My Los Angeles Rolfing Experience

Okay guys this last session is a little bittersweet because traditionally the 10th session is the last of the 10 Rolfing series. In this last session I will discuss briefly my experience of the actual session as well as offer some additional insights into my entire experience with Rolfing in Los Angeles.

First this last session 10 was much like session 8 and 9 in terms of purpose and focus.  All the initial “work” was really created through sessions 1 through 7 and session 8, 9, and 10 kind of puts everything altogether.  As a quick recap session 8 focuses on one half of the body and session 9 focuses on the other half.  Half in this case is defined as the upper and the lower.  In my case session 8 worked on my lower body such as my legs feet and hips.  While session 9 worked on my chest back and neck.

In session 10 nothing new was really introduced and in my opinion session 10 will probably differ the most out of all the 10 sessions depending on the person getting Rolfed and the person doing the Rolfing.  Probably the coolest insight I had on session 10 was the fact that all of my pre-expectations of what Rolfing is and what would happen while getting Rolfed was gone simply because I’ve done this nine times already in the past! J

This is very important to know because if you have ever been to a place to get body work done and the therapist tells you to relax or don’t do anything – well for some of us like myself, relaxing is actually doing something that quite frankly takes a lot of effort.  And though Rolfing is very different on many other aspects, it is quite similar in terms of being able to get into the mindset of relaxation.  I feel that knowing and trusting and feeling comfortable around the rolfer or any person that you work with though specifically body work accounts for at least half of it.

In this case I was very fortunate Al my Los Angeles rolfer is the freaking man!  Seriously, just being around this guy puts, get up and go turbocharged people, like myself, centered and calm.

However I think the other half in every situation is as much as the person getting the work done as it is the person doing the work.  And though most of the time I was just passively laying there while getting worked on ( I say most because sometimes Al would ask me to do a subtle movement but allowing the connective tissue to release even deeper) – I found my mind being very focused and active as sessions continued on.

It was this mindfulness that in my experience only comes gradually and builds on top of each other with every session that attributes most to the lasting effects of Rolfing.  The same movements that Al did in session 10 which he might’ve done perhaps in an earlier session, felt differently because my mind responded to it differently.

Okay a deep breath and some water – I know this all sounds little out there especially if you’ve never been Rolfed before.

So here is a brief experiment you can do to perhaps get some idea of what I’m talking about, though booking a session of the rolfer would probably be the best way to relate:

Next time you perform an outward activity meaning the focus is on the activity on the external not the internal for example fold laundry where the goal is to match the socks neatly fold shirts – this time but the focus on the inside.  So don’t pay attention to fold in the short pay attention to where your arms are higher fingers move how relaxed or tensor shoulders might be what’s happening to your face or eyes or breathing while you’re doing the activity.

Keep in mind both activities are the same the focus of where you’re putting her attention will completely change the experience.  Well, for me session 10 offered the most inward experience.  This and return allowed me to continue feeling the effects of Rolfing even when the sessions ended.

I want to personally think each and everyone of you who have read these posts and if I was able to help at least one person make the decision if Rolfing is right for them I will consider it good use of my time.

There are some that say will be full of facts of Rolfing can take up to two years while the breath of the body adjusts to the new found freedom in the connective tissue.  I don’t know about two full years though I can tell you that every week I have been gaining new insights in both the feeling and the physical appearance of my body ( mostly my feet feel so relax!) – so stay tuned as I will continue offering and sharing my experiences as the weeks and months gone.

Until that happy Rolfing,

Dave<–>