Rolfing 10 Session Experience

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Session #1  Goal : Superficial fascia - loosen the surface layers of connective tissue to enhance the quality of breath

I chose rolfing because I was in a lot of pain in my legs and neck and shoulders that was keeping me from working out on a regular basis, and I had exhausted everything I knew to do to heal and recover. 

I didn't know what to expect as I had only first heard the term "rolfing" just a couple months before doing it. 

Tomoko evaluated me from different angles with knee bends, head turns, and arm raises as explained her method and how we would go about it. 

Just standing with my feet parallel felt like the fascia was being stretched in a painful way on the outside of my calves. 

She described the importance of me feeling safe during the session and that she would be in communication with me throughout the process. 

Once we started the bodywork portion of the session, she had me focus on being in the present moment and feeling safe, and explained how important establishing a feeling of safety would be for my nervous system to have the best environment for me to heal. 

During that session, I found myself constantly focusing on the feeling of safety, and having that foundation of trust so my body would respond to the suggestions she was making. 

After the session, I felt like I had been hit with a huge peace stick. The rest of the day, I felt so incredibly relaxed!!!!  

Session #2 Goal : Feet and lower legs - establish a stable foundation 

In the 2nd session, Tomoko mentioned something about how our attention is always going forward in life and how helpful it is to put attention and focus to the back and sides of the body. That just doing this, relaxes the overworked tight muscles that are always identifying with forward motion. During that session, I was able to feel that difference in a way I had not before, and it was something that I continue to work on.  After this session, I also felt so relaxed and subdued it was like I had taken a peace or relaxation pill.  It was a profoundly different state of being the rest of the day after the session. 

Session #3  Goal : Side lines - opening up (the fascial layers of) the sides of the body, start addressing the knee, hip, shoulder, neck and head

This session was especially helpful for me because I had been having a lot of pain on the outside of my legs that felt like variations of pressure, tension, and nerve pain. During the session, there were times when Tomoko checked in with me that I could feel different movements in my legs that felt like they were relaxing in deeper ways. After this session, there was something that felt different afterward that allowed my legs to not feel so tight when standing in parallel and that left me feeling more springy and bouncy when walking. 

Session #4 Goal : Inner legs and pelvic floor - balancing the facial layers in the area

Before this session the outside of my legs were feeling much better but my left ankle was still hurting as it has been for the past several months. During this session, I noticed a big difference when I was walking during the evaluation and when I walked after this session. My ankle still hurt, but it was much less and it felt much easier to walk in a straight line without so much effort and discomfort as before. 

Session #5 Goal :  Front of the body - balancing and connecting the limbs to deep abdominal muscles (psoas, iliacus)

Before this session, my legs would still hurt off and on during the day, but were dramatically better than before I started. During the session, during one of the times Tomoko asked if I felt anything, my legs felt like they relaxed even more, almost like the tension was melting away. When I stood up, they felt more sturdy and sure of their footing. It didn't feel painful or even tense in my calves to stand with my feet parallel. In the days that followed this session, I did not have anymore pain in the outsides of my legs. 

Session #6  Goal : Back of the body - balancing and connecting the legs to the pelvis and mid thoracic spine.

Before this session, my left ankle would still hurt most every day. It kept me from working out, but also from stretching or even going for a walk. But after the session, something was different with it. The sharp pain that was there before when I would walk on a hill wasn't there anymore. In the days that followed there were pops that would occur with my ankle that released the tension that had been built up with it for so many months. When I walked into the next session, my ankle no longer felt pain or pressure anymore!!!!

Session #7 Goal : Upper thorax, neck and cranial - balancing the area, addressing the horizontals (thoracic inlets, lower/upper pallet, nasal cavities, tentorium, top of the cranium), respiratory system and digestive system 

Although there was no pain anymore in my left ankle and the outsides of my legs, the middle of my chest on the right side was painful and very tight. This was an injury that would flare up at different times before so I was familiar with the discomfort and pain. Tomoko explained that my body was like a 10 story house whose foundation was off. As we were aligning from the bottom up, there could be added tension while the body is negotiating its alignment. During the session, I felt a deep relaxation on the table and after the session the pain in my chest was gone and I could just feel some mild tension from where the pain was before. 

Session #8~9 Goal : Connect and realign either upper/lower body - start with the one which needs more support, sometimes with movements. 

Session #8

Before the session, the pain in my chest from the last time had moved up to my shoulders and they were tight and my movement was restricted. During the session, we focused on being present and feeling the exact tensions and discomforts in the body. We also worked on standing in different ways that allowed for greater alignment in the body, which eased the pain and tension. Although these were subtle cues, they helped me see that I had some control over the pain I was in on bad days. After the session, the pain was gone and I felt much more relaxed and able to move freely. 

Session #9 

In between sessions, I practiced being aware of my body and being present in my body like she had taught me. The pain that was in my shoulders had now moved up to my neck, but was much less and my range of motion was closer to normal. During this session, I felt a deep connection with the alignment of my body. When I stood up after being on the table and we had my feet standing parallel, I could feel a deeper connection with my body and how to naturally hold my posture as well as the vibrant energy from being in alignment and everything flowing and moving as it was meant to be. I felt more flexible, even though I have not been stretching. I felt like I had better control over my coordination and balance from these previous sessions, even though I had not been training during this time. After this session, I started working out again. 

Session #10 Goal : connect upper/lower body and integrate the alignment which is newly established. 

Before the session, there was acute pain in my right shoulder from working out a little too hard the days before. During the session, Tomoko showed me some exercises to do when I am hurting that will bring attention away from the area that is hurting and give the body a chance to recalibrate and release some of that pain or tension. During the session, my legs jumped several times and felt like they were releasing tension. Also, my shoulders felt incredibly warm and like there was a pain and tension melting away at one point. After the session, the acute pain in my neck and shoulders was gone, and all I could feel was a distant tension from where the pain had been. During the evaluation walk after the session, I felt light and bouncy with my shoulders back and energy moving through my walk like never before.