Structural Integration - Ida Rolf · ON GEOMETRY AND SHAPE IN ROLFING SI The Mother of All...

Structural Integration THEJOURNALOFTHEROLFINSTITUTE® DECEMBER2013

COLUMNSAsk the Faculty: On Seeing and Body Reading 2

Rolf Movement® Faculty Perspectives: 6Replacing Shoulder Tension with Shoulder Support

ON GEOMETRY AND SHAPE IN ROLFING SIThe Mother of All Taxonomies 8

BobSchrei

Flowing Wholeness: 10 The Vibratory Resonance Beneath Perceivable Form

CarolAnnAgneesens

The Geometry of Qi 14ChrisHayden

The Geometrical Taxonomy: 17 Sacred Geometry and Its Power to Integrate

DeborahWeidhaas

RolfMap: A Call to Action 19RichardWheeler

The Mystery of the Ten-Series Symbols 21AnneF.Hoff

PRACTICE BUILDINGThe Myth of Rolfing® SI 24

RenaeBechthold

Be More Specific and Get More Clients 26MattHsu

Generosity and Delight as Practice-Building Strategies 27BrookeThomas

How to Be Found Online: What You Need to Know 30 About Websites and SEO

LuMueller-Kaul

Controversial Marketing: Wrestling with Groupon® 32JazmineFox-Stern

My Favorite Practice-Building Secret 34BethanyWard

Your Business Is You; However, You Are Not Your Business 38DeborahWeidhaas

Just Spell My Name Right 41RitchieMintz

The Relationship of Continuing Education and Practice Building 42AnneF.HoffandKarinEdwardsWagner

PERSPECTIVESEight Days in the Mountains: Bringing SI into a 43 Buddhist Meditation Retreat

WillJohnson,DianaNewby,JackieAshley

INSTITUTE NEWS The Rolf Institute® Membership Conference 2013 46

Graduates 47

Class Schedule 48

Contacts inside back cover

Cover illustration by Anne Bruce, Certified Rolfer™, architect, and artist. AnneBruceRolfing.com

STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION: THE JOURNAL OF THE ROLF INSTITUTE®

December2013Vol.41,No.2

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LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC DESIGNSusanWinter

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 StructuralIntegration/December2013 www.rolf.org

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A: Modelsofbodyreadingarebasedonsomeidealbodytype,bothinshapeandinmovement.Ingeneral,wecreate“lenses”or“frames”thatfacilitatetheobservationand/ortheobjectiveofsomekindofinterventionafterwedo a body reading.During alltheseyearsofdevelopmentoftheRolfing®Structural Integration (SI)method,manymodelswere created, someof them fullyadoptedasapedagogicwayof“seeing,”forbothmodalitiesofRolfingSI:structuralandmovement. InRolfing classes, allmodelsofbody reading that areusedhave theirutilityandmerit.Practitionersgenerallyusemodelsofbodyreadingthattheyfeelmoreidentifiedwith;thisisareflexoftheirownbodyexperienceandvisionoftheworld.

Rolfing SI is a relational art and atherapeuticprocess; Iwould like tomakea fewobservations that I consider to beusefulbeforeanykindofbodyreadingorintervention. First, all humanbeings aresingular.Assimilaraswemayseem,weareuniqueanddifferentinourwaysofbeingandacting.Thisbelongs toour relationalfieldanditincludesourindividualhistory.Inmypractice,whenIfirstmeetaclient,Iwanttolisteninacarefulway,notonlytowhatbringshim to thiswork,butalso tohowheseeshimself,whatkindofbeliefsandvalueshehasinlife,andhowallofthatisrelatedtohisbody.Itrytogetintoacuriousandappreciativementalstate,sothatIcanperceive thisnewhumanbeing that Iammeeting.It’sareceptivementalstate;Iavoidan investigative stance andopenmyselfto adialoguewheremy client can showhimselfwithout judgmentor censorship,andwherewecanmeetonthesamelevel.Recognizingthatthisindividualisunique,authentic,Iwonder:inthismoment,whatmovesthispersontowardshisdesire?;whatis keepinghim frommoving thatway?;wherearehisbest resources?;where aretheseresourcesmissing?Psychobiological,sociobiological, and spiritual-biologicalaspectsareconsidered.

After this dialogue is opened, I explainhowRolfingSIworks andamclear that

wearenotlookingtofixanything.Weareinsteadlookingforan interactiveprocessthat communicatesmany educationalaspectswiththegoalofpromotingadaptivechange toward a higher level of health,consciousness,andwell-being.Duringthisprocess, symptoms anddiscomfortmaydisappearandanewqualityofpresence,abetterperceptionoftheself,appear.Idon’tpromiseanything,Ijustopenpossibilities,makingclearthatweshareresponsibilityfortheoutcomeandthatitisariskcontract.

If the client agrees to continue,wedo abodyreading.Istartwithan“appreciativelook.”OncemoreIputmyselfinareceptivementalstate,andusingallmysensesItryto“receive”myclientinawaythathefeelswelcomedandcomfortable.It’snotonlyaperipheral and receptivevision, but alsomywholepresence,whatIcall“peripheralmind.”It’sakindoflookthatappreciatestheindividualityandonenessofthishumanbeing, searching first for the inherentqualities, resources, andpossibilities (notaphallic eye searching fordysfunction).This reading is also adialogue,where IcanexpresswhatIappreciateandlet theclientalsoexpresshisperceptionofhimself.Gradually, I start speaking about theadaptationissuesthatcanbeworkedonintheprocess,andhowtheclient’scomplainsare related to them –whichmeans:wecreateaperspectivetogether.Hereallthemodelsofseeingandperceivingsomeonecanbeused.Theybecomelessimposedandmorerelational.AsIsaidbefore,RolfingSIisarelationalart:howImeetwiththeothermakesallthedifferenceinthewaythatwecontinuetogether.

Marcelo Muniz Rolfing & Rolf Movement® Instructor

A:Overthetwenty-fouryearsthatIhavebeeninpractice,thewaythatIseeandreadbodieshaschangedalot.Lookingback,Ican see that so far therehavebeen threefairly distinct phases of understanding,skill,andability.Theprogressioncouldbe

Ask the Faculty On Seeing and Body ReadingQ: As Rolfers™ we are taught various models and tools for body reading, and we each have our own proclivities and strengths that come into play in this – whether we see in terms of anatomy, a particular model, energy flow, etc. Can you discuss how this has evolved for you in your own practice, and what you have found helps students develop their ability to “see”?

describedgenerallyasapathofunlearning,moving from academic and intellectualunderstanding to experiential knowingofholism.

During the early years ofmypractice, Iwas generally focused on a segmental,biomechanical assessment according towhichTen-SeriessessionIwasdoing.Iwastrainedtonarrowthefieldofpossibilitiesandconsiderparticularrelationships.Thistype of seeingwith the “eyes” of eachsession familiarizedmewithhowresultsoccurandtaughtmewhat theTenSeriesreliablyproduces.DuringthefirstfewyearsI also began todevelop feeling throughthebody.Whendoingneckwork at theendof each session, I could feelpast theclient’s cervical-thoracic junction throughthe spine toward thepelvis. This abilitytofeeltheprogresswasveryexcitingandencouraging.ItgavemeconfidencebecauseIcouldfeelchangeswerehappening.

Inmy eighthyear ofpractice I tookmyadvancedRolfingtraining,andforroughlythenext tenyears I becameabsorbed inbeing able to feel andwork intodeeperfascial layersandjoints.Myfocusbecamemorenarrowas I struggled toknow thevalue of deeperwork and its place infurtheringintegration.Iplacedemphasisonseeingwithmyeyesintermsofmovementand concentrated on being able to feeldeeperandmore subtly,both in termsofjointrelationshipsandinherentmotion.IfeltthatPrinciples of Manual Medicine(Greenman1996) combinedwithPhysiology of the Joints(Kapandji1974,1985)wasallIneededtoguideme.InmytenthyearofpracticeIbeganteachingasanassistantinstructor.Asthisrequiredmetodemonstrateandexplainthework,Ibecameobsessedwithknowingandbeingabletoverballydescribetheeffectsofmywork.Apart fromwhatmyclientscouldtellme,Iwantedtobeabletoknowandsay ifmyworkwasproducingbetterintegration. Itwasamatterof integrityaswellasdevelopingdeeperconfidence.

At about the fifteen-yearmark ofmypractice,someinterestingthingshappened.Duringathree-daycoursewithTomWing,Iaskedhimwhyhechoseaparticularlocationtobeginhisdemo.He repliedby saying,“because I feel goodhere.” Finding hisreplytoberathernon-specific,Iaskedforfurtherclarification.Hepolitelydidhisbesttocomeupwitharationale,buthisinitialanswerhadalreadyjostledme.InthethreedaysofthatworkshopIbeganaprocessofrenewal,oflooseningmygriponneedingto

www.rolf.org StructuralIntegration/December2013 3

COLUMNShavealogicalrationaleformychoices,andoftrustingmoredeeplywhatIfeltwasreal.ThemoreI letgooftellingmyselfastoryaboutwhattolookfor,themoreIamabletofeelwhatisthere.AfewyearsagoitdawnedonmethatIwasstartingtofeelthebodyasawhole,notasanaggregationofparts. Ihavealwaysunderstoodintellectuallythatthebodyiswhole,butIwasn’texperiencingitassuchthewayIcannow.Thisshiftinawarenesscanbefleeting,butisbecomingmoreaccessibleallthetime.

IamlessfocusedonthevisualresultsofaparticularsessionbecauseIknowandcantrustwhattheseriesofsessionswillyield.Ifeelmoreabletotrustmyimpressionsandenjoy looking forways tovalidate themthrough feeling thebody.These fleetingperceptionssometimesoccurwhenacliententers the room,or in conversationwhilesitting across fromone anotherprior toa session.Essentially, I feelmore free toperceivewithouthavingtoapplyamodelofseeing.Nevertheless,IalsofeelthatIneedtovalidatemyperceptionsthroughtesting,working,andre-testing.Iamalwayslookingforsourcesthatdescribenewunderstandingof thebody.Lately, Ihavediscoveredtwosources thatmore closelydescribewhatI feel: Stecco’s description ofmyofascialspiralsandPaoletti’sdescriptionsoffascialarchitecturearemycurrentguidesforfeelingwhatIsee.Ilookforwardtoseeingwhatthecomingyearsbringintermsof“seeing”!

Russell Stolzoff Rolfing Instructor

A: As Rolfing practitioners we arefamiliarwith the plumb line and gridbackgroundagainstwhichwephotographan individual toverifystructuralchange.Therehavebeen anumberof geometricmodelspresentedintrainingssupportingwaystocultivate“seeing”and“analyzing”alignment.PerhapsthemodelsoftheX,Y,andZ axes; cylinders; the spatialplanesdepicted in anatomical illustrations; andmovementpreferencewerepresentedandexplored.Thesemodelshelptodetermineif a client’s effort inwalking expressesa sagittal orientation in space (as in themarathonrunner)orahomolateral/coronalplaneorientation(aswitnessedinthewalkofsomeonelivingandworkingonafishingboat).Or perhaps there is a transverse/tabletop rotationalmotion indicatingpossiblehypermobilityatvarioussites inthebody(horizontal-planemovementisnot

truecontralateralmotion).Althoughmoreabstract thananatomy,geometricmodelshelpus to see anddesign strategies forintervention.However,theyaretemplatesandas suchoften represent a linear andratherstaticviewofreality.It is my belief that the geometric taxonomy is actually a primordial resonance shaping matter in all its forms.

I n s yn t h e s i z i n g a r ud imen t a r yunderstandingfromthewritingsofDavidBohm (quantum physicist),ArthurM.Young(theoreticalphysicistandinventor),and Rupert Sheldrake (biologist andauthor), themoving resonanceknownasthevortex ringmightanswersomeof themisperceptions regarding the geometrictaxonomy.Thisprimal-resonance shapesbothbodyandnatureandappearstobetheunderlyingvibratorypatternbeneathwhatisperceivedassolidform.

At this point, appreciate that the vortexringisnotstaticnoris“it”athing.“It”isanorganizingresonance.Iimagineitbeinglikethesoundacrystalbowlemanatesasitisrung,permeatingthroughtheroomandthelistener.This“field”resonanceshapesformand sustains it.We canwitness itseffects in thegrowthof the embryo andin thegradients anddensities of tissues,bones,andorgans.And this resonance issomethingthatcanbeexperiencedmovingthroughyourownbody.

Nowhere’sthequestion:howisthisvibratorypattern (or geometricmodel) named thevortexringbringingforthpatterns,form,andwhatwecalltheperceivableuniverseandbody?Imagineabagel,andletit“explode”throughyousothatthecenterholeexpandsandbecomesatransparentmidlineverticallyorganizingyourbodyingravity.Thedoughofyourbagelreachesoutandthroughtheporous spaciousness of yourbody in alldirections.Although this is ametaphoricimage,wecanstillappreciatethe likenesstotheshapeofatoruswithitscenterof“no-thing.”Bohm(1980)suggeststhatit istheenfoldingandunfoldingoftheuniversewhoseprimalvibratory resonanceappearsbothphysicalandperceivable.AndaccordingtoYoung, thismovement ismultidimensionaland reflexive. In otherwords, it is bothfeedingintoformationanddissolvingthatformation, simultaneously. In Sanskritthisvibratorymovement is called spandaand translates as “throb”or “pulsation.”Inhismost recentbook,Sheldrake (2012)deconstructs long-held and cherishedscientificdogmas.Hewritesofaninformingintelligence resonating through thefield.

Recognizing this geometricmovement,connectingwith “it,” and experiencingits primal resonance enables us to ridethe“oceanof consciousness” likea surferas vibratory intelligence arises betweenourhands.

The universe and man’s consciousness (the macrocosm and microcosm) consist in a continuum and a dynamic whole; this can be expressed by the spiral when, instead of ending it is drawn either around a sphere or a doughnut ring, so that it joins up with itself by spiraling through its own middle. This symbol which is perpetually turning in on itself expanding and contracting has an interchangeable center and circumference and has neither beginning nor end.(Purce1974)

Carol A. Agneessens Rolfing & Rolf Movement Instructor

A:Perception is not something that happens to us, or in us. It is something we do. The world makes itself available to the perceiver through physical movement and interaction. . . . Perceiving is a kind of skillful bodily activity. (Noe2004)

The world shows up for us. But it doesn’t show up for free. We achieve access to the world around us through skillful engagement; we acquire and deploy the skills needed to bring the world into focus. Presence is manifestly fragile. It is a discovery. It is how we experience it, from being in it. Perception is a transaction; it is the sharing of a situation with what we perceive. Perceptual experience is, at best, a work in progress.(Noe2012)

WhatmadeimmediatesensetomerelatingtobodyreadingduringUnit2ofmybasicRolfingtrainingwastheinvitationtolookat the body as geometric shape – twocylinders;theirshape,relationshiptooneanother, rotations, amount of pressureinside them, how they are supported,etc.Wheninvitedtoperceivethebodyinthisway,Istartedseeingthingsthatgaverelevant informationofwhereworkwasneeded. Thiswas sharply contrasted tothe“knowing-nodding-of-head-yet-blank-stare” that accompanied comments suchas“Andnownoticehowheisstabilizingdifferentlywiththeleftrhomboid,”or“Seehowthereisnotalarglideontheright.”


From there it has systematically grownintoagridofwaysofseeingverylooselyclassifiableunderthetaxonomies:structuralincludesinternal-external,pelvictilt/shift,spinal position/fixations, Flury’s types,etc.; functional includes continuity ofmovement, stillpoints, centerofgravity,contralateralmovement;geometricincludesline,blocks,cylinders,grid(horizontalandverticallines),shapeofspacearoundbody(includingbetweenarmsandtorso,betweenlegs); psychobiological includes nervoussystemcharge,signsoftrauma,theclient’sperception/self-sensing,possiblyhowhisworldview communicated linguisticallymay reflect in structure andmovementpatterns, spatiality/relationship to spaceinsideandaroundthem;energeticincludesflow, charge, field, hydrostatic pressure,etc.EachofthesecanbeexploredfurtheranddeepenedbyaskingquestionsrelatedtotheRolfingPrinciples.

There are obvious difficulties in tryingtofitmodels of seeing into taxonomies,as all of them communicate across allthe taxonomies.Thisgridhashelpedmeorientinperceptual“space,”theperceptualspacethatIammoreorientedto,andlessorientedto.Ithasprovidedatypeofmap,atemplate,tokeeptrackofmydevelopmentinbodyreading.Fillingintheareasthatarelessavailabletome,andallowingmyselftospendtimewiththequestionsinhabitedthere,helpstogrowthesefieldsofvision.Soitcanbeaself-reflectivelearningtool.

The othermost accessible method of“seeing” formewas to copy theperson’spatternofstanding,walking,andbreathinginmyownbodyandnoticingwhatIneededto contract and change to replicate that.Thisorientingtointeroception(perceptionofstimuliarisingwithinthebody)bringsthe relationshipbetweenperception andpresence into focus.AsNoe says in theopeningquotationabove:“Theworldmakesitself available to theperceiver throughphysicalmovement and interaction . . . .Perceiving is a kind of skillful bodilyactivity.” Ithas also allowedglimpsesofnotseeingthelateralrotationintheperson’sfemurasthat“only,”butofhowhecreatesthatstructuraloutcomeinthewayherelatesandorientstospace.Thisinvites“swimmingupstream” to theorganizingmaps in theperson’snervous system.Cameron (2001)describesthesemapsasfollows:“Theyaremapsofthebodyinrelationtotheinternalstructureandfunctionofthebodyitselfaswellastheimmediateenvironmentwithin

whichthebodyresides.”Bodyschemaandbody imageare two suchmaps (Paillard2004). Craig (2003, 2009) elaborates oninteroception: “Thebody and subjectiveawarenessof thebody, includingvisceralawareness, instantiates the ‘self ’ andprovides the intermediarybywhich thenervoussysteminteractswiththeexternalworld.”According toEsrock (2010), “thethesis is that the physical body, as itdevelopswithinasocialworld,shapesouremotions,thoughts,concepts,andbeliefs–whichweordinarilycharacterizeasmental–andservesasanecessarystartingpointfor understanding all humanprocessesandactivities.”Includedinthese“humanprocessesandactivities”arepostureandourmovements,andhowtheygetorganized.

Inyourthoughtfulquestionofhowbodyreadinghasevolvedformeinmypractice,I can summarize that itwas helpful todeepenandstartworkingfromwheremystrengthwas, that itnaturallydevelopedinto broadening across taxonomies, andthat it isnoworientedmoreandmoretotheperceptualnatureofhowweembodyourselves. Regarding the part of yourquestion relating towhathelps students:in classes I have seendifferent of these“invitationstoseeing”landforpeoplewithdifferentlearningandperceptualstyles.Itisalwaysmeaningful toseewhena lightgoes on andourworld opensup to theworldofthepersonweareattemptingtoperceive.WhatIhavefoundmosteffectivefor students is simply to ask themwhatthey see. Then to help them categorizethis information (available andprimaryfor them in their learning styles) undermodels of seeing and taxonomies. Thisorientsthemtoamap,andinformswhereinthelandscapetheyaremostresourced,andwherelessso.Theinvitationistoviewfromasmanydifferentmodelsaspossible:thisgivesdimensiontothecomplexitythatisthere,ofwhatthepersoncommunicatesthrough his form andmovement, andmovesusintomorefullnessofperception.

Askingquestionsthatdeepenthemodelwehaveprimaryaccesstosupportsgrowthinthatmodelofseeing(e.g.,ifdescribingastillpointwhileaclient iswalking,questionsmight be: howbig is the area that doesnotmove?;howdeepintothebodydoesitseemtogo?;whateffectdoesithaveonthesurroundingareas,ontherestofthebody?).Asking questions related to themodelsless available toperception, andwaitingto seewhat arises,gives theopportunity

andopensthespacethatwilleventuallybefilledbyinformationthatwecandescribeandwillbeusefulinthestrategizingofourwork.Thisbroadensourperception.

Thebroadeningofourbodyreadinghelpsusinvite/engageourclientsintotheirlived,feltexperience,andmeetthemwheretheyareintermsofhowtheyperceivethemselves.This shifts them frombeingwatched asobjecttoacollaborationofexploringhowtheir phenomenal experiencemeets theanatomicalrealityoftheirstructure.Italsogivesusinformationthatismostrelevanttothem,andvaluableinformationastohowtheyorientwiththebodymapsmentionedabove. It engages them asmeaningfulparticipants from theoutsetof thework.ItalsohelpstodistinguishRolfingSIfromothermodalitiestheyhaveexperienced.

Marius Strydom Rolfing Instructor

A:Doesthissoundfamiliar?:I was standing with some of my fellow students as Stacey Mills, my practitioning (now Phase III) teacher, was describing what she was “seeing” about her client. We were all nodding, as if we were in agreement (none of us wanted to look stupid). After she turned, preparing to do her session, we whispered to each other, “Did you see anything?”

IrememberbeingtoldbyoneofmyteachersthatifIcan’tsee,justdothe“Recipe”andIwilllearn.SoIstartedoutwithten4x6-inchcards,onedescribingeachsession–dothisfirst,thisnext,etc.Iwouldputthecardforthe sessionundermy table (somyclientcouldn’tseeit),andImadesurethateverypartofthebodyrelatingtothatsessionwaspink!Ibeganhavingmyclientsstandupmoreoftenduringsessionsandaskedthemtorelatetheirexperiences.Ithenusedtheirdescriptionsasa“lens”throughwhichtoseewhathadchanged.AsIwastoldwouldhappen, I did begin to see predictablechanges relating to each session and theTenSeriesasawhole.

WehavebeenadmonishedinthewritingsofDr.Rolfandotherstolearnto“see”inordertobecomeaccomplishedatourprofession.Inreality,whatweneedtolearnisto“perceive”(whichmeans“tobecomeawareof,know,oridentifybymeansofthesenses”).WhatI’velearnedovertheyearsisthat“seeing”onlywithmyeyescanbelimiting.

Ioncehada studentwhowas strugglingwithseeinguntilshereallyunderstoodthat

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COLUMNSitwasokaytoseedifferently.Iaskedhertodescribeherperceptions inwhateverwayshewanted.Sheperceivedherclient’sbodyasanapartmenthousewithtoomanypeopleinoneapartment,nooneinanother,sadnessandorfearinanother.Shesaidsheneededtogetmorepeopleintheemptyapartmentandget fewerpeople in theonewith theparty.WhenI lookedatthebodythroughher lens itmadetotalsensetome!It thenbecameokayforhertobecomecomfortableperceivingwithherprimary lens. I alsoknowatwenty-plus-yearRolferwho,forallheryearsoftryingandworkingonit,still“sees”primarilywithherhands,nothereyes.Asshebrieflywatchesherclient,shegetsavisualimpression,aglimpseofwhatseemsodd.Itisnotuntilshesitsquietlywithherfingersrestingontheclavicles,thefeet,thesacrum,etc., that shecan listen to thestoryofthebody–rigidorfluid,flowornot,spaceorcongestion,agitation,density,etc.Afewminutesoflisteninginanditbecomesclearwheretogoandhowtoproceed.Thisperceivingisalso“seeing.”

Iliketothinkofthetaxonomies(segmental/structural,geometric,functional,energetic,psychobiological),the“modelsofseeing”that have been used in our profession,as lenses throughwhichwecanperceiveour clients. These lenses can provide aframeworkuponwhichwe canorganizeanddescribeourperceptions.Wecan“see”howaperson’sbody/beinghaschangedasaresultofourinterventions.

I recently saw a quote fromAnaïsNinwhichisappropriatehere:“Wedonotseethingsastheyare.Weseethingsasweare.”Ourperceptionsaredevelopedbyculture,astrology,personalhistory,spiritualbeliefs,etc.Itisimportantthatyouknowandarecomfortablewiththelenses(biases)throughwhichyouperceive!Yourlensesaren’tlessormore effective than another’s, thoughtheymaybelimiting,asmostmodelsare.It’simportanttotryonandexplorenewlensesintheongoingprocessoflearningtoexpandourcomfortzonesaswellasourperceptualfield.Seeing/perceivingwill indeedmakeyoumoreaccomplishedatourprofession.Asimplewaytoexperiencewideningyourfieldistopracticebeinggroundedthroughyour legs and feetwhileat the same timefeelingyourphysicalboundariesbecomemore dispersed and expansive. Includeboththespaciousandthegroundinyourattentionaswellasattendingtowhateveryouaredoing/being/experiencingwithinandaroundyou.Continuallypracticingthiswillgreatlyenhanceyourperceptualskills.

Formenow,IhavesimplifiedthelenseswehavedevelopedwithintheRolfInstitute®tothefollowingquestions:

1. Where can this person use more:• space• length•depth/dimension• support• symmetry•flow/connection•movement• life• biomechanical efficiency?

2. Does this segment fit with the rest of the body?

3. Where can there be more dimension and how might optimizing support help the process? (Imostoftenaskthis.)

Keep it simple! (“Let’s see ifwe cangetmorespaceheresoyourshouldercanworkbetter.”)Ifmyassessmentsaretoospecific,especiallyanatomically,Imaypredetermineapathtothegoal.IfIbecometooattachedtomypath,Imaymissotherveryimportantinformationandeasierpaths. Ihavehadstudentswho perceive somany thingsthattheygetconfused.IfyouaredoingaTenSeries, remember thatyouonlyneedto“see”whatisimportantforthatsessionandthegoaloftheSeries.Ifyouaredoinga non-formulaic tune-up or advancedsessions, then the above questionsmaybecomeimportantinhelpingtodesigntheprogressionofstepsforthemini-series.

Nomatterwhich lens youuse for yourpre- andpost-session assessments, it isimportanttousethatinformationasjustonepiecewhichinformsyouasyoutouchyourclient.Thinkingyouknowwhatisgoingonwithyourclient,basedonyourpre-session“seeing,”doesn’tmeanthatistheonly,ormost important, thinghappening in thebody. The pre-session assessment onlygivesusanideaofwherewemaybegoing.Forme, the really important perceptionbeginswithphysical contact. Then I aminformed of the specifics of how to getthere.Whenyourclientisonthetable,takeafewminutestobewithyourselfandyourclient.With aneutral contact (inquiring,unbiased,spacious,andpresent),perceivewhathisbodyhastocommunicatetoyoursenses.Once I begin touchingmy client,Imaybe led inadifferentdirectionthanmy original intention.Develop a broadspectrumoflensesandabroadspectrumofcontactskillsandlistentoyourclientwithallyoursenses.

In summary, ifwe change “seeing” to“perception,” more possibilities areavailable.Perceptioniswhatwedoduringasession.Bylearningtoincludemorelenses,we consciously broaden our perceptualfield.When inphysical contactwithmyclient,my neutral frame ofmind andwidening ofmyperceptual field allowsme to perceivemanymore layers andexpressions of physicality of thewhole.Doingthesameduringthepre-andpost-sessionassessmentallowsmetoexperiencemoreofwhomyclientis(insteadoffittingherintoacomfortablebox).Thishelpstoallowhertostepintowhosheisbecoming.

Thomas Walker Rolfing Instructor

BibliographyBohm,D.1980.Wholeness and the Implicate Order.NewYork:Routledge.

Cameron,O. 2001. “Interoception: TheInsideStory–AModelforPsychosomaticProcesses.”Psychosomatic Medicine63:697-710.

Craig,A.D.2003.“Interoception:theSenseofthePhysiologicalConditionoftheBody.”Current Opinion in Neurobiology13:500-505.

Craig,A.D. 2009. “HowDo You FeelNow?TheAnterior Insula andHumanAwareness.”Nature Reviews Neuroscience10(1):59-70.

Esrock, E. 2010. “EmbodyingArt: TheSpectatorandtheInnerBody.”Poetics Today31(2):217-250.

Greenman, P. 1996.Principles of Manual Medicine. Baltimore:LippincottWilliams&Wilkins.

Kapandji, I.A. 1974.The Physiology of the Joints,Vol. 3.London:ChurchillLivingstone.

Kapandji, I.A. 1985.The Physiology of the Joints,Vol. 2.London:ChurchillLivingstone.

Noe, A. 2004. Action in Perception .Cambridge,MA:MITPress.

Noe,A.2012.Varieties of Presence.Cambridge,MA:HarvardPress.

Paillard, J. 2005. “Sensorimotor versusrepresentationalframingofBodySpace–AneuralbasisforadistinctionbetweenBodyschemaandBodyimage.”In:V.Knockaert&H.De Preester (eds),Body Image and Body Schema: Interdisciplinary perspectives on the body.Amsterdam: JohnBenjaminsPublishing.


