Rolfing® may be for you if you want to improve your posture for better balance and function. Posture and body alignment can have an impact on a variety of factors, including balance, flexibility, and levels of pain.
Over time your body’s posture will get out of alignment due to repetitive motions or looking down too much at your devices. Things such as how you sit when watching tv, how your workstation is set up, and what type of work you do can all affect your posture.
Over time your body will slowly start to curve, changing how your muscles and bones are structured. With gravity in the mix, the bent-over posture will soon bend even more. Your head will actually change weights as its position changes. This can pull on your neck and change the spine’s shape, leaving it not as intended. As the spine changes shape, the rest of the body changes with it.
Body Misalignment
Your muscles and bones get used to the new position, and gravity starts pulling on them, and soon, the body is out of total alignment. This can put a strain on various joints.
Think about it. When you have perfect posture, your body was designed to dissipate pressure and shock as you walk in a certain way. However, when your knees, hips, and ankles are out of alignment, this can cause you to come down wrong on each step, grinding away at your cartilage and other soft tissues. This can also put a strain on specific muscles.
That’s where Rolfing® comes in. It helps stretch out the muscles and soft tissues to help relieve some of the tension on the bones. Your body is being pulled by these muscles, which often can lead to misalignment.
It is customarily done in a series of 10 sessions to help realign the body by relaxing the various muscle groups. It is different from massage as massage is meant to help improve blood flow and is typically used for stress reduction.
It has been used to help balance the body and help you learn how to put less load on your various joints. During these sessions, you will be taught to be more aware of your body and its positions so that you can continue improving even outside the office.
The Advantages of Structural Integration for Posture
The aim is to enhance posture and flexibility, increase joint range of motion, and educate clients about movement and self-awareness. It breaks down old postural patterns that cause harm and persistent discomfort, distinguishing structural integration from massage.
The most typical advantages of Rolfing® are:
· Promotes emotional development
· Encourages more efficient and graceful movement
· Increases an individual’s vitality
· Increases body consciousness
· Promotes better circulation and breathing
· Increases joint range of motion
· Relieves muscle tightness and chronic pain
· Improves posture and eliminates harmful posture patterns
· It helps to align, lengthen, and integrate the body
Many yoga practitioners benefit from it because their stretching improves when their posture and alignment are balanced. Many athletes benefit by achieving their best physical performance. Overall, anyone can reap the benefits of sessions.
Bruce Matsuno is a member of the International Association of Structural Integrators (IASI).
If you are interested in learning more, call our office at 214-733-2067.
Rolfing® is a registered trademark owned by the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration