“Put the tissue where it should be & call for movement” Dr I.P Rolf

The above quote has passed in to Rolfing law, but it’s something I struggle with a little.  I think on the simplest level it means: use your hands to put the Rolfee’s muscle and fascia in the correct place then ask them to use that muscle and fascia.  So far so good, but at times I really struggle to bring movement into a session.  I feel I’m disturbing a Rolfee by asking them to move, often the case if the Rolfee is expecting to take a passive role as they might in a relaxing massage.  I hope this post can educate about why the movement aspect is so important and help me to bring it fully into my work.  Acknowledgement is usually my first step to me making change.

The combination of movement and hands on contact is a powerful way to educate the body.  The hands on contact allows the brain to feel that there is muscle & other tissue beneath the contact.  The movement then gives the brain an understanding of what that tissue can do.  Together the brain is left with sense of how that area connects into and can move the wider body, which is a fantastic thing.

I’m fairly sure Dr Rolf’s words can be read on a few levels, but I’ll save that for another post.