Rolf Movement® Faculty PerspectivesReplacing Shoulder Tension with Shoulder SupportBy Mary Bond, Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Rolf Movement Instructor

Thisarticlesharesanapproachtohelpingclients develop healthy stabilizationthroughtheshouldergirdle.WhileRolferssystematicallyreleaseuppershoulder-girdletension, the releasemaybeunsustainableunlesstheclientacquiresanewandbetterhabit for shoulderandarmcoordination.I have found, over several decades ofpracticingRolfing®Structural Integration(SI),thataclient’smomentary(orevenweek-long)somaticepiphanyabouthershouldertension does not guarantee sustainablefunctionalchange.

What follows presumes that the clienthas alreadydeveloped some capacity toyield togravityand toexperience spatialsupport.Shehasalsoexperiencedthewhole-body decompression that accompaniessimultaneouslyaccessingthedualperceptualsupport systems. Shehas a sense of hercentralline,andreasonablywell-functioninglowerextremities.

Anatomy TourI oftenbeginby instructingmy client inbasicanatomyrelevanttotheissuebeingaddressed.Manypeoplecannotinternalizethethree-dimensionalityofthepelvis,forexample,ordonotknowthateachlowerleg iscomposedof twobones.Theymayhave takenananatomycourse longago,but never associatedwhat they studiedto their ownbodies.Understanding thatthe coracoidprocess is aprojection fromthefrontofthescapula,andfindingitononeself,caninitiateajourneyofshoulder-girdletransformation.

In our sedentary, forward-head culture,it’s common forpeople to stabilize theirshouldergirdlesfromthelevatorscapula

and pectoralisminormuscles. Rolferscommonlyfindthefasciaintheseareastobetight,short,andfibrotic.Whileposteriorshoulder stabilizers (lower trapezius,serratusanterior,latissimusdorsi)maybemadestrongthroughweight-bearingyogaposes or gymworkouts, strength doesnot insure theywillproperlyconnect thearm to the spineduring ordinary tasks.Further,strengtheningtheshouldersdoesnotguaranteethatthecoreoftheshoulders1is active, or that itwill be engaged insupporting the shoulder girdle in theposturesandlocomotionofdailyliving.

I approach this issuewithabrief tourofshoulderanatomy.Ihaveashouldergirdlemodel that includes theupperhumerus,clavicle,andscapula,andalsoaspinewithribcage.Peopleareinterestedtoseehowthe shoulder girdlefits onto the thorax,andhowthescapulaandclavicleadjusttosupportarmmovements.Icouldpullupavideoofallthis,butclientsseemtolikemyhands-onapproach.They can touchandexamine themodel,andthenpalpate thesamebony featureson themselves.Withonehandontheclavicleatthemanubrium,Ihavetheclientmovetheotherarmaroundandnoticehowtheclavicleadjusts.

Sensing the Core of the Shoulder GirdleNextIhavemyclientsitorstandfacingawallandplaceherhandsonthewallwiththeheelsofthehandsatarmpitlevel(seeFigure1).Iinstructhertokeepherhands“glued”tothewallwhileatthesametimeslidingthemdowntowardsthefloor.Thehandsdon’tmove,buttheresultingtractionactivatesthesensationoflatissimusdorsi.

Paoletti, S. 2006.The Fasciae: Anatomy, Dysfunction and Treatment.Seattle:EastlandPress.

Purce, J. 1974/1980.The Mystic Spiral, Journey of the Soul.NewYork:ThamesandHudson.

Sheldrake, R. 2012.Science Set Free: 10 Paths to New Discovery.NewYork:DeepakChopraBooks/CrownPublishingGroup.

Stecco, L., 2004.Fascial Manipulation for Musculoskeletal Pain.Padova, Italy:PiccinNuovaLibraria.

Stecco, L. andC. Stecco, 2009.Fascial Manipulation, Practical Part.Padova, Italy:PiccinNuovaLibraria.

ThenIaskhertorolltheupperarmsjustenough to aim the crease of the elbowtowardtheceiling.Thisminuteadjustmentengageslowertrapeziusandchallengesashortenedpectoralisminor.Then,pressingthehandsintothewallasifpushingitawayactivatesthefeelingofserratusanterior.(Todothislastactionwithoutmovingthetrunkbackisthekeytosuccess.)Theclientisnowawareofabroad,sturdyfeelingacrosstheupperback.Withmyfingersontheinferioranglesof the scapulae, I invite the clienttomove inandoutof this configuration,noticinghowserratus anterior activationflattens the scapulae against the backoftheribcage.

Figure 1: Hands-on-wall position.

Once a client can sense lower shoulder-girdleengagementonherown, Iaskhertokeepthefeelingasshelowersherarmsandstepsbackfromthewall.Andthentodescribewhatshefeels.Findingherowndescriptivewords helps her anchor thefeeling.Becausemanypeopleareinterestedonlyinchangingashape-orientednotionofposture,itcantakesomeconvincingtogetthemtovaluewhatthey feel.Informationaboutbrainre-mappingisusefulbecausepeopletendtorespectthebrain’sneedsandlimitations,ifnotthebody’s.Clientsneed

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tobelievethatourbrainsmapnewhabitsonlythroughsensoryexperience,andthatmindlesspracticequicklydegeneratesintohabitualpatterns.Tothatend,Iemphasizethesensationsthat theclientexperiences,not the coordination, and not the bodyshape,eventhoughthosemaybehoped-forresults.

A first suchmini-lessonmight take tenminutes.Itconcludeswiththeclientfindingthe serratus-anterior sensation and thenpurposefully losing it again, in order topractice the transition from the familiarsensoryhabit to thenewone.A follow-up session could incorporate the newsensationintosomeeverydayactivity.Afterrehearsingthat,itbecomeshomework.

When the client can reliably find thesensationof “serratus support” (serratusanteriorisnottheonlymusclethatneedstobeengaged,butbecausethesensationofengagingitisusuallyunfamiliartopeople,itmakesagoodnickname),Iaskhertofeedthisfeelingintoherexerciseroutines,orfeelitwhiledriving,foldinglaundry,ordoingdishes.Withsomeclientsitisnecessarytocoachthemthroughsuchactivitieswithacar,sheets,andrealdishes.

For yogapractitioners, it’s important tostepthemthroughsomeofthearmweight-bearingposes.Totheirchagrin,someclientsdiscoverthattheirplankandchaturangalackfull serratus-anteriorparticipation – thattheirscapulaetendto“wing”whenweight-bearing is challenged. The re-learningprocessmightlooklikethis:startinginfour-pointkneeling(seeFigure2),withtheheelsof herhandsdirectly below the armpits(and knees below the groin), I help theclientfindthesensationsofabroadupperback and lower shoulder-girdle stabilitywehavealreadydevelopedinnon-weight-bearingpositions.InitiallyImaykeepmyfingerslightlytouchingtheinferioranglesofher scapulae for feedback about theirstability. By reminding the client of her“earthandsky”perceptionsinthisposition,she initiates abdominal core support.Vectorsreachintooppositedirectionsfromclavicles and sit bones;handsand shins/anklespressintotheground.Sustainingthesensationsofshouldersupport,alongwithongoingperceptualrenewalofweightandspaciousness,shestepseachfootcarefullyintoplankposition(nowwithoppositionalvectoring between clavicles and heels).Formany,usingtheirunderactivedeepershoulderstabilizersmakesthissurprisinglydifficult.Itmaybequitesometimebefore

chaturanga canbeaccomplishedwithoutlosingthenewshouldersupport.

A Shoulder Shortcut There’s avideoblogonmywebsite thatdemonstrates amini-lesson about thecoracoidprocesses(www.healyourposture.com/2013/01/secrets-of-your-shoulders/).Onceclientscanpalpatetheirowncoracoidprocesses, theycanidentifythesensationofthepectoralisminorpullingthewholeshoulderforwardanddown,anddrawingtheneck alongwith it.They can reversethis trend by imagining thosepoints aslightsshiningforwardintotheworld(moreimaginaryvectors).Suchimageryprovidesa shortcut to the serratus support theyexperiencedearlier. (Itmaynotbeabadidea touse this imageryyourself asyoupracticeRolfingSI: if you’renot blessedwith anaturallybroad-backed structure,thepracticeofSIcanseverelycompresstheshouldergirdle.)

Theprocess of bringing spaciousness tothe clavicle/coracoid area (andof coursethe thoracicoutlet) relates to the topicof“heart opening.”Many people believetheycanopentheheartareabyliftingthesternumandretractingtheshoulderblades.Theresultantnarrowingofthebackthruststhehumeralheadsforwardinthesockets(destabilizingthem),de-activatesserratusanterior, and compresses the inferiorback lung area (among other potentialaccommodations). Simple informationabout how the lungswork canprovideincentiveforaclienttoreviseabeliefthatthrusting the chest forward contributestogoodor“open”posture. Justknowingthere ismore lung tissue inback than infrontcanhelpdismantlethatbelief.Whatcontributesmoretothedesiredopennessisbroadeningoftheupperback,widening

Figure 2: Four-point kneeling.

oftheclavicles,andfreeingofthecoracoidprocessesasdescribedhere.Inthatwaythehumeralheadsareseatedintotheirsocketsandarethusbettersupportedforheartfeltgestures,defensiveactions,anddailytasks.

Bridging to the Real WorldI nearly always endmy sessionswiththe client’s walking self-assessment.After shoulder-girdle awarenessworkasdescribedabove, itwouldbecommonfortheclienttonoticeherarmsswingingmorefromtheback(insteadoffromthehumeralheads)andforthenecktofeelelongated,theheadmoreerect.Orshemightnoticeanewrhythmtohergait.Andyouneverknow,shemighthaveaclearersenseofthegroundunderherfeet.What’simportantisforhertofindherownwordsforhersensations.

Once thenew shoulder awareness is onitswaytobecominganewhabit(usuallyseveral sessions along),we are ready toapproachtheessentialthingfortheclientto notice: her perception of theworld.How does her new sense of shoulderorganization affect her experience ofrelationshipswith people? I sometimesinvite a client towalk across the roomtowardmeasifIwereanunknownperson,while she tries on different versions ofshoulder support. Shemay notice thather perception ofme shifts dependingon the sensation in her shoulders.Herhomeworkistolookforsimilarperceptualshiftsduringwhat I thinkof as “neutralrelationships”–chattingwiththegrocerychecker,greetingthebankteller,standinginlineatthetheater.

There aremore things to observe andconsiderthanIcancoverinthisshortarticle.Because scapulaeareoftenhabituated inoppositetilts,thefeltsenseforeachsidewillbedistinctive.It’sgoodforclientstonotice

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ON GEOMETRY AND SHAPEthis.Itcanbeanoutcomeofhandedness,oraresponsetotorqueinthepelvis.Asweallknow,thegenesisofa“shoulderissue”canbetracedtoimbalancedandunsupportivefeet.Thisiswhyourworknever“getsold”forus.

Opennessandcuriosityareattributesthatwell serveboth client andpractitioner intheendeavortoreviseahabit.Sometimes

building a newhabit takes longer thanour busy selveswould like. Considerthis:howoneusesthearmsandshouldergirdleexpressesthesatisfyingofneedsandprotectingofoneselffromaveryearlyage.Ifthatself-expressionisdeeplyembedded,itwilltaketimetounravel.Inapproachingourshoulders–oranyposturalhabit–aquestforself-understandingservesusfarbetterthanadrivetoperfectourselves.It’s

besttoapproachthisquestsincerely,kindly,andoverthelonghaul.

Endnotes1.While serratus anterior is thedeepestmuscularlayeroftheshoulderstabilizers,Iconsiderthe“coreoftheshoulders”tobearelationshipofallthestructuresaroundtheaxillasuchthatthescapulaefficientlylinksmovementbetweenthespineandthearm.

The Mother of All TaxonomiesBy Bob Schrei, Certified Advanced Rolfer™

Let none ignorant of geometry enter here.

SignabovetheentrytoPlato’sAcademy

Themost recognized image in theworld,aftertheCoca-Cola®logo,isoneweallknowwell.Manyofususe it onourwebsites,businesscards,andinarticlessuchasthisone.ItisLeonardodaVinci’sVitruvian Man(Figure1),namedafteranimagecreatedbytheRomanarchitectandengineerVitruvius,author ofThe Ten Books on Architecture. Vitruvius,inturn,tookthisimagefromtheEgyptianmysteryschools.Leonardo’sviewof thehumanbody is imprinteddeeplyin the archetypal collectiveunconsciousandcontainsagreatdealofbothpracticalandesotericknowledge.Itisariddletobeplumbeddeeply.Itisnotameresymbolbutratheraliving,breathingreality.

When Ibeganmystudies inarchitectureschool,theVitruvianManwasoneofourfirstsubjectsofstudy.Thereisaninfiniteamount of information contained in theimage.Vitruviusreferredtothisdrawingofthehumanfigureastheprincipalsourceof proportion for the classical orders ofarchitecture, and it contains the exactproportions thatwefind inmanyof thearchitecturalwondersoftheworld.

Onthesurface,thefirstthingyounoticeisthefigure,armsoutstretched,surroundedby a square and a circle. The center ofthe square is the sacrum,which is thegeometricalcenterofthehumanbody.Thecenterofthecircleistheumbilicus,ornavel,theenergeticcenterofthehumanbody.

to healing called SourcePoint Therapy®.ThecentralpremiseofSourcePointisthatthere is a specific energyfield that is theblueprintofhealth for thehumanbeing.Wecanconnectwiththeblueprintforthebenefitofourownhealthandthatofothers.Geometryisthelanguageofthisblueprint.

The geometric configuration of the human body and the metabolic processes are present before the central nervous system develops . . . the innate wisdom of the body is not contained within any cellular structure. This innate wisdom which gives the body form is not a function of any system of the body. (Jealous1996)

Twentyyearsago,Dr. JeffMaitland, asamember of theAdvancedFaculty of theRolf Institute®, introduced a taxonomicmodelof structural integration (SI) in anefforttoarticulateRolfing®SIasaholisticpractice.Dr.Rolf’sstatedgoalforherworkwastoseehowthestructurallyintegratedhumanbeingwould affect the evolutionofboththehumanbeingandhumanrace.Sheemphatically stated that shewasnotprimarily interested in the palliation ofsymptoms.Shewasinterestedin“humanpotential.” The taxonomic view wasarticulated toplace thework ofRolfingSIinthisgreatcontextoftheevolutionofthemind-bodysystemasawhole,therebyhonoringRolf’sstatedgoalforthework.

The taxonomic perspective is taughtregularlywithinthebasicRolfingtrainingbymany of the faculty. The functionaltaxonomyhasbeenfurtherarticulatedandhas become an accepted and importantaspectofourtrainingandworkwithinthetaxonomicperspective of SI, alongwiththe structural taxonomy.The remainingtaxonomies(theenergetic,geometric,andpsychobiological)continuetobedevelopedbuthavenotyetbecomeawidelyacceptedaspectoftheRolfingtrainingandhavebeenthesubjectofmuchdebate.

The esoteric and exoteric informationhiddeninLeonardo’sdrawingistherootofwhatwenowknowas“sacredgeometry.”Theordering forcesasmanifested in thisfiguregivebirthtoallform.Itrevealsthegrounduponwhich thisvisibleworld iscreated.Itisthefoundationforallsacredarchitecture, anunfoldingof informationandpatternthatisawe-inspiring.

TheVitruvianManhas frequently beencalledtheblueprintforthehumanbody.Theterm“blueprint” iskeytounderstandingthesignificanceofgeometryasanorderingforcethatbringshealthandbalancetothebody.Formanyyears,Ihaveworkedwithmywifeandpartnerinhealingwork,DonnaThomson,toevolveanenergeticapproach

Figure 1: Vitruvian Man.


ON GEOMETRY AND SHAPEIthasbeen suggested that thegeometrictaxonomybe subsumed in the structuralandfunctionaltaxonomies,bothofwhichcontainmany references to geometricterminology. Rol fers speak aboutorganizationaround“theLine,”aswellasreferringtocylinders,lemniscates,spirals,palintoniclines,andplanes.Weusemanyother geometric terms indescribingourwork.TheLittleBoyLogothatwealluseisageometricmodelofthealignmentofthesegmentsofthebodyaroundtheLine.Itisamodelofoptimalgeometricrelationshipinspaceandthefieldofgravity.

Iwouldliketoproposethat,inreality,thegeometric taxonomy is the “mother” ofall of the taxonomies, and that all of theothers could easily be embraced in theunfolding fractalsof thisorganizingandorderingforce.Forinreality,itisasentientorganizingforcethatgivesourbodiesandtheworldofnatureitsform.

In theRolfing communitywe frequentlyhearthephrase“Gravityisthetherapist.”What isgravity?Gravity isoftendefinedin physics as a geometric relationshipbetweenspaceandtime.Ifwesubstitutethedefinitionfortheword,wehavethephrase“Thegeometricrelationshipbetweenspaceandtimeisthetherapist.”Abbreviated,thisbecomes“Geometryisthetherapist.”Thereareprofoundimplicationsforourworkifwe investigate this thoroughly.Fora fewmoments,dropyourpreconceptionsandcontemplatethisstatement:“Geometryisthetherapist.”Whatisthedeepermeaning?How does this statement relate to theinformationrevealedintheVitruvianMan?WhataretheimplicationsforourworkasRolfers?Inthinkingaboutthis,rememberthat theancientGreeks, andbefore themtheEgyptians,understoodthissimplefact:thehumanbody is structuredaccordingto the ideal of the goldenmean (akagoldenrectangle).

The architecture of bodily existence is determined by an invisible, immaterial world of pure form and geometry.(Lawlor1982,4)

Geometry is notmerelydescriptive norboundarydefining.Considerthepossibilitythat a point, a line, a plane, a circle, atriangle, a square, the golden rectangleandallofthespiralsthatemergefromitsmathematical relationships, and a five-pointedstarandallitsfractalunfoldingareactuallyenergeticstructures.Thesepatternshavetheabilitytoorganizespaceinboth

thetwodimensionsofaplaneandinthethreedimensionsofour lived,perceivedreality.Theyarepatternsthat“givebirthto,repair,andmaintainthehumanbody.”ThisishowthefunctionoftheAdam Kadmon,thearchetypalhumanbeingoftheKabbalah,iscommonlydescribed.Itisalsohowwedescribe the functionof theblueprint inSourcePointTherapy®.

A joyful radiance of health is attained only as the body conforms more nearly to its inherent pattern. This pattern, this form, this Platonic idea, is the blueprint for structure.(Rolf1971,1)

WhenweexaminetheVitruvianManandseetheproportionsofthegoldenmeansoclearlymanifestedinthehumanbody,whenweperceivetheFibonaccisequencepresentinorganiclife,whenwestudytheprinciplesofsacredgeometryindepth,thenwecansee thatgeometry is the languageof theblueprint.Thisintrinsicgeometricprecisionandproportionisnotjustasynchronicityofform,butisactuallytheorderingforcethatbringsformintoexistence.

The chief characteristic of form . . . is its intrinsic geometric precision and proportion.(Ridley2006,188)

We find this principle of the blueprint,expressed as geometric proportion, in avariety of healing traditions, includingosteopathy:

HEALTH is that perfect matrix, present within us from the moment of conception. . . . Health is more inherent in the geometry than the genetics.(Rosen2000)

Wecanalsofindthisprincipleofformativeordering forces present in the researchofmodern physics. In a 2010 article inScientific AmericanbyphysicistsA.GarrettLisi and JamesOwenWeatherall entitled“AGeometricTheoryofEverything,” theauthorsstate:“Infact,physiciststhinkthateverythingintheworld–alltheforcesofnatureandevenalltheparticlesofmatter– arises from different kinds of fields.The behavior of these fields hints at anunderlyinggeometricstructure”(LisiandWeatherall2010,55).Inotherwords,

Deep down, the particles and forces of the universe are an expression of exquisite geometry. (Lisi andWeatherall2010,54)

Thisprincipleisalsoexpressedbeautifullyin a videoonYouTube entitled “Nature

by Numbers” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkGeOWYOFoA).Thisfilmvividlydemonstratestheunfoldingoflifeintoformthat is “informed”by the informationofgeometricpattern andproportion.Oftenpeoplethinktheword“blueprint”signifiesastatic,unchangingpattern.Thegeometricblueprint thatunderlies organic life is asentient,vibrant, interactive energyfield.Takeamomenttoexperiencethevideowhenyoufinishthisarticle.Theimagesareworthathousandwords.

Inhis bookScience and the Akashic Field,systems theorist Ervin Laszlo tells usthe “quantumsea” is avast energyfieldfilledwith information that “informs”thematerial universe.He sayswemustapprehend this informed universewith “our hearts aswell as our brains”(Laszlo2004,5).

Letustakeajourneyfromthisperspective.Let’simaginethatthegeometricproportionpresent in allmaterial formpreexists inthatquantumsea. Imagineasinglepointin dark, vast space. Out of that pointemerges a network of lines andpoints,whichbecomepattern.Outofthosepatternsemergemultiple dimensions of energy,consciousness, and form, including thenaturalworldandeventually thehumanbodyas expressed in theVitruvianMan.Themanymanifestationsfromthispointareorganizedaccordingtoexactproportions.Whole universes, including this humanbody, are the fractal unfolding of thatsingle point. The creation of amandalafollows thisprogression, and symbolizestheemergenceoftheuniversalenergyintoformthroughgeometricpattern.

What then is the significance of this forRolfingSI and thegeometric taxonomy?Rolfherselfaskedthisquestion:

. . . Is “balancing” actually the placing of the body of flesh upon an energy pattern that activates it? The pattern of this energy would not be as easily disrupted and might well survive, relatively intact, traumatic episodes that distort the flesh.(Rolf1971,206)

The implications of this statement areprofound. If “balancing”mightmean, assheproposes,orientingthebodytowardsanenergypatternthatactivatesit,thenourrealwork is simplyorganizing theflesh,the tissue, around an existing energeticpattern.Aswehaveexploredinthisarticle,thereisastronglikelihoodthatthepatternsheisspeakingofwouldhaveageometric


structure.Thisbringsusonceagaintotheoriginal premise of this article: that therealmofpattern,thegeometrictaxonomy,isattheheartofourworkasRolfersanddeservesseriousconsideration.

Manystorieshavebeentoldaboutthebody.WhenIfirstcametotheRolfInstituteatitsoldlocationonPearlStreet,Ihadthegoodfortune tostudyphysiologywithDr. JimOschman,aresearchbiologistwhohasbeenagoodfriendoftheRolfingcommunityandwhohaswrittenseveralbooksonenergymedicine.At the beginning of the classhe toldus that therewasone thing thathewantedus tounderstand: everythingwewere about to learn inhis classwasjustastory,andthestorieschange.Ihavealwaysrememberedthis.Thestories thatweretoldfiftyyearsagoaboutthebodyaredifferentfromthestorieswetellnow.Andfiftyyearsfromnowthosestorieswillhavechangeddramatically.

Rolf stated inRolfing and Physical RealitythatasRolferswearesimplyinvokingandevokinghealth,andthatiswhatmakesusdifferentfromothertherapists(Rolf1990,202).Fromtheperspectiveofthegeometrictaxonomy,whatwe are invoking andevoking is theunderlyingenergypatternof health. That pattern expresses itselfingeometric formandproportion in thegreatercosmosandinthehumanbody.TheacceptedstoryofRolfingSIhasbeenthatweworkprimarilywithstructure,function,andconnectivetissuetobringaboutchangeinthebody.Thatviewhasbeenchallengedinrecentyears.Anewemergingparadigmproposesthatthenervoussystemisactuallyresponsible for the changeswe see. Thestorieswillcontinuetochangeovertime,and eventually the storymay return towhatRolfwasmusingabout:anunderlyingenergypattern,a“blueprintofstructure.”Afuturestorycouldtellofanepigenetic,self-organizingenergeticpattern,informedbygeometricorderingforces,astheprimaryfactor that is responsible for bringingchange. The geometric taxonomymayrevealitselfasbeingtheheartofwhatwedo, themotherofall taxonomies. It isanoldstoryattheheartofmanyspiritualandshamanictraditions,anditisanewstoryemerging in the realmofphysics. Itmayyetbecomeasignificantaspectofourstory.

Bob Schrei is a Certified Advanced Rolfer with twenty-seven years’ experience, a biodynamic craniosacral therapist, an artist and former Zen teacher, and the co-originator of SourcePoint Therapy (www.sourcepointtherapy.com) with

his wife and partner in healing work, Donna Thomson. Bob teaches SourcePoint Therapy® worldwide.

The author wishes to thank Donna Thomson for her assistance with editing this article.

BibliographyJealous, J. 1996.“Around theEdges.”The Tide (U.K.SutherlandSocietyosteopathicnewsletter).Spring1996.

Laszlo,E.2004.Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything.Rochester,Vermont:InnerTraditions.

Lawlor,R.1982.Sacred Geometry, Philosophy and Practice.London:ThamesandHudson.

Lisi,A.G. and J.O.Weatherall 2010. “AGeometricTheoryofEverything.”Scientific American,December2010.

Ridley,C.2006.Stillness: Biodynamic Cranial Practice and the Evolution of Consciousness.Berkeley,CA:NorthAtlanticBooks.

Rolf, I. 1971.Rolfing: The Integration of Human Structures.NewYork:HarperandRow.

Rolf, I. 1990.Rolfing and Physical Reality.Rochester,Vermont:HealingArtsPress.

Rosen,M.2000/2008.“Biodynamics.”www.osteodoc.com/biodynamics.htm(retrievedAugust9,2013).

Flowing Wholeness The Vibratory Resonance Beneath Perceivable FormBy Carol Ann Agneessens, MS, Rolfing® Instructor, Rolf Movement® Instructor

Imagine foramomenthavingaccess toaHubble-liketelescope.Notonlycanitblockdistortions fromEarth’s atmosphere, butalso it is able to recordadeepview intospace and timewith laser precision. Inaddition,itcapturestheenergeticblueprintof structureprior to coalescing into form.Whatmightyousee? Is therean iterativepatternshapingnaturethatcanbeidentifiedthroughouttheanimalandplantkingdoms?Perhaps, through theexquisiteeyeof thislens,wearewitnessing the fundamentalvibrationunderlyingform.Perhaps,beneaththeperceived solidityof structure, thereisanactiveprocessmoving,shaping,andvivifyingallorganicmatter.

This article is an inquiry intowhat iscalled the geometric taxonomy1 inRolfingStructural Integration (SI), the blueprintin biodynamic craniosacral circles andembryology,the underlying shaktiinkundaliniyoga,andthe central channelinosteopathy.Whateverthename,thereappearstobeavibratory resonancebeneathperceivableandobservablestructuresthatarisespriorto their formation. TheRolfing “Line,”the primitive streak and notochord ofembryology, the central channel, and theshaktiofkundalinirisingaremetaphorsforthisexpression.

Thisresonanceismorethanamovementtoward verticality. This organizing and

orientingvibration isprior to theRolfingLine or the imagined skyhook. Themovement into upright does begin andendatthefeetandthevertexofthecranium.Integrationandalignmentof thehumanbodyingravityinvitesanorientationandimmersioninthisresonancethatwecancall“thefield.”Ifwelookclosely,thisenergeticscaffolding reveals itself throughout thenaturalworldintheswirlingandspiralingpatternsofleaves,shells,ferns,andflowers;theslowlyrisingandphototropicreachingoftreesandlimbsandgeotropicdescentofroots;thetwistingturnsofrivers;andthecurrentsofwindpatterns.Wecanfollowitsimprintinthelinesofflowformingbone,the loopingfibers forming theheart, andtheembryonicprocessofdevelopment.Itismorethanalineoforientationandmoredimensionalthanaspiraldrawnonapieceofpaper.Whatisthismetaforcethatshapesandsustains?

D’Arcy Thompson, Buckminster Fuller,Arthur M. Young, David Bohm, JillPurce,RupertSheldrakeandothershavewritten about aspects of this resonanceaccording to their part icular andimpassionedorientations.

Thompsonwasoneofthefirsttointegratethe mathematics of geometry withmorphology. InOn Growth and Form, hewritesoftheuseandbeautyofmathematics

ON GEOMETRY AND SHAPE


in the study ofmaterial things. FromThompson’sperspective, “number, order,andposition is [sic] the threefold clue toexactknowledge” (Thompson1961, 326).Andthesethreethingsinamathematician’shandformtheinitialsketchoftheuniverse.

Fullertookinspirationfromtheshapesofcells to create thedesignofhisgeodesicdomes. He appliedmathematics andan understanding of the fundamentalarchitectureoflifetoinspirethefunctionaldesignofhisdwellings.

