Blog

Nice before and after image from a single session with my bodybuilding client. Here you can see how reducing the flexion in his very developed thigh muscles allows his line to materialize better with more verticality. That line continues up his body and we made space for his head to move back and sit on top of his shoulder girdle without disturbing his eyes on the horizon orientation for an overall distinctly better lateral line presentation. In Rolfing we are attempting to create ease in a person’s structure with less strain. So, in some ways we are working at cross purposes with some of the goals of bodybuilders in general when they are working in concentric contraction creating more bulk or mass in certain muscle groups for effect in how they are judged in their performance routines. Bodybuilding is about building aesthetic muscle, so bigger physiques have always been admired.

Great representation in a before and after from a single session. The movement is left to right and all the way up the body through her head down the centerline. Ideally, we are looking for weight distribution that allows each leg to bear 50 % of the person’s total weight. Her left leg moves medially allowing a more horizontal presentation in the pelvis which in the Rolfing perspective is one of key focus areas for alignment. With the dramatic left to right movement in her body the musculature of her lower right leg moves slightly more medially moving the right foot minimally more lateral with the bearing of the additional weight going down the right leg. This is a significant shift in a single session creating better alignment with more verticality.

Great example of moving toward the vertical with this before and after from a single session. In the Rolfing process we are trying to get as much verticality that a client can support. So, no artificial posturing to this regard. Whatever the client can support so it might not look as good as some posture that they can get with strain, so the main point is that they can support their position with ease. With my client the area above the hip crest to the 12th rib gets longer and opens and continues up her lateral line through her head. The lift is visible on her front side and her shoulder girdle repositions posteriorly and her head moves up and back.

Significant movement in this before and after picture from a single session. In most cases the cause of scoliosis is unknown. Generally, I would not get this much shift in a single session working with this pattern. As her right side lengthens her pelvis moves toward an even horizontal presentation and allows her left shoulder girdle to rotate anteriorly and brings her left arm along in the same direction and lengthens her posterior neck. There is corresponding movement in her right shoulder girdle although much less than the left moving back posteriorly. Rolfing Iowa remains a premier choice for those who are seeking full body integration in their structure and are involved in the quest to feel good again in their body.

Nice before and after image from a single session.  In the Rolfing process we try to get equal weight distribution going down each leg. In the before image, you can see more weight going down the right leg and in the after picture much more equal weight distribution down both legs. Her weight is shifting from right dominant to a more equal distribution of weight going down both legs. Her lower left leg moves medially and is better aligned to allow more weight into the ground. Her left thigh is better positioned to support the pelvis and her hips remain horizontal. This right to left movement goes from her right foot all the way up to her head.

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.