Rolfing® Structural Integration is a form of deep connective tissue manipulation done in a series of 10-12 sessions. Each session builds on the next with specific goals. The sessions are designed to allow certain areas of the body to support other areas and to stack components like blocks, each supporting the one above it. Ellyn Lindquist is a Certified Rolfer™ with over 16 years of experience in bodywork. Ellyn has been teaching classes at massage schools for over 10 years and is passionate about educating clients and being a facilitator for profound change on both the physical and emotional levels. She has worked extensively with clients in chronic pain, athletes, dancers and people who simply want to have better posture. Ellyn works with clients in the Structural Integration series as well as therapeutic bodywork sessions for specific injuries or complaints. In a session, you will be asked about your history (i.e. accidents, traumas, surgeries or health issues). Then, we look at your structure, how you stand, breathe, walk and where there is limited range of motion. After the hands-on soft tissue work, we evaluate movement and structure again. You may be asked you to move or breathe into the tissue, or to get up and walk in the middle of the session to see how things are progressing. Every session is different and every series is designed for each individual. It is like sculpting. It requires patience and listening on the part of both the practitioner and the client. It is a flow. It is movement and breath. It is profound, yet gentle. It is opening and letting go. This is the beauty and the magic of Rolfing. After a series or therapeutic sessions with Ellyn, people have experienced freedom and ease of movement, increased energy, relief of chronic pain, a sense of themselves in the world, heightened awareness of their patterns, increased breath, emotional stability, improved digestion or even complete cessation of issues such as sciatica, back or neck pain, headaches, plus many other wonderful benefits |
 ~ Dr. Ida P Rolf |
|
ABOUT ROLFING® STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION |
||
| Dr. Ida P. Rolf believed that the fascia, or connective tissue surrounding muscles, ligaments, bones, organs, etc., is the medium in which things get stuck. She was a biochemist who worked with many Osteopaths, Chiropractors and other practitioners, but finally came up with her own theories about the body. Dr. Rolf talked about balancing the right side and the left, the upper body with the lower and finally, the core with the outer sleeve of the body. For example, if a person habitually slouches to one side, s/he will end up with shorter tissue on the side they slouch to and longer, tight tissues on the opposite side. When that person stands, these patterns are apparent to a Rolf Practitioner’s trained eyes. By skilled manual pressure of the tissue, a Rolf Practitioner can help to elicit a change in structure. This person, feeling how good it is to have freedom of movement, will become more aware. They will change the patterns because their tissue feels different. With this new sense of awareness, the changes are essentially permanent. |  |
|
| THE ROLFING® EXPERIENCE | |
| The Basic 10-Series | |
The overall goal of the 10-session Rolfing series is to organize the body around “the Line”. The effects relate specifically to improvements in posture and more generally to improvements in self-awareness and well-being. The basic series in Rolfing consists of 10 sessions that are about 75 minutes each. The sessions are usually spaced about 1 week apart. You do not have to commit to all 10 sessions at the beginning. Sessions 1, 3 and 7 provide stopping places for those who, for whatever reason, do not wish to continue or wish to suspend the work for a reasonable period. Your Rolf practitioner may interview you before beginning the first session. The purpose is to take your health history and screen for any contraindications, to agree on your goals for the work and to answer any questions you may have. Some Rolfers may ask permission to take digital photos, Polaroid shots or video images for before and after session or series analysis. The actual work is performed with the client “dressed for Rolfing” which for men means underwear, running shorts or a bathing suit and for women, bra and panties, running shorts or 2-piece bathing suit. The majority of the work is performed with the client lying on a padded table. The Rolfer applies skillful and intelligent pressure with fingers, hands, forearms or elbows to release strains and distortions in fascial structures and restore the body to balance. Some sessions may end up with a brief period of movement education. Movement homework may be assigned to help the client integrate the new structural pattern into his or her functional pattern. Movement education also allows the client to take increased responsibility for his or her results. The overall goal of the 10-series is to organize the body around the Line. The sessions follow a general pattern but are always adapted to meet the needs of a particular client’s unique physical structure. Therefore, there is no way to describe accurately how every client will experience the individual sessions. What follows are generalized and simplified descriptions of the ten sessions and each session’s goal. Depending on your unique needs, your experience of the ten sessions may or may not resemble the experiences described below. |
|
| SESSION 1: | |
| The focus is on releasing restrictions in the fascial “body stocking” especially around your shoulders, chest, lower back and pelvis. As a result, your ribcage can expand, reducing pressure on your heart and lungs. The improvements in circulation and respiration mean that your body can deal more effectively with toxins released by future sessions. A sensation of “lightness” and a feeling of increased energy are common after this session. Many clients also gain an improved sense of the vertical in their posture. | |
| SESSION 2: | |
| The focus is on freeing fascial restrictions from the feet to the knees. By improving the horizontality in your foundation joints (feet, ankles and knees) this session increases your connection to the earth and gives you a feeling of groundedness. You will gain awareness of your walking patterns and begin to sense how these effect structure and function in your entire body. After the session you may feel your weight distributed more evenly in your legs and feet and you may find a new ease ion walking. In this session many clients gain an improved sense of horizontal lines in their posture. | |
| SESSION 3: | |
| This is an integrative session that begins to invoke the Rolf Line at your body core. By releasing restrictions along the sides of the body, it removes tensions between the shoulders and pelvis so the major segments of the trunk can begin to move toward proper alignment. This session gives you the feeling of being put together, of resting more comfortably on the earth and of having a more elongated body. You may have a sense not only of verticality and horizontality in your body but also of front-to-back depth and a clearer perception of your three dimensionality. | |
| SESSION 4: | |
| This is the first of the deep sessions (deep does not imply painful or more pressure), a junction between the surface layer work of sessions 1-3 and the core work of sessions 4-7. Session 4 improves weight transmission along the inner line of the legs to bring grounding up through to the pelvis and liberate restrictions in muscles connecting the upper and lower body. This session gives a strong sense of increased length and freedom in the legs and may clients report a new feeling of energy, harmony and integration in overall body movement. It also helps to bring people into their lower center of gravity. | |
| SESSION 5: | |
| This session creates an appropriate relationship between the superficial abdominal muscles and the deeper leg and hip flexors located at the core. It releases fascial restrictions on internal organs, creating proper space for each one and arranging them around the internal vertical line. This session provides increased mobility for the pelvis and begins to create balance and congruence in the spinal column. It also helps to bring people into their upper center of gravity. Many clients report that this session leaves them with a new sense of internal space and a deep feeling of energy, peace and centeredness. | |
| SESSION 6: | |
| This session secures foundations. Work focuses on the back of your body, from the heels to the back of your head in order to create sufficient space in the hinges between body segments. At the end of this session, all major fascial restrictions below the neck should be released. This session especially liberates muscles along the spine and releases two subtle hinges, the sacroiliac joint (at the base of the spine) and the cranial at the top of the spine. For people who have been blocked at these hinges, the effects can be profound, for they affect how we perceive the world and ourselves in it or, our “stance” both physically and psychologically. Some clients may report a stronger sense of clarity and ease with improvements in self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-confidence. | |
| SESSION 7: | |
This session continues and integrates the work of the previous six sessions. It relates your head and neck to the rest of your body all the way to the ground. You may experience greater mobility in your neck in relation to your head and shoulders. This session often produces powerful changes in what most clients describe as their energy flow as a result of the body wide freeing of major fascial restrictions. Most clients report a feeling of general lightness throughout the body and their faces and jaws appear noticeably more balanced and relaxed. You should now have an improved awareness of the integration of all the parts of your body and sessions 8-10 will further this sense of integration. For some, the sense of increased integration may extend beyond the body to include other aspects of the self. |
|
| SESSION 8 & 9: | |
| One of these sessions will focus primarily on your lower body, the other on your upper body. Which half of the body is the focus of session 8 depends on your structure and your responses to the preceding sessions. The goal is to bring your body to the next highest level of order possible to achieve better side-to-side, front-to-back and inner/outer balance. Most clients report a feeling of improved lift in their bodies after both sessions. In the days following they usually report a sense of lightness and ease in all physical activities as they experience the benefits of higher energy levels, improved mechanical efficiency and better coordination. | |
| SESSION 10: | |
| This final session “polishes” the balancing and integrative process of the previous sessions. It fine-tunes the relationships between segments of your body, thus bringing it as close as possible to optimum balance. Your body should now be aligned or on course toward alignment. The effects of the Rolfing series will not end with this session, but will continue for 6-12 months as your body undergoes its own unique adjustment process to the changes initiated by Rolfing. | |
| ABOUT ELLYN | |||
| Ellyn Lindquist is a Certified Rolfer™, Licensed Massage Therapist, and has a degree in Psychology from Indiana University. She is a graduate of East West College of the Healing Arts in Portland, OR and The Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration in Boulder, CO. She is an Instructor at Sage School of Massage in Bend, OR and for continuing education classes with Advanced-Trainings.com. A rock climber, triathlete, and musician, Ellyn’s background in dance, music and yoga support her strong emphasis on movement, embodiment, and kinesthetic awareness. With over 16 years of healing arts experience, Ellyn’s skills, knowledge, attention to detail, and sense of humor create a professional environment as a therapist, and have made her a popular teacher in leading regional massage schools. |  |
||
| TESTIMONIALS | ||
 |
"Ellyn has been very effective at finding the imbalance of muscles tension in my body and has used her skills in Rolfing to release the muscles and allow my body to heal and recover after my hard workouts." —Jason Adams |
|
 |
"Ellyn often discovers areas of pain I had forgotten to mention or had not yet noticed myself. Through Rolfing, she has been able to help both my husband and myself improve not only our specific areas of pain, but also our overall heath and well-being." —Valerie & John Warren |
|
 |
"Ellyn's hands worked wonders on me - got both body and mind straight on some issues." —Gino Vannelli, Musician |
