Author Archives: James

Rolfing 10 Series with Kate Session 1

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Rolfing before photo, 10 series, ten series, jamestherolfer, james the rolfer

Kate Right side before Rolfing

A major goal of the first Rolfing session is to give the spine more adaptability. In the photo you can see that Kate holds her hips forward and the spine & shoulders end up working hard to catch up.  “She’s behind her line”, in Rolfer speak.  To address this, I worked on back of the hips because it’s an area that’s holding & pushing the hips forward.

To integrate the changes we talked about the feet; Kate’s weight travels down through the heels mainly. If she could use the toes more it would give the pelvis the support it needs to rest further back.

Leaning forward is the obvious way of bringing more weight into the toes, but this doesn’t help.  I asked Kate to try and send her toes down into the floor, so that the support form the toes matched the heel.  This opens the angle of the foot & shin slightly so the hips can move back.  We looked at a lot of other thing in this session but this feels like the main theme. I’m interested to see what Kate has to say.

Here’s what Kate had to say

James and I began our course of 10 rolfing sessions today! I always look forward to Rolfing sessions with James as I get such an enormous amount from them. Today I felt impatient about my ongoing hamstring injury (a 10 year old+ injury) and found myself waiting to work on “the bit that hurts”. When I have sore shoulders, tired legs, or stiffness in my back, I want that particular part to be addressed directly and with great force (ie. with deep massage, pressure, etc), but often it makes the injured or sore area inflamed and more painful. James quoted Ida Rolf to me as he was working on my hip: “where the pain is, it isn’t”. How true… I was surprised to find that other places in my body spoke more to my hamstring, ie. “the bit that hurts”. Oh James, such wisdom.

 After being treated today i felt as if my feet were almost buoyant; like they were being sprung back up off the floor without the usual weight of my legs and body pressing them down. There was some pretty intense leg work, enough to render me fairly speechless, but it felt necessary and important. Without trying to sound hyperbolic, I felt like a changed person after the session. My awareness shifted so dramatically, and all of a sudden i was thinking about the inward rotation of my ankle and the gentle outward rotation of my leg. I said to James after he had asked me to imagine this rotation, “that’s fine and all, but how am I supposed to integrate that into my life?” and nonchalantly he responded, “well, you just have.” He is right, of course; by imagining my body moving in a certain way, I am already creating an awareness of it. I am already starting to do what I need to do.

Rolfing is magic. I feel like I am doing something important for myself. It makes me feel courageous to look at my own body and BE in it,  honestly and truthfully, rather than hiding behind excuses for why I may not be flexible enough, strong enough, able to stand up straight and let my feet feel the ground. Bring on session 2!

Ten Series with Kate: Introduction

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My friend Kate & I have worked out an exchange. Hopefully it will generate some great content and feedback about the experience and benefits of Rolfing for readers of my website.

The plan is this:

I am going to give Kate a complete series of 10 Rolfing sessions, and after each session we will each comment on the session and I will publish our commentary to the website.

I will discuss each session in a general way but also give a sense of how each Rolfing session is tailored to the individual. I will also be photographing Kate at the beginning of each session; hopefully as the sessions progress the photographs will show changes in Kate’s body as she gains more awareness of her posture and body position.

Kate will also write about the session from a client’s perspective, and share her experiences of Rolfing.  I’m really excited about this Rolfer/Client journey as it will hopefully allow readers to get a sense of what I do that goes far beyond client testimonials.

Rolfing 3 session Discount

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For the month of March, clients can enjoy 3 Rolfing sessions for £150 (a £30 saving)

3 sessions will give you a clear idea of the ways Rolfing will benefit you.

This offer is aimed at new clients who have been considering Rolfing, but is also available to existing clients, as well as those looking to revisit Rolfing after a course of treatment.

A 30 minute Initial Consultation is available if you would like to meet & discuss how Rolfing can help you.

Online booking preferred http://jamestherolfer.fullslate.com/

Or contact details above.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is Rolfing?

Rolfing is an established therapy that specializes in improving posture & managing chronic pain.  Rolfing alleviates tension and pain by addressing the imbalances in your body. The primary aim of Rolfing is the improvement of structure, posture and movement.

Rolfing is named after its creator, Ida Rolf, a biochemist from New York City who studied alternative methods of bodywork and healing beginning in the 1920s. She died in 1979 at the age of 82.

How is Rolfing performed?

Throughout a series of sessions, I move and stretch the connective tissues of your body, thereby helping your body find an easier, more natural alignment. Using my hands, I apply direct contact to the connective tissues to improve the body’s natural alignment.

Hands-on-work is followed by movement & awareness exercises that provide you with the tools to maintain proper alignment. By identifying your habitual patterns, I can help you discover ways to positively change them, allowing new and easier habits to become established. Rolfing provides a starting point for the body to develop improved posture and ease of movement.

Why Would I Come For Rolfing?

1. Rolfing provides lasting results. Rolfing sessions will change the way you feel & move.

2. Rolfing allows you to live more comfortably in your body, with more energy & self-confidence.

3. Rolfing is a holistic approach, and is often effective where other treatments for misalignment or chronic pain have not worked.

Who is Rolfing for?

Everyone. At any stage of your life Rolfing can help you enjoy your body more. Over our lifetime we accumulate injuries and experiences that shape us physically & psychologically; Rolfing attempts to untie these historical events that hinder the body’s normal functions. Anyone can make positive changes to their posture & deal with old injuries.

Why isn’t Rolfing better known?

Rolfing is enjoying more recognition and attention as more people discover its benefits. There aren’t many Rolfers in Scotland.  The rigorous, intensive year long training takes place in Boulder, Colorado or Munich

Is Rolfing Permanent?

