The second Rolfing session focuses on the legs below the knees, the ankles and the feet. Session 2 is one of my favourites as a Rolfer; I like the focus on a small area, and the clearer sense of grounding that clients experience when they stand up at the end of the session. The goal of the Second Session is to begin to develop strong adaptable feet and ankles. Rolfers treat to the feet early on in the Ten Sessions so that they will be able to support the changes that will happen later at the client’s hips, shoulders, head etc. As the sessions progress, the client begins to understand that this session is an investment for future sessions.
I like to encourage the client to make precise foot, ankle and toe movements as I make contact with the muscles in the foot or calf; this means both of us are stretching the muscle, and it reminds the client’s “movement brain” that this muscle exists, and that it moves the joint. Movement like this is really helpful because it takes the process beyond just manipulating muscles, and makes the process a collaborative effort between between Rolfer & Client. I’m working on the theory that Kate’s ankle joint needs to open up a little (the angle between shin & top of the foot needs to be less accute). You can see in the side view photos that Kate’s hips are forward, and over the mid/front of her feet. If the toes can reach into the ground the ankle will be able to open up, thus allowing the shins to move back towards perpendicular, and the hips (in future sessions) should be able to move back.
Kate describes carrying her weight in her heels. The obvious way to remedy this would be to lean into the toes, but for Kate that’s just going to exaggerate her hips’ forward pattern. The less obvious thing is to send toes into the ground so the ankle opens up. To help Kate do this I touched muscles on the front of the shin while Kate pointed her foot down; I also made contact with the tendons that run over the front of the ankle. I worked with the muscles on the back of the calf that contract to point the toes down; here I’m working not to lengthen tissue but to remind muscles that they have a job to do. This was the thing that was quite specific to Kate, in any session 2 I’m looking to make the foot more adaptable, looking at the arches to see that they are both adaptable & supportive (neither hard & high or too flat & soft).
To help Kate integrate this session into her body, I asked her to stand up and tell me what she experienced when she consciously reached her toes into the ground. The purpose of this exercise was to allow Kate to feel how a reaching movement in the toes brings the weight forwards, without leaning. Addressing this movement together should help Kate find her way back to this place by herself more easily. To end the session we discussed different focuses for walking, such as rolling from the inside to outside of the foot. Working with how clients walk is a big part of my Rolfing sessions, and one that I’ll come back to discuss in more detail in subsequent posts.
Here’s what Kate had to say about the session.
Rolfing Session 2: Meet the Feet
Session 2 with James was all about the feet. I know a thing or two about pressure points in the feet and how they correlate with different parts of the body, but hadn’t ever had my feet Rolfed! Although I have only had 2 sessions so far, without a doubt Session 2 has been my favourite.
It felt as if there were all sorts of connections going on I hadn’t considered. For example, my ankles have been feeling “stuck”, with limited movement. James worked on them for ages, until finally James (in conversation with my ankle) said, “There it goes!” Indeed, something released, and James was able to move my ankles more freely.
With improved movement in my ankles, my mind almost immediately drifted to thinking about my hips and how the sensation of being “stuck” in my ankles mirrored what I have been experiencing in my hips, more specifically my pelvis, for months. I hadn’t considered how those 2 planes of the body were related, like levels stacked one above the other. Imagine my excitement when James informed me that the next session is all about hips!
In the same way the sensation in my ankles mirror the sensation in my hips, I have a suspicion that other parts of my body have similar relationships to each other. Here’s my new theory: the curve in my lower back (which seems to be there no matter if I am standing against the wall or lying on the ground) correlates to the arch in my feet, and possibly the shape my upper back makes to compensate for my curved lower back. I explained how the arch in my feet makes me feel (and how it relates to my back) like this: my feet are constantly pulling up off the ground, like a cartoon cat running across the floor on the tips of its claws, its back arched way up to the ceiling. I can’t put the weight down flat in my feet, or flat in my back on the floor. These realizations sound so basic, and they are, but also like I am learning them for the first time within my body, rather than intellectually. With this in mind, James taught me to walk by focusing on specific parts of my feet as I put them onto the ground, and then made suggestions how I might integrate this awareness into my regular movement.
