROLF'S "10 SERIES" OF STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION Striving towards balance one body at a time. Laura Cavanaugh (619) 817-9752 info@socalrolfmethod.com |
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