10-Series | Gravity | Wholistic Perspective | Connective Tissue (Fascia)

Rolfing is a style of sophisticated bodywork that looks to achieve a better sense of balance and ease of movement in the body. Often clients who have difficulty with posture, chronic pain or a sense of un-ease in their body find that Rolfing helps them find a way back to integration.

A Rolfing session is different from traditional Deep Tissue Massage in that there is a sense of education in the body that happens. Often clients stand up after a session and remark at how their body is behaving differently. These are not cognitive changes, they are changes at the instinct level of the body. Much like teaching someone to ride a bike, the education happens through the experience, not through discussing it. Although afterwards, discussion about the new possibilities abound.

"Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as a constant fatique, yet others as an unrelentingly threatening environment. Those over 40 may call it old age. And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem, so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that it has been ignored: they are off balance. They are at war with gravity." --Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

Rolfing is based on Three very fundamental ideas:

1. Humans are constantly dealing with the force of gravity.
2. The body is a whole and complete system. What affects one part affects the whole system.
3. The body's 'fascial system' is what dictates our shape, and this shape is changeable...at any age.

By understanding these three ideas, the therapist and client come to an understanding about what is difficult in the body and what needs to change to promote greater ease, improved structure and less strain on the body as a whole. In this way, the therapist may not focus completely on the area of concern. Often problems are eased within a session or two, but sometimes the issue may be a more global problem. In this case, we may recommend a Rolfing Series, as the body may need a deeper shift to achieve a change. By working through the series, the body is lead into the deeper core areas of the body systematically and with greater support.

Click here to read more about the Rolfing Series.

MIDLINE has been under the direction of Brian Johnson for the last three and a half years. Brian has been practicing the art of injury rehabilitation bodywork for over 8 years. Four of those years have been as a Rolfer here in Santa Cruz. He has enjoyed training from Carol Agneesens, Micheal Murphy, Mark Donahue, Liz Gaggini, Len DeBenidictus and Mark Fadil (From SMI in Palo Alto).