A New Paradigm
When I trained as a Certified Rolfer in 1986, the accepted teaching in structural integration was to avoid touching and thereby injuring nerve tissues. We were told to be especially careful around the brachial plexus and some nerves in the face. In more recent years, some pioneers – David Butler (author of Mobilisation of the […]
Visceral Manipulation:
Three years after my Rolfing® certification I took my first visceral manipulation class with Jean-Pierre Barral. Since 1994, I have been assisting Didier Prat, D.O., with visceral classes as well as continuing to learn from Jean-Pierre. That might be the reason I was asked to write for this issue of Rolf Lines. I am going […]
Every Move We Make
I confess: Rolfing® gives me a rationale for teaching movement. It was Ida Rolf’s insights about movement, conveyed in a demonstration in a Brentwood church basement in 1968, that inspired me to take off my dancing shoes and start using my hands. It was clear that this gnarled old woman knew more about what makes […]
The Rossiter System’ Approach to Back Pain
BACK PAIN IN THE CONTEXT OF REPETITIVE STRESS Rossiter has observed that with repeated unbalanced activity, one thigh often becomes slightly stronger than the other. The stronger thigh then becomes tense, tight, and knotted. This strength imbalance pro¬duces unequal forces on the pelvis, which, in turn, cause imbalances in the back that can manifest as […]
Estudo Exploratório da Dimensão Psicobiológica do Método Rolfing de Integração Estrutural
Estudo Exploratório da Dimensão Psicobiológica do Método Rolfing de Integração Estrutural Para acessar o texto completo clicar no permalink acima
The Tao of Exercise and Self-Care
There was once an efficiency expert who visited a chocolate factory and watched the women hand-dipping chocolates. Their gestures always included various spirals and twirls in order to prevent drips as they lifted the chocolate from the vat to the paper. This was considered a loss of time and efficiency, and the women were taught […]
The Swingwalkers of Zambia
Over twenty years ago, Heglund observed (Maloiy 1986) that East African women carry loads of up to 20% of their body weights on their heads without tiring or even breathing more deeply. Apparently, they carry these heavy loads with little additional energy expenditure. The explanation for these women’s abilities is still the subject of considerable […]
The Schumann Syndrome
I am not sure when I first told my friend Hal about a favorite musical quote, but I suspect it was several decades ago. This lifelong friend is an exceptional jazz musician and teacher who unapologetically detests all critics as talentless parasites. Therefore, he had wanted to use this infamous vulgarism in his recent jazz […]
The Pelvic Lift
WHAT’S IN A NAME? If you ask someone outside our community to perform the movement of a pelvic lift, what you will see is a strong upward thrust of the pelvis and active engagement of thigh, buttocks and abdominal muscles. A Google search for “pelvic lift” yields a half million entries. The first webpage […]
The Making of a Science of Rolfing from an Individual Path to a Collective Activity
I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1971 from the Pontífica Universidade Católica de Sao Paulo (PUC-SP). In 1973, I completed PUC-SP’s professional degree program in psychology. Right after that, I began working in my own clinic, and also teaching introductory classes in psychology for the university’s basic curriculum. In 1974, I began teaching […]