During my basic Rolfing training in1981, EmmettHutchins introduced theclass to theworkofYoungandhisbookThe Reflexive Universe. Young saw theuniverse as uninterruptedmovement,turningintoitselfandunfoldingoutagaininseamlessmotion.Physicistscalltheshapecreatedby thismovementahypersphereand describe itwith themathematicalformulaforthevolumeofatorus.(Atorusis shaped like a bagelwith an infinitelysmallerholeinthemiddle.)Young(1999)postulated that thishyperspherewas anorganizingfieldandlikenedthisorganizingprincipleinhumanbeingstotheawakenedkundaliniconceptoftheyogis.

Thesevisionarywritershavebroadenedmy exploration and understanding ofthegeometric taxonomyas the templatebeneath the structures we perceive.Although the blockmodel ofRolfing SIserves to educate thepublic (apicture isworthathousandwords),therearedeeperimplicationsheldwithinthisdesign.LockedwithinthelinearmidlineoftheLittleBoyLogoisacosmicorderreachingbeyondacursoryunderstandingofalignment.Couldthisvibratory resonanceprior to formberevealinganintelligenceorconsciousnessordering chaos? Inmyprivatepractice, IdiscoveredthatwhenIimmersemyselfinthepotentialofthisvibratoryexpression,theworkwithinasessionseemstoenrichcontact, deepen experience, and sustainitselfovertime.

EmbryologistJohannesRohanexpandsonthis idea that theorganizingprinciple ismore thana simplemidline relationship.InFunctional Morphology: The Dynamic Wholeness of the Human Organism, hedescribes the lemniscate as themostrhythmicofallgeometricforms.Thinkofthelemniscateasafigureeightoraninfinitysign,perhapslyingonitsside,sometimeswith one loop larger than the other.AccordingtoRohan(2007,17),therhythmic

quality of the lemniscate ismanifest asstructuredoscillationsthatoccurincyclesof sleeping andwaking, catabolismandanabolism,inhalationandexhalation,andsystoleanddiastole.

Intheskeletalbody,thelemniscateappearsagainandagain.Takeforexamplethehipjoint: you can trace a lemniscate aroundthe iliac fossa through theacetabulumtothe ischium, as seen in Figure 1.At theacetabulumliesthecenterofthelemniscate,wherethethreepelvicbonesjoin.Furtherunderstandingofthelemniscatechallengesoursenses,whichoftenrelegateittoasolidform.Thesecretofthelemniscateisthatitisinfactamovingformthatcombinesandtranscendsthepolaritiesofasphere–thecircleanditsradius.

Whendrawinga lemniscate, there is thebeginningofa circlewitha centralpoint(A). Yet as the circle begins to come tocompletion,thereisan“attractor”(A’)thatpulls it away from completion. ThisbecomesanothercenterasitattractsthelinemovingthroughpointB(thecentralpoint)and bends the direction into a circularmovement.ThemovementaroundcentersA andA’ continues, aroundand aroundand through the central fulcrum of B.Followingthismovementyoumightsense

Figure 1:The lemniscate appears in the innominate bone. Reprinted with permission from Adonis Press (Functional Morphology: The Dynamic Wholeness of the Human Organism by Johannes Rohan; Fig. 56, pg. 95). The numbers 1, 2, and 3 indicate origins of the chief muscle groups: 1) flexors, 2) adductors, and 3) extensors.

the lemniscateasabreathingfigure (VanderBie2003,114-115).

EnergymedicinepractitionerDonnaEdenspeaksof the lemniscate as representingthe energetic threads of the connective-tissuesystem.Theweavingpatternof itsmovementthroughthebodymanifestsascontinuityandconnectivity.Themovementof expansion and contraction reachesdirectlyintothecellsandthespiralingformofDNA,accordingtoEden.

Somatic Inquiry: Exploring the Lemniscate

1. Take a moment to trace the lemniscate on a sheet of paper, over and over again until you feel the continuity and breath of this form moving through you.

2. Find a picture of one of the inominate bones of the pelvis with the view including the acetabulum. Draw a lemniscate through the ramus and ilium with the acetabulum as the central fulcrum (Figure 1).

3. Apply your understanding of this “informing” lemniscate2 in your practice as follows: Cradle the client’s talar and navicular bones and gently bring these two aspects of the foot into compression. Sense the lemniscate pattern informing the relationship of these bones as you gently feed into the central fulcrum. Wait

Hip Bone(innominate bone)

Acetabulum(articular cavity of the hip)

Obturator foramen

Ischium

3

2

1

Pubic Bone



and feel for the expansion moving out into your hands. Think beyond the pattern. The lemniscate is not confined to the bones you are manipulating. It can be sensed extending beyond the boundary of these bones.

The Torus: A Moving ConstellationNow let’s explore other representationsof thevibratory resonance thatunderliesformbyreturningtothetorus–thedonut-shapedformdescribedbyYoungthatfoldsinto itself endlessly. Embryologist BrianFreeman,PhDspeaksof the torusas theshapeorganizingtheformationofthefossaofthehipjoint-legrelationship.Hewrites:

Detailedanatomicalinvestigations,basedinpartontotal-reconstructionsofadevelopmentalseriesofhumanembryos, havedemonstrated thefollowing positional changes inthe embryo’s lower limb from thetime it first appears as a torus intheinferiorpartoftheectodermalring. Initially, as the limb anlagegrowsinvolume,itgrowth-adductstoward theumbilical cord foldingacrosstheembryo’sgenito-femoralfossa, then it growth-flexes, thebendbeingtheanlageoftheknee.Subsequent embryonic events inthedevelopmentofthelowerlimbinclude growth-extension of theknee, growth-flexion in a regionwhichthenbecomestheankle,andgrowth-eversionofthefoot.Thesechanges of limb position occuroverdefinedperiods of time andtherefore represent theprimordialmovements of the human lowerlimb. In other words, the verygrowth of the embryonic lowerlimb is an early stepping, the so-called ‘growth-kicking’. This iswell-portrayedbyreproducingtheformandpositionofthelowerlimbof human embryos at successivestages, at the samemagnification.(Freeman1988,127-128)

Following thismovement as Freemandescribes,youcanfeelthecirculartrajectoryof a torus as its path shapes the fossa.Youmight imagine the torus as a three-dimensionalweavingofgossamerthreadstraversing inmultidimensionalpaths,yetsharinga commoncrossover spaceat thesimultaneouslydynamicand still centralcore.Each thread feeds intoandoutof acentralfulcrumandthenreturnsbackagain.

In an earlyworkshop, TomShaver,DOintroduced a technique that followed atorus-likepathwayreleasingtensionsatthehipjointandlowerback.Icallthetechnique“pretzelingtheleg”anddescribeitbelow.

Somatic Inquiry: Exploring the Moving Form of a Torus

1. With the client supine, gently stretch her leg up and toward her head and then slightly toward midline. Sense the leg’s relationship to the lower back as well as the flexibility at the hip joint. Bend the knee and bring the leg back to the table.

2. Next place one hand under the lower thigh (above the knee joint) and the other hand at the bottom of the foot. Become comfortable with this hold.

3. Medially rotate the femur at the hip joint as you turn the lower leg (via the foot) into external rotation. Explore the internal rotation of the femur, following the inner edge of the torus shape at the hip. Imagine the knee circumscribing this shape in the air.

4. Next move the femur into external rotation and gently turn the lower leg/foot into internal rotation as you explore external rotation of the femur. To complete the “pretzel,” gently bring the femur further into external rotation as you lower the leg over the edge of the table. Continue holding the lower leg in a gentle internal rotation and continue cradling the foot.

5. Complete the external rotation of the femur without being restricted by the table, and then bring the leg back to rest on the table in a neutral position.

6. Engage the other leg in a similar exploration.

7. Sense changes in the relationship between the low back and hip joint as well as the motility/mobility and continuity from the leg through the pelvis into the client’s back.

8. Repeat this exploration as you sense and feel the shape of the torus guiding you.

Flowing Wholeness: The Vortex RingByintegratingthemotileresonancesofthelemniscateandtorusastheyfeedthroughthedynamiccentralchannel,youwilllikelynotonlyimaginetheformofavortexring(seeFigure2)butalsosenseitthroughyourbodyandhands.Thevibratoryresonancethatyouwill sense is thegoldennuggetbeneathperceivableformandgivesriseto

Figure 2: The vortex ring. (Image retrieved from http://go.webassistant.com/wa/upload/users/u1000057/pages/3007-4984720478c6uGHH0uTt/free energy and free thinking.htm.)

thefamiliarmodelsofgeometrictaxonomy–lines,planes,blocks,andcylinders.

QuantumphysicistBohmtheorizedthattheuniversemustbefundamentallyindivisibleand called it a “flowingwholeness” inwhich theobserver cannotbe essentiallyseparatedfromwhatisbeingobserved.Hetheorizedthat“parts”–particlesorwaves–areformsofabstractionfromthisflowingwholeness (Briggs and Peat 1989, 29).Inhis treatiseWholeness and the Implicate Order,Bohm(1980)suggeststhat it is theenfolding andunfoldingof theuniversewhoseprimalvibratoryresonanceappearsbothphysicalandperceivable.Wearebothparticle andwave.At onemomentwemightsenseourselvesasparticlethroughfocusedattentiononourspecificanatomy,musculardevelopment,efforts,orbracings.Atanothermomentwemightexperienceaflowthroughour tissues thatgeneratesa senseof continuityandconnectivityaswemove andbreathe.Could thevortexringbethefirstprimordialtouchstone,thespacebetweenunfolding and enfolding,likethepausebetweenaninhalationandanexhalation?

Whatweobserveasmaterialbodiesand forcesarenothingbut shapesandthevariations inthestructureofspace.(ErwinSchrodingerquotedinLazlo2008,93)

AccordingtoYoung,thevibratorymovementof the vortex ring ismultidimensionaland reflexive. In otherwords, it is bothfeedingintoformationanddissolvingthatformationsimultaneously.InSanskrit,thisis called spanda and translatesas“throb”or“pulsation.”



Inhismost recentbook,Science Set Free,Sheldrake investigates the phenomenaofmorphic resonance and presents anunderstanding of an informing fieldresonating through time.A resonance isaqualityof reverberation through spaceandtime.Ithas“no-matter”yettransmitsvibratory patterns informing all self-organizing systems.Morphic resonanceunderlies habits of protein folding andcrystallization aswell as the inheritanceofhabitsobservedasinstinctivebehaviorand the transfer of learning (Sheldrake2012,199).Takingaleapintotheiterativegeometryofformation,perhapsthemovingelementsofthevortexringfunctionastheprimaldynamicthatfuelstheorganizationofstructurethroughitsvibratoryresonance.

Purce writes of the appearance ofevolutionary spiral flows, forms, andsymbolsdepicted throughoutallculturesovertheeons.FromEgypttoGlastonburyto the tattoomarkings on Polynesianshamans, a three-dimensional spiralimprintsart,pottery,earthformations,andtemples.Thisdynamicshapehasimprintedthehumanpsyche throughout centuries,acrossspaceandtime.

Once flowing this energymaybring enlightenment and a stateofwholeness: the balance is thestill centerof the spiral. From the(universe)macrocosm toman asmicrocosm, in the center of anyspiral is the calm core throughwhich man passes to eternity. (Purce1974,127)

Somatic Inquiry: Flowing Wholeness

1. Find a comfortable yet upright position for sitting.

2. Settle into the ease and support of your breath.

3. Sense the verticality through the central core of your body.

a. You might begin by sensing the top of your head (the vertex of your cranium).

b. Sense your way through the midline structures of your cranium, the roof of your mouth, your throat, heart, pancreas, and umbilicus, descending through your uterus or prostate and perineum.

c. Experience the connecting relationship through these internal structures and extend your sense of this channel below your perineum through the ground and far above your head.

d. Breathe and soften into the relationships of your central channel.

e. You are this still center within.

4. Expand your perception to include your skin boundary. Explore the interface of skin surface and environment. Sense the porous quality of this boundary.

5. Move your attention from your skin boundary to the field immediately surrounding your body – perhaps twelve to sixteen inches.

6. Notice your breath.

7. Become aware of a subtle resonance, vibration, or movement. This may feel like a breeze or heightened awareness or you may feel nothing at all.

The flow between one’s external andinternalworldisessentiallyseamless.Itisthebreathmovingbetweeninhalationandexhalation. It is themovement betweenimpressionandexpression,betweenbeinganddoing.Itisaninquiryintothecommonunity. It isawillingness tocultivatebothanunderstanding andperceptionof thewholenessthatliesbeneaththesurfaceofthe illusionof separate, individualparts.Whetherwearespeakingofacentralcoreandmidlineor the spiralingflowsof thetorus resonating through the vastness,ourmoving,sensing,breathingbodiesareinformedand imprintedby the iterativepatterns of vibratory intelligence thatmanifestthroughthegeometrictaxonomy.

Carol Ann Agneessens, MS, RCST®, is a Rolfing Instructor and Rolf Movement Instructor. She has been a member of the Rolf Institute® faculty since 1994. For additional writings visit www.holographictouch.com.

Endnotes1.Ataxonomyisasystemofclassification,alensthroughwhichprinciplesregardingacertainclassification(ofplants,animals,etc.)areviewed.

2.Osteopaths and embryologists speakofthelemniscate.InworkshopswithRonMurray,Osteopath (Canada), CertifiedAdvancedRolfer™, a lemniscate pumpis taught. In earlyRolfing trainings,wewere introduced to a function called the“two-way operator,”which identifiedandengaged the lemniscate forms foundthroughvaryingfascialrelationshipswithinthestructure.

BibliographyBohm,D.1980.Wholeness and the Implicate Order.London:Routledge&Kegan.

Briggs, J. and F.D. Peat 1989.Turbulent Mirror.NewYork,NY:HarperandRow.

Freeman, B. 1988. “Newborn Steppingand Embryonic Growth-Stepping.”Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology30(1):127-128.

Lazlo,E.2008.Quantum Shift in the Global Brain.Rochester,VT:InnerTraditions.

Purce,J.1974/1980.The Mystic Spiral.NewYork,NY:ThamesandHudson.

Rohan,J.2007.Functional Morphology: The Dynamic Wholeness of the Human Organism.NewYork,NY:AdonisPress.

Sheldrake, R. 2012.Science Set Free: 10 Paths to New Discovery.NewYork:DeepakChopraBooks/CrownPublishingGroup.

Thompson, D. 1961. On Growth and Form. Cambridge, England:CambridgeUniversityPress.

VanderBie,G.andM.Huber,eds.2003.Foundations of Anthroposophical Medicine.Edinburgh,Scotland:FlorisBooks.

Young,A.M. 1999.The Reflexive Universe.Cambria,CA:AnodosFoundation.



The Geometry of Qi Initial Incursions into the Border Country between SI and Traditional East Asian Healing ArtsBy Chris Hayden, Certified Rolfer™, Licensed Asian Bodywork Therapist

IntroductionAsanovicepractitionerofbothRolfing®Structural Integration (SI) andAsianbodyworktherapy,Ihaveslowlycultivatedan interest in comparingandcontrastingthese twogreatholistichealing systems.My firstmanual therapy trainingwasinAMMATherapy®, aKorean form ofbodywork based in traditionalChinesemedicine(TCM).AMMATherapycombinesacupressure andmassage techniquesappliedonapassiverecipient,withthegoalofbringing thebody’sqi, orvital energy,into a balanced and free-flowing state.Itwasnearlyadecade later that I beganthestudyofRolfingSI,aseeminglyverydifferent approach towell-being,whichrequiredastrongsomaticcomponent.

The“connective tissue” thatunites thesetwo studies forme is taiji (tai chi),myfirst love in theworld of healing arts.Rooted inChinesemartial arts, taiji canalsobelookedatasabranchofTCM,dueto itswell-knownhealthbenefits. I havepracticed several stylesof taiji forfifteenyearsaltogether,andhavesettledonastylecalledYanjia Michuan,which emphasizesnei gong,or“internalenergydevelopment.”Taijicombinesabiomechanicalviewbasedin palintonicitywith the application ofenergetic theory. It then rigorously teststhepractitioner’sembodiedunderstandingof these principles through two-personpractices.ThismakesYanjiaMichuananideal guide and companion through therather forbiddingborder country I havebegunexploring.

IadmitthatmyknowledgeofAsianhealingtraditionsisquitelimited.Asiaisabigplacewith awidevarietyofhealingpractices.Evenwithinmychosenareasofstudy,IamonlyskimmingthesurfaceofwhatIknowtobepossible,what themastersof theseartsarecapableof.Thisarticleisintendedas a starting point, a loosely organizedcollectionofmusingsandscrapsofpracticalexperiencethatmayleadotherstoinitiatetheirownexplorations.ItisnotintendedtorepresentallAsianhealingmodalities,ortobeapracticalguideinitself.

Points of PalintonicityInwritingthisarticle,mygoalistoexploresome aspects of TCM theory concernedwiththegeometryofthehumanbody,andspecifically to compare them to aspectsofRolfing theory.TheRolfingconceptofpalintonicityseemsanidealstartingpointforthisexploration.

The TCMview of palintonicity can berelated to the famous yin-yang symbol,properly referred to as the taiji symbolorThe SupremeUltimate. It depicts thedynamicbalanceofopposing forces thatgovern life, eachnecessary for theothertoexist,andeachcontainingtheseedsoftheother.Yinrepresentsqualitiesofearth,darkness, solidity, stillness, nurturing,coolness, heaviness, and so on, whileyang represents heaven/sky, brightness,emptiness,movement, activation, heat,rising, and so on. Various energies ofthe body are referred to as yin or yangaswell, depending on theirmovementsand functions. The spatial palintonicitysoughtafterinSIisoneaspectofthislargerabstraction,andlikeotheraspectsdepictsaharmoniousinterplaybetweenopposingforces.Taijiquan(SupremeUltimateBoxing)andAsianbodyworktherapybothseektoengenderahomeostaticbalancebetweentheseforces.

Heaven and EarthOnemanifestationofthisisbalancebetweentheupperandlowerextremesofthebody.Inregardtotheentirebody,thetopoftheheadisconsideredyangandconnectedtotheheavens,whilethesolesofthefeetareconsideredyinandrootthebodyintotheearth.With regard to the spine, there isa similarpolaritybetween the topof thecraniumandthecoccygealregion.

Tobemoreprecise,apointatthetopoftheheadcalledBai Hui(OneHundredMeetingPoint), orGoverningVessel 20 (GV 20),represents the ultimate in yang energy.TheGoverningVesseldraws this energyalong the spine to the top of the head.Taijipractitionersaredirectedto imagineGV20being “suspended from the sky,”

or“pusheduptowardtheheavens.”Thispointcanbefoundbyplacingbothindexfingersbehindbothears,pointingupwards,andthendrawingthemtogetheratthetopofthehead.WhenBaiHuiislifted,one’schin naturally draws in slightly. This isobviouslyslightlydifferentfromtheRolfinggoalofgettingtheheadevenlybalanced,andismoregearedtothelengtheningandopeningof the spine so that energymayflowfreelyalongitforspecificapplications.In acupressure and acupuncture, thispoint is often used to sedate excessiveyang energy,whichmay be associatedwithdizziness, headaches, irritability, orhypertension(JarmeyandMojay1999,296).Ontheotherhand,itcanstrengthenyangenergyaswell,andisusedinthetreatmentofhemorrhoids,aswellasforanal,rectal,orvaginalprolapse,whichareconsideredtoresultfromalackofthisupwardenergy;this treatment protocol exemplifies thegeneralTCMconceptoftreatingonepoleofapolaritytoaffecttheother.DuringSIsessions,IhaveusedacupressuretoGV20tostimulateaclient’sconnectiontohisskyresource,orhelptoenlivenaclientwhohasbecometoorelaxedorgroggy.

Attheyinendofthetrunk,wefindapointcalledHui Yin(MeetingofYin)orConceptionVessel1(CV1).Locatedapproximatelyinthecenteroftheperineum,itisagatheringplace for yin energies, the diametricoppositeofGV20.Whileitslocationmakesitararelyusedpointformanualtherapy,sometaijiandneigongpractitionerslearntoaccess it by“pumping” theperineum,letting it expand anddropwith the in-breath, and rise and contract at the endof the out-breath. This pumping allowsinternalenergytobestoredandcirculatedin thebody,especiallyvia theGoverningandConceptionVessels(outlinedbelow).As all Rolf Institute® graduates know,RolfingSIalsoseesgreatvalueingainingawareness of this area.MaryBond’sThe New Rules of Posture,forinstance,containsanexercise relating theout-breath to thegentledrawinginoftheperineum,whichbuildscorestability(Bond2007,97-98).Anearbypoint,GoverningVessel1,locatedbetweenthetipofthecoccyxandtheanus,mirrorsGV20inthatitisusedbothtotreatprolapse(strengtheningyang)andtocalmanagitatedmind(sedatingyang)(JarmeyandMojay1999,295).ThisagainillustratestheconnectionbetweenoppositeendsofthespineinTCM.



Even More EarthIn the feet, the primary location ofconnecting to theyinenergyof theearthisknownasBubblingSprings,orKidney1.Itislocatedbehindtheballofthefoot,aboutone-thirdofthedistancefromthetoetotheheel,betweenthesecondandthirdmetatarsals(JarmeyandMojay1999,295).ThisseemstorelatetotheRolfingconceptofthe“eyeofthefoot.”RolfingInstructorLaelKeenreferstothisgeneralareaofthemetatarsalsasthe“suctioncup”ofthefoot,whichfunctionsasa“coherent,diaphragm-likedome”(Keen2011,22-27).Asoneofthe“diaphragms”inSIwork,thisareacarriesconsiderable importance for thewholebody.InAMMATherapy,Kidney1isoftenusedtogroundthebodyandmind,makingaclientcalmandstable.

In taiji, Bubbling Springs is a site forenergetic “rooting,” a process that canmakesomeoneverydifficulttoknockover,andalsowhereenergyisdrawnupfromthegroundintothebody,ultimatelytobeexpressedbythearms.Thishappensonasubtleaswellasonagrossmechanicallevel.Many schools of taiji emphasize gettingtheperineum (CV1) approximatelyonacoronal planewithBubbling Springs toenhancethisdeliverysystem.Thisisoftenaccomplishedbyeitherlettingthetailbonedrop,orbygentlypushingitforwardwhilesoftening the lowback, a feature of taijithatisoftenrepugnanttoRolfersandyogainstructorsalike,butwhichconfersseveraldistinctadvantagesformartialapplicationandenergeticdevelopmentwhenusedinthepropercontext.

The Central Axis and Its DevelopmentTheConception andGoverningVesselsmentionedaboveformaloopthroughtheheadand trunkof thebody.TheycanbelikenedtogreatreservoirsofqithatsupplythemorecommonlyknownchannelssuchastheHeartandKidneyChannels,whicharemore like rivers. Themajor path oftheConceptionVessel (Ren Mai) extendsfrom the perineum to themouth alongthe anteriormidline, while themajorGoverningVessel(Du Mai)channelextendsfrom the perineum along the posteriormidline, then over the top of the headanddowntothemouth.Placingthetipofthe tonguesoftlyagainst thehardpalate,slightly behind the teeth, completes thisenergycircuit.PractitionersoftaijiandZenandTaoistmeditationoftenmaintainthis

lingualposture,whileRolfingpractitionersuse it tomaintainopenness in theuppercore(i.e.,thethroat).

A commonmethod of building energyis to visualize the circulation of energythrough these twovessels. ThispracticeisknownastheMicrocosmicOrbit,andisa formofneigong.Afemalepractitionerwhohasgone throughsomebasic stagesof learning themeditation posture andpracticing foundational exercisesmightpracticesomethinglikethis(themaleorbitrunsintheoppositedirection):

1. Begininhalingthoughthenose.

2. DrawqiinthroughGV20atthecrownofthehead.

3. BringqidowntheGoverningVesseltotheperineum(CV1).

4. When the qi reaches a point at thesecond lumbar vertebra calledGateofVitality,alsoallowittoencirclethewaist bidirectionally,meeting about1.5thumbwidthsbelowthenavel,atapointcalledSeaofQi.

5. Beginexhalingthroughthemouth.

6. DrawqiupfromtheperineumalongtheConceptionVessel.

7. AstheqipassesthroughSeaofQi,alsoallowittopassthroughthecenterofthe body (approximating the curveof thediaphragm). It again reachesGate of Vitality and loops severaltimesthroughtheperineumandbackaroundthiscircuit.

8. Meanwhile, theqi also continues torisealongtheConceptionVesseltotheroofofthemouthviathetongue,andoutthroughapointbetweenandjustabovetheeyebrows,calledtheThirdEyePoint.

The geometric pattern of this exerciseillustratesastrongfocusonbuildingenergyintheabdominalandpelvicregions.It islikenedtodrawingfiredownfromtheheadandplacingitinthebellyandiscommoninAsianhealingandmartialarts.Intaiji,oneisdirected tobring themindandqi intothebelly.ThishasgivenmetheimpressionthatthereisadistinctfavoringofHubertGodard’sGmovement center (located inthepelvic region)over theG’movementcenter(locatedintheupperthoracicregion)inthesetraditions.Indeed,theG’regionisgenerally considered to be an inefficientplacetocarryone’senergy,asitistoomuch

relatedtotheemotions,whichcanbindandblockqi.Likewise,carryingenergyintheheadleavesonepronetoruminationandbeing“lostinthought.”OperatingfromGallowsonetoact“inthemoment”beforefearandangerarise,movinginstinctivelybutalsowithasenseofconnectiontotheworld. (Technically, the center of one’sfocusisgenerallyabithigherthanG,andis in theneighborhoodof SeaofQi andGateofVitalitymentionedabove,puttingit near the sitting rather than standinggravitycenter.)

Thisisnottosaythattheheadandchestaredisparaged,but that theyare seenasenergetically subordinate to the lowertorso.PointsalongtheConceptionVessel,onandbelowthesternum,areusedtohelpreleasetrappedenergydownwardintotheSeaofQiarea.At thebeginningof someRolfingsessionsIhaveusedmanipulationof these points, along the sternum andupperabdomen,toshiftastressed-outortense client intoamoreparasympatheticstate (my interpretation of the results)and prepare him for structuralwork –“energeticadaptability,”ifyouwill.

A Network of RiversQi is circulated through thebody largelyalongthetwelvePrimaryChannels,whichtendtorunlongitudinallyalongthelimbs,trunk, and neck, ending at the fingers,toes, andhead. This is like a systemofundergroundrivers,connectedtoeachotheratspecificpoints.Alongthesechannelsarethemany“potent”points,usedinacupunctureandacupressure,placeswheretheflowoftheseriversmaybeeasilyaffected.Famously(in our community),HelenLangevin, aresearcher at theUniversityofVermont,hasfoundan80%correspondencebetweenthesepotent points and intersections ofplanesof fascia, indicating thepossibilitythatfascialtissueresponsemayaccountforsomeofacupuncture’seffects(Schleip2007,31).The intermuscular septaof the limbs,forinstance,arepartofthecourseofseveralchannelsandareeasytolocate.Importantlyformanual therapy, these channels alsocorrespondto largersurroundingregions,calledTendino-MuscleChannels,whichsupplyqitobroaderareasoftissue.ManyofTomMyers’smyofascialmeridiansfromhisclassicworkAnatomy TrainsoftencorrespondroughlytotheseTendino-MuscleChannels,andthatbook’ssecondeditiondoesincludean explorationof some commongroundbetweenTCMandAnatomyTrainstheory(Myers2009,273-280).



Directions of FlowTheflowofqiislargelyupwardsalongtheinner legs, through the torsoandout theinner/palmaraspectofthearms,returningthenalong theouter armsanddown theouter legs.Theyinchannelsaregroupedalong themedial andanterior aspectsofthe limbs and torso, and contain earthlyenergy,which rises from the feet to thefingertips (the hands are held overheadin thismodel),while the yang channelsconveyheavenly energydownwardsviathemorelateralandposterioraspectsofthelimbsand torso.SomePrimaryChannelsreach thehead, andothers interactwiththeheadthroughdeeperriversthatbranchfrom them.Many of the channels arecommonlyknownsimplybythenameofaninternalorganthattheyarerelatedto,rather than their fullname.For instance,theArmLesserYinHeart FireChannelbecomes “Heart Channel.” (The use ofcapitalization for organ names denotesa very differentmeaning compared toour familiarWesternunderstanding.Theorgansthemselvesareviewedascomplexesofenergeticfunctions,andincludemental,emotional, and even spiritual processesalongwith physical ones.)While thisabbreviatednomenclatureisconvenient,itsomewhatobscuresthedirectionalflowofqi,whichisanimportantaspectofenergeticgeometry. Scott Pyeatt, in a Rolfing SIneural workshop, demonstrated thatfacilitatingenergeticflow in its “proper”direction according to TCM theory canhaveanormalizingeffecton the reflexesofthelegsandarmswhen,forinstance,aclientisunabletomaintainfemoralflexionagainstresistance.1

Thechannelsflowveryclosetothesurfaceatthefingersandtoes,andhereweoftenseepointsusedfordramaticactionssuchas restoring consciousness or stoppingbleeding.Moreproximally,theygraduallydeepen, and eventually interact directlywiththe internalorgans.Proximalpointsaregenerallyusedformoresubtlepurposessuch as strengthening themuscles ororgans. So thedistal points are a quickway to get the body’s “attention,” and IuseoccasionalstimulationoftheminmySIpracticetomakeaproximalregionmoreresponsive to fascial interventions,whenthe proximal region lies approximatelyalongthesamechannel.