This 10 session Rolfing journey is off to a fascinating start and I feel so fortunate to have found James as a practioner! I feel entirely comfortable and confident in what we are working on, and credit James’ skill level and attention. Hips next!
I like to encourage the client to make precise foot, ankle and toe movements as I make contact with the muscles in the foot or calf; this means both of us are stretching the muscle, and it reminds the client’s “movement brain” that this muscle exists, and that it moves the joint. Movement like this is really helpful because it takes the process beyond just manipulating muscles, and makes the process a collaborative effort between between Rolfer & Client. I’m working on the theory that Kate’s ankle joint needs to open up a little (the angle between shin & top of the foot needs to be less accute). You can see in the side view photos that Kate’s hips are forward, and over the mid/front of her feet. If the toes can reach into the ground the ankle will be able to open up, thus allowing the shins to move back towards perpendicular, and the hips (in future sessions) should be able to move back.
Kate describes carrying her weight in her heels. The obvious way to remedy this would be to lean into the toes, but for Kate that’s just going to exaggerate her hips’ forward pattern. The less obvious thing is to send toes into the ground so the ankle opens up. To help Kate do this I touched muscles on the front of the shin while Kate pointed her foot down; I also made contact with the tendons that run over the front of the ankle. I worked with the muscles on the back of the calf that contract to point the toes down; here I’m working not to lengthen tissue but to remind muscles that they have a job to do. This was the thing that was quite specific to Kate, in any session 2 I’m looking to make the foot more adaptable, looking at the arches to see that they are both adaptable & supportive (neither hard & high or too flat & soft).
To help Kate integrate this session into her body, I asked her to stand up and tell me what she experienced when she consciously reached her toes into the ground. The purpose of this exercise was to allow Kate to feel how a reaching movement in the toes brings the weight forwards, without leaning. Addressing this movement together should help Kate find her way back to this place by herself more easily. To end the session we discussed different focuses for walking, such as rolling from the inside to outside of the foot. Working with how clients walk is a big part of my Rolfing sessions, and one that I’ll come back to discuss in more detail in subsequent posts.
Here’s what Kate had to say about the session.
Rolfing Session 2: Meet the Feet
Session 2 with James was all about the feet. I know a thing or two about pressure points in the feet and how they correlate with different parts of the body, but hadn’t ever had my feet Rolfed! Although I have only had 2 sessions so far, without a doubt Session 2 has been my favourite.
It felt as if there were all sorts of connections going on I hadn’t considered. For example, my ankles have been feeling “stuck”, with limited movement. James worked on them for ages, until finally James (in conversation with my ankle) said, “There it goes!” Indeed, something released, and James was able to move my ankles more freely.
With improved movement in my ankles, my mind almost immediately drifted to thinking about my hips and how the sensation of being “stuck” in my ankles mirrored what I have been experiencing in my hips, more specifically my pelvis, for months. I hadn’t considered how those 2 planes of the body were related, like levels stacked one above the other. Imagine my excitement when James informed me that the next session is all about hips!
In the same way the sensation in my ankles mirror the sensation in my hips, I have a suspicion that other parts of my body have similar relationships to each other. Here’s my new theory: the curve in my lower back (which seems to be there no matter if I am standing against the wall or lying on the ground) correlates to the arch in my feet, and possibly the shape my upper back makes to compensate for my curved lower back. I explained how the arch in my feet makes me feel (and how it relates to my back) like this: my feet are constantly pulling up off the ground, like a cartoon cat running across the floor on the tips of its claws, its back arched way up to the ceiling. I can’t put the weight down flat in my feet, or flat in my back on the floor. These realizations sound so basic, and they are, but also like I am learning them for the first time within my body, rather than intellectually. With this in mind, James taught me to walk by focusing on specific parts of my feet as I put them onto the ground, and then made suggestions how I might integrate this awareness into my regular movement.
This 10 session Rolfing journey is off to a fascinating start and I feel so fortunate to have found James as a practioner! I feel entirely comfortable and confident in what we are working on, and credit James’ skill level and attention. Hips next!
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