Fascia
Fascia is innervated tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, bones, nerves and organs. It holds our shape.
Fascia steadfastly responds to the strains we put on ourselves. When fascia becomes tight, shortness of muscles can occur causing imbalances around joints. When joints become unbalanced, they cannot function properly, often leading to perceived weakness. Rolfing SI restores proper length to the tissues around joints, greatly improving the potential for optimal function.
Imagine this scenario; If you held your knee in a bent position for a long enough period of time, the fascia would eventually “shrink” around the shortened muscles restricting your ability to straighten the knee. With regular use, this aberrant pattern in the knee would initiate a systemic, compensatory response altering your movements. Eventually, the fascia would clench your spine into a contorted position and you would likely experience pain, seemingly unrelated to the knee, as a result.
This extreme example illustrates how strains in the connective tissue are established and how they can alter the function of the body. Be it due to an injury, illness or poor habits, these types of strains will happen throughout our lives and can occur in much deeper and harder to feel areas. Over time, these deeper strains can cause considerable disruptions to efficient movement. Rolfing SI releases these strain patterns, reorganizes the tissue to optimize function and educates the individual to change his or her movements in order to correct poor habits.
Breath
Clearly, breathing is important. But a clearer understanding of the breath goes much deeper than a means for supplying the body with oxygen. Observing the response your whole body has to the movement of the breath brings a deeper connection between the body and the mind.
The process of Rolfing SI begins with an exploration of the breath’s dimensions. Through observation, clients learn to recognize how the spine responds to the movement of the breath. This realization is a powerful tool for integrating the various changes that occur in the body during each session.