Relieve foot pain, stand on the tennis ball

The 10 series v's Fix it Work

Amongst many Rolfers and Structural Integration Practitioners the subject of fix-it-work and the 10 series is a heated topic. I definitely have an opinion about this as well. Ida Rolf said you have to do the ten series for at least five years before you truely understand the work. The ten sessions provide a safe foundation within to explore the depth of Rolfing. The recipe is a learning tool as well as a safety net. Each session teaches the practitioner about how the human body functions in gravity by showing you how the body releases compensation patterns associated with the teritory of said session. The safety net is the recipe itself. Follow the recipe and the

results will show themselves to you. But who wants to simply follow a recipe and tune off? Not me. I want to learn the finite neuances of this thing called Structural Integration. I want to compare many session ones and understand the true meaning of freeing the breath. I know in the long run this will help my body-reading ability and make me able to accomplish an hour's worth of work in a minutes worth of time. This is the gift and reward of the masters. After working for 15-20-30 years they have found efficient ways to accomplish an hours worth of work in a minute's worth of time. That comes from performing the ten series.

I had the pleasure to do fix-it-work at a 24 hour dance-a-thon to support cancer research. I invited ten Rolfers. Some new to the work some with over 30 years experience. Five Rolfers showed up. I tell you this because, one of the reasons for a non attendee was, that practitioner believed that this type of fix-it-work fell outside of the realm of Rolfing. I value every one's belief and opinion. My experience was...

I worked on over 30 different bodies in the course of 21 hours. Doing the 10-15-30 minute fix-it sessions the public had a chance to learn, experience, and understand the profound effects of Rolfing. For those who've heard about Rolfing but were not ready to commit to a ten session protocall without knowing if it is for them; this provided that answer. For those who have never heard of Rolfing, it was an introduction that opened a door for research and discovery. For me as a practitioner this experience was priceless. My knowledge base expanded ten fold. I learned how to be more efficient with less pain. I learned how to see more effectively. I've even come away from the 24 hour dance-a-thon with an invaluable ability to express what the ten series is about in one or two short sentences.

Fix it work is not the ten series nor does it come close to providing the level of transformation that the ten series provokes. I think the whole world should get Rolfed. But I understand that not everyone is ready for it. Fix it work is a great introduction to Rolfing and as long as we remember that it provides temporary results we can still hold true to the vision that Ida had.

Working on the Dog

I love taking my dog for a walk. It's our time to connect, explore and enjoy a short journey. I use this time to keep my human brain active by watching Cali walk. My eyes are first drawn to the contra lateral movement of her spine. The spiraling, zig-zag of movement that makes her belly swing from side to side as if unattached to the hind legs or shoulders. I am always thrown into baffling amazement when I scan down to her hips and watch three-dimensionality expressed. Every axis of space is occupied by a rhythmic, precise movement that somehow does not belong to the rest of the dog. Yet here she is walking beside me tung flapping in the wind, lips pulled back resembling a smile, eyes squinting in the sun. Now, the Cali-Girl's head..... Sometimes it bounces up and down, other times it is perfectly still. The stillness does not denote the fact that the rest of the dog is moving in so many directions at once, spirals, zig-zags, prancing legs, sauntering shoulders, whipping tail, heaving chest. Cali's movement is non inhibited, coordinated perception. She is just being. Totally unaware or concerned with how she looks, weather she is doing it right, good enough or not, successful enough, etc. Freedom. 

This has taught me how to watch humans walk with more precision. We move with a lot more restriction than most dogs. We hold ourselves still in many parts of our bodies. Men don't sway there hips. Women don't lift there chests. Our hips move in as many axis of space as my dog but we choose one over the others and commit to it as if this were the law of survival. If I dare to mimic what it is that I am seeing on the streets I have to pull myself in very tight, rigid, erect, tucked under, collapsed. And when I do this I can feel that I am using a lot of my energy reserve. I can feel that my body is not in harmony with my environment. And if I remain in this restriction for any length of time my mind begins to become rigid as well. I am a little less forgiving. I find myself reacting to things that I do not wish to pay mind to. Stress adheres to me instead of deflecting off of me. 

Is this what most of the world lives in on a daily basis? 

Massage

I get bodywork once every two to three months. That seams to be the length of time it takes stress to sink it's way into my tissue and mess me up.  The modalities that I choose to receive are either Rolfing or Cranio Sacral. The person I receive Rolfing from was unavailable when I requested an appointment. I am new to Costa Mesa and do not know a reputable CranioSacral therapist, so I agreed to do a trade with a massage therapist near me. I've learned a very valuable lesson.

I want to preface my story with a plug on massage.

I use to be a massage therapist and I believe that massage is a very therapeutic modality. More people should seek out its relaxation and circulitory benefits.  I think it would help bring happiness and health to the country. With that said.........

I set up an appointment with a massage therapist, actually a trade. The massage was lengthy, lasting well over 90 minutes. It was an overall good relaxing massage, but honestly I should have told the therapist at times that the touch was too deep but I with-held and I paid for it the day after. I left the office feeling like I was on a cloud and there was a clear separation between myself and the world. I like to feel that way. But by the next morning I felt irritable, achy, feverish and like I would rather stay in bed than do anything.  

I spent the entire day listening to my body complain. Some would say that my body was processing out toxins. I am healthy and clean. I've spent the last 21 years healing the past in my body, mind and spirit. The idea of transference came into my thoughts more than once during that day, but I paid it no mind.

For twenty four hours I felt badly. My body began to loose adaptability and I was no longer able to find ideal posture in gravity. This progressed slowly and steadily over the course of seven days. I finely could not bear the direction I was going any longer and went in to receive a Rolfing session. It was while on the table receiving work that I realized, the healthier therapist heals the other; even if the more healthy of the two is the receiver.  

Holistic Practitioners provide a wonderful service to the world. Even when you have to listen to your body complain, see yourself slipping down the hill to learn one of the most important elements to bare in mind while facilitating healing for someone....Transference.  

Final Days............

Thanksgiving in Brazil

Unfortunately I was unable to get quality photo's of Thanksgiving. But, my class and myself went over to Carrin's house in Camburie. Carrin is an American woman originally from California. We met her by dining at her restaurant for a soccer benefit (picture and story at bottom of blog). 

We had all of the Thanksgiving fixens. Cranberry sauce was brought to Brazil by Marty's (a class mate) wife Elena all the way from San Francisco! Carin and her house governess made all of the food while we were in class. 

Speaking of house governesses, I have one and I love it. I'm seriously going to consider hiring one back in Cali............. 

Movement session 4. 

Do you remember how I said earlier that it's all about breathing and walking? Well here is a session that pertains to breathing! Oops I mean walking. Well it's truly about contralateral movement. Breathing and Walking.

There are no simple/good definitions in any dictionaries about contralateral movement so I'll have to take on the task here.  Your comments are greatly appreciated! 

Contra lateral is opposite side opposite corner. How it pertains to movement is for example: during walking, as the left leg swings forward the right arm swings forward simultaneously.  Vise-versa with the right leg/left arm. This transition of movement migrates all the way to the spine. Some say it originates in the spine. That's a later discussion. How does this pertain to normal people?  Restrictions..... I find where contralateral movement is restricted and fee it so a body can function and thrive. 

Propriopreception

After learning how to find the Sacrum and label it's parts hidden beneath skin, muscle, ligament and fascial enwrapping we marked each other's parts with a dry erase marker. 

This is the location of the sacrum, it's a triangle shaped bone below the spine and in between the hip bones. The tail bone is attached to the bottom of the sacrum. 

Well somebody had to clean up the mess. That's where Katy came to the rescue. I of course was there to document scientific findings. 

This man is amazing! He is middle age. He teaches surfing and skateboarding. He is receiving his first ten series and three movement sessions. 

The addition of the three movement sessions is place in amongst the regular series. This helps the nervous system and brain catch up and integrate with the changes in the fascia.  

Also the goal of each session is not only structurally based but movement based. So the questions are how does this body move inside of gravity and how can I effect change into structure to effect function. 

Notice "No hands" not support from anyone else. 

And up we go! 

Propriopreception. I know big word... the definition of which is. Perception of space and where your body is inside of gravity. Propriopreception is what tells you how it feels to you to move through space and gravity. Its how you "know where you are" 

This man had a highly tuned sense of propriopreception. And while he is on the ball he was swinging his arms around. Click on the pisca web link to see more!