The Mighty KidneysIwouldnowliketoexplorethesimilaritiesbetween Rolfing SI and TCM theorybyhoning in on a channel of particularstructural importance:theLegLesserYinKidneyChannel, a.k.a.KidneyChannel.More than any other, I think that thischannelpairswiththeSIconceptof“core,”at least in termsofwhole-body support.On the surface, it runs from BubblingSprings (described above) at the sole ofthefoot,throughthedeepposteriorcruralmusculature,uptheinnerthighandtorsoallthewaytotheclavicles.However–andthis is avery importantpoint – adeeperchannelalsopassesthroughtheperineum,interactingwiththeMicrocosmicOrbitatthe beginning of theGoverningVessel,and travelingup the spine, through theliver,diaphragm,andlung,totherootofthe tongue (SohnandSohn1996, 84-85).Additionally,theTendino-MuscleChannelrelated to theKidneyChannel ascendsfromthebigtoeandalongtheadductors,bridgingthepelvisattheiliopsoastendonandtravelingalongthepsoastothefrontofthespine,passingthroughthediaphragm,theanteriorlongitudinalligament,andthecoremuscularof theneck, including the

Figure 1: Lesser Yin Tendino-Muscle Channel in the leg (from Sohn and Sohn, AMMA Therapy; used with permission of Healing Arts Press).

longusandrectuscapitismuscles(SohnandSohn1996,101;seeFigure1).IncludingtheTendino-MuscleChannelprovidesamorecompleteviewforthebodyworktherapist,indicating the practical biomechanicalimportanceofthisenergeticpathway.

Fromallofthisenergeticanatomy,weseeapatternofdeep, full-body stabilizationatwork.InTCM,theKidneysaregreatlyresponsible for the strength and healthofthespine,aswellasforwillpower(asin “backbone”).As inRolfingSI, aTCMpractitionerwilloftenusepointsalongthelegs, including theKidneyChannels, toinfluenceandsupport thespine.There isalsoagreatdealofcrossoverbetweenthischannel and theAnatomyTrains’DeepFrontLine (DFL; seeFigure 2),which isusedbythebodyforunderlyingstructuralsupport.Myers himself considers therelatedLiverChanneltobeaclosermatchtotheDFL(Myers2009,278),andthatchanneldoesconnectaspectsoftheinnerleg,i.e.,theadductors,tothevisceralspaceandthenasalarea.However,theKidneyChannelisunlikeanyotherinitsabilitytoconnectthe“core”ofthelegstotheentirespineviathepsoasandpelvicfloor.

Taiji and the Functioning of Kidney EnergyTaiji alsoplaces special emphasis on theKidneyChannels. Besides the focus ontheBubblingSpringpoint, taiji relies onthe rhythmicopeningand closingof thegroin(throughwhichtheTendino-MuscleChannelpasses)byrotatingthepelvisoverthelegs,ineffectsqueezingtheenergythatrises from the feet andcausing it togainmomentumandpowerasittravelsalongthespinetowardthehands,assqueezingagardenhose causes a sharper sprayofwater.This isoften coordinatedwith thebreathformaximumeffect.Sothischannelpermits thedrawingof energy from theground,thetransferofitthroughthegroinandalongthepsoas,andthesendingofitalong the spine on awaveof breathing.Incidentally,theconceptoftheKidneysalsoincludesone’sabilitytodrawbreathdeeplyintothebody,implyingthattherespiratorydiaphragmisalsoanaspectoftheKidneyorgancomplex–theancientChinesewerelessinterestedinanatomicalspecificsthangeneralpatternsoffunction.



Figure 2: An early version of the Deep Front (or “core”) Line, illustration courtesy of Tom Myers.

Toward a Deeper UnderstandingI hope that this short introduction hasserved to illustrate abit of the crossoverbetween theRolfingandTCMvisionsofhealth,andalsoindicatedthedepthsthat

awaitanyoneseekingtothoroughlyrelatethesevisions.Behindtheoddterminologyand esoteric appearance of TCM thereexistsawealthofpracticalinformationforthesomaticbodyworker.Ibelieveitcouldenrichourfield.

Endnotes1.Author’snotes from the class“Neural,Visceral, and Energetic Integration”taughtbyScottPyeattandJonMartineinLawrence,KSin2012.

BibliographyBond,M.2007.The New Rules of Posture: How to Sit, Stand, and Move in the Modern World.Rochester,VT:HealingArtsPress.

Jarmey,C. andG.Mojay 1999.Shiatsu: The Complete Guide. London: Thorson’sPublishers,Ltd.

Keen, L. 2011 Jun. “TheArches of theFeetinStandingandWalking,PartOne.”Structural Integration: The Journal of the Rolf Institute®39(1).

Myers,T.2009.Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists.Edinburgh,U.K.:Elsevier.

Schleip,R.2007 Jun.“Introduction toDr.Langevin’sResearch.”Structural Integration: The Journal of the Rolf Institute®35(2).

Sohn,T.andR.Sohn1996.AMMA Therapy: A Complete Textbook of Oriental Bodywork and Medical Principles.Rochester,VT:HealingArtsPress.

The Geometrical TaxonomySacred Geometry and Its Power to IntegrateBy Deborah Weidhaas, Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Rolf Movement® Practitioner

I studied sacredgeometry1 aboutfifteenyears ago because Iwas drawn to theconcepts, the forms, and theways theseorganize and exist in every living thing.Sacredgeometrytakesoneintowordslikevesicapiscis,tubedtorus,Phiratio,goldenmeanrectangle,Metatron’sCube,Fibonaccisequence,thePlatonicsolids(sphere,cube,tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron,dodecahedron), and spirals.All of theselead straight to the subjects of patterns,fractals, systems theory, tensegrity, andquantumphysics.Tensegrity,accordingto

Scientific American(January1998,48)is“thearchitectureoflife.”

Anyonewhohasstudiedembryologyhasseentheseconcepts,overandover,butinthe living form.Thegeometric shapes inembryological images, and in tensegrity,arehardtomiss, thoughlookingatthreedimensions onemight forget that thesearethePlatonicsolidsofsacredgeometry.InThe Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life,DrunvaloMelchizedek(1998,183)says:“Inthebeginningofyourlifeinthewomb,youwerenothingbutgeometricalforms.”The

ancientmysteryschoolswouldtellusthatthesacred-geometryformsarealsofieldsaroundthebody.

These sacred-geometry forms exist notonlyforhumansbutalsointrees,plants,mammals, fish, birds, insects, and theshellsof crustaceans.Theyalso form thestructure of crystals andmetals. Thisrepetitioninnaturecouldwellbewhythesegeometricformswereconsidered“sacred.”It is said thatPythagoras considered thedodecahedron to be so sacred that heprohibited speaking theword outsidehisschool.

Tensegrity, fractals, quantum physics,systemstheory,andsacredgeometry(andtheirpatterns, evolution, and expressionthrough the physical form) are inmyconscious awareness and in the “fieldofconsciousness” fromwhich Iwork.These



forms are life’s basic building blocks toorganize, structure, inform itself,pattern,integrate, and enliven. I ammuchmoreinformedinhowtoproceedwitheachclientfromthismaterialthanIamfromknowinghow the rectus femoris is supposed tofunction.Ilookuponanatomyasanessentiallearning–similartolearningouralphabet,colors,andnumbersaskids.Thesebasics,however,aretoorudimentarytoguideusin functioning eachday.Youknowyouralphabet sowell that you could recite itwhiledoingthreeothertasksplusremindingyourselftoreturnaphonecallwhenyou’redone.IthinkRolfersshouldknowanatomylikeweknowthealphabet,sowe:1)neednotquestionourknowledgeofit;2)arenottemptedtouseitastheguidingprinciple;and3)will incorporatebiggerprinciplesregarding lifeandconsciousness intoourmapof thiswork.Anatomy, forme, is acrucialknowledgebaseand, at the sametime,anincompletetruth.

Letmediscuss furtherwhat Imean by“fieldofconsciousness”;“inmyconsciousawareness”; “incorporating biggerprinciples”intoourmap;and“anatomyisanincompletetruth.”

I can go into nothingmore than beliefsacquiredfromdirectexperience.Ibelieve:

1. Anatomylivesintheworldofdoing.

2. Structurelivesintheworldofbeing.

3. Eachworld has its own distinctdynamics.

4. Theworld of being/structure is ahigherprinciple,isclosertothetruth,andisdiscerniblethroughapalpablevibrationandquality.

5. Theworldofbeing/structureincludes:consciousness(whichisevolving),thebodyasanenergyfield,andallofwhoapersonisincludingdivinity/spirit.

I believe tensegrity, fractals, quantumphysics,systemstheory,andwhatsacredgeometryalludesto,alsoexistinthisworldof being/structure. These give a higherprinciple of understanding, integration,and complexity, but the complexityof itisthekindthat,whenembraced,actuallyproducessimplicity.

For thosewhodon’thavean innate loveofgeometryas Ido, thebeginning is thexandyaxes, two lines,perpendicular toeachother.Thisgivesustwodimensions,andalso thehorizontalsandverticalsweallknowsowellinourRolfing®Structural

Integrationwork. The third axis, the zaxis,producesdepth,whichgivesusthreedimensions, spirals, andall the concepts,formsandperspectivesofsacredgeometry.

The point of knowing sacred geometryis not somuch that it directly feeds thepractitionerwith a “how to.”Thepointis that it can expand our inquiry andconceptsof:thecylindermodel,the“Line,”multidirectional span (palintonicity), andtheinfluencesofgravity.Forexample,howmightyourworkchange ifyoursenseofpalintonicity,oroftransmission,camefromtheperspective that the body’s sense ofitself,fromwhereitorients,alsocontinuesoutbeyond theskinsurface?Howmightyourwork change if youknew that thephysicalbodyknowsthisbeyond-the-skinperspectiveandwantstofunctionfromit?Howis itsstructureandfunction limitedwhenwe,aspractitioners,embodythattheskinsurfacedelineatestheendofaphysicalbodyandananatomicalmiddledelineatesitscore?

Someofyou,andmostofyourclients,maynotrealizethatwearebiggerthanourskinsurface.Itellaclienttorememberatimewhensomeonewalkedupbehindhimandheneversawathing,neverheardasound–butheknew,beyondadoubt,thatsomeonewas there.Nearly everyonehashad thisexperience,anditprovestousthatwearebiggerthanourskinsurface.

Inmyexperience,wearealsomuchdeeperthanouranatomicalmiddle.Ican’tprovethis inwriting, but I canperceivewhenclients don’t have access to this deepercenter,cancoachthemtofindit,andthencoachthemtomovefromit.Myabilitytoperceive this deeper center comes fromexperiencingit,fromlivingit.Itaroseinmeasaresultofdoingnearlyninetysessionsas aRolfMovement client. I completedthis extendedprocessofRolfMovementsix months before I began my basicRolfingtraining.

Aftermy basic training, I did SessionsEightandNinewithmyTenSeriesclientsjustasIhadbeentrainedforaboutayear.That approach, however, never quitesettleditselfintomysystem.Afterayear,IshiftedmyintegrationworkovertowhatIhadknowninmyownbody,thisstateoflarger-than-skinandacoreorcenterthatisdeeper-than-anatomical-middle.I’vedoneintegrationsessionswithclients thiswayever since.When clientsmove from thisstate-of-being, integration spontaneously

arises.Infact,organizationandintegrationhappensopervasivelyandintrinsicallythatI amconvinced the samecouldnothavebeenachievedfromourclassictissuework.

Thebody’s own innatewisdom ismuchgreaterandgranderthanwhatiscontainedinouranatomybooks,andthebodywantstohave,experience,andexpress throughthesegranderdynamics.Perhaps arisingfrombothmy extensive experience as aRolfMovementclientandmyknowledgeof sacredgeometry, I hold aperspectivethat includes at least twelve to eighteeninchesoffthebodywhileIamontissuestodotheintegrationsessions.Whiletwelvetoeighteen inchesdoesn’tencompass thefullnessofthefieldsaroundabody,Ihavefoundthatitissufficienttoengageenoughdynamicssothatstructuralintegrationcanmanifestandsustainatahigherlevel.

Todate,theonlywayIknowtotransmitqualities of being to another person isthrough guiding another to find andexperienceitforoneself.Thisistrueofmorethingsinlifethanjustourwork,anditiswhyIstayedwithdoingmymodificationontheintegrationsessions.Myapproachtointegrationtransmitstheinformationtotheclient’sconsciousawarenessandactivatesqualities anddynamicsof being that arealreadyinherent,waitingtobeabletoarise,intissuesandinexperience.IamcurrentlydesigningaclasstoteachthisintegrationapproachtoRolferssotheycanexperienceintegrationevenmoresoundlyintheirownbodiesandalsofacilitateitintheirclients.

Fundamentally,abodywantstoknow,andhavedirectaccessto,up,down,front,back,side,side,superficial,anddeep.Aphysicalbodyknowsthesedimensionsexistwithin,butalsobeyond,physicaltissues.Isay,“thebodyknows”becausethatisexactlywhatitexhibitsinorganizationandmovementwhenithasthefreedomtodoso.Therefore,therearesomerestrictionsinthephysicalbody’stissuesforwhichyoumightfindaninterestingresolution ifyouwere toplaywith ideas like:wearebigger than skin;wearedeeperthananatomicalmiddle;ourbodiesareanenergyfield;allmovementoriginates in perception; and geometricformunderlies our structure and innatebodywisdominthefieldofgravity.

Deborah Weidhaas is in her twenty-second year as a Rolfer. In addition to structural integration, movement integration, and visceral manipulation, she is highly skilled in the mental, emotional, and spiritual material that arises for



clients from our work. She lives and works in Los Gatos, California.

Endnote1.Foragoodoverviewofsacredgeometry–includingitsesotericandpracticalroots,structure and consciousness, thenaturalworld, science,math, and embryology –

watch“SacredGeometryExplainedPart1of2,”and“SacredGeometryExplainedPart2of2”atwww.youtube.com.

RolfMap: A Call to ActionBy Richard Wheeler, Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Rolf Movement® Practitioner

Overthirtyyearsago,duringNealPowers’firsttermaspresidentoftheRolfInstitute®,the Board of Directors approved andfundedmyproposaltoattendaconferenceinOxford,England.Theconferencethemewas anatomical surface topography andcontourevaluation,atopicofgreatinteresttotheconveners:surgeonsandbiomedicalresearcherswhoworkedwith patientssuffering from the extremes of scoliosisandkyphosis.

The primary reason for the conferencewasthattheconvenerswereperplexedbythedramaticdifference,attimes,betweenpre-surgery surface evaluations of theirpatients’ contoursand theactual internalanatomicalconfigurationstheydiscoveredduring surgery. Imagine thedismayof asurgeonashecutopenapatienttodiscoverthathiscarefullymeasuredstrutsandrodsdidnotfit,orthattheattentivelypalpatedlumpwasnotL4afterall.

MoiréContourographywas one of theanalytical techniques for surface contourevaluations thatwasbeing evaluatedbysomeoftheparticipantsintheconference.IwasinitiallyveryenthusiasticaboutusingMoiré-based analysis for evaluating theresults ofRolfing®Structural Integration(SI)sessions.However,IsoonlearnedthatwhileMoirépatterns intuitively seem toresemblecontourmaps,at that timetheycould not accuratelymeasure surfacetopographyat the levelof resolutionourSIcommunityneeded.

Early Recognition of Rolfing SI as an Effective Method of Structural ChangeI’dbroughtwithmetoCambridgeacopyof IdaRolf’s “photobook” that theRolfInstitutewasusingback in the 1970s to

showpeople the benefits that could begainedbyourwork.Thiswasan8.5x11-inchmanual, with a blue cover, thatpresented before and afterphotographsofourclients.Ifiguredtheso-called“BlueBook”wouldmakeiteasyformetodoa“showandtell”foranyonewhoexpressedinterest.

Myshow-and-tellmomentcameneartheendoftheconference,overapintofaleintheCambridgepub.Oneoftheconferenceorganizers,asurgeon,askedmewhatIdidfora living; in response, Ipulledout theBlueBook.Heflipped through it slowly,with obvious interest, often going backto lookat an earlierphoto. Hegotveryquiet.Ittookhimalongtimetogothroughthemerefifteen- to twenty-pagebooklet.Finally,helookedupatmeintentlyandsaidemphatically,with a veryBritish accent,“Wherethehellhaveyoupeoplebeen?Ifthesephotographsarereal,thenwe’vebeenbarkingupthewrongtreeentirely!”

Thisphysicianclearlyhadthebestinterestsofhispatientsatheart.Heknewthroughdirect personal experience that surgicalinterventionwas – and should be – thevery last choice for someone whosestructurewas in serious trouble.Thanksto the simple photographic evidencein Blue Book, he saw thatRolferswereachievingphenomenalresultsandthatourmanipulativestrategyhadhugepotentialforhelpingpatientsavoidordelaysurgicalproceduresthatalltoooftenledtoseriousmedicalcomplications.

Onmy return to theStates, Iwroteupacomplete report for the Rolf Institute’sBoardofDirectors.InitIdocumentedthecurrentstateofMoiréContourographyanddescribedhowI’dencounteredenthusiasticinterestinRolfingSIasapossibleadjuncttherapeutic strategy for scoliosis and

kyphosis. I submittedmy report butneverheardanythingback.Atthatpoint,busywithafullpracticeinLosAngeles,IconcludedthattheRolfInstitutewaseithertoobusyornotinterestedinfollowinguponthisopportunityforcollaboratingwiththemedical community. I let the subjectdrop–untilnow.

An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Improved Objective Feedback of SI’s EffectivenessBack in the early days of her trainingclasses,Dr.Rolfroutinelyused“before”and“after”Polaroidphotosof clients togivestudentsandpractitionersmoreobjectivevisual feedbackof the clients’ structuralchanges. I’m confident that all of herstudentswillrememberherinsistencethatwerelyon“whatyoureyesseeandwhatyourhandsfeel”toguideourwork,aswellasherassertionthat“seeingistouchingatadistance.”

Obviously, Polaroid images have theirlimitations.Today, aquestion thatweSIpractitionersneed tobeaskingourselvesis,“Whatinformationwillbestexpandourunderstandingof ourwork andhelpusdevelopevenmoreeffectivestrategiesfortransforminghumanformandfunction?”Inmyview,weneedprecisetoolsthatprovideuswith objective, real-time feedback tohelpusbetter evaluate thevisible effectsof ourwork,bothwith“normal”peopleaswellaswith thosewhohaveclinicallysignificant issues.Both static imagesandhigh-resolutionmotionimagingwillhelpus document the changeswemake instatic contours, breathingdynamics, andregional-segmentalmotionpatterns.

Torecordchange,wemustfirstestablishabaselinebydocumentingtheclientpriortoanySIwork.Asweintroducechangeswithourmanipulativestrategies,weneedto document each session (with beforeand afterdocumentation, since changescontinue to takeplacebetween sessions).This judiciousdocumentationwillmakeclear the effects of ourwork. Thiswillhelpusmovebeyondtheall-too-commonperspective thatRolfingSI simplyofferssymptom relief, aswell as beyond thenotion that SI, likemassage, has onlytemporaryeffects.

I am convinced that this proposeddocumentation would dramatically



improveboth thepracticaldevelopmentandeffectivenessofourwork, aswell asacceleratethefarwideracceptanceofSIbythemedicalandacademiccommunities,aswellasbythegeneralpublic.Afteralmostforty-five years, I eagerly await thedaythatourworkisclearlydifferentiatedfrommassage. I strongly suspect thatotherSIpractitionersfeelthesame.

And here’s the good news: moderntechnologyhasnowdevelopedtothepointthatitcanbeemployedtohelpusmaptheterritoryofthehumanformwithfargreaterdetailandaccuracythantheimagesintheBlueBookIshowedtotheBritishsurgeoninthatCambridgepubbackinthe1970s.Inthenextsectionofthisarticle,IlistsomeoftheimagingtoolsthatweRolfersmightusetodemonstratetheeffectivenessofourwork.

Modern Tools to Provide Better Objective FeedbackAsyoureadthroughthelistoftechnologiesbelow,keepinmindthatallofthesetoolsarecontinuouslyimproving.AlsoconsiderwayswemightencouragefurtherdevelopmentofthesetoolsinadirectionthatwillbetterserveourSIcommunity’sneeds.

• Structured lighting technologyprojectsagridorapatternofdotsoverthebody’ssurface.Thisisthenphotographed.Theprojectedpattern’sdistortions(causedbythebody’sshape)canbemeasuredandevaluatedbeforeandaftersessionstogiveuseful insight into thebody’schangingformandfunction.

• Laser scanningmeasuresthedistortionofalaserbeamoncontouredsurfacestocreateimagemaps.Adisadvantageofthismethodisthatscanscurrentlytaketimeandgeneraterelativelylow-resolutionimages.Whileinthefuturethese limitationswill no doubt beovercome, atpresent laser scans arebestusedonstationarysubjects.

• Stereo imaging uses two camerasor an image splitter to create alinked “right-eye / left-eye” pairof images. These linked pairs canthen be computationally integratedto generate contour maps. Goodthree-dimensional (3D)photographicimagecreationrequiresstereoimagestaken simultaneously frommultiplepositions. This involves a twelve-cameraphotobooth, cablingorwi-fiinterface, and software for graphicdisplay, for analysis, and for output

to printers of various kinds. Oneconsumer-level product, GoPro®cameras,fillstheserequirements.Thedownsidetothissetupisitsexpense:a complete setup capable ofwhole-body imaging can cost $10,000 ormore–notviableformostindividualpractitioners, without researchgrantsupport.

• Ultrasound provides a medium-resolution view of the anatomyunderlyingsurfacecontours.Withthecollaboration of a physician trainedin using ultrasound equipment,CertifiedAdvancedRolfer andRolfMovement Practit ioner SharonWheeler has successfully usedultrasound todocument the resultsof hermanipulative strategies forchangingscartissues.

• Acoustic imagingresearchhasrecentlydemonstratedtheabilitytoimagetheshapeofa roomwithanaccuracyofmillimeters. This technique uses asound source and fourmicrophonescoupled to a computer, enabling avisualmappingof roomshapes in amannerreminiscentoftheecholocationstrategyusedbybats.Thistechnologyoffers the fascinating potential forcamera-free imaging – not only ofroomsbut also of everything in theroom,includingpeople.FeedbackfromtheSIcommunitytothedevelopersofthis technology couldpossiblyhelpshape thedirectionofdevelopment.A short article on the state of thistechnologyisfoundathttp://phys.org/news/2013-06-microphones-algorithm-d-simple-convex.html.

Imagingtoolsarealreadyroutinelyusedbyplasticsurgeonstomeasurepreciselyandtofitprostheticparts. For this, theyuseimagesgeneratedbystereocamerasand3DCTorMRIscansthatarecoupledthroughcomputer-aided design and drafting(CADD)programsto3Dprinters.

AdvancedSIPractitionerJeffLinnhasusedrelativelylow-techcomputer-basedvideoimagingtoproducetwo-dimensional(2D)videoimaging.Adrawbackof2Dimagesisthattheyareeasilydisbelieved,especiallyby those of uswho are over-exposedto advertisements that are obviouslymanipulatedthroughPhotoshop®.

Getting Objective Feedback of SI Results Accepted and Published in Academic JournalsAcademic journalswantdata,notmerelyanecdotes.Thus,harddatageneratedbythekindofmappingstudiesI’mproposingwillmakearticlesonSImoreacceptabletoacademic journals, especially those, suchas the Journal of Morphology,which focuson theoretical and applied functionalmorphology.Gaining greater academicacceptanceandrespectforthedemonstrableresults we achieve will be pivotal inadvancing SI from being perceived asmerely“astrangeformofmassage,”bothbythemedicalandacademiccommunities,aswellasbythelaypublic.Iwillgosofaras topredict that ifwedocument resultseffectively,therewillonedaybeadvanceddegreesinSIatmanyuniversitiesaroundtheworld.OnceSIreceivestherecognitionitdeserves,thiswillbealogicaloutcome.

In Search of Collaborators Rolfidentifiedaverylargeterritory,thehumanbody,inwhichpositivechangesinstructureandfunctioncanbemade.Ibelievethetimehascometomapthisentireterritorywiththebesttoolswecangetourhandson.Oncewehavemappedthisterritory,wecanthenuseourmapstohelpusbetterunderstandtherangeofpositivechangesthatwecancreateinourclients.Thisincludesbothclientswhohave“normallyrandombodies”aswellasclientswithsignificantclinicalissues.

Ipropose,therefore,thatweformagroup–the“RolfMap”Team–composedofthoseofuswithagenuinely strong interest indeveloping and implementing effectiveimaginganddocumentingstrategies.ThepurposeofRolfMapwillbeasfollows:

• Toexplore,refine,andextendtheideaspresentedinthisarticle.

• Todiscover and track thepresence,development, and evolution ofimaging systemsmost appropriateforourwork.

• To communicate with industry(imagingtooldevelopers)abouttheuseof their technology fordocumentingplasticity and structural change inhumanbeings.

• To find sources of funding forworkstationsandofficesystemsuseful



for client andpractitioner educationandresearchprojects.

• To educate the SI community aboutthedevelopment,relevanceanduseofimagingsystemsinSIwork.

• To educate the research communityandthepublicaboutSI’seffectiveness,usingdatafromRolfMap.

The Ro l fMap Team can s ta r t bycommunicating via email and socialmedia. If you are interested in joiningtheRolfMapTeam,please emailRichardWheeler at [email protected]. (Thankyou in advance for any suggestionsyoumighthaveforhowtocarrythisforward.)

It is time to document Rolfing SI’sextraordinary effectiveness in changingbodies and enhancing performance.

Dr.Rolfshowedus theway. it’snowourtime,ourresponsibility,andourprivilegetotakethisamazingbodyofworktothenextlevel.

Richard Wheeler is a Certified Advanced Rolfer and Rolf Movement Practitioner in Ecuador. He is also an artist, musician, paleontologist, inventor, and entrepreneur. He is available to mentor Rolfing students.

The Mystery of the Ten-Series SymbolsBy Anne F. Hoff, Certified Advanced Rolfer™

Author’s note: I am most grateful to Emmett Hutchins, Carol Agneesens, Don Bruce, Jeff Linn, Michael Vilain, and (particularly) Allan Kaplan for all of their efforts and communications to help with this article.

When Iwas studyingRolfing®StructuralIntegration(SI)inthemid-1990s,studentshadclasst-shirtsmadewiththestick-figureimagesshowninFigure1.Wedidn’tknowtheprovenanceofthestickfigures,buttheyclearlyhad some relationship to theTenSeries.Despitethelackofinformation,theylookedcoolont-shirtsemblazonedwiththeslogan“Rolfing–theEvolutionRevolution–GetItStraight,”proclaimingourpassionforourwork.Recently,Ibegantowonderagainaboutthosefigures,andtheirorigin.Idugdeeper into themysterywithhelpfromcolleagues, came to somedefinitiveconclusions,andaddedsomespeculation,allofwhichI’llpresentbelow.

The HistoryIfirstwentontheRolfForumLISTSERVtoconsultcolleagues.RolfingInstructorCarolAgneesens also remembers the figuresfrom class t-shirts circa themid-1990s,and shedirectedme toDonBruce,whohadmade class t-shirts around that timebutdidnotknowwhofoundtheimages.FurtherdiggingbyAgneesensandAllanKaplanclearlysuggestedthatthe“set”fortheTen Series is actually a combinationof figures from two periods (and twodifferentsources),astheycouldtraceonlythefiguresforsessionsseventotenbacktotheearly1980s.Kaplanfoundversionsofthefiguresforsessionsseventhroughteninhisownandotherstudents’notesfromclasseswith bothEmmettHutchins andPeterMelchior [bothwere instructors attheRolf Institute®who laterwerepartof

the formationof theGuild forStructuralIntegration (GSI)]. Kaplan also locatedfiguresforsessionsseventhroughninein“ASearcher’sHandbook”–amanuscriptthatClintonKramercompiledbasedonhisnotesfromaclasswithEmmettHutchins.(Theclasswaspresumablyheldin1985,thedatelistednexttothemanuscript’sopeningquote.) In the “Handbook,”Hutchinsreferstothefiguresas“symbols”andusesthemtodistillthemeaningofthesessions.Figure2showstheseearly“symbols”forsessions seven, eight, and nine as they

Figure 1: Stick-figure images circa mid-1990s (recreated by Michael Vilain, from a t-shirt image provided by Don Bruce).



