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We come in all shapes and sizes and can benefit from the integration process. It is common for clients to gain structural length after a session as does my client here after her session at Rolfing Iowa. By making gravity an ally, and focusing on subtle changes in body positioning, one can attain a more supportive stance and begin repatterning the body through heightened awareness and consciousness of posture during rest or movement.

Enter “the no rounding zone” at Rolfing Iowa! My client demonstrates improvement in shoulder girdle alignment, with less rounding observed. At Rolfing Iowa, clients experience different levels of physical shifts. Some individuals show significant changes but have trouble feeling them, while others have minimal shifts and can perceive them clearly and there is a wide range in between these extremes. That’s why the pictures are a good educational tool for some as it allows them to feel the shift better when they can see it. Ideally, the goal would be to have the client get better at perceiving the shift internally and need the picture less and less. The goal is to help clients become aware of these changes and recognize subtle shifts in their bodies during various activities, enabling them to self-correct and maintain new patterns of movement and awareness to sustain these adjustments.

My exhibit A is a father and Father’s Day is approaching, and there is less than a week left to find the perfect gift! Consider purchasing a gift certificate for your father at Rolfing Iowa.  Send him on the journey of becoming more upright with a vertical structure with his head atop his shoulder girdles. This will quite likely be one of the more unusual gifts he will probably ever receive, and he will thank you for it after receiving his gifted session from you. Selecting a gift certificate from Rolfing Iowa is a thoughtful choice for this Father's Day.

Weekly, I feature a client in my blog as I have done here also. My descriptions talk about less rotation and more extension, more posterior or anterior position, longer here or more horizontal there giving descriptions of the before and after from a session here at Rolfing Iowa. Taking pictures is more labor intensive and very few do this anymore. I believe most of you can see how a person’s structure looks better in the after picture without commentary.  The Rolfing process is holistic and comprehensive and the idea we can change structure for the better caught my attention a few decades ago and it still does, and I believe I am pretty good at it. Make your next stop at Rolfing Iowa and see what we can accomplish together to help you feel, move and look better!

During the Rolfing process, one goal is to achieve equal weight distribution for the client, ensuring that half of the weight is supported by each leg. Additionally, it is important to distribute the weight evenly between the inside and outside of the legs. Following this session, my client's left leg shifts medially for increased support, while his right leg exhibits reduced lateral rotation, with the foot moving medially towards a more parallel position.  There is decreased medial rotation in the lower right leg. There is a more horizontal alignment of the hips, which is a primary objective in the Rolfing process.

Additionally, the right shoulder girdle elevates, leading to improved shoulder alignment. It is common for individuals to have uneven shoulder girdles. Typically, right-handed individuals have a lower and longer slope on the right shoulder girdle compared to the left, whereas left-handed individuals exhibit the opposite pattern. In this session, significant progress has been made towards achieving a more equitable weight distribution.

After a session at Rolfing Iowa, clients often experience an increase in height. And in this image after a session at Rolfing Iowa my client also has a lengthening of his posterior neck as well as in his hip crests to the12^th rib area. Over time, reduced activity and prolonged sitting can lead to shortening in the space in that area. While many clients don’t need to see a picture demonstrating this, for many clients it is very helpful to see so that they can keep the image in mind, aiding in repositioning when sitting to lessen the compression in this area facilitating repatterning old habits for lasting benefits.

Tracking my client’s progress as we move through the series here at Rolfing Iowa. My client is progressing and shifting toward an elegant lateral line through the integration process! Changing people’s alignment is what we are doing here at Rolfing Iowa and working in tandem toward common goals. Acting as a change agent and using process-oriented bodywork to implement strategies to meet the individual where they are, moving toward what can be better for them in movement, function and how they feel.

A notable example illustrates a client before and after a Rolfing session exhibiting a more integrated structure. There is decreased thigh flexion, and the transformation in her upper body is apparent with significantly reduced rounding of her shoulder girdle. This adjustment facilitates greater lift and initiates the refinement of her lateral line, contributing to enhanced physical comfort. Additionally, she has gained some height as a result.

A good example of my client's shifts following a Rolfing session. Her left leg adjusts medially, providing enhanced support to her hips, as the left side of her hip descends. This adjustment facilitates the elevation of her shoulder girdles, contributing to increased length and a slight increase in height, as indicated by her shoulder alignment on the graph. At Rolfing Iowa, our goal is to achieve an integrated structure from a holistic perspective. This may be the right time to consider the benefits that this style of bodywork can offer you.

This session at Rolfing Iowa yielded excellent results.  Nice integration of the lateral line which is part of what we are trying to accomplish here in this process-oriented bodywork. There was a significant elevation in the shoulder girdle and chest, and the client's head is now better positioned above the shoulder girdle. It should be noted that the lateral line we aim for will be unique to each individual and should not be regarded merely as a simple plumb line. In this instance, the client exhibits a balanced distribution of body mass forward and behind this imaginary line which is clear to see. Exploring this form of bodywork at Rolfing Iowa could provide considerable benefits for individuals experiencing body issues.