|
 |
"I came to Ellyn looking for someone to straighten my back out after 20 years of ski coaching and carrying bundles of gates on my right shoulder. I had developed a collapsed curve to my left side and it plagued me with pain and tightness. Not only did Ellyn straighten me up, she got my shoulders to go back too! So now I have great posture and no pain! I am now able to pursue all my activities with a balanced body, whether it is work or play." —Alby D. |
|
| FAQ | |
| Q: Is Rolfing painful? | |
| A: Rolfing is deep connective tissue manipulation. This means that the intention is to sink into layers of tissue as they open and to create a connection with the nervous system, releasing old patterns. Letting go of old patterns can be painful both physically and emotionally. The key is the relationship between the client and the Rolfer. A good Rolfer knows how much pressure is too much and communicates well with his/her client. I have heard Rolfing described as the "discomfort of change", "pain exposed, not pain imposed", or "no more painful than in depth psychotherapy". It is important to me that people can engage. If you are tensing up and are uncomfortable, you can't easily let go, so I work at or below people's pain tolerance level. Working deeply does not mean you have to push hard. Working deeply can mean simply a profound connection. This is the magic of Rolfing. | |
| Q: What's the difference between Rolfing and massage? | |
| A: Rolfing is myofascial (muscle and fascia) manipulation done without oils or lotions and has the goal of structural realignment and balance. It's like sculpting using tissue as the medium. It is done in a series of sessions (typically 10) that address the entire body systematically. Usually, massage focuses on inducing a state of relaxation or working specific areas of pain or tension. The massage goal is more based on relaxation or specific areas of the body and not usually on complete structural change. | |
| Q: What is the difference between someone who does Structural Integration, and someone who is a Rolfer? | |
| A: It depends on their training. Structural Integration is the name that Dr. Ida Rolf gave her myofascial work. Rolfing is the name that stuck at the Rolf Institute in Boulder, CO. and is a registered trademark belonging to graduates of the Rolf Institute. This is the school where people go to become Rolfers and it takes from 16-24 weeks of intensive training to become a Rolfer. The Guild for Structural Integration is also in Boulder, CO and is a branch of the same school that Ida Rolf started. Their training is comparable to that of the Rolf Institute with teachers that Ida trained. There are also weekend workshops and one week classes popping up here and there in which people can call themselves Structural Integration practitioners after a limited amount of training. Ask where the person was trained and how long the training was before you decide on a practitioner. | |
| Q: Why 10 sessions? | |
| A: Ten sessions is the least amount of time it takes to address every area of the body and its relationship to the whole. The sessions are cumulative, each building on the next. Each session has it's own goal. In the beginning, it's almost like inducing a slight bit of chaos in the body. But naturally out of chaos comes reorganization. Sessions will establish support in one area so that work can be done in another area and your body will adapt. It's like stacking blocks. The blocks on the bottom need to be able to support the ones on the top. | |
| Q: Are the changes permanent? | |
| A: Essentially, yes. Once the tissue has changed after each session, an individual can learn new patterns and reeducate their nervous system. Awareness is the key element and happens as a result of the series. With increased awareness of posture comes change and those are the changes can be permanent. | |
| Q: What happens in a typical session? | |
| A: In a session, we start by talking about how you feel in your body and what has happened since the last session. Then we do some structural analysis, standing, walking, moving, etc. This is done in underwear/bra so that the Rolfer can see what is happening in the tissues of the body. The work is done on a bodywork table and your Rolfer may have you stand or move in the middle of the sessions to see how things are shifting. It is not really a time to zone out or sleep. There is an active dialogue (verbal and non-verbal) between client and Rolfer. After the session, there is more walking, analysis, talking, awareness and a discussion of how to integrate this new information...how to take it moving and make it functional. | |
| Q: Who can benefit from Rolfing? | |
| A: Anyone. I have yet to see anyone who is perfectly symmetrical and upright! People are drawn to Rolfing for a number of different reasons. Most are aware that something in the structure/posture needs to change in order for them to have more ease in movement and to be better balanced. Others have chronic pain in areas of their body, like shoulders, back, neck, hips or knees that continue to give them problems. A lot of times pain in one area of the body is a result of shortness somewhere else. The body is one continuous sheet of connective tissue and it is not uncommon to work on someone's feet and have their neck release! | |
| Q: After a series, how often do I need to come back? | |
| A: Typically people don't need more Rolfing for at least 6 months after the last session and typically only need to come in for an occasional "tune-ups". Sometimes, if people change drastically over the years, they will choose to go through another 10-series years later. It is also possible to have a mini-series of 3 or 5 sessions further down the road. All of this depends on the accumulation of life experience in the body/mind. | |
| Q: How do I start? | |
| A: Call Ellyn at (541) 280-5045 or e-mail her at ellyn@tryrolfing.com for an appointment or to have any other questions answered. | |
| LINKS | |
| The Rolf Institute | |
| Advanced-Trainings.com | |
| Sage School Of Massage | |
| The Guild for Structural Integration | |
| Rolfing on Oprah | |
| Trail Running and Rolfing | |
| Running and Rolfing | |
| Skiing and Rolfing | |
| CONTACT | |
| Ellyn Lindquist BA, CR, LMT | |
| Phone | |
| 541.280.5045 | |
| ellyn@tryrolfing.com | |
| Office | |
| 1569 SW Nancy Way Bend OR 97702 |
|