Figure 2: Symbols for sessions “1-7” and “8-9,” from a student’s notes of a 1985 class with Peter Melchior. Courtesy of Allan Kaplan.

Figure 3: Symbol for session10, from a student’s notes of a class with Emmett Hutchins, date uncertain. Courtesy of Allan Kaplan

weredocumentedby a student inPeterMelchior’ssummer1985class.Thesymbolfor session ten is shown in Figure 3, asdocumentedbya student ina classwithEmmettHutchins(dateuncertain).

With thismuch informationpointing toHutchins, itmade sense to contact him.Althoughbusystartingasix-weektrainingjustasthisarticlewasbeingcompleted,hegraciously respondedwith informationthatdispelledthefirstpartofthemystery:

The symbols [for sessions seven,eight, and nine]were developedduring the teaching of the firstAdvancedTrainingClassfollowingDr.Rolf’sdeathin1979.ThatclasswastaughtjointlybyPeterMelchiorand I.Wehave always given thecredit for these symbols jointly[to] that class event.However, ifwemust give individual credit, IwouldsaythatPeterhadmoretodowiththoseforthe8thand9thhourwhileImighttakemorecreditforthe7thhoursymbol....They[are]standard diagrams and symbolsthough, [and]arestillused inourtrainingclasses.(Hutchins2013)

Hutchinssaysthesymbolforsessionten–wheretheseventh-sessionsymbolisgivenasquigglyline–isoflaterorigin,andmayhave beendrawnbyhimor by anotherteacher. It is not part ofGSI’s standardteaching.1Hutchins (2013) also said, “Wenever developed symbols for the otherhours.”Heseemedtohavesomefamiliaritywithsomeoftheothersymbols,butcouldnotsaywhenorwheretheycamefrom.

IwasabletogetmorespecificinformationaboutthefullsetofsymbolsshowninFigure1from somaticpractitioner JeffLinn,whotrainedatboth theRolf InstituteandGSI.According toLinn (2013), thesymbols forsessionsone throughsix“werecreated inaGSI class sometime in the 90sbecausesomeofthestudentsthoughtthereshouldbesymbolsforall thesessions.”Linnalsonoted,“Inmyopinion,thesesymbols(1-6)addunneeded complexity to an elegantexplanationfor8/9/10.”Myowncontentionisthattheyareinternallyinconsistentasasymbolicsystem,aswillbediscussedbelow.

Commentary“A Searcher’sHandbook” hasHutchinsstating in the session-seven lecture, “Wenow come to the first symbol thatwewillencounterintherecipe....Ifyouareparticularlyobservantduring the course

oftheseventhhour,youwillnotice,abouthalfwaythroughthesession,thattherewillbeasubtleshiftwherethe...symbolwillmanifestitself.Theintegrationofthebodyhasbegun!” (Kramer1985, 158).He latersays,“Wehaveworkedforsevenhourstocreatetheforce.Wehavecreatedacoreandwehavecreatedasleeve.Thesymbol...isoneinwhichwemayperceivetheforceaswehavecreatedit;arepresentationofachargedbeing”(Kramer1985,179).Thus,thefigurereallyrepresenttheculminationoftheworkofsessionsonethroughseven,which is consistentwith the labeling as“sessions1-7,”aprocessof“length-space-stacking,”inFigure2.Melchiorstatedthatthe symbols are “multilevel events” (notlinear) that deliver a lot of information,and that thefirst symbol represents the“intentionsofsessionsonethroughseven,creatingspaceandcontextforthe‘Line’”inabi-polarstructure(Kaplan1987).

Hutchins told Kaplan’s class that thesession-sevensymbolofthecranium,spine,andsacrumwasa“worm”thatyouhadtogetto“relatetotheoutsideworldthroughthegirdles”–workthatwouldbedoneinsessionseightandnine,which“containall

webelieve aboutbodies” (Kaplan 1987).NotesfromMelchior’s1985class,inturn,havehimteaching“sessions8-9areapairwhere you’ll integrate the length youachievedin1-7withfunctionalmovement,”andlabelingthetwosymbolscollectivelyas“sessions8-9”(Kaplan,various).Melchiorstated that “at the completion of thesehours allmovement originates from thelumbodorsalhinge” (Kaplan1987).Withtheeighthandninthsessions,oneisalowersessionandtheotheranuppersession;thusyou“bisectthetwofigureswithahorizontalline”anddo“bothofthehalvesofthetwofigures”ineachsession(Kramer1985,181),againimplyingthatthefigurestogetheraretherepresentationofthesumtotalofthetwosessions’work,abletoexpressintwoformsor energies (Kramer1985, 178).Hutchinslinksbacktothesession-sevensymbolandsaysthatinsessionseightandnine“wearetrying toget symbol sevenmoredistincthere,cleanerandfreer.Ifyoustartbearinginon thegirdles–beingheavy-handed–thensymbolsevenwillshrinkandmaybeevendisappear.Youhavetonurturesymbolsevenwhilstyouareworking....Structuralintegration is the relatingof segments sothattheywillactasasingleunit”(Kramer1985,182).



TheX-shapedfigureHutchinsdistinguishesas solar, represent ing movement ,communicationwith the externalworld,and action from the lumbodorsal hinge– themidpoint of the X in the symbol(Kaplan1987).Healsostated,“Thisfigureisresult.Itisalsothedefinitionofparticle(orcurrent)aswehavediscussed...abouttheelectromagneticfieldsofthebody.Thisfigurehasnopelvisandthereisnoshouldergirdle.Thereisadorsalhingeanditisfromthispointthatallofthisfigure’smovementradiates.Thisfigureisallmovementandallaction”(Kramer1985,178).

For the figurewith right-angled limbs,Hutchins said represented order (top/bottom,left/right,horizontal/vertical;core/sleeve,andhinges)andidentifieditaslunarnotingthatitisnourishedfromtheuniverseandnurturesitself(Kaplan1987).Hutchinsadvises to “payattention toworking thecoretotheoutside...thefigureisseekingunitywiththeuniverse,notisolation,andit seeks integration through the girdles.Thegirdlesarethemiddlegroundthroughwhich thecorewillfindaunitywith thefieldinwhichwelive”(Kramer1985,182).Also, “This figure is stimulus. It is alsothefieldphenomenon in ourdiscussionof electromagneticfields of the body. . .Weseehereright-angledness,andweseehorizontalsaswellasverticals.Thereareallthreeaxes;thereisentryandexitfromthebody.Thisisgettingoneselfinagreementwiththeuniverse.Control is throughthetopof thehead,vitalization through thefeet”(Kramer1985,178).

“ASearcher’sHandbook”doesnotgiveasymbolforsessionten.AversionattributedtoHutchins(undated)isshowninFigure3,whileKaplan’s (1987) classnotes fromHutchins show the same representationwith little lines coming off at angles allaroundthebody,asifitisradiatingenergy(rather than the horizontal lines of themid-1990sfigure).Hutchins (2013)states,“Thewavy line (tome) implies a corestructure free from thegirdles andwithindependent spinalmotion.”A student’snotesfromHutchins’sclassstatethat“theTenthhourintegratesmovementthroughthe joints[,] enabling thebody to stay indynamicbalancearoundtheX,Y,Zaxes,asitfunctionswithinthegravitationalfield....[It] completes theprocess of organizingthebodysothatthegravityfieldsupportsthebody’senergyfield”(Kaplan,various).

Nowtothelatersymbols.NooneIcontactedwasable to saywhat about theTenSeries

the symbolswere intended to represent.Hutchins andMelchior created symbolsforsessionsseventhroughtenthatclearlyrepresent the goals, or essence, of thesessions,inboththeirlookandthewaytheydescribed them in their classes.Lookingat theadditionalfigures for sessionsonethrough six, it ishard toapply the samelogic.Instead,itwouldseemtheyaremorelikelyshorthandforthebackworkdoneineachsession,asmanyshowaseatedfigure.Kaplan and I discussed this in a phoneconversation(2013),referencingbacktohisclassnotes(1987).

• Traditionalsession-onebackworkwasdonewiththeclientseatedonthetablewithhisfeetincontactwiththetableandkneesup, aswould seem to bedepictedinFigure1.Thepractitionerwouldstandbehindtheclientanddogeneralspreadingworktotheback.

• Sessiontwobackworkwasdoneonthebench,withtheclientconnectingfromthefloorthroughtheback,generatingsupportfromthegroundandcreatinglength.This couldbewhat theartistwasdepicting.

• Session three typicallydidnothavebackworkonthebench;rather,itwasdonewith the client in a sidelyingposture.AccordingtoKaplan,Hutchinssaidtherewasnosuchthingasthird-hourbackwork,whileMelchiorsaidthatifyouneededtodoworkonthebench,youmusthave theclientstayuprighttomaintainthefront-to-backrelationship you haveworked onthrough the session. Perhaps this iswhatthesymbolattemptstodepict.

• Backwork in session fourgives theclient access tohis sit-bones, and isto create space in the lumbars andbalancelengthfrominside(adductors,hamstrings).Thiswould seem tobewhattheartistisindicating.

• Session-fivebackwork is tobalancethe psoaswork.As the session hascreatedlengthinthefrontofthebody,youdon’thavetheclientrollforward,but youmay have himhinge fromthesit-boneswithanerect torsoandactivatedpsoas.Kaplanbelieves thesymbolhereshowsthefiguretoofarforward,althoughthearrowsinfrontof thebodydo indicate the anteriorlengthweareworkingtoattain.

• Sessionsixhasnobenchworkasthebackworkisdonewiththeclientproneon the table. This is consistentwiththefigure.

• Themid-1990s symbol for sessionseven adds arrows to the earliersymbol.Kaplan’snoteshavethegoalofthebackworkonthebenchbeingtolinkthetrapeziustothelumbodorsalhingewiththeclientupright,keepingthe head on top and relating largebroadplanes. The later figuredoesstress the importance of the headthroughtheaddedarrows,butitdoesnotdepictaseatedfigureanddoesnotseemverywell correlated. It seemsabetter representationofHutchins’sstatedgoalforthesessionof“intrinsicmovement of the neck muscles”(Kramer1985,158).

• Kaplan’s (1987) notes say that backwork in sessions eight and nine is“whatever you need” with eightbeingmorestructuralandninemorefunctional,withgoals of connectionthroughthefeet,length,ease,mobility.Themid-1990sversionsofthesymbolsforsessionseightandnineaddarrowsof directionality that could conveythe connection through the feet andamore structural sense in “8” andfunctionalityin“9”,butagainwithoutreallymaking the symbols a goodfit as a representationof backworkalone.Perhaps“8”ismeanttoconveyalowersessionwithgirdleintegrationand function through the legs,while“9”expressesintegrationandfunctionthrough both girdles, aswould beachievedwhen both sessionswerecompleted. Thismakes onewonderwhether the artist for these figureswas aware of the earlier explicationthat the two images combinedwerethe representation of sessions eightandnine.

• Session-tenbackwork,perKaplan’s(1987)notes, is “whatever it takes todo the job.” Themid-1990s symboldoesnotseemtobeaboutbackworkalone,butmoreaboutthehorizontalsoneworks to achieve (but depictedonlyinthespine).

ConclusionItwouldseemthat themid-1990sfiguresaddedtoandmodifiedtheearliersymbolstomake a complete series, but indoingso the creatormost likely combined two



differentpremises:symbolsthatrepresentsessionresults(thepurposeoftheoriginalsymbology), and symbols that encodeinstructionsforbackworkduringtheseries.Indoingso,theartistmadearepresentationfor the Ten Series that is graphicallystrong and intriguing (Figure 1), butinternallyinconsistent.

It would be an interesting exercise tomodify the complete set into two forms,eachinternallyconsistent.Thefirstwouldfollowtheearlierpremisethatthesymbolsdistillthecompletedworkofeachsession.Thiswouldrequiremodificationofsymbolsone through six.A second set wouldfollowthe(assumed)laterpremisethatthesymbols represent backwork, requiringmodification of the final four symbols.Thesecompletesetsofsymbolscouldthenbemoreusefulaidsforvisuallearners.

Anne Hoff is the Editor-in-Chief of this Journal, and maintains a Rolfing practice in Seattle, WA. She blogs about Rolfing SI and embodiment at www.wholebodyintegration.com and can be emailed at [email protected].

Endnote1.AccordingtoJeffLinn(2013),inteaching“Peter and Emmett had two differentsymbols [for the tenth hour, neither ofwhich is shownhere]. The symbol thatEmmettgaveusforthetenthhourin1992andinsuccessiveclassesinthe90swasthesymbolofwhathecalled‘thecirclesquared’(which is also the astrological symbolfor earth).Peteruseda linewitha spiralaround it to represent the tenthhour. . .think‘tornadowithalineinit.’”

BibliographyHutchins,E.2013.Personalcommunication(email)withtheauthor.

Kaplan,A.,various.Archivalcollectionofclassnotes, including studentnotes froma1985classwithPeterMelchiorandfromanundatedclasswithEmmettHutchins.

Kaplan,A.1987.PersonalnotesfromclasseswithEmmettHutchinsandPeterMelchior.

Kaplan,A.2013.Personalcommunication(telephone) comparing the Ten Seriessymbolswithhis1987notesonbackwork.

Kramer,C.1985.“ASearcher’sHandbook”–unpublishedmanuscriptofnotesfromaRolfingclasswithEmmettHutchins;passedhandtohandintheRolfingcommunity.

Linn, J. 2013. Personal communication(email)withtheauthor.

The Myth of Rolfing® SIBy Renae Bechthold

Editor’s note: Business coach Renae Bechthold has imagined this dialogue with a Rolfer™ to highlight elements she deems necessary to building a strong Rolfing Structural Integration (SI) practice.

Rolfer:What is themythofRolfingSI?Whydoyousayit’samyth?

Renae Bechthold: Themyth is notexclusive toRolfingSI, but is somethingperpetuated bymany small businessowners, in particular, those providingpersonalservices.

Rolfer:Sowhatisthatmyth?

RB:Here’s themyth – and it hasmanyvariations, but I’llphrase it thisway:“If I’m a good enough practitioner, I won’t have to sell or market myself and people will seek me out – that is, IF I’m good enough.”WhathappenswhenthetypicalRolferstartsoutinbusinessandpeopledon’timmediatelyflock to him – sometimes not even inthefirst fewyearsof business?WhatdoyouthinktheRolferstartstothinkabouthimself?

Rolfer:Thathemustnotbeagoodenoughpractitioner.

RB: Precisely.Andno one is around totellhimto“knockitoff.”Buildingagreatbusiness really has nothing to dowithwhether you are a great practitioner ornot.Plentyof averagepractitionershavebuiltfullpracticesandaremakingareallygoodliving.

Rolfer:Sowhat’sthesecret?

RB: There is no secret, unless you alsothinkthere’sasecrettolearningtheskill/artofRolfingSI.IsthereasecrettolearningRolfingSI?

Rolfer: Not really. To get better andbetter, you learn it, thenpractice it andcontinuously apply it,while improvingyourskill.

RB: It’s just like that when buildinga business or a practice. Business is alearned skill, just likeRolfingSI. It takesinformation,training,asystem–“arecipe,”practice, andanother ingredient I like tocall “universal alignment.” Themyth isinthinkingthatRolfingSIisallyouneedtoknow inorder tomake agreat livingfinancially.YoucanmakeagoodlivingasaRolfer,ifyoualsocombineitwithsound,

foundationalbusiness,marketing,andsalesskillsthatyouimplementconsistentlyandthatarealignedwitheachotherandyourpurpose.

Rolfer:Whoa!You’relosingmenow–I’mnotasalesperson,Ihatesales,Ineverwantto sell anything. That’swhy Iwent intobodywork.

RB: I get it that youdon’t like sales. Idon’t know toomanypeoplewho loveit.However, you cannothave a thrivingbusinesswithouthavinga salesprocess.Whensomeonesays,“Yes,IwanttodoaRolfingserieswithyou,”andthenwritesyouacheckorpayswithacard,thatisasale.Youdidn’trealizeitbecauseyouwerenotbeing“sales-y”andyouwerefocusedonhelpingthepotentialclientwithaproblemandeducatingherona solution.That ishowsalesshouldbe.Inapersonal-servicesprofessionlikeRolfingSI,salesareallabouteducation.WhengivenenoughinformationabouthowRolfingSIcanhelpthem,yourpotentialclientsmakethebuyingdecision.Youneverhave to “sell” them.Are youeducatingyourclientsinsuchawaythattheycanhearyouandunderstandyouintheirownwords?Your job,asabusinessownerwhodeliversRolfingSI,istomakethat process, that system, so consistentand so aligned thatyou canpredict andprojecthowmanyclientsyou’llhaveovera givenperiod of time. There are a fewthingsyouneedtoeducateyourselfabouttodothatwell.Forexample:Doyouknowwhatmotivatesyourprospective clients?Do you knowwhat theywant?Do youknowhowtoeducatethem?Doyouknowhowtospeakto theminawaythat theyunderstandhowitappliestothem?Theseareskillsyoucantrainyourselftodo.Themoreyou are alignedwithyour currentclientsandprospectiveones,themoreyouare connectedwith themand the bettertheycanactuallyhearwhatyouaresaying.Otherbusinesssystemsandstructuresarecrucialtohaveinplaceifyouwanttocreateathrivingbusiness.

Rolfer:AreyousayingIneedtogobackandgetabusinessdegreejusttohavemybusinessbesuccessful?

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RB:No.Absolutely, not.Most businessschools are designed to educate peopleonmanagement skills so that they thatcanbehiredintolargercompanieswithamanagementteam.Asanentrepreneur,youcan learn theseskillsandgetreallygoodat themwithoutgoing into theacademicworld.

Rolfer:Howdo I do that? Specifically,whatkindofskillsdoyoumean?

RB: First, create a gameplanonpaper.Avoid runningyourbusinessby the seatofyourpants.I’msuremostRolfersdon’ttake that approachwhenworking ontheirclients,butIseetheytendtobeabitscattered in their businessdomain.Oneaspect of that is that theyusuallydon’thavetheirbusinessgoalsandplansworkedoutonpapertoseeiftheyhavemeritandifthoseplanswillactuallygetthemtheresultstheywant.Ifyouhaveahabitofkeepingyourgoalsinyourhead,it’snotverylikelythat youwill ever consistently generatea six-figurepractice. That approach justdoesn’thaveenoughclaritybehind it.Tostart,writedownagoodsolidplanofactioncompletewithwritten, attainable goals,completiondates,andmilestones.

Rolfer:ShouldIhiresomeonetohelpmewriteaformalbusinessplan?

RB:Ifyouarealreadyinpracticeanddon’tneedcapitaltostartyourbusiness,thenyoudon’treallyneedaformalbusinessplan.Forthemostpart,theirpurposeistoconvinceafinancier/bankerthatyouandyourbusinessareagood risk.Everyonewhohas cometomewitha reallywell-writtenbusinessplan ahead of time has never actuallyfollowedtheirplanorknownhowtoputitintoeffect.Yourequireabasicbusinessplanwithbasicfoundationalstructuresandsystems.Youcangetbetterbusinessresultsifyoujuststartwithasimplesetofactionsthat youknowhow to take consistentlyandhavethemmappedoutonacalendaroratimeline.Icallthisan“actionplan.”Another approach that I’ve seen literallyturnpracticesaroundishavingtheownercreateandlivebyacalendarschedulethatstateswhenhewill see clients,whenhewillworkongrowinghisbusiness,whathewillprioritize,andhowhe’llmanagehistime.It’slikeamini-miraclestructure.Mostpeoplelackthedisciplinetodosomethingsosimpleandbasic.I’veseenithappenoverandoveragain–havingamorestructuredcalendar can turn aflounderingpracticeintoone that isgrowing. I insist thatmy

clients put this structure intoplace or Iwon’tworkwiththem.

Rolfer:Really?MostRolfersIknowhaveandkeepaschedule.

RB:Probablyforclientsandclienttreatmenttimes.However,Ibetmanyofthemlettheclientdictatewhen thepractitionerwillworkonthem,nottheotherwayaround.Plus,mostlikelythere’snotimescheduledforconsistentlyworkingondevelopingandgrowingthebusiness,onlyahopethattheyaregoodenoughsothattheircurrentclientswillreferthemtoothers.Ineverheardof“hope”growingathrivingbusiness.

Rolfer:Canyougiveme someconcreteexamplesofthesebasicprinciples?

RB: Sure.ARolferwho sets a goal ofmaking $8,400 amonth and charges anaverageof $120per sessionwouldneedabout seventy clientspermonth to reachthat goal.Let’s say there are twenty-twodaysinthemonthtowork,that’sabout3.2clientsperday.Solet’smakethiseasyandsayyouhavefivebusinessdaysandfourhoursscheduledeachdaytoseeclients.Younowhaveastructurewithinwhich$8,400amonthcanhappen.Yourcalendarhasveryspecificblocksmarkedoff forschedulingclientsand,justasimportant,thenumberofblocksinthecalendarmatchesthestatedgoal.Without this alignment and clarity,struggle ensues. In the above example,you have clarity on several things youdidn’thavebeforeyoustarted:1)youhavesomeflatnumbers;2)youknowwhatandwhentoblockintoyourschedule;and3)youhavearoadmaptoearn$8,400eachmonth.Don’tmessitupwithemotionalityordisempoweringbeliefsor lackof self-worth. Those things don’t belong in abusinessactionplan.Anothercriticaltimemanagementstructurethat ismissingformostpractitioners isblockingoff time intheirschedulestoworkontheirbusiness,not just on clients.Another eight hoursperweek, at least, shouldbedevoted tospecificbusinessfunctionssuchaspracticemanagement,finance,marketing,andsales.Blockthesefunctionsintospecificdaysandtimeslotsoryouwon’tdothemregularly.Takingactionconsistentlyacrosstimewhenitcomestothegrowthofyourbusinessisahugelyimportanthabittodevelop.Justlikeyouwouldn’tflakeonanappointmentwithaclient,don’tflakeontheseveryimportantappointmentswithyourselfwhenitcomesto focusingonmarketing,financial, andotherbusinesssystems.

Rolfer:I’mstartingtoseewhatyoumean.WhatcanIbegintodoaboutit?

RB:RealizethatwhatisrequiredtogrowaRolfingpracticedoesn’ttaketenyearstoachieve.Because the structures I’vebeendiscussing are so simple,people tend toignore themwhilewaitingor lookingforthe “real” secret – something so esotericandintellectualitwouldtakeyourbreathaway.Now that’smagical thinking.Thatdoesn’texist.It’sthesimple,thebasic,thefoundationalstuffthateverybodyignoresthatwillactuallygrowyourpractice inashorttime–ifyouarepatientandpersistent.Itusuallytakeslessthantwoyears,ifyouhavetherightguidanceorgettheproperbusiness coaching in systems, structures,mindset,andenergeticalignmentforthesekindsofbusinesses.Earlier,youaskedmeiftherewasasecret.Theanswerissimple,butitisnotalwayseasybecausemostofuslackdiscipline.Ihavealotoffaith,however,inthequalityofpersonthatisdrawntotheRolfingprofession.I’veworkedwithquitea fewRolfersnowand I really “get” thelevelofcommitmentandhearttheaverageRolferhasforherworkandclients.Here’sthe“secret”:consistentlyimplementbasicstructures and systems alongwith thequalitiesoffocus,attention,intentionality,persistence, and consistency. Educateyourself in thesebasicpracticestructuresandgainsometraininginthekeyareasthatwillgrowanddevelopyourbusiness.That’swhatIhelpRolfersdo.Iadvocatefollowinga goodbusiness coachingprogram thatfocuses onperformance and results andkeepsyoufocused.

Rolfer:What’s the difference betweena coaching program and other booksor online services that sellmarketingprogramsorpractice-buildingcourses?

RB:Alotofreallygoodinformationandknowledge is available, but informationandknowledgearen’t enough.Practicingtherightactionsiscritical.Canyoulearnhow tobe a greatRolfer by reading IdaRolf’s book?Coaches help you improveyourperformanceexponentially.I’veneverheard of anOlympic athlete competingwithout a coach.Gaining some facilityaroundbusinessskillsisnodifferent.Mostbusinessownersor executiveswhoexcelandareknowntohavehadverythrivingprofitablecompaniesusuallyhadamentororcoachofsomekind.It’stakingconsistentactionandhavingconsistentfocusovertimethatproduces reallyoutstanding results.ThekindofbusinesscoachingIadvocate

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comes from enlightenedprinciples andfoundations. “Business” doesn’t haveto be adirtyword.You can trulymakeaprofounddifference for others andbeprosperousyourself. Being alignedwithhigheruniversalprinciplesofintegrityandpurposeandservicegiveyouacompletely

Be More Specific and Get More ClientsBy Matt Hsu, Certified Rolfer™

WhenImovedtoSanDiegoin2009,Istartedgoingtobusinessnetworkingmeetings.InprettymuchanyU.S.city (and Ipresumeabroadaswell), youwillfindgroupsofbusiness people looking tomeet otherbusinesspeopleonaregularbasistodevelopmutuallybeneficialrelationships.I’mnotthekindofguywhogenerallylikeswalkingintoalargeroomofstrangers,butIwasnewintownandfigureditwassomethingIcoulddotohelpestablishmypracticeinRolfing®Structural Integration(SI).OnceIgot intotheswingofthings,theexperienceturnedoutquitepositively,andIlearnedavaluablelessonthatisusefulnotjustforthesekindsofnetworkingmeetingsbutalso foryourpracticeasawhole.

Now,let’ssayyou’vetakentheplunge,andyou’reatoneofthesemeetings,andyou’vefounda friendly face. She’s an insurancebroker, andyou tell her you’re aRolfer(though this is generallynot anoptimalway to introduceyourself).Youpolitelychucklethroughthecustomaryjokesaboutvomiting,andthenyouracquaintanceasks:“SowhoareRolfingsessionsgoodfor?”

What is your answer? Think about itfor second.Maybe you didn’t need asecond?Inyourhead,wereyouscreaming“Everyone!”?That’sgreat.Itmeansyou’reenthusiastic!Howeverit’stheworstansweryou can give.What kind of imagedoes“everyone”bringtothisfriendlyinsurancebroker’smind?Ahugeanonymousmassofpeople,ormaybejustamassofnothing.Neither image is particularly helpful.You’reatanetworkingevent.She’saskingyoubecauseshewantstounderstandyourbusinessandhowshecanreferpeopletoyou.Youwantamoreusefulanswer–onethathelpshertohelpyou.Yourresponseshouldmakeher think of someone you

would actuallywant toworkwith.Thisclaritymakesiteasyforhertoreferpeopleto you. If she’s thinking of anonymousmasses because of your answer, youranswerisn’tdoingitsjob.

Now,howabout thisanswer:“RolfingSIisgreatforgolferswhohavechronicbackpain andwant to improve their strokemechanics.”Whatisthefriendlyinsurancebroker visualizing now?Her grumpyhusbandwho spent thewholeweekendcomplainingabouthisbackandhowhighhishandicapisgettinglately?Hercoworkerwho is alwaysfidgeting inhis chair andpopping ibuprofen? Those are two realpeoplethatshewantstohelp(hopefully),andnowthesolutionisstandinginfrontof her (you!). That’s awin-win situationforbothofyou,and that’swhatbusinessnetworkingisabout.Evenifshecan’tthinkofanyoneat that moment,shehasinherheadthatyouaresomeonewhocanhelpgolfersinpain.Shemaybemeetingwithagolferlaterthatafternoonwithalimpandguesswhowillcometomind?

Youdon’talwayshave tobe thisprecise,butyoudohavetobemorespecificthan“everyone.”You can always tweakyouranswerbasedonyour audience and thesituation, and it’s probably a good ideatoworkout a few ideas inyourhead tousewheneveryou’reout andabout. Justmake sure youdon’t get too specific foryour geographic anddemographic area(e.g., “Rolfing SI is good forHungarianhomeopathicdentistswithgoutyrighttoes”wouldbe a terrible answer formyarea,thoughperhapsgreatfortherightdentalconvention.).

Being specific is also important foryourgeneralmarketingmaterials.Don’twaste

time andmoney targeting “everyone.”Billboard ads along a freewaywouldbeahugewaste formostRolfers, but somewell-placedpostcardsat ayoga studio, awell-optimizedwebsite,andafewreferralsfromabusinessnetworkinggroupcangoalongwaytowardslaunchingyourpracticetothenextlevel.

