Life is motion. Where normal motion is limited, tension eventually results. Over time, limited motion results in structural imbalance, back and neck pain, sore muscles, poor posture, low energy, and feelings of stress.
Movement inhibition results from injury, stroke, emotional trauma, learned habits, overuse, and misuse. Although they sometimes develop because they serve us, movement patterns can outlive their usefulness. Limiting the movement in our hips as we walk is a pattern that might have benefited us when we were self-conscious teenagers. But it may not communicate who we are today, and it might be contributing to muscle tightness and chronic low back pain. Functional movement work doesn’t demand that you get rid of old patterns but, instead, introduces alternatives to increase your movement options. Additionally, for stroke recovery patients or people with limited movement due to injury, somatic movement lessons can greatly aid the recovery process and provide pain relief along with new ways to increase movement.
Rolfing® changes structure directly through fascial manipulation. Functional movement lessons, also known as somatic movement lessons, based on Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement®, chi gung, and continuum, influence long-term structural change by altering well established movement patterns. These are sometimes incorporated into the Rolf® session, and also taught in a class format. Once patterns are identified, the Rolfer® doesn’t necessarily seek to change those patterns which have served the client well. Rather the Rolfer® offers more economical solutions, ones that promote greater balance and efficiency in the gravitational field.
I started getting Rolfed over a year ago. My doctor advised that I try Rolfing for acute muscle pain from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Lyme Disease. I would roll all night long and wake up in the morning feeling like someone beat me all night. Each session makes you feel so good and more relaxed than you can imagine and my muscles started relaxing at night. I now go about once a month for maintenance and continue to improve.
Laura, Davenport