Yes, the client is left with a new awareness to avoid the bad habits that they had before.  Some people continue to come for maintenance sessions after the 10 series, for reminders and to work more deeply.

How is Rolfing Different from other Therapies?

Rolfing deals with the whole body, rather than specific parts, bringing greater harmony to your body.

The focus on manipulating fascia is part of what distinguishes Rolfing from chiropractic treatments (which address bones) and from therapeutic massage (which works primarily on muscles).

Dr. Rolf developed a theory that the body’s aches and pains arose from basic imbalances in posture and alignment, which were created and reinforced over time by gravity and learned responses among muscles and fascia — the sheath-like connective tissue that surrounds and binds muscles together. Rolfing developed as a way to “restructure” muscles and fascia. Rolfing reconditions the body in a way that will have long lasting results.

To achieve the full Rolfing effect, I usually suggest 10 sessions. After 10 sessions maintenance sessions may be necessary to ensure your body doesn’t resort back to its old posture & habits.

How much does Rolfing cost?

Sessions cost £60/ hour.

The 10 Sessions

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Many peoples first contact with a Rolfer is to work through the 10 sessions.  These 10 sessions are all about helping your body find balance and support in gravity.  Starting with the feet, we move upwards till we reach the head & neck.  I’m looking to help your body parts to work at their full potential & for them to all work together as a whole with ease.  It isn’t necessary to commit to all 10 sessions I prefer people to come try one or two to see how my work might help them.  If you have something specific that you want help with, then sometimes it’s best to work with it through the 10 sessions, sometime we might do a few “fix it” sessions & then maybe start the 10.

How I decided to become a Rolfer

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People sometimes ask me how or why I became a Rolfer.  In many ways I just found myself drawn towards it.  I first heard about it from a Yoga teacher who said “this Yoga asana is like Rolfing,” I didn’t understand & he couldn’t explain what he meant, but I was interested.  Next stop Google, & then I took a look at Dr Rolfs book, not an easy read but some impressive before & after photos & her spirit & vision twinkles throughout the book.  So now that Rolfing was on my radar & my interest had been sparked, I looked for a Rolfer.  There wasn’t anyone very near to Edinburgh Pauline Kidd near Aberdeen, or a few down in London.  North or south, it seamed a long way to go for some bodywork.  Then I was on my Yoga teacher training with Brian Cooper he recommended Dr Rolf’s book.  I asked Brian if he had had sessions but the hadn’t, but one of my course mates who runs the Yoga Space in Leeds said there was a Rolfer near her who had just qualified.  Leeds was as near as I was going to get so I made a booking with Sam Sykes.  After that session I was waiting at York station, feeling very in tune with my body, at the same time I saw the way gravity seamed to be weighing heavy on people.  I felt lucky to have discovered Rolfing & decided there on platform 3 that this was what I wanted to do.  I’ll write more about what I got from Sam’s sessions soon.

Soft Sandy Feet. (Session 2)

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So often when Rolfing, I’m looking to help the client connect with the things that support their posture. During 2nd of the 10 series we look at the feet. Ensuring they are adaptable & flexible, but in the bigger sense we are looking for the feet to connect with the ground. So often we ignore our feet phrases like “my feet are killing me” say a lot about how we think about our feet. During the 2nd session I’ll encourage you to pay attention to what your feet can feel. By paying attention you will feed the movement areas of your brain beautiful info that it will relish, & use to coordinate your balance & movements. We are developing proprioception the sense of where our body parts are in space.

“The griping of the toes is the gripping of the mind” B.K.S Iyengar

When I teach Yoga people often try & grip with their feet, toes claw down with white knuckles & the whole foot is hard. Spending effort trying to grip something as large as the earth with something as small as your feet is a bit daft. So in class & when Rolfing I’ll encourage soft feet that spread on the ground. Often metaphors are helpful like “imagine your toes growing long like fingers” or “feel the whole of the sole, like you’re stood on soft sand”. A soft spreading foot feeding rich info to the brain gives a strong sense of the ground. A hard/gripping foot can’t do this & leaves us ungrounded. So in a session 2 I’ll be manipulating feet & lower legs to soften the feet & I’ll be encouraging you to take that softness & feel with it, amongst other things.

Bodyreading

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Every session starts with what us Rolfers call bodyreading, where I’ll take a look at you as you stand & maybe walk. It can be a funny experience to stand in front of someone like this. It was a part of my training that I found a challenge; I love my body so standing in my pants in front of a group of people who are shouting out things about my body was difficult.

What I’m doing when bodyreading is looking for the potential in your body, what’s working well and what could work better. Where are the areas I should give attention to, where are the rich areas to work that will affect change. The experience from my training has made me very delicate with my words (and a little long winded) when talking about someone’s body. I’m sometimes appalled by the things other therapists have told people I see. As an example I might say “If we can get more life & power through your feet, then I think your knees might settle down” is so much easier to hear than “your knees are in pain because you have flat feet”. The first phrase has a lot of potential, that empowers the person I’m talking to, the second pretty much empowers the therapist at the expense of the client and has no optimism.

Every session closes with bodyreading too, in partnership we are looking for what’s changed, do you hold yourself differently now? Sometimes changes can be pretty obvious to both of us, I love those sessions. Other times a dialogue between what you notice internally & what I observe from the outside, can help us recognise the change. Often I might ask you to find your way back to the shape & feeling you had when the session began, acknowledging the old & recognising the new, hands on the responsibility for the changes we’ve made to you.

Thoughts & questions on bodyreading & word use would be most welcome.