Ifyou’reinterestedinfindinganetworkinggroup in your area, try looking up aBusinessNetworkingInternationalchapteror abusiness-orientedMeetupGrouponMeetup.com.Youmayworry that beingspecificlimitsyourreach,butafewactualclients are better than lots of potentialclients who still have the vague andunsettlingnotion that you throwup onpeoplewithbackpain.Remember,claritymakesactioneasier.

Matt Hsu is a Certified Rolfer™ with a love-hate relationship with technology. He runs the blog at www.websites4rolfers.com where he shares technology-based practice-building tips for Rolfers. He is a co-teacher for Seeing Made Easy, a body-reading class for structural integrators, and has been certified as an NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist and an Egoscue Posture Alignment Specialist. In his free time, he enjoys exploring and expanding his movement abilities by having pucks shot at and around him.

differentperspectiveonhowtodobusiness.That’swhatmakesiteasierandmorefun.

Renae Bechthold is a professional business coach with thirty years of business-building expertise. She is the author of several ebooks on various topics of business growth for holistic-health

professionals. Her programs and coaching style create an environment where owners can grow their bodywork businesses beyond what they thought was possible. Contact her at http://metromassage.net or 1-877-239-0340.

PRACTICE BUILDING


Generosity and Delight As Practice-Building StrategiesBy Brooke Thomas, Certified Advanced Rolfer™

Itissoeasytogetobsessedwithmarketingtricksthesedaysandtobelievethatweneedtomaster everynew shiny technologicaladvance in order to stay current and togrowourpractices.Webegintopanicandtry tohurryupandmaster all the fancynewstuffthatisoutthere.However,Icanguaranteeyouthatyourpracticeisn’tslowbecauseyouhaveyettoreach3,000Twitterfollowers,tomakeyourYelppage,torunasetofFacebookorGoogleads,oranyothernumberofonlineactivities.

IamnotsayingthatIthinkanyofthatisuseless;farfromit.Imyselfmaintainablog,aFacebookpage,andaYelppagejustforstarters. I’ve also takenpart in amyriadofotheronlinepractice-buildingactivitiesfromGroupon® toTwitter to ebooks, etc.ButwhatI’vefoundisthatthesenewtoolsareamplifiers.Theywilltakewhateveritisthat ishappeningon theground inyourrealworldpracticeandexpandthat.Tobemore clear,youronlinepracticebuildingwillmagnify two things. First, if youwere to anonymously poll the last fiftyclientsyousawandget theirhonest,no-holds-barredfeedbackontheirexperienceworkingwith you, that information iswhatwill be conveyed throughany techchannel you choose toworkwith.Andsecond,allofthesetoolswillsimplymakeiteasierforyoutoserveyourpeopleinthebestwaypossible.Butremember,theyaretools,theyarenotthewholestory.It’sthetangibleservingofpeoplethatstillmakesthefoundationofthehouse,anditisonlyinbeingattentive to that foundation thatyourpracticewillgrowandthrive.ThinkaboutDr.Rolf’sloveforsessiontwooftheTenSeries.Sheknewthatifyoudidn’tgetsomegoodstuffgoingoninsomeone’sfeet,itwasgoingtobeveryhardtogetgoodstuffgoingoninhisspine.Samedealhere.Thisisthe“sessiontwo”ofPracticeBuilding,andwithoutit,allelseisatworstmeaningless,andatbestanuphillbattle.

All that said, in this article Iwould liketo tackle thedynamicduo that I believetobe the fastest andmost effectivewaysof growing a practice; that duo beinggenerosityanddelight.Wewilltakeapartthosetermsandlookatthreespecificand

integralpiecestogettingitright:processes,trust,andcollaboration.

Butbeforewedothat,let’stalkaboutwhatgenerosityanddelightarenot–becauseweintheholistichealthfieldlovetodefinethosethingsintermsthatundersellourselves.Yes,I’mtalkingabouttheubiquitousdiscount.Byfarthemostcommonpractice-buildingstrategy that I seepeople trying isgivingadiscountonservices.Thisisunfortunatesinceitalwaysprovesitselftobetheleasteffective strategy. In certain situations –andwhendoneveryrarelyandforaveryshortperiodoftime–itcanbeaneffectivestrategy to discount services providedyou have exceptionally clear intentionandboundaries.But,moreoften thannotit has a negative effect.Generallywhenyoudiscountyourwork, you are tellingyourselfandyourpotentialclientsthatyouareworthless(worthless).[Asadbuttruefact in a culture thathasbeen trained toviewmarketingmessages(ofwhichweallseethousandsperday)withbothextremesavvyandtrepidation.Allofthose“free!”and “cheap!” offers that disappointedpeopleinthepastarerattlingaroundintheirmemories,andyouwillgetlumpedinwiththemevenifit’snotdeserved.]

Itisincrediblycommontothinkthatgiving,orgenerosity, needs tohappen in awaythat removes something fromus. But Iwouldargue(strongly)thatthisis“scarcitymindset”atplay.Whenyoubelievethatyouhavetotakesomethingawayfromyourself–yourfullfee–inordertogivetosomeoneelse,youarebelievingthatthereisalimitedsupplyofgiving.Inreality,truegenerosityisgeneroustoallpartiesinvolved.Itshouldbeawin-winsituation.AsBrenéBrownsaidinherbeautifulbookDaring Greatly,“Thegreatestcasualtiesofascarcitycultureareourwillingnesstoownourvulnerabilitiesand our ability to engage with the world from a place of worthiness”[italicsadded].Solet’susethe ideasthat followinthisarticle toturnupthevolumeonworthiness.

Nowthatwe’reclearwhatwearenottalkingabout,let’sbrieflydefine“generosity”and“delight”asI’musingthemhere,thenwecanmoveon to lookingat the threeareas

inyourpractice thatyoucan infusewithgenerosityanddelightinordertogrowyourpracticeandyourlongtermreferralbase:

Generosity:Operatingfromaplaceofworthinessand“enough-ness”sothatallthingsarecreatedandaddedto from a place of open-palmedgiving.Taken from theWikipediadefinition, generosity “includesthe individual’spure intentionsoflookingout for society’s commongoodandgiving from theheart.”Forourpurposes,Iwouldaddthatthishappensin a way that benefits the greater good for all parties involved.

Delight: Infusing thingswith anunexpected specialness that bothbenefits people and surprisesthembygoingaboveandbeyond.This extra oomph that yougive tothingsbringspleasure and joy to therecipient.

To ground these definitions in sometangibleexamples,wecannowlookathowtheycanbeput touse inyourprocesses,trust-building,andcollaborationstrategiesaspractice-buildingactivities.

Lookingfirst atprocesses, these are thenitty-grittydetails related toourday-to-dayoperationsinouroffices–thingslikeintakeforms,howwewelcomenewclients,returningphonecallsandemails,andhowwesetupouroffices.Processescanseemsoundeniablyboringthatweoftenpretendtheydon’texistanddothembywhateverrotemethodwesetupwhenourpracticesbegan. I invite you to redefine the termprocesses from“the boring/meaninglessday-to-daydetailsofmypractice” to“anopportunity toshowtheworldhowIdothingshere.”

Thelittledetailsareindeedhowpeoplelearnwhatyouareallabout;theyarethereforethefirsttouch-pointyoucanusetoshowpeoplethatyouaren’t justanotherholistichealthpractitioner,butare indeedextraordinary.Peoplereturntoandtalkaboutthingsthatareextraordinary.Youhavetobelieveandbehaveasifwhatyouareofferingtopeopleissoamazingthattheywillbedelightedtodiscover it. Ifnot,whyareyoudoing theworkyoudo?As Jim Jantsch says inhisexcellentbookThe Referral Engine, “Ifyoudon’tfeelstronglyenoughaboutthevalueyouoryourproductsdelivertoexpectthatyourclientswillvoluntarilymakeanefforttoseethatothersreceiveit,thenthereislittlechancethatyouwillevercometodepend

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onaconsistentflowofreferrals.Expectingreferralsisnotaboutyou;it’saboutgettingthecustomerwhat’spossible.Findawaytodetachyourselffromanypersonalfeelingsofprideor self-doubtandget toworkoncreatingabrilliantsystemthat’sfocusedongettingresultsforyourcustomers.”

Nowaboutthatsystem(otherwiseknownas your processes), here are just a fewexamples ofways you can surprise anddelightyourclientsthroughyourprocesses.Iwillgiveyouresourcestomakeallofthesethingsinthe“Resources”sectionattheendofthearticle.

• EverytimeanewclientcommitstoaTenSeries, give thema“welcome totheTenseries”gift.ItcouldbeabookofquotesfromIdaRolfortestimonialsfromyourclients,abookorbrochurewith photographs of people beforeandaftertheseries(theseneednotbeyourown,theycansimplybepulledfromavailablemedia shots from theRolfInstitute®),abookorebookthatyoucreatethatcompilesmediaarticlesonRolfing®Structural Integration, aprintedbook that youhave createdonwhattoexpectineachsession,orsimply a postcard that points themtoapageonyourwebsitewheretheycan download an ebook that youhave createdwhich they can followalong in as they go through theirsessions.Whynotmake this ebookpartdescription(ofeachsession)andpartjournal(blankspacewhereyourclient canfill inher experience aftereach session)?Additionally, if youhaveanyself-caretoolsthatyouteachpeople to use in your practice (forexampleIfrequentlyshowpeopleselfmyofascial-releaseworkonYogaTuneUp®therapyballs),alsoincludethosein yourwelcomegift. Be sure to beattentivetothedetailshere.Handingsomeoneabrochureisverydifferentthangiving thema lovelywrappedgift. Infuse itwith specialness,don’tjusthalf-heartedly chuck themsomeextrareadingmaterialsthatyouhavelyingaround.

• WhenaclientcompletesaTenSeries,sendahandwritten“graduation”cardtohisphysicaladdress.Ithasbecomesoraretoreceiveahandwrittencardthattheyhaveameaningfulqualityformostpeople.Youcaneventakeitupanotchbyincludinginthegraduationcard a link to yet another ebook

they candownload, one that brieflydiscusseswhat’snext,whatpost-Tenworklookslike.

• Make theprocessofbecominganewclient incredibly easy for people.Things likehowquicklyyou returnphonecallsandemails,havingonlinebookingavailable,andhavingonlineintake forms make an enormousdifference inhowpeople experienceyou,andthereforehowpeoplemakeadeterminationaboutyourvalue.Don’tdisregardthesimplestuff!Reviewallofthestepssomeoneneedstotaketogettoherfirstsessionwithyouandseeifyoucan’tmakethosestepseasier,tidier,andmoredelightful forpeople.Note thatoneofthebiggestfirststepsmostpeoplewillhaveisencounteringyourwebsite,somakesureit’sdesignfriendly,userfriendly, clear, and informative.Asanother example, I regularly havepeople tellmewhat a lifesavermyonlinebooking (onmywebsite)hasbeen for them. In this day and agewheremostpeoplehaveatypicalandoverly busy schedules, things likehavingeasyonlinebookingavailablecandramatically impact your clientnumbers. It’shoppingonline to clicka coupleofbuttonsandbookversustakingadeepbreathandcommittingtoagameofphoneandscheduletag.

• Lookatyouroffice through theeyesof a new client. There are somanythings that become invisible to uswhenwe’reinthatroomalldaythatwon’tbe invisible to the client.Withasimpleglanceclientswillseethosethree empty shea butter containersonyourdesk, that overflowing andfalling-apart laundry basket in thecorner,andthetotallackofanobviousplacetosettleinandhangclothesandcoat,andthosethingswillsignalthatyourpracticeishalf-hearted.Scanyouroffice to seewhat changesyouneedtomakeforyourclientstodeemitawhole-heartedpractice.

• Create anevent foryour clients thataddsbenefit to theirworkwithyouandforwhichyoudon’tchargeextra.AsImentionedearlier,Iteachalotofselfmyofasical-releasework,soIhaveconsideredholdingaquarterly“FreetheFascia!”partywherepeoplecomeandtakeagroupclassonhowtousetherapyballstogetmorebenefitoutoftheirRolfingSIwork.Ifyoudon’thave

asystemlikethatthatyouuse,youcanalways justhostaquarterlymeetupwherepeoplecancomeandchatwithyouaboutwhateverisontheirmindsrelatedtotheirbodiesandtheseries(orthiscanhappenonlineinawebinarsopeopledon’thavetoleavetheirhomesand/orcantuneinlater).

Next we’ll look at trust – a rare andcherishedresourceintheworldthesedays,sowhen it’s foundpeopleflock to it andtalkituptotheirlovedones.Togetatasteof this, justgoonYelp.comand lookupautomechanicsinyourarea.Mechanicsareoneofthoseprofessions,likecarsalesmen,thathasearnedlowtrustinmanypeople’seyes.OnYelp,youcanwatchacommunitypassionatelypointingout themechanicswhohaveearnedtheirtrust.

AsRolfers,weworkinahighintimacyfield.Peopleareputting theirbodies and theirhealthinourhands,literally.Thismeansthatpeoplemusthavealotoftrustinusinordertoshowupatourofficesatall,andcertainlyto return.So ifyoucanamplify that trustbeyondsimplybeinganethical andnon-creepypractitioner,yourclientswillgooutoftheirwaytospreadthewordaboutyou.

As an example of using generosity anddelighttoenhancetrustinyourpractice,besurethatyourclientsknowthatinhiringyou, theyarehiringyouas theirRolfingpractitioner and as an unbiased personcommitted to seeing themgetwell. Theunbiasedpartisimportant.Spellingitoutstarkly,itmeansyouarenotbiasedtowardsbeingthepersonwhowill“fix”them,andyouarenotbiasedtowardstakingpaymenteveryweekregardlessofwhethertheyaremakingprogress or not.Clients assumethatwhentheyhiresomeoneforaspecificissue,whetherkneepainoraleakyroof,itistheotherparty’sjobtoa)fixtheproblemandb)taketheirmoney.Sowhatifthereisasnagwithfixingtheproblem?Whatifyouworkon thatkneeandyoudiscover thattheligamentshavenointegrity?Ifyou’relikeme,you’regoing togive the client areferralforaprolotherapist,acupuncturist,andorthopedist.Whoknowswhichofthosepeoplewill get the integrity back in theligaments,butyouidentifiedthattheclientneededtoseeyouforRolfingSIonlyafterhesortedoutan issuebetterservedwithdifferentwork.Sendingclientsawaywillbringyoumore clients.Asanexample, Ifrequently refer toanamazingosteopathwhen I am scratchingmy head over aclientwhoisn’tresponding.Oftenshedoes

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getthosepeople’sissuesresolved,butthefunnythingisthattheclientsIreferremainpassionatesupporters,referringtoboththeosteopathandme.The trust I buildwiththembyknowingwhen to referout andsendingthemtotherightplacehasearnedtheirloyalty.Everybodywins!

Anotherimportantpiecetobuildingtrustwithclientsisfollowingup.Iwouldarguethat in our overly busy, over-stimulatedcontemporary culture, people feelmoreandmorealone,disregarded,andunseen.Thisisparticularlytruewithinthecurrentallopathicmedicalestablishment.Buthereisthegoodnews:yourclientstookadetourout of allopathic care and found theirwaytoyou!Sowhynotshowthemhowyou’redifferentbymakingthemfeelseenandheard.Other thanbeingattentive insessions,anicewaytodothisistofollowupwiththemfromtimetotimeviaemail.Asourmuch-too-muchculturehascreatedthechronicallyoverflowingemailinbox,don’toverdoit,butreachingoutonoccasiontosend a personalized and relevant emailasking a client how she is sinceher lastsession(withnomentionofbookingwithyouagain–this isaboutmakingherfeelattendedto,notsoldto)candoaworldofgood for trust-building.Acolleaguewhomadethisaregularpartofherpracticesaidthatanunexpectedsideeffectwasreceivingstunningtestimonialsbackfromthepeopleshecontacted.(Ofcourse,askyourclientsforpermission toput the testimonials inyourmarketingmaterials.)

Isavedmyfavoriteforlast:collaboration.Ifyouwanttogrowyourpracticelikewildfire,fallinlovewithcollaborating.Whenwearetryingtogrowourreferralnetwork,mostofuslookaroundatallthethrivingandlike-mindedbusinessesinourcommunitiesandthink,“HowcanIgetthemtorefertome?”Ifyouinsteadask,“Iwonderwhatwecouldallbuildtogether?”,orsimply“HowcouldIcontributetowhatthey’reupto?”,ittakesonamuchmorelight-hearted,playful,andindeeddelightfulfeeling.Inwhatisoneofmyfavoritearticlesoftheyearsofar,“10ReasonsWhy2013WillBe theYearYouQuitYourJob”(onlineatwww.techcrunch.com),JamesAltucherwritesabouthisownprocessaroundcollaboration:“ItstartsthemomentIwakeup:‘WhocanIhelptoday?’Iask thedarknesswhenIopenmyeyes.‘Whowould you haveme help today?’I’masecretagentandI’mwaitingformymission.Readytoreceive.Thisishowyoutakebabysteps.Thisishoweventuallyyou

runtowardsfreedom.”Herearesomewaysyoucangenerouslycollaborateyourwaytoafullpractice:

• Let’ssaythereisagroupofpractitionersin your community who you arealways hearing good things aboutandwhose radar youwould loveto be on so that they could refer toyou. Insteadof contacting themandproposing a networkingmeet up,proposeamonthly soupclubwhereonememberhostseachmonthandyouchat aboutwhatever’sonyourmindinyourpracticesasawayofhelpingoneanotheroutofwhatcanoftenbethe lonelinessofprivatepractice.Orperhapsyoumakeitamonthlybodynerdmeet upwhere onemembergivesabrieftalkeachtimeaboutwhatthey’recurrentlyfascinatedbyinthehumanbody.Creatingathemedreasontohangoutiscertainlymoregenuineandcompellingthanhandingoutyetanotherbusinesscard.

• Createablogorwebsitethatcompilesposts fromall theholisticpeople inyourtown.Inthiswayitbecomesanaggregate ofwhat’s goingon in theholistichealthcommunitylocaltoyou,whichwillmakeitamuchmorewidelyusedresource than if itwere just foryourpractice.Theeffectisthatyouaregrowing traffic for everyone, andasthecreatorandhostofthiscommunityyouarecertainlygiventop-dogstatus.Isitabunchofextrawork?Yes!Alotof it!But if that seemsnaturally funandcompellingtoyou,thesideeffectoftakingitonwillbeamuchbusierprivatepracticeforyou.

• Ifyoualreadymaintainawebsiteorblog, interviewotherpractitioners inyourtowntobothhighlightthemandtohavethemaddevenmorevaluetoyour clients. For example, is there ahealthypersonalcheforanaturopathwhotalksaboutcleaneatingalot?Havehimcontributetoyourblogapieceoneating for chronicpain.Your clientswillbenefitfromanewperspectiveonwhattheyareworkingtoresolve,theotherpractitionerwillbehonoredtobefeatured,andyoumakeyourwebsiteamorevaluableresourceforeveryone.

• Youcouldalsocollaborateonaprojectwithotherpractitioners,likecreatingan ebookon resolving chronicpainthathaschapterswrittenbyyourlocal

communities’ topholisticproviders,eachgivinghisorhertakeonhowbesttoaddressit.Youwriteonstructuralintegration,thenaturopathorpersonalchefwrites on an anti-inflammatorydiet,theacupuncturistwritesonhowChinesemedicine views the issue,etc.Onceyouhave it completed, allparticipatingpractitioners can offeritasafreeorpaiddownloadontheirwebsites, so that it becomes a localresourcethatismorewidespread.

Inconclusion,embracingagenerousanddelight-full practice-building strategyshould takemuch of the drudgery outofgetting thewordoutaboutyourworkand can often send you into new andunexpected adventures, not tomentionaverybusypractice.Asyou infuseyourpracticewithmoregenerosityanddelight,youwilloftenfindthesequalitiesinyourlifemuchmoreoftenaswell.IwillclosebygoingbacktoquoteAltucher’sarticleagain,forhesaysitmuchmoreeloquentlythanI can:“Becomeabeaconofenhancementandthen,whenthenightisgray,alloftheboatswillmovetowardsyou,bringingtheirbountifulriches.”

ResourcesEbooks:Tomakeabookorebook,Ihirea designer to lay it out andmake it asnazzyPDF.Youcandothesame,oryoucancheckouttheprintedbookandebookcreation options atwww.lulu.com andwww.blurb.com

Online booking: I use Google’s freeand easy option,www.youcanbook.me.Anothergoodoptioniswww.fullslate.com/.

Online intake forms:Thesecanbeeasilycreatedatwww.wufoo.com

Websites and blogs: Tomake sureyourwebsite iswowing your potential andcurrent clients, and tokeep it frombeingapain toupdateor overlypricey, eithercreatea siteatwww.squarespace.com,ormakeaWordpresssite(myfavoriteoptionand themost flexible one).You canvisitwww.wordpress.org to get started andwww.woothemes.com togrababeautifultemplatethatcanbepoweredbyWordpress.

Brooke Thomas has practices in New York, NY and New Haven, CT. She also runs the practice-building course and community Practice Abundance at www.practiceabundancecourse.com. It’s the marketing-phobe’s guide to growing a thriving wellness practice!

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How to be Found Online What You Need to Know About Websites and SEOBy Lu Mueller-Kaul, Certified Rolfer™, Rolf Movement® Practitioner

IntroductionMarketing has changed in the past tenyears–somuchandsorapidlythatformerexpertshavenouseoftheirvastexperienceany longer. It used to be the companyreachingouttoprospectiveclients,tryingtogetitsinformation,logo,andanattractiveofferinfrontofasmanypeopleaspossible,hopingthatsomemightfollowthe“call-to-action”andpickupthephoneorvisitthelocation.Nowtheprospectisreachingout,tryingtofindinformation.Marketingnowisaboutmakingsurethatwhensomebodyis looking forus,we’rebeing found.ThebiggestmistakethatIseeRolfersmakeintheirmarketing is that theirads talkonlyaboutRolfing®Structural Integration (SI)...asdotheirwebsitesandtheirprofileson socialmedia.Mostpeopledon’t evenknowtheyneedaRolfer,sopartofbeingfoundisdiscoveringwhatsomebodymightbelookingforintheirsearch.[Idogettheoccasionalclientwhofoundmeonrolf.org,and those aremy favorites: theyalreadyknowtheywantRolfingSI,soIdon’tneedto explainmuch.But those are too rare.Theydon’tpaytherent.]Thisarticleshowsyouhowyoucanbefoundonlineeasilybyspendingtimeonyourwebsiteandgeneralonlinepresence.

Likeall therapeuticprofessionals,Rolfershave ahard timemarketing themselves.When facedwith difficulties,wemakeexcuses: “It’sallword-of-mouthanyway”or“Inmyareapeopledon’tknowaboutRolfing SI, so it’s been slow building abusiness.”We do our best to educatepeopleaboutRolfingSI,perhapsbygivingdemonstrations. It’s important toget thewordout,andmeetingpeopleface-to-faceisanecessity,but it’s a frustratingly slowwaytobuildaclientele,anditonlyworkswithpeoplewhohaveheardaboutRolfingSIandarealreadycurious. Ifyousaw inthenewspaperthatsomebodywasgivingatalkabout“Kauling,”anditseemedtobehealth-related, and supposedlygood foryou,good for everybody,wouldyougo?Probablynot,unlessyou’dheardthetermbefore.Investinginyourwebsiteisabetterapproachthanpayingfornewspaperads.Peoplewhoreadthepaperwantthenews,

notbodywork,butpeoplewhosearchfor“deep bodywork inX-Town”wantyou.Theyjustdon’tknowityet.Thisiswheresearchengineoptimization(SEO)–themostimportantmarketingtoday–comesin.

Understanding SEOSEOmeanscreatingand improvingyourwebsite so it can be easily found byGoogle™,Yahoo!®,Bing™,andothersearchengines. (Below, Iwill stick towriting“Google”whenImeansearchengines ingeneral;70%ofallinternetsearchesintheU.S.aredoneonGoogle,andintheU.K.it’saround90%.)Allsearchenginesusearanking systemtodeterminewhattopsthelist of search results, and theyprimarilyusekeywords(whatyoutypeintothesearchwindow) toretrieve the information.TheSEOprocess optimizes yourwebsite forkeywordsearches.

The idea is touseSEOtomoveyoursiteupintherankingsofsearchresults.You’veseenendlessspamemailsthatpromisetogetyouonpageoneonGoogle,andyouknow fromyour own searches that youhardlyevergotothesecondpageofsearchresults.SoyouhavetomakesureyoursiteshowsuponpageoneforkeywordsthatcangetpeopleinterestedinRolfingSI.

Inessence,ahighrankinsearchresultsisgiven topages thatexplain thekeyword,and focuson thekeyword.There is a lotmore that influences ranking, and that’swhat SEO expertsworkwith (or claimto). FortunatelyGoogle gets smarter allthetime,andcheapSEOtricksandscamsgetpenalizedwithlowranks.That’sgoodnewsforus,sincewe’renoexperts–allwehavetodoiswritegoodcontent,whichI’lldetaillater.

Nowyou’llprobablysaywhatIsaidthreeyearsago: “Mywebsite is optimized! If Isearch forRolfingSI, I’m right there, onpageone!”That’sgreat,and thatwillgetyou found by peoplewho know aboutRolfingSI.Butwhataboutthepeoplewhowantbodyworkwhodon’t type“RolfingX-Town” in the searchbar? If you’renotoptimized,you’llmissoutonthemajorityofpeoplewhohaveneverheardofRolfing

SI – and theymissouton thework thatcouldchangetheirlives.

Nowmy new clients – 60% of themfindme online – come in after typingsearchkeywords likeassisted stretching,neuromuscular therapy,andacupuncture for back pain.ThefirsttimetheyeverhearaboutRolfingSIisonmywebsite.Potentialclientsdon’tknowquitewhattheywant,sodon’thesitatetousethekeywordmassage.Becausesomanypeoplearefamiliarwiththemassageindustryingeneral,youshouldbeabletorankwellformassage x-townoratleastforyourZIPCode™.

Getting It DoneReadytotakethefirststeptowardallowingyourfutureclientstofindyouonline?Thenext sectionwill guideyou through thekeyaspectsofanoptimizedwebpresence.

Set Up a Website and/or BlogYouneedaplacethatyoucancontrolontheInternet,whereyoucanaddthecontentthatwillallowGoogletohelppeoplefindyou.Makesurethatyoucanmakechangestoyourwebsiteandaddnewpageseasily.Ifyoudon’thaveawebsite,orit’sonethatyou can’t changewithout paying yourwebmaster,make a blog (wordpress.orgmakes that easy)or askyourwebmasterto add a blog to your site. Justmakesure thatyou can setupnewpages andmake changes to themasyouplease. It’simportanttoupdateyoursiteorblogoftenbecausesearchengineswanttohaverecentinformation.Atleastonceperweekmakesomelittlechanges,postapicture,changethewords,oraddinformation.Ifyoudon’tliketechnology,learnitanyway–therearemanyfree tutorials,videos,andpodcastsavailable.Asabusinessownertoday,youhavetoknowhowtoupdateyourwebsite.Ifyoureallydon’twantto,hiresomebody.

As an example of aweb presence thatwas inexpensive to produce that stillgives good results in searches, look atmy blog – www.balanceorlando.com/Lu.Mywebsitewww.balanceorlando.com is an example of amore expensivedesign. If you’re looking for decentlypriced professional help, I recommendwww.CT-Social.com,they’vebeenextremelyhelpfulformysite.OurcolleagueMattHsucanalsobuildyouabeautifuldesign;seewww.websites4rolfers.com.

Asyoubuildyoursiteyou’llneedtheusualpagesthatexplainwhoyouare,whatyourbusiness is about,whatRolfingSI is and

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howitcanhelppeople,andhowyoupriceyoursessions.LookupotherRolfersandseewhat theyhave, butdon’t copy andpaste–notonlyisitunethical,itcanhurtyour search ranking. Please don’t thinkthat posting your rateswill discouragereaders from calling – it’s the opposite.Yourprospectiveclientswanttoknowwhattoexpect.

Make a List of KeywordsNow get more specific, identifyingkeywordsthatyourprospectsmighttypein a searchwindow.Youwant tomakesureyougetfoundwhensomebodyusesthem.Askyour friendsand familywhattheywouldtypeintoasearch1)iftheyhadchronicmusclepain;2) if theywantedtoimprovetheirperformanceasathletes;and3)iftheywereconcernedaboutpostureandaginggracefully.Here’ssomeideas:back pain, therapy for chronic pain,posture stretching, neuromuscular massage,trigger point massage,help for stiff back,posture therapy,myofascial massage,myofascial release.Youcanalsousetermslike acupuncture and chiropractic (seenextsection).YoucanfindmorekeywordsthroughonlinetoolslikeGoogleAdWords’KeywordPlanner. Just startby typing insomething simple, likemassage therapyanditwillbringuprelatedtermsthatareoftenusedinsearches.

Write Good ContentContent is themost important factor insearch-engineranking,anditiswhatIfocuson,eventhoughotherfactorsalsoimprovesearch results.Good content is achievedprimarily bywriting relevant content tomatchthekeywords.Thetitleofthewebpage or blog post should include thekeyword,andtheyshouldshowupagaininthefirstfewsentences.YoucanstillwriteaboutRolfingSI–justincludeyourotherkeyword. For example, your titles couldbe“IsRolfingSI theSameAsMyofascialRelease?”,“RolfingSIandAcupuncture”,and“HowRolfingSI ImprovedmyYogaPractice”forkeywordsmyofascial release,acupuncture,andyoga.

Alsomention your location often! Forexample,with thecontentbelowyougetsearchresultsifpeopletypeindeep tissue massage x-town,ordeep tissue x-town.

Are you looking for adeep formofmassage in x-town?Haveyouheard about Rolfing StructuralIntegration? It is an alignment-

centered form of bodywork thatutilizesmovement education incombination with deep-tissuestrokes.

You can still point out later in the entrythatRolfingSIisnotamassagetechnique,butaholisticsystem.Remember,firstyouneed to get people’s attention – peoplewhodon’tknowtolookfor“RolfingSI”intheir searches.Manyprospectshavehada great experiencewith awell-educatedmassagetherapist,andnowthey’retryingtofindanother.Ifyoudon’tusetheword“massage,”theymayneverfindyou!

In your search for content, donot copyandpasteverbatim–itwillbepenalized.Search engines are looking for originalcontent, so if the sameparagraph showsup on different sites, the ranking goesdown. Feel free to look aroundmy sitewww.balanceorlando.comandusewhatyoulikeforinspiration–justmakesurethatyourewordit,andpleasementionmysiteasasource(seethesectiononlinksbelow).Ifyouareuncomfortablewithwritingyourownblogorwebsitecopy,youcanhireacopywriter (feel free to contactme for areferral to onewhohas experiencewithRolfingSI-relatedtopics).

LinksSearch engines love links – they are the“word-of-mouth”oftheinternet.Ifanotherbodywork-themedsiteislinkingtoyours,Google adds points for your site, andconsiders you influential on the topic ofbodywork.Alinktoyoursiteonapagethatsellsjewelryisstillbetterthannothing,butnotashelpfulasalinkfromMassage Today,forexample.SEOexperts(andmanywhocallthemselvesexpertstodeceiveyou)alsotry togetother sites to link toyour site.Haveyouevergottenemailsthataskyoutoputlinkstotheirsitesonyoursite?That’ssomebodyworkingonSEO.Onyourownsite,youcantootyourhornalldaylong,butifsomeoneelserecommendsyou,ithasalotmorevalueforranking.

Agoodwaytoget links toyourpages issocial-media engagement.BypostingonTwitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn,Google+andothersites,yougetyourlinksinfrontofpeople.Andbybeingsupportiveof theirposts –by seeing the “social” insocialmedia –you’ll get thosepeople touseyour links,whichwill improveyourranking onGoogle.And of course, youshouldkeepyour listingon rolf.org.TheRolf Institute® site is verywell ranked

byGoogle, and the link from rolf.org toyourwebsiteorblogisgoodforyourownranking.Andasyouunderstandnow,ifyouareusingmycontentasasource,yourlinktomysiteisgoodforbothofus,andanice“thankyou”forme.

ConclusionThesefourstepswillgiveyouagoodstartinSEO.Ifyousearchforblogsandarticlesabout SEOonline, you’llfinda lotmoreinformationaboutwhatyoucandoyourself–orabouttheexpertsyoumightwanttohire.Letme and the Journal’sEditor-in-Chiefknowifyou’reinterestedinfollow-uparticlesonsocialmedia,especiallyTwitterandGoogle+.Icanbereachedforquestionsat [email protected] letmeknowhowyou’re doing; I love gettingfeedback!

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In MemoriamStructural Integration: The Journal of the Rolf Institute® notes the passing of the following member of our community:

Gerry Allard, Certified Advanced Rolfer™


Controversial Marketing: Wrestling with Groupon®

By Jazmine Fox-Stern, Certified Rolfer™

ContextLikemostRolfers,Iwasnotdrawntothiscareer out of an entrepreneurial spirit.The decisions involved in managingandmarketing abusiness invitednearlyparalyzinganxiety.IfIcouldhavegraduatedfromtheRolfInstitute®andfoundajobasaRolferatsomebodyelse’spractice,Iwouldhavedoneit.IfallIhadtodowasshowupandpracticetheTenSeriesontentotwentyclients eachweek, Iwould gladly haveearnedamere thirdof thegoingrate forRolfers.Ifsuchjobsdidexist,Iwasunabletofindthem.

AftercompletingmybasictraininginJuly2010,IspentfourteenmonthstryingtofindclientsinBoulder,Colorado.Althoughthequality ofmyworkpleased clients,mybusiestweekshadonlysixappointments,mosthadonlyoneortwo,andthenumberswerenotgrowing.This schedule sappedmyconfidenceandleftmeindebt.Whenmysweetheart’scareerledustotheBostonarea,Iwasexcitedfortheopportunitiesofabiggercity.Evenso,Iwouldbestartingoutwithnoconnections,minimalconfidence,andnomoneytoinvestinadvertising–allinacitywithhighrentandfewpeoplewhohadheardtheword“bodywork,”muchlessRolfing®StructuralIntegration(SI).

Into this context entered Groupon.Arepresentative calledme a fewweeksafter I registeredmybusiness inBoston.For no initial investment, the companywould design a descriptive ad formeandputitintothephonesandinboxesoftensof thousandsof locals.Theprospectthat Iwould receive a thirdofmy shareof the sales aweek after thepromotionwas announcedgaveme the security ofknowing I couldpaymy rent. Thedealcouldalsoboosttraffictomywebsite,raisemyGoogle™search rating, andgivemeadditional opportunities todemonstratethevalueofmyworktoclientswhomightcontinue at fullprice andperhapsmakereferrals. For thesebenefits, IwashappytofacethedownsidesofGroupon,againstwhichIhadbeenaggressivelycautionedbymyfellowRolfers.

The ContractGroupon’sprimarybusinessmodel is toemail adaily localdeal to its thousandsof subscribers (more than 200,000 in theBoston area). Subscribershave a limitedamountoftime(usuallyonetofourdays)topurchase thedeal coupon through theGrouponwebsite. The coupon can beusedinelectronicformonasmartphoneortablet,orbeprintedout.Atthetimeofservice,the“merchant”(thebusinessthatisofferingthedeal,deliveringthegoodsandservices thatGrouponadvertises) enterstheredemptioncodeoffthecouponontheGroupon-merchantwebsite, so that thatcouponwon’tbeusedagainor refundedbyGroupon.IftheclienthastheGrouponapp,thecouponcanalsoberedeemedonthe client’s smartphonewith twobuttonclicks,notypingnecessary.

Groupon has a standard contract formerchants:customersbuyyourserviceathalformoreoff;Groupontakeshalfofthatmoney,andalsosubtracts thecreditcardfees for all the salesoutofyourportion.Oneday after thedeal offer expires, thecompanycalculateshowmuchyourdealhasbroughtinandsendsyou33%.Another33% is sent amonth later, and thefinal34%,minusanyrefunddeductionsissentamonthafterthat.(Therefunddeductionsis “an amount two times the total valueof all refunds actuallypaidbyGrouponpriortotheThirdPaymentDate.”)Ifanyof the reservedmoney remains after theagreement expires, you are sent anotherpayment. If, on the other hand,morecustomersget refunded than theamountofmoney reserved,Groupon covers thecosts.Inmycase,forexample,inthefirsttwomonthsaftermydealwasadvertised,one personwho bought a $69 coupongot a refund fromGroupon rather thanredeemingthecoupon.Therefore,Groupontook$138outofmyfinal34%payment.Ifnooneelsehadrequestedarefund,Grouponwouldhavemailedme$69attheendoftheyear-longcontract.Sinceeightotherpeopledideventuallygetrefunded,Ididnotgetafourthpayment,butneitherdidIhavetopayforthoserefunds.

PeoplewarnedmeaboutthelossofcontrolovermymessagewhenusingGroupon,butIfoundthecollaborationhighlyfunctional.Iwas clear about trademark rules, andwhenasked for information touse in anad, Isimplydirectedthecompanytomywebsite.GrouponcameupwithanadthatIthoughtwasaccurate,inviting,andfunny.Icouldneverhavedonethatonmyown.Iwasalsoallowedtomakealasteditbeforeitwaspublishedtoensurethattherewouldbenomisrepresentation.

Sincemy contractwithGroupon endedDecember27,2012,customersarenolongerabletousethe“promotionalvalue”ofthecoupon theypurchased.Most customersignoretheseexpiredcoupons,buttheyarecontractuallyallowedredeemthecouponfortheamountpaid.Forexample,peoplepaid $69 for a coupon, redeemable for asingleRolfing sessionwithme,which isusuallypriced at $140.That couponhasnowexpired,buttherearestillthirty-onepeople out there somewherewho couldclaima$69 credit atmybusiness,whichmeanstheycouldgetaRolfingsessionbypayingme$71atthetimeofservice.Therearealsothirtypeoplewhopurchasedthreesessionsat $189whohavenot redeemedtheir coupons. So far, only one personcalledtoaskwhethershecouldstillredeemher expired coupon for three sessions. Iexplainedthatthecontractwouldhavemeofferheronesessionplusanotherathalfoff, but that Iwould let her redeem thecoupon for two sessions. She respondedwithgratitudeandreliefand isplanningtocompletetherestofaTenSeriesatmyregularrate.Asofthewritingofthisarticle,thedateofherthirdappointmenthasyetto takeplace, so suchplans are far fromguarantees.Evenso,Ifeelgoodaboutthisoffer,aspartoftheincalculablemarketingvalueofmyGrouponexperienceistogetmanypeople inmycommunity toknowaboutRolfingSI, aboutme, and tohavesomethingpositivetosayaboutboth.

Drawbacks of Using Groupon and Similar Marketing StrategiesThereisanargumentthatheavydiscountslower the perceived value of a service.Oncetheworkhasbeencheapened,otherprovidersofthesameservicemighthaveto lower their prices to compete.WhenIwasdecidingonwhether toworkwithGroupon,thehostilityfromotherRolferswhofearedthatsuchdiscountmarketing

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woulddrivedowntheratesofallofustounacceptable levelswas tangible.DoingbusinesswithGroupon felt like crossingapicketline.

AnotherfearisthatGrouponcustomersarerelentlesslydeal-seeking,somuchsothattheywillneverpayfullpriceforaservice.EveniftheGrouponcustomersthemselvesare not inherentlyunwilling topay fullpriceforaservice,themerefactofstartingwithadiscountmaycauseproblems.Manypractitioners assert that clients need tomake significantfinancial investments inaserviceinordertoparticipatefullyintheexperience.The reasoning continues thatlukewarmparticipation ismore likely toyieldmediocre results, satisfyingneithertheclientnorthepractitioner.

A thirdway thatGroupon couldharmabusiness rather than build it is throughthestrainonthepractitioner.Workingforsuchlowrates (roughlyaquarterofone’sregularfee)couldinviteemotionalstressandphysicalexhaustion,reducingthequalityoftheserviceprovidedandtherebycreatingapoorprofessionalreputation.ManypeoplebristleattheseeminginjusticeofacompanylikeGroupontakinghalfofthemoneyforaservicethatitmerelypublicizes.EventhosewhoseethevalueofGroupon’spresentationtoitscustomerlistacknowledgethatthisisaheftycostforadvertising.

Finally, the lack of a final expiration tothepaidvalue of theGroupon couponsmight leave some practitioners feelingvulnerable,aswouldthegeneraldynamicofnegotiatingwithsuchalargebusiness.The“ick”factorofbigbusinessissignificantforsomeofus.

Larger ConsiderationsMany of the arguments against usingGroupon touch on bigger issues in theRolfing community, juicy questionsthat guide uswith the tension of theirunanswerablenatures.Weaskquestionsabout how to present our field to thepublicsothatpeopleunderstandhowwecanhelp them, seekingbalancebetweenanchoringtowhattheyknowandpointingthem to new possibilities. This relatesto the tension between “fix-it work”versus transformation, since it ismucheasier toexplaingettingoutofpain thanevokingpersonalevolution.

IbelievethatsomeofthetensionaroundtheissueofsellingRolfingsessionsthroughGroupon comes fromgeneralized angst

aboutwhat is ethicalmarketing. Thereis a logical debate aboutwhether deepdiscounts undercut colleagues, but I’vefound adeeper conflict inme, one thatI suspect is alsoplayingout inmanyofus: is there a fundamental discord between charging money for services and whole-hearted helping?Although I canmake all sortsof rational arguments for thepragmaticvalueof capitalism, I am still influencedbymy socialist-leaning upbringing. Ihavebeenconditionedtoassociatesellingwith scamming, acceptingmoneywithselfishness.Ihavebeentaughttoseemorenobility in thosewho are paid by thecollective (myparentswere bothpublicschool teachers) than in thosewho arepaiddirectlyby individualswho receivethework.Likeomnivoreswhoabhor thethoughtofkillingapoor,innocentanimal,Ihavesoughttodistancemyselffromtheexchangeofmoney.MyconflictofidentityasIhavebegunlearningaboutmarketinghasalternatelycloudedmythoughtsandevokedpersonalgrowth.Ichoosetolistento thosewhodefinemarketing in termsof honest communication. I continue toeducatemyselfabout thisviewofethicalbusiness, and I frequently revisit thequestion, “How am I contributing to abetterworld?”

ResultsMysuccesswithGrouponwasasfollows:241transactionssold,93forsinglesessions,148 for three.Out of the single-sessioncoupons, 35%wereunredeemed.Out ofthosethatwere,only9%continued,foranaverageoffouradditionalregularly-pricedsessions.Asforthetriple-sessioncoupons,20%were unredeemed. Of thosewhoredeemed their coupons, 38% continuedforanaverageof5.6additionalfull-pricedsessions. Several clients have referredothers tome,aswellashelpedmemakeprofessionalnetworkingconnections.

Fornearly sixmonthsaftermyGroupondealwas advertised, Iwas seeing overtwentyclientseveryweekandhadawaitlist. It took awhile forme tofigure outthebestwaytoarrangeawaitlistsothatcurrentclientscouldrescheduleasneeded,futureclientswouldnotgettooimpatient,andsothatIcouldacceptnewfull-payingclientsastheycalled.OneofthewaysIdealtwiththewaitlistwasbyteamingupwithanother local structural integratorwhosepracticewasfarfromfull.Shewashappytoacceptmyoverflowclientsat theratesIwasgetting fromGroupon.Out of her

thirteenGroupon clients, 54%continuedforanaverageof6.6additionalsessions.

OtherRolfersIhavetalkedtothroughoutthe country who have run Grouponpromotionshave all toldme that itwasworthit.Theestimatestheygavemeaboutclientsreturningformoreregularlypricedsessionsrangedfrom25%to50%.Althoughsomewerethrilledwiththeresults,mosthadcometomoremoderateconclusions,andnearlyall toldme theywouldneverdoitagain.IhopeIwillneverneedto,butIwouldconsiderusingGrouponagaintolaunch a new service (RolfMovement®,perhaps),ortostartoverinanewcity.

Proceduresforredeemingthecouponswereeasy,andclearlyexplained.Dependingonhowyouscheduleappointments, there isa chanceofbeing cheated if clientsdon’tpresent their coupons or if they don’tshowupfortheirappointments.Thereareways to avoid this risk, suchas insistingonacreditcardnumberwhenbookinganappointment,buttheyseemcold,andwerenotworthittome.Ihadoneclient“forget”hercoupononthefirstofthreescheduledappointmentsandthennotreturnmycallsoremails.Ialsohadafewclientswhodidn’tshowupfortheirfirstappointment,whomIchosetoletrescheduleforfree,eventhoughthefineprintonthecouponinsistsona$50feeformissedappointments.

Clientswhousedtheircouponsinthefirstsixmonthsafterthepromotionweremuchmore likely to continuewith regular-ratesessions.Ididn’twanttonegotiateashorterredemptionperiod because Iwanted tosellmorecouponswithoutbuyersfeelingthe sessionshad tobe squeezed into tooshort a timeperiod. Itmight have beenbetter tomoveup the expirationdate tomaintain enthusiasm.However, all theunredeemed couponshelped to increasethe average amount Iwas compensatedpersession.AnotherconsiderationisthatmyGroupondealwaspromotedjustbeforeChristmas,andmanyofthecouponsweregivenasgifts.Most,butnotall,ofthegiftrecipientsweredisappointedbyRolfingSI’sdissimilaritiesfrommassage.Itmightbethatmanyoftheunredeemedcouponsweregiftsaswell.

In contrast toGroupon, I ran a coupleofdealswithSignpost, oneofferinghalfoff one session and the other offeringtwo sessions for the price of one.Noneof the seven peoplewho bought thesedealscontinued.

PRACTICE BUILDING


IusedthemoneyIearnedthroughGroupontogetoutofdebtandinvestinmypractice.Asofthiswriting,itisnearlytwomonthssincemyGroupondealexpired,andIamconfidentandhappy,averagingtenpayingclientsaweek.

RecommendationsShould anyone choose to try aGrouponpromotion,thesearemyrecommendationsforasuccessfuldeal:

• Negotiate for a better contract. ThedealIendedupwithearnedmemorethan $2,000more than the one theyfirstoffered.

• Consider your current clients.Donotoffend thosewhohavealreadybeenpayingyoufullpriceforyourservices.

• Make space for clients who wish to continue with a series.Forme,awaitlistwas instrumental. Bookingyourschedulefullseveralweeksinadvancecanmeanthatclientswillhavetheflowoftheirseriesinterrupted.

• Make space for new full-paying clientswhocomefromtheincreasedword ofmouth andwebsite traffic.Again,considerawaitlist.

• Know your limits.Don’tletyourmind,body,orinterestgetburnedout.

• Consider guaranteeing payment at the time of booking by requestingeitherthecouponredemptioncodeorcreditcardinformation.

• Educate your Groupon clientsaboutRolfingSIandtheTenSeries.

ConclusionHelpingclientsandmanagingabusinessare twoverydifferent skill sets.Manyofusfeelmorecomfortablewiththeformerrather thanwith the latter. Ingrainedbeliefs,chosenvalues,andlackofeducationmayallcontributetoourdifficultieswithmarketing.Addressing these limitationscanhelpus to rationallyweigh theprosandconsofanybusinessdecision,suchasofferingadealthroughGroupon.

My Favorite Practice-Building SecretBy Bethany Ward, MBA, Rolfing® Instructor

IntroductionInmyopinion, developingyour craft isyourverybest formofPracticeBuilding.Themoreskilledyouare,themoreclientsrefer others. So committing to lifelonglearning is primary. But, until youhavea self-sustaining practice (and inmanyenvironments,thismayneverbepossible),whatotherways are there tobuildyourpractice?Ihaveafavoritepractice-buildingapproachthatIdon’theardiscussedverymuch.Ithelpedmecreateasteadytwenty-client-per-weekpractice in sixmonths.Acouplemonthslater,itbecametwenty-fiveclients(allIwantedtoseeatthetime)withasix-weekwaitinglist.

There ismuchmore toPracticeBuildingthananyonetechnique.OurbeliefsaboutseeingRolfingStructural Integration (SI)as a business can support or derail ourbest practice-building efforts. Formoreabout this, see the sidebaronpage36. Ifwebelieve it is okay towant a thrivingpractice,howdoweattainit?Thisarticlewillinitiallyreviewseveralapproachesandtechniques fordevelopingyourbusiness,endingwithadeeperexplorationintooneapproachthatcanbeextremelyeffectiveandoftenoverlooked.

Consider the ObviousFirst, I’ll discuss some of the commonapp r o a ch e s t o p r omo t i n g you rbusiness: paid advertising, awebsite,pr inted market ing mater ia ls , anddemonstrations/workshops.

Paid AdvertisingI have created two busy practices fromscratch.Myfirstpracticewas inAthens,Georgia,andacoupleyearslaterImovedtoDurham,NorthCarolina.Iamverygratefulformyfirstpractice.IgrewitfairlyquicklyusingaweeklyadinFlagpole,alocalmusicand events newspaper. Paid advertisingoftenhasa low returnon investment, soit’s rarelymy first recommendation forPracticeBuilding,but it canworkwell iftherightelementsareinplace.First,findapublication that reaches thepopulationin your immediate vicinity (Iwas in acollege town,andthepublicationIchosefocusedon thatmarket) and speaks to asegmentthatwantsand(dareIsayit)canaffordyourservices.(Weareallconcernedaboutprovidingourservicestothosewhoneedthem,ratherthanonlythosewhocanaffordthem.Ratherthanbeingalow-costprovider,itisoftenpreferabletochargealittlemoresoyouhavetheflexibilitytohelp

specialcasesonanindividualbasis.Ifyousetyour fees too low,youruntheriskofburnout,whichmayresultinyouhelpingfewerpeopleoverthelengthofyourcareer.)

Ifyoudoplaceanad,committoaregularsubmission.Well over a decade ago, Iboughtaneighthofapageadeveryweekat$85perad.Thatwas$340amonth–quiteachunkforanewRolfer™.Atmyoriginalfee,thiswastheequivalentofonesessionperweek.Butmyadbroughtmeanaverageofthreeclientsperweek.Afterafewweeks,itstartedaddingup.

Inadditiontofindingtheproperpublication,oneof thereasonsI thinkmyadworkedwas that Idevelopedarecognizable lookandlayout,butchangedthecontenteachtime.Sothefontsandthead’stitle,“What’sRolfing?”,stayedthesame,butineachissueIansweredthequestiondifferentlywithadifferentquoteaboutRolfingSI.Isuspectthatpeople tended to return to seewhatchangedeachweek.Youwantpeople tostartrecognizingyoubyencounteringyourbusinessonarecurringbasis.Ofcourse,theaddirectedthemtomywebsitewheretheycouldlearnmore.

I personally don’t think advertising intelephonedirectories,suchasthe“yellowpages,” isworth yourwhile.Not onlydomost peopleuse the Internet tofindinformation, directory ads are usuallyseen by peoplewho aren’t looking forRolfing SI and usually result in longtelephoneconversationswithpoorreturnoninvestment.

PRACTICE BUILDING


WebsiteIdesignedmywebsitetobeinformational–thishasbeenakeypartofmymarketingstrategyovertheyears.Initially,IwantedtoprovidearesourceforclientstolearnaboutRolfingSI,buttheapproachhadadditionalbenefits.First,mycomprehensivewebsitelentcredibility.Second,itsavedmeabunchof timebecause I didn’t have to answermany questions for new clients on thephone(beforedevelopingmysite,Iwouldeasilyspendahalfhouronthat).

Investyourtimeupfrontcreatingawebsitethatiseasytonavigate,lowonclutter,andrespondstoclientneeds.Itwilldevelopthewayyou talkabout thework,and itwillrequireyoutoclarifypolicies,procedures,andboundaries. That exercise itselfwillstrengthen your businessmodel,whichcreatesabetterexperienceforyourclientsandultimatelyimprovesyourbottomline.

Printed Marketing MaterialsEspeciallywhen you’re creating a newpractice, it helps to keep your printedmarketingmaterialslow-costandflexible.Being able to design and lay out yourownmaterialsmeans they canbe livingdocuments that allow experimentationandongoingdevelopment.With today’sinexpensivehigh-qualityprinters,youcancreateprofessional lookingmaterials forvery littlemoney.Butdo spend the timeediting,andtheneditingsomemore,andattendingtodesigndetails.Thebrochurerepresentsyou.

Inadditiontotrifoldbrochures, Icreatedsmall (8.5x11 inch) posters that had apocket formy business cards. I hungpostersinorganicgroceries,coffeeshops,etc.Iworkedtodesignallofmymaterialswithmeaningful images, clear copy, andasmuchwhitespaceaspossible.Thefewerthewords, thecleareryourmessage,andthemorelikelyitwillberead.

Demonstrations/WorkshopsI also taught informationalworkshopsatgrocery stores and such.Although thesewerefunandexcellentpracticeforlearningto talk and present about bodywork,theywere time-consuming and neverreallyproduceda lot ofRolfingwork. Itseemedthatthepeoplewhoattendedthesewere seeking low-cost information andentertainment and theydidn’t turn intoclients.Of course, different thingsworkwellindifferentsituations,sothesekindsofworkshopsordemonstrationsmightbe

justtheticketforsomeofyou.Oryoumaysimplydothemforyourownprofessionaldevelopment. From that perspective,they’reanexcellentuseofyourtime.

Identify Who You Like to Work WithWhen I startedmyfirst practice, I usedprettytraditionalformsofmarketingandadvertising andworkedwithwhateverpopulationscametomydoor. Iwasnewandmyapproachallowedme toworkalotandgettheexperienceIneededtostartdevelopingmyskills.When Idecided tomovetoNorthCarolina,however, Isetagoaltointentionallycreatethepracticeofmydreams.IfoundagoodresourceinthebookBuilding Your Ideal Private Practice: A Guide for Therapists and Other Healing ProfessionalsbyLynnGrodzki.Thetext isstillwidelyavailableandimpresseduponmetheimportanceofidentifyingthekindofclientsImostenjoyed.Let’sfaceit.Notallclientsarecreatedequal,andnoneofusareinterestedin–orsuitedto–workingwithallindividuals.Whenyouidentifythetypesofclientsthatyoufinditthrillingtoworkwith,youcanmakemarketingandadvertisingdecisionsthatmakeyourworkmoresustainable.

Forexample,althoughmanyofyoumaysighalittlewhenanother“TypeA”clientwalks in the door, I often really enjoyworkingwiththem.Iunderstandthem!Inmyeyes, they’reoftenhighlymotivated,proactive,disciplined,andeagertolearn.Theytendtolikehomeworkandtheygivemegood feedback. I even like that theycome ina little skepticalandaska lotofquestions.Granted,someclientsareonthefarendoftheType-Aspectrumandmaynothaveanyinterest inexploringmovementorverbalizing somaticobservations.But,for themostpart, they comeover tomyside.Maybe it’s because I understandtheirperspectiveandcanreframegoalsintheirlanguage.WhenIteachsomeonelikethishowimportantitistobreathe,orfeelweight,orexperiencehis“Line,”IfeellikeI’verevealedanentirelynewworld.That’sthekindofthingthatkeepsmejazzedaboutthework.Ofcourse,thisisjustasegmentofmypractice,butit’shelpfultoknowthisaboutmyself as a practitioner.My soulsearchingalsouncoveredadeep interestinworkingwith scoliosis, aswell asmypreferenceforworkingwithadults.

My Favorite Marketing Technique: WritingHavingthisawarenessaboutdemographicnicheswhere Iwasparticularly effectivemayhaveinfluencedmetopickupacopyof a local start-uppublication,Endurance Magazine (see Figure 1). Themonthlyjournalwascreatedforenduranceathletes–runners,cyclists,swimmers,andtriathletes(a goal-oriented and highly disciplinedsegment,ifthereeverwasone).KnowinghowvaluableRolfingSI canbe for theseathletes, I contacted the editor aboutwriting an article coveringwhatRolfingSI is and howmany athletes use it toimproveperformance.

Figure 1: Endurance Magazine issues.

The editor tookmeuponmyoffer, andIwrote an article about the Ten Series,summarizinghowthegoalsofeachsessioncould be beneficial to athletes. Itwas astand-alonearticle,butitwaswell-receivedsotheeditoraskedmeaboutwritingmore.I suggested Idevoteanarticle toeachofthetensessions,exploringasingleconceptor ideamore fully (seeFigure2). Ihadaplanfortenarticles,andsoonmyarticlesbecameknownas“thebodyworkcolumn”–andIlearnedthatwritingarticleswasanextremely cost-effectiveway to generateclients.Itcostsnothingbutyourtime,anditworksbetterthanadplacement.

