The first Advanced Rolfing session is a beautiful way to introduce the work to the body. It cultivates a deeper awareness of what is really happening, it is a place of adaptability & inquiry. An awareness of more support is palpable going into the second session. The coded description of the work is – Second Hour: Support/Palintonicity (2-3-4) Bilateral Support. The feet and lower legs are critical; you must have support for the parts above. Even more critical is the ankle and the way those joints fit into each other.

Assess lower legs & the arches of the feet. The main goals are to create support for the pelvis with structures above it and lengthening the back. To create support we look at the spring of the arches in the foot and how the weight is transmitted through the foot. Rotations in Talus & Calcaneous balance or inhibit the structure from aligning based on rotation/counter rotations and horizontal hinges at knees, ankles, and toes. Counter rotations between agreeable segments of the carpal or metacarpal bones deepens an imbalance in the body above. Work towards resolving asymmetries in low leg & knee. After working plantar fascia, and retinaculum, test how the fibula responds in dorsiflexion via interosseus membrane, working to resolve rotations & counter rotations between segments of the feet and low legs. Free up restricted drifts in the tissue so that the legs & feet can differentiate & integrate. Dr. Rolf called this the “Body geometry”, or the natural organizing effect based upon the structures balance & alignment in the vertical gravitational field. The back needs lengthening and releasing of the erectors of the back, moving up & in at the wide portions & down & away where the tissue is narrow.

Work with flat spots & side bends With their associated rotations to integrate the support and palintonicity above the supported pelvis. It’s great for the client to connect through the feet while seated, exploring the relationship of the” eye of the foot”. An exploration with down/up is always a profitable movement in the second session resourcing the “eye”. Rolf yoga works well with integrating the second hour work. This exercise mimic’s the movement of the foot in gait. For the neck, work the cervical tissue in the direction of correction. Slow melting amounts of pressure can be given with the client seated and work with elbows into the clients traps. With client supine, place fingers in sub-occipitals, lengthening into posterior portion. If there is time some standing tracking before finishing is great. Pelvic lift or pull finishes the second session.

John Barton, Certified Rolfer & Rolfing Fort Worth-Dallas