Blog
Noteworthy Movement
Great shifts going on in this before and after with my client from a single session. Getting his left leg more supportive to his structure starting with his left foot resulting into more equal weight distribution into the ground. His left foot turns more toward the parallel which allows his lower leg muscles to move medially, as does his upper left thigh although to a lesser extent. His entire left leg is supporting his pelvis more horizontally. The new position of his left leg allows the left side of his body to raise up and his head moves to a more favorable position with length in the posterior neck and he is taller. The overall lift and more balance in his structure is noteworthy.
Moving toward evenness
Very nice representation of shift in a before and after from a single session here at Rolfing Iowa. My clients more lateral rotated left leg moves out to give more width to his stance and in doing so stabilizes and creates a more horizontal pelvis which is one of the goals in this kind of bodywork. As his left leg moves out it allows his right side to get longer from hip crest to his axilla and the overall presentation in his shoulder girdle is more even that it was. His head is moving right to left and there is more length in his posterior neck and his spine is more aligned. In the after picture, he has much more even weight distribution into the ground, and we are striving for a more equal weight distribution where each leg is more equal in the aspect of weight bearing.
The tall just keep getting taller
Good example in this before and after image from a single session of my client lifting out of her hips. Both sides from the hip crest to axilla lengthen evenly and that length goes up her midline through her head. Her right lower leg moves slightly more medial than her left leg to give her pelvis better support and her right leg before was more laterally rotated than her left leg prior to this session. There are many things that contribute to shortening in the area from the hip crest to the 12th rib and in Rolfing we are interested in creating space there for a more integrated structure that allows for more fluidity in movement.
Verticality
Dramatic movement in a before and after from a single session. This is an unusual amount of movement in the reduction of flexion in my client’s thighs moving him toward a much better vertical alignment. His lower leg follows along directionally in moving more toward the vertical. In Rolfing we are trying to make gravity your friend by having a more vertical alignment, so you are more balanced in the field of gravity. By reducing the flexion in his thighs his height increases measurably. Everything above his pelvis stays uniformly similar with a little less anterior tilt in the lumbar spine in the after picture.
Softening the Knee Joint
Hips Don't Lie
A good representation here of a before and after from a single session. It’s hard to overstate the importance of the hips being more horizontal. Misalignment is this area create a host of issues which can keep a practitioner occupied for some time. My clients left leg moves medial to give better support for her structure. Her left and right sides from the iliac crest to the axilla are much more even in the after session. That movement goes all the way up her back through her head creating more height in her structure. The Rolfing process works toward getting more alignment and helping a person’s body move with more fluidity and less pain that helps them in their everyday lives.