Writing Versus AdvertisingPeoplepaymoreattentiontoarticlesthanto ads.Although Iwrote the articles forfree,IalsoboughtaregularadinEndurance Magazine.Ididittosupportthepublication,suspecting thatmy articles generatedmoreclientsthanthead.Newclientsoftenmentionedmyarticles, and Iusuallygotthreetofivenewclientseverytimeanissue

PRACTICE BUILDING


PRACTICE BUILDING

Our Beliefs About Business and Money: Why Create a Thriving Practice

There’s more to practice building than techniques. Our beliefs about business and money often color the way we build and maintain our practices. Perhaps the reason we came to this work – to help, educate and facilitate transformation – makes it feel wrong to look at it through a financial lens. Whether it’s that we don’t feel comfortable charging what we’re worth, or that we make unconscious decisions that hamper creating a sustainable practice, it’s worth taking a moment to consider our beliefs about money and what a thriving practice means.

Why would we want a thriving practice? Probably the first things that come to mind are to make a living or pay back the money we borrowed for training. These are excellent reasons, but keep asking the question and the list gets more interesting. Seeing lots of clients allows you to develop your skills. It gives you choices on how you spend your non-working time, including access to continuing education. It develops our profession so we can help more people.

Of course, developing your skills is a lifelong pursuit that can’t be crammed into a few weeks or months. Each of us has our own timetable for integrating experience, but, we also need a fair amount of input to optimize our learning curve. We need enough samples to allow us to compare, contrast, and develop our awareness. For example, when we learn to feel layers, we start out with a vague conceptual understanding. As we hold this, and then compare different types of tissue within and among hundreds of clients, distinctions emerge. Especially in the early years of a Rolfing® Structural Integration career, having access to many clients provides the extensive information needed to compare and contrast a wealth of observations, so you can develop your spectrum of touch, body-reading, and client-relation skills. All of these skills inform our intuition – perhaps the greatest Rolfing skill of all.

For some, beliefs about money obstruct efforts to grow a practice. If you get queasy when you talk about profiting from your work, it may be your definition of money. Consider that money is simply a convenient, transferable way we represent expended energy. A dollar bill is something we accept in exchange for our energy and talents, and we’ll

give it to someone else in exchange for the same. Money is energy. Often, a full practice means a little extra money, and this gives us options. We can trade it for products or services that we don’t want to create or perform ourselves, or activities that might take a lot longer to perform than the time it would take to earn the same amount of money in our studios. A full practice allows you to have more of a say in how you use your time.

But the best part of having a full practice is that you can do as much continuing education as you like. Continuing education keeps you fired up about your work, and your clients feel it. If you take a lot of classes, your clients benefit twice: they receive work that is continuously improving, and from a practitioner who is enthusiastic about the work. There is no better practice-building technique than to nurture your love for this work. When you do, people feel it, they refer to you, your practice keeps growing, you have more options . . . . You get the point.

When you have a practice like that, you’re helping all of us. Some of you have worked on clients who have had amazing Rolfing experiences. Then those clients talked to their brothers, mothers, or friends in my area and they called me. Thank you! I get to repay the kindness when I help clients find some of you. Thriving practices are a way to make our work more available to more clients.

Profitable practices equate to much more than dollar signs. Full practices provide the lab where we hone our skills, add flexibility and options to our daily lives, allow us to learn more and stay excited, and grow our profession as a whole.


Figure 2: Articles on the sessions of the Ten Series and other topics.

hitthestands.Mysuspicionswerefurthersupportedonemonthwhen I includedacouponinmyad.Tomyamazement,newclientsmentionedandevenbroughtinmyarticle –butnot a singleone clipped thecouponoraskedforthediscount!

Additionally, an article takes upmorevisual space and hold attention longerthananad.Thepublic tends toviewanarticleasrelativelyunbiased–especiallyifyougivethereadersomethinghecanuse(moreaboutthisbelow).Ifoundoutlaterthat there areprinted, localpublicationsthat are full of health articles that seemunbiased,but inmany cases the authorspaytobeincluded.Thisisalsothecaseforsomecall-inradioshows.Theseoutfitshaveyouprovideallthecontentwhileexpectingyoutopaythemafee,becauseprintandradio communications bring credibility.Peoplebelievewhat they readandwhattheyhear.Iturneddownapaidradioshowopportunityandhaveneverpaidanyonetoplaceanarticle.Inmyexperience,journalandwebsiteeditorsareoftendesperateforgoodcopy.Ifyouarewillingtolookalittleharder, and if youprovide reliable copy,I thinkyou canfindgoodvenues.Everyarticleisworthseveralcostlyads.

Writing Articles That Build Your PracticeTarget your market: If youwant yourarticles to bring you clients,make sureyou’rewriting for apublication thatgetsinto the hands of local readers.A local,printed publication may reach morepotentialclients thana largerpublicationwith awider readership.With onlinearticlesthisisdifferent,butstillmakesureyourintendedmarketisincludedamongits

readers.Ofcourse,ifyoucangetanarticleintheNew York Times,grabtheopportunity.Articles inwell-known journals createinstant and long-lasting credibilitywhenpeople visit yourwebsite.Also, don’tconfusewritingforpeerjournalsasPracticeBuilding.Althoughtherearealotofgreatreasons towrite for these publications,they’ll bring very few new clients toyourdoorstep.

Repetition is key:Onearticleisnice,butregular submissions are infinitelymorevaluable. If you provide good content,readerswill start to look for you. Evenif they don’t read your articles, they’llhavea senseof thekindofmaterialyouwriteaboutandstartconsideringyouasaspecialistinyourarea.Theymaynotneedyounow,butthey’llrememberyouinthefuture.Evenbetter,they’llknowthatyoualwayswrite something in a particularjournalandthey’llknowtheycanfindyouthere.Evenifyoudon’tconsideryourselfawriter,youmightconsiderasmall“tipsand techniques”piece.Maybe youonlywriteonehundredwords,butyou teachsomething each issue about posture orbodyuse.Maybeyou’reartisticandyou’drathercreateacomic.Thekeyisthatyoufindavenuewhereyoukeepshowingup,youteachsomething,andyourcontactinfoislisted.

Educate and inform: Ifyouwritearticlesthat feel like a longadvertisement aboutRolfingSIoryourservices,you’llloseyouraudience.Ifyou’regoingtohavearegularpresence in a print ordigitalmagazine,youhavetocommittoeducatingreaders.MotivationalspeakerZigZiglarsaid,“Youcanhaveeverythinginlifethatyouwantifyoujustgiveenoughotherpeoplewhattheywant.”AsaRolfer,youhaveanenormousamountofinformationthatcansignificantlyimprovepeople’slives,andyou’llprobablybesharinginformationthatiscompletelynewtothem.Writeaboutthefascialmatrix,tensegrity,whythefootshouldbeflexible,incorporatingmovement concepts, bettersitting,theiliopsoas,scartissue,viewingthebodyassystem–whateveryou’reinterestedinat the time.Exploreoneconcept;keepitshortandavoidRolfingjargon.Suggestanexercisesothereadercanbringitintoher experience. In each column, I taughtone concept. Say Idiscussedhipflexorsand shared something interesting – e.g.,howatightrectusfemoriscancontributetotighthamstrings–thenI’ddiscusshowthisisrelevantformyathletereadership,

andthenprovideastretchorexperientialexercisethatreaderscouldtryontheirown,likehowtomakeatraditionalquadstretchmore effective, showing pictures ofmedoingitbothincorrectlyandcorrectly.Myconclusionwouldmentionothertechniquesandmodalitiespeopleusetoaddressthisarea, such as foam-rolling, acupuncture,andbodywork. I neverdirected readersto callme or suggested that Rolfing SIwould solveall theirproblems. Iwantedmyreaders togetabetterunderstandingabout their bodies.A simple byline attheendofeacharticlestatedthatIwasaCertifiedRolferwhoworked in the areaandprovidedmywebsite and telephonenumber.We don’t have to always sellourselvesdirectly.Write fromaplace ofwantingtoshareandpeoplewillfindyoutolearnmore.Ofcourse,makesureyoucanbe foundeasilyon the Internet, and thatall ofyourmaterials (website,brochures,cards)havecontactinfothat’seasytofind.

Include photos:Yourarticlewillgetmoreattentionifyouincludeimageswheneverpossible.RobertSchleip,PhD,isoneofourpeerswhoexcelsatmakingfasciaresearchaccessible.He always remindsme thatalthough creating picturesmay require25%ormoreofyourwritingtime,imagesare responsible for themajority of yourexposure.When it comes to images, thepaybackiswellworththeeffort.

ConclusionAwell-researchedandwell-writtenarticlelends credibility toyouas apractitionerandfurtherenhancesthewayourfieldisperceived. It also improves thewayyouthink and speak about thework.Whenyou’respendinguntoldhoursmeetingyourdeadlineratherthangoingoutwithfriends,remember thatwriting is self-imposedcontinuing education. In terms of bothpersonalandprofessionaldevelopment,Ihaven’tfoundabetterreturnoninvestment.

BibliographyGrodzki,L.2000.Building Your Ideal Private Practice: A Guide for Therapists and Other Healing Professionals. New York:W.W.Norton&Co.

PRACTICE BUILDING


Your Business Is You; However, You Are Not Your BusinessBy Deborah Weidhaas, Certified Advance Rolfer™, Rolf Movement® Practitioner

Beneath The SurfaceYouaretheoriginalmanuscriptfromwhichyourbusinessiswritten.Itcanbenootherway.Thismanuscriptincludeseverythingthatiswonderfulaboutyou.Italsoincludesyour belief systems, likes and dislikes,childhood conditioning, business know-how, structural integration skill, inherentgifts, savvy, and ingenuity. Then, too, itincludesyourrationalizations,fears,biases,andvariedshortcomings.

Organizationdevelopmentconsultantswhoworkwithfamily-owned(“mom-and-pop”)businessesknow that thepredispositionsofmomandpop,aswell as the functionanddysfunctionwithin theirmarriage/family, iswoven into the very fabric oftheorganization’ssystemsandprocesses.This can be quite challenging, becausemost of thematerial uponwhich theorganizationresonatesisthesubconsciousandunconsciousmaterialofitsfounders,andmostbusinessownersareunawarethatthisdynamicevenexists.

Theinternalmapofwhoyouarebecomesan architectural blueprint to yourbusiness.Forexample, ifyouhaveissueswith integrity, honesty, respect, feelingworthy, saying “no,” asking forwhatyouwant, orproblems around chargingor acceptingmoney, your businesswillproduce some dysfunction that stemsfromthesepatterns.Nomarketingstrategyor business tactic will save you fromgeneratingyourpatterns.Whatresolvesthisisfinding, acknowledging, and changingthe dysfunctionalmaterialwithin yourownpsychologicalarchitecture.Thisiswhyone’spersonalprocess is so important toattendtothroughoutaRolfing®StructuralIntegration (SI) career.Youdon’tneed tohaveyourless-than-optimalissuessolvedin order to runyour ownbusiness.Youdo,however,needto:1)knowwhattheseissuesare; 2) cleanout themostobviousdysfunctions before they take root inyour business; 3) work your personalprocessonanongoingbasis;and4) seekoutyour causal contributions todiscordandproblems.

WeRolfersareabituniquefrommostotherbusinessesinthatwearenotmanufacturingwidgetsordevelopingend-usetechnology.Ourworkliterallystirsupandchallengesthesubconsciousandunconsciousmaterialofourclientsandourselves.Therefore,weare inabusinesswhere the skill toworkone’sownprocessiscrucial.Peelingtheveiloffourownpsychologicaldysfunction isnotaneasytask.AsRolfingclients,wehaveall probably accomplished somedegreeof thiswork.As Rolfing practitioners,pushingfurtherisanecessity.Inaddition,ourskillinpersonalprocessingcaninformuswhenwe’ve erroneously absorbedmaterialfromourclients.Itcanalsogiveusgreater confidence in supporting andfacilitatingclientsthroughthepsychologicalmaterial thatarisesfor themduringtheirRolfingprocess.

Thegreat thing about thispsychologicalworkisthatifwedon’tdealwithanissue,itwillbecomequiteanuisance;andifwestillignoreit,itwillbecomeardentaboutgettingourattention.Thetwomostvaluablequalitiestodoingthisworkwithyourselfare thewillingness and courage to ferretoutwhatever youhavebeenmistakenlyholding as true – nomatterwhat it is.Still,youarenotalonewiththistask.Youcantalkwithatrustedfriendwhospeakstruth to you, broach the subject withother Rolfers, orworkwith a licensedpsychologicalprofessional.

Themore you develop your skills forsleuthingwithinyourownpsychologicalarchitecture, themore skillful and time-efficient you become in identifyingunderlying patterns/belief systems andfinding solutions. In the human being,ourpatterns andbelief systems literallyoperate just like a computer applicationprogram,dictatingwhoandhowwegettobeandwhatwegettoexperience;thatis, untilwedelete themorfind thewaytoalter,rewrite,ortranscendthem.Someadditional qualities that are useful hereare: curiosity, a lackof agenda, a lackofattachmenttooutcome,thepersistencetocollectdataratherthanapplyaquickfix,

askingquestions,andgettingpreciseandclearaboutwhatyourquestionisasking.

Whenworkingwithself,withaclient,orwithonespecificaspectofself,Iveryrarelyaska“why”question.A“why”questionwill generate a “because” answer.Therecanbedozensof“becauses,”veryfewofwhicharethetruth.“Becauses”areusuallyexplanationsorexcuses(mentalconstructs).Togetusefulinformation,alongwithmoreopportunities for revelation, one needstousequestions thatbeginwith“what,”“where,” “when,” and“how,”aswell asthequestion,“Couldyouexplainhow‘xyz’makessenseforyou?”

Thereisabalancethatneedstobefoundhere.While your business is you, youaremuchmore thanyourbusiness,withmanyother interests, commitments, anddiversions.Itisalltooeasytoletotherthingsdistractusfromthetimeandself-reflectionneeded towork our personal process.Fortunately,whenwegetdistracted, thetriggerspersistasreminders that there issomething to attend to. It is also easy tofocusontheRolfingwork,clients’needs,orourneedtogeneratecashflow,sothatweneglectourotherinterests,commitments,diversions,andtheneedfordowntime.Itis important to remember that ourotheractivities contribute to thewholeness ofwhoweare.

Throughout your career, your businesswillgeneratesomething,someone,orsomecircumstance that triggers you.You canview thisasa frustrationor seekout thematerialinyourpsychologicalarchitecturethat is reacting; insecure; injured; hurt;threatened;scared;orhookedonanagenda,the ego, or a belief system.The generalruleof thumb is thata circumstance thatarises three times, in any aspect of yourlife, originates from a pattern.Manyyears ago, a vignette of images came tome. I sawapersonwalking, stumbling,cussing,andthencarryingonasifnothinghadhappened.Thenextvignettewasthesameperson,aweeklater,stumblinghardenoughtogetinjured,andfocusingontheinjury. The third vignettewas the sameperson,twoweekslater,stumblingsohardthat theperson lostbalanceandtumbleddownaflightofstairs.Then,landingatthebottomofthestairslikearagdoll,hurtinganddumbfounded, theperson looksupto thesky,as if talkingtoGod,andsays,“Whatwasityouwantedmetonotice?”Idecidedthemessagewastopayattention

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toblipsandinformationthefirstorsecondtimesoIdon’thavetolandatthebottomofthestairs.

Rooting Yourself SecurelyForyourclients,RolfingSIisyou.Everythingyourclientsexperience;everythingyousayaboutthiswork;howyouconductyourselfandyourbusiness;theactualworkyoudowith clients tohelp themachievehigherlevels of structural integration: these arewhat your clients use to defineRolfingSI. Since you are the direct experienceofRolfingSI, thewho-and-howyou aredefinesRolfingSIforthepublic.

ReadourStandardsofPractice(SOP)andCodeofEthicsdocumentswiththeintenttofullydigestthedefinitionofRolfingSI,itscontext,anditsimplicationsonhowyoudoyourwork.IfyouareanewRolfer,readtheSOP,andthenreaditagainintenyears.I suspectyouwill be surprised (perhapsevenshocked)withhowmuchmoreyouunderstand,indepthandmeaning,aftertenmoreyears’experience.Ourexperienceinthiswork,overtime,educatesourthoughts/intellectaboutit.

One task I gavemyself early onwas tocomeupwithtendifferentwaystobegintodescribethisworktoothers.Forexample,howwould one describe thiswork toan architect, an engineer, a computerprogrammer,afinancialanalyst,adancer,afive-yearoldchild,ahairdresser,anathlete,andaphysician?Whataspectsofanotherperson’s experience canbeused to formanalogies,associations,andsimiles,whichwill help the other begin tounderstandwhatthisworkproduces?

Weknow it is challenging tohelpothersunderstandRolfing SI. There are threeinescapable factorswithin this challenge.First, just as IdaRolf said,we come tounderstandwhat thiswork is throughexperience.Weknow this is true for usaspractitioners,butit isalsotrueforourclients.A second factor is thatRolfingSIcauses newdynamics to arisewithin aperson that one can’t imagineor believepossible,untiloneexperiencesit.Asaresult,clients’ perceptions are literally altered,overtime,aboutwhat it is tobephysicaland about the body’s real capabilities.PerhapsthemostpervasivefactorinwhyRolfingSIishardtounderstandisthatoursocietyispredisposedtoamodeofthinkingthat breaks thingsdown into parts andpieces in order to find understanding.RolfingSIisexactlyoppositetothismode

because it relates everything into largerandlargercontextsandsystems.Eachpartorpieceexists(orpersists)withinalargerwhole;anditisfromthisvantagethatweRolfersinquire,analyze,engage,strategize,andchange.Whatcanyoucomeupwithaswaystohelpothersunderstandthelargescope ofRolfing SI andwhat this largescopeproducesinaphysicalbody/humanbeing?BecausewearewhatRolfingSIisforourclients,weneedtoclearlystatewhatthisworkisandtoproduceitauthentically,inaccordancewithourSOP.

Revisiting the BasicsWhenIamworkingmypersonalprocess,Iamfierceaboutuncoveringpatternsthatmysubconsciousandunconsciousholdtobetrue.ThishaslittletodowithwhatIthink.Thesepatternsoperatebehindmythoughts;dictatewhatIcanthinkandcanfocuson;produce subtle changes inphysical-bodyresponses;andgeneratecircumstances inmybusiness and life.When I began thisworkmanydecades ago, physical-bodyresponseswerethefirstguidesIused.

Physical bodies are impeccable. Theyare constantly negotiating consciousawareness, the subconscious, and theunconscious.Bodiesknowour truthandfalsehoods, regardlessofwhatwewouldlike to think.Tousebodyresponsesasaguide,lookoverthesequestionsandtakenoteofwhattriggersyou;whatyouwanttodiscountor ignore;whatactivates egoor righteousness; andwhat produces adeflatingsensation.

What drives who and how you are? What drives who and how you are under stress? What are you most afraid of? Most insecure about? Most confident about? What do you expect will be no problem for you?

What are your strengths and weaknesses for handling confl ict , confusion, and miscommunication? When you make a mistake? Get feedback? Are confronted? What inhibitions do you have about saying what you need or saying what’s true of you?

What do your clients want or need from you: as a Rolfer; as a professional; as an educator/facilitator; as a human being? What boundaries do you maintain and what strategies do you have for when a boundary is overstepped?

What activities require your time? How do you handle time? What drives how you use it? What are your time weaknesses and strengths? It is wise to build much time into your schedule for administration (you will need it).

How do you handle money? What are your handling-money weaknesses and strengths? How will you deal with money stress when things are slow?

What patterns or beliefs can you oust because they no longer serve or are not the truth? What patterns or beliefs do you need to explore in more detail in order to collect more data or uncover the true root?

Needed in Rolfing SI: How do you handle not knowing? What resourcefulness can you find in “I don’t know”? How can you cultivate, within yourself, the abiltiy to trust the process, trust your hands, trust your intuition, trust the client, trust the tissues, and trust the structure?

Remember, aboveall, thatyourpersonalprocess is aprocess, as areyou; sobothevolveover time.Tomakeprogresswiththisprocess,youarelookingfortoolsandmethods thatproduce reliable, accurate,anddependable information as to:whatyourissuesare;howtoworkthroughthem;andhowtofindresolutiontothem.

Using the Right ToolsSomeofthequestionsabovecanbeanalyzedwiththethinkingmind,butthisapproachwillgetusonlysofar.Ifthethinkingmindweresetupasacontenderagainstfeelings,thesubconscious,ortheunconscious,thethinkingmindwould lose nearly everytime.Andyet, the thinkingmind is suchaconstantpresencethatmanybelieveitiswhatandwhotheyare,whenitis,infact,onlyatinypieceofwhoweare.

The thinkingmind’s greatest gift is thatit isafabulousanalyzer,synthesizer,andprocessor.Weneedtouseitforthesetasks.Thethinkingmindis theonlypartofus,andaverysmallpartatthat,thatisrationalandlogical.Whilelogicandreasoncanbeagreathelp,thesecanalsobecomeagreathindrancebecausealltheotheraspectsofwho-we-aredon’trespondto,ororganizearound,logic.Thethinkingmindregularlydistorts, deletes, avoids, andgeneralizesourhumanexperience,so itdoesn’thavethedataor tools tooverride feelings, thesubconscious, or the unconscious in alasting,functionalway.Ithasnoideaaboutpatternsandbeliefsystemsthatactuponuslikeanoperatingsysteminacomputer.Since it isaprocessor, the thinkingmindhas absolutely no capacity to choose ordecide.Givenallthis,thethinkingmind’sabilitytocomprehend,discover,andhealdysfunctionalpatternsisquitelimited.

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Whenwe’vedoneallwecanwithanalyzing,planning, thinking, and insisting, anddysfunctional circumstances continue toarise in our businesses, there are someBand-Aid®-typetoolsavailable.Wecanusemeditationasatooltoquietthethinkingmindandaffirmationstodirectitsattention.OneBand-AidapproachIusedquiteoftenwas to imagine I could talk directly tomymind (which, since it is an aspect ofme,Ican)andtellit:“Thankyouforyouropinion,butitisonlyopinion,andI’mheretotellyouthatyouholdnomonopolyonthetruth,”or,“Imaynotfullyunderstanditallyet,butIdoknowthatmessageisnotmytruth.”

Theindicatorsthatpointthewaytowardfindingourownpatternsandbeliefsystemsarethemessagesonehearsregularlywithinone’s innerworld; the not-so-pleasantcircumstances that arisemultiple timesinour experience; the feelings thatdon’tseem true towhoweknowourselves tobe;andanyideasweholdaboutourselvesthat inhibit,prohibit,oppress,orcontain.Anythingthattriggersandactivatesisalsoanindicator.Situationsandcircumstancescangiveindicatorstoourpatterns;butthereisnosolution,andnohealing,tobefoundatthesituationallevelof“hesaid/shesaid,”“hedid/shedid,”andthenwhathappenedis “xyz.”With indicators,weneed togetquietwithin ourselves, get curious andcourageous,resistquickfixes,andrealizethatwhatisneededisdatacollectionandsoulsearching.

To begin to ferret out thedysfunctionalpatternsinourpsychologicalarchitecture,one needs to shift to the pattern andbelief-systemlevel(realizing,too,thatthislevelcancontainmanylayers).Oneclearexampleof thiswas thenew clientwhotriggeredmetheminutehearrivedatmyoffice.He arrived late, strodepast threeof us in the reception areawithout anyacknowledgment; and, ashewentdownthehallway,heyelledoverhis shoulder,“Well,arewegoingtogetstarted?”Iwasso triggered that I couldn’t addresswhathadjusthappened.Iknew,however,thatmytriggeredstatehadlittletodowithwhatjusthappened.

Igrappledwithwhatwasupformeintheweeks across three sessions. This clientrepeated his behavior at the beginningof every session. In themorning beforeour fourth session, I was, once again,sittingquietlyandstrivingtosoulsearchfor a solution. It becamebrilliantly clear

– as some belief systemdissolved intonothingness– that Iget toaskforwhatIwant.Idon’thavetoexplainit.Idon’thavetojustifyit.Idon’tneedtorationalizeit,andIdon’tneed tofigureouthow tochangeanotherperson’sbehavior.Ijustgettoaskforwhat Iwant. Then, the other gets todecidetooptinoroptout.

That day again, the client arrived late,walked pastme in the reception area,walked intomy room, andyelled forustostart.Istayedatthereceptiondeskandyelledbacktohim,“Iwanttoknowwhatneedstohappenforustostartontime.”Heinformedmethisisthewayheisandit’stimetogetstarted.AgainIyelledwhatIhadyelledthefirsttime.Hestuckhisheadoutofthedoorwayofmyroomsaying,“Youneedtoacceptitorarewegoingtodickeraboutthis?”Itoldhimweweregoingtodickeraboutthis,thatIwanttoknowwhatneedstohappenforustostartontime,andpleasedon’tgobacktomyroomuntilinvitedtodoso.AnirateclientheadedforthereceptionareasayinghowdareItreathimthisway.IcontinuedtoaskforwhatIwanted.Hesaidnoonegets awaywith treatinghimthisway,andhestormedoutoftheofficeand slammed thedoor. Surprisingly, twominuteslater,hereturned.HesaidIwassooutoflinethathewasgoingtopaymeforthesessionjusttomakesureIknewhowoutoflineIwas.Hewroteacheck,threwitatme,andslammedthedooronhiswayout.

ThatmorningIgottoaskforwhatIwanted,allowedtheclienttooptinorout,andgotpaid for it. Ialsoused theemptysessiontimetogotothebanksohewouldn’thavetimetoprocessastoppayment.

Over the course of our pract ices ,circumstanceswill arise that trigger us.Sometimes we need to address thosecircumstancesdirectly and immediately.Sometimes,however,likemyexample,thecircumstancearisesfromsomesubconsciousor unconsciousmaterial that is runninglike anoperating systemandproducingdysfunctioninourbusiness.Iliketothinkthe universe puts circumstances inmyexperiencesoIcanfindthematerialwithinme to be healed. In any event, in thesecases, it is important to drop our focusonthecircumstance.Next is torecognizehowintimatelyinvestedweareinouregoattachmentsanddepowerthese.Thenwecanbegintodothesoulsearchinganddatacollection to ferret out the subconsciousandunconsciousmaterialthatisoperatinginoursystems.

This is not easy or simplework. Thecomplexity, layers, and original causescan be challenging to identify. It is alsochallenging tomuster thewillingness topick apart our ownpsycheon a regularbasis.Somedon’tdothisworkbecausetheydidn’tknowitwaspossibletochangetheseaspectsofself.Therearetwoqualitiesthatarise asweacquiremore experienceandskillinthiswork.Firstisthatourintuitionand/or our higher selves becomemorepresent and reliable. Second is that theinformationwereceiveismoreaccurate.

I hold thiswork as crucial in aRolfingpractice because, as I said before, nomarketingstrategyorbusiness tacticwillsave us from generating our patternswithin our businesses. I hold thisworkas highly valuable because, likeRolfingSI, it releasesolddysfunctionalpatterns,produceschange,andletsusfindnewwaysto be.Whenweundo ego attachments,belief systems,misinterpretations, andthose falsehoods held as truth in ourpsychologicalarchitecture,ourbusinessesfarebetterandoperatemorecleanly.

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Just Spell My Name RightBy Ritchie Mintz, Certified Advanced Rolfer™

Itwas1979.IhadbeenaRolfer™fortwoyears andmypracticewas in the tank.Thebillswerepilingupand Iknew thatIneededpayingclientsormynewcareerwouldbe short-lived.Luckily, I lived inBoulderatthetime,soattendingtheRolfInstitute’s®AnnualMeetingthatyearwasano-brainer.Attheveryendofthemeeting,therewas a summationofhowRolfing®Structural Integration (SI)was impactingtheworld.ThenFrancisWengerstoodupinthebackoftheroom.

Atthattimeofhislife,Frankhadnovocalchords.That’swhyeverybodyintheroomswiveled in their chairs to facehimandthe crowd fell silent. Instantly, he hadeveryone’sattentioninawayIhaverarelyseenbeforeorsince.Hesurelyhadmine.Thewholeroomleanedintolisten.Here’swhathesaidinhishoarsewhisper:“Rolfing[SI]isitsownuniquethingthatisunlikeanythingelseintheworld,anditstandsonitsownplentygoodenoughjustasitis.”

Wow,Ithought.HerewasFrank,withnovoice at all,whispering loudenough forall theworld tohear thatwe – I – havesomething to offer aworld that hurtsmightilyas a resultof thepriceof livingingravity.ThatwaswhenIrealizedwhyIhadsomuchtroublearticulatingtopeople,both individuallyand ingroups,whatSIisandwhatithastooffer.Thefunnypartisthatitwasn’tbecauseIwasinadequateasaRolfer.Here’sthething:itwasn’tuntilI heard Frank say it that I realized thatI had completely underestimated howmonumentallymagicalisthiswork.

I realized that if Iwere to speak of thework,IwouldhavetobelesslikeDr.RolfandmorelikeJerrