How can I get the most out of my rolfing® sessions?
The Rolfing Ten Series is a project of realigning your body, reprogramming your habitual movements, increasing your awareness, and rediscovering your body’s inherent vitality.
The more you participate in this process, the more you are likely to get out of it.
Consider the following suggestions, then use only what suits your project with your unique body.
• Arrive hydrated and nourished. Drink extra water for day or two after each session.
• Take time to walk before and after each session. Walking will give you a chance to feel the ‘before’ and ‘after’ in your body, as well as help you integrate the changes from the session. The ideal situation would be to allow 20 minutes of walking after each session, with nothing in your hands or over your shoulders. You could, however, simply park your car several blocks from your Rolfer®’s office. (Please note that in this case, running is not as good as walking.)
• During the session practice relaxing. If the pressure is so much that you have to hold your breath, grit your teeth or mentally ‘leave’, speak up. More pain does not necessarily bring more gain, since bodies resist change when they fear injury. Let your Rolfer know if something hurts or makes you uneasy so that the technique can be better customized to you.
• Although many clients feel better immediately, you may notice odd sensations, strains, or unexpected emotions in the days following a session as your body adjusts to a new organization. This is a normal, temporary part of the process of change. Tell your Rolfer about anything that lasts more than a day, as well as anything severe or worrying. Feel free to contact your Rolfer with any questions or concerns.
• We are accustomed to using our will power to control our bodies, forcing what we ‘should’ be doing and ignoring what our bodies want so that we can accomplish our goals. During the Ten Series, listen to your body: move when you feel restless and rest when you feel tired.
• Don’t hold yourself in what you think of as ‘proper’ posture. The sessions are designed to bring you toward balance without effort. There is no such thing as good, but uncomfortable posture. Pinning your shoulders back or tucking your tail under to where you think it ‘should’ be will only get in the way of graceful posture and efficient movement.
• On the day of a Rolfing session, as well as between sessions 4 and 7, be cautious about introducing a challenging new physical activity or significantly increasing the intensity of your exercise regime. You may feel great, strong and adventurous, but your body is still adjusting to a new organization so be gentle with yourself when taking on new challenges.
• To reduce any residual soreness, try icing heavily worked areas for 15 to 20 minutes or taking a bath with Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) on the evenings after a session.
• Don’t worry when old tension patterns creep back into your body. You may feel that you have ‘lost’ the length and ease you noticed after your session, but what took an hour to accomplish the first time may take only five minutes the next.
• Your Rolfer may suggest homework to help you create new habits. Explore the suggested movements and postures gently and frequently, but don’t try to maintain them for long periods of time. Alternating between old and new postures is part of the process of lasting change. Your job is to notice your old habit and relax into the new suggestion. After a period of watching the old tendency come and go, it will fade and the new pattern will feel normal. Forcing any idea of ‘good’ posture will only substitute a new set of strains for the old ones you left behind.
• If you keep a journal during the Ten Series, you may be surprised at the changes in your sensations, dreams, attitudes, and experiences. Start by standing in front of a mirror, and writing down everything that you can see, think of, or feel about your body. Be as honest as you can, noting the areas that give you pleasure, and any chronic discomfort. Think back to the things that have affected your body image, shape, and function – accidents and surgeries, incidents and imitations, your parents and your heroes. Try to make an entry just after and just before each of the sessions in the series, as well as any other time you are so moved. This journal is a good place to write down descriptions of your homework. You may want a reminder of the guidelines in between sessions, or much later if an old pattern starts bothering you again.
• You might wish to measure your height before and after the Ten Series, take pictures of yourself standing, or videos of you walking. This can be useful feedback for developing body awareness. However, these sort of objective measurements can also get in the way of you listening to your body and trusting what it tells you. Although many clients’ transformations are noticeable to the untrained eye, others are harder to see, even if the change of comfort levels and functioning are dramatic. Often times, the biggest changes take place in the months that follow the completion of the Ten Series.
• Finally, enjoy yourself! Find moments where you can give yourself permission to be curious and playful. If this doesn’t suit your personality, you can always go back to your solemn experience of having a rigidly controlled and miserable body later.
The more you participate in this process, the more you are likely to get out of it.
Consider the following suggestions, then use only what suits your project with your unique body.
• Arrive hydrated and nourished. Drink extra water for day or two after each session.
• Take time to walk before and after each session. Walking will give you a chance to feel the ‘before’ and ‘after’ in your body, as well as help you integrate the changes from the session. The ideal situation would be to allow 20 minutes of walking after each session, with nothing in your hands or over your shoulders. You could, however, simply park your car several blocks from your Rolfer®’s office. (Please note that in this case, running is not as good as walking.)
• During the session practice relaxing. If the pressure is so much that you have to hold your breath, grit your teeth or mentally ‘leave’, speak up. More pain does not necessarily bring more gain, since bodies resist change when they fear injury. Let your Rolfer know if something hurts or makes you uneasy so that the technique can be better customized to you.
• Although many clients feel better immediately, you may notice odd sensations, strains, or unexpected emotions in the days following a session as your body adjusts to a new organization. This is a normal, temporary part of the process of change. Tell your Rolfer about anything that lasts more than a day, as well as anything severe or worrying. Feel free to contact your Rolfer with any questions or concerns.
• We are accustomed to using our will power to control our bodies, forcing what we ‘should’ be doing and ignoring what our bodies want so that we can accomplish our goals. During the Ten Series, listen to your body: move when you feel restless and rest when you feel tired.
• Don’t hold yourself in what you think of as ‘proper’ posture. The sessions are designed to bring you toward balance without effort. There is no such thing as good, but uncomfortable posture. Pinning your shoulders back or tucking your tail under to where you think it ‘should’ be will only get in the way of graceful posture and efficient movement.
• On the day of a Rolfing session, as well as between sessions 4 and 7, be cautious about introducing a challenging new physical activity or significantly increasing the intensity of your exercise regime. You may feel great, strong and adventurous, but your body is still adjusting to a new organization so be gentle with yourself when taking on new challenges.
• To reduce any residual soreness, try icing heavily worked areas for 15 to 20 minutes or taking a bath with Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) on the evenings after a session.
• Don’t worry when old tension patterns creep back into your body. You may feel that you have ‘lost’ the length and ease you noticed after your session, but what took an hour to accomplish the first time may take only five minutes the next.
• Your Rolfer may suggest homework to help you create new habits. Explore the suggested movements and postures gently and frequently, but don’t try to maintain them for long periods of time. Alternating between old and new postures is part of the process of lasting change. Your job is to notice your old habit and relax into the new suggestion. After a period of watching the old tendency come and go, it will fade and the new pattern will feel normal. Forcing any idea of ‘good’ posture will only substitute a new set of strains for the old ones you left behind.
• If you keep a journal during the Ten Series, you may be surprised at the changes in your sensations, dreams, attitudes, and experiences. Start by standing in front of a mirror, and writing down everything that you can see, think of, or feel about your body. Be as honest as you can, noting the areas that give you pleasure, and any chronic discomfort. Think back to the things that have affected your body image, shape, and function – accidents and surgeries, incidents and imitations, your parents and your heroes. Try to make an entry just after and just before each of the sessions in the series, as well as any other time you are so moved. This journal is a good place to write down descriptions of your homework. You may want a reminder of the guidelines in between sessions, or much later if an old pattern starts bothering you again.
• You might wish to measure your height before and after the Ten Series, take pictures of yourself standing, or videos of you walking. This can be useful feedback for developing body awareness. However, these sort of objective measurements can also get in the way of you listening to your body and trusting what it tells you. Although many clients’ transformations are noticeable to the untrained eye, others are harder to see, even if the change of comfort levels and functioning are dramatic. Often times, the biggest changes take place in the months that follow the completion of the Ten Series.
• Finally, enjoy yourself! Find moments where you can give yourself permission to be curious and playful. If this doesn’t suit your personality, you can always go back to your solemn experience of having a rigidly controlled and miserable body later.