"Strength that has effort in it is not what you need; you need the strength that is the result of ease." ~ Ida Rolf

"Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelentingly threatening environment. Those over forty may call it old age. And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that it has been ignored: they are off balance, they are at war with gravity." ~ Ida Rolf

"The body is solid material wrapped around the breath" ~ Ida Rolf

"Practitioners of SI do not feel ourselves to be therapists. The gravitational field is the therapist. What we do is prepare the body to receive the support from the gravitational field which gives a greater sense of well being." ~ Ida Rolf

Here is a 75 minute Rolfing session in 51 seconds. A quick glimpse into the Rolfing room!

A lot of Rolfing clients come to see me complaining of upper back and neck pain. One possible culprit is something I call “stress breathing.” Do you ever shrug your shoulders up by your ears to take an inhale and drop the shoulders on the exhale? I’ve noticed many of us breath this way when we are stressed out or are not supported well while sitting or standing. This way of breathing recruits the trapezius, scalenes, and levator scapula muscles (to name a few) to lift the ribcage instead of allowing the diaphragm to do the work. You end up with chronically overworked muscles that hurt.

Try this: put your hands in your armpits. Can you feel your ribs moving into your hands as you breath? Do you notice your chest and upper back moving in response to the breath? Are your shoulders shrugging up and down? What if your shoulders rested on your rib cage and just went along for the ride?

This type of diaphragmatic breathing can have a profound effect on your nervous system and can ease your neck and upper back. Give it a try!