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A lot of shifts going on in this before and after picture from a single session. Part of what Rolfing is trying to accomplish with people is the ability to pay attention to subtlety in their body which is something people get better at over time. My client gets lift bilaterally from the iliac crests up through both lateral lines to the shoulder girdles with a slight shift in her head moving left to right more toward the centerline of her body. Here at Rolfing Iowa, I am involved with working with a person to create incremental changes that they can keep and move them toward a more integrated structure which creates an improvement that a person can feel and take with them out of the studio and into the life they are leading. This is process oriented bodywork so the changes are taking place over time.

Before and after image of my client from a single session showing improvement in her structure. She has more lift in the after picture and her head is slightly better positioned on top of her shoulder girdle and a little less flexion in her thigh. She looked good before the session and a little better in the after picture from the lateral line perspective. What’s not easily revealed in the pictures is the ongoing trouble she has been experiencing in her lumbar spine which is leading her to surgery.  Rolfing is still helpful prior to a surgery in many cases and is indicated after a surgery when a suitable amount of time has transpired. Working toward integrating a person’s structure is beneficial to people as a first line of defense to ward off all the potential problems that come our way over time. It is best to work with people before all the various issues develop. Mostly, I see people after the fact of their various injuries and long-term chronic pain patterns that have left an imprint in their body.

A great example of how rotations in the pelvis effect the whole body in this before and after picture from a single session. It is not always about the verticality in a person’s structure as my client here already has that. Her pelvis is rotating left to right, left side anterior to posterior, right side anterior to posterior. Her shoulder girdle is rotating left to right, left shoulder anterior to posterior, right shoulder posterior to anterior. Additionally, the right side of her pelvis is moving down creating more length from the top of her iliac crest to her axilla which makes her side body length more equal left and right.

Nice before and after image from a single session improving her lateral line. My client a prior competitive collegiate runner is in great shape and did improve from the lateral line perspective in the after picture. She gets lift on her anterior ribcage and her head is better positioned on top of her shoulder girdle and her shoulders release back as her arm and forearm relax and extend straighter. If we all could be young and in good shape the structural integration process would be much easier. Most of my clients are older than my client here and in the process of ageing have added extra weight and their fascia is less available to direct which makes the integration process more challenging and important.

Nice image in this before and after from a single session. Here we have a client with her hips horizontal, one of the hallmarks in the Rolfing process and one of its major goals. There is rotation in her shoulder girdle above. In the after picture her left shoulder is rotating from a posterior to a more anterior position.  This action lifts her left side up and you can see her arm and hand move to a more anterior position. Her right shoulder is moving not as much as the left in the opposite direction. After the session her upper shoulder girdle has moved to help her structure in the integration process and is much more even. Also, after the session her head is slightly more rotated left to right and is more centered on top of her shoulder girdle. Rolfing is about integrating your structure in a series of sessions which is process oriented work.

Very nice before and after image from a single session. In the after picture my client is counteracting gravity’s influence and creates lift coming up and out of her hips. Implied but not seen the lumbar spine is too far anterior and part of the challenge is to shift the lumbar spine more posteriorly which is no easy task. Engagement of the core muscles is helpful in this regard to shifting the lumbar spine back. From a lateral line perspective my client looks good since she is counterbalancing her structure effectively. If one could magically bring her lumbar spine back it would throw her lateral line off completely. To move the lumbar spine back takes time and the slower pace of doing that allows everything above to shift to accommodate a new refined lateral line.

Significant shift shown here in these before and after images from a single session. My client has been experiencing migraine headaches throughout most of his life. There is a dramatic shift in weight left to right going up the length of his body. His head moves toward the centerline of his body and his shoulder girdles and pelvis are much more horizontal. His posterior neck lengthens dramatically, and his eyes are on the horizon which is the best orientation most generally for a head position. Rolfing helps clients pay attention to what they might be doing habitually with their body that is not helping their structure and what that feels like so they learn to self-correct old habits of posture going forward and can keep the changes over time.

In this before and after picture from my clients first session in the Rolfing series she shifts from a more posterior tilt to a more natural anterior tilt in the pelvis. That shift moves up her torso and enables her shoulder girdle to release more anteriorly. Her posterior neck lengthens and her head rests better on her shoulder girdle. We will be taking out the flexion of the thigh soon in a later session as we quickly transition to the lower legs and feet which are the basis of support for a person’s structure. Integration is the focus of the Rolfing process which translates into feeling and moving better in your body! 

Favorable shift in this before and after picture from a single session. My client had complicated and detailed cervical spine surgery, so I worked very carefully into that area. Creating space in his upper shoulder girdle to allow space for his head to extend and rest more comfortably on his shoulder girdle giving more ease to his structure which translated into a better lateral line presentation as his chest expands and torso lengthens.

A nice shift in this before and after picture from a single session. My client’s legs move to a better position supporting his structure more constructively. His left lower leg and foot had more lateral rotation and after the session is more congruently in line so that his weight is more evenly distributed throughout a much larger area of the plantar fascia of the foot and would be able to bear weight more efficiently. His right lower leg and foot have a different profile than the left with less lateral rotation and his issue is more in the medial arch of the foot, knee area and adductor compartment of that leg. After the session, his pelvis is more supported with both legs under him in a better alignment. There is more to do in the integration process of course and in the Rolfing® paradigm we are working with the basis of support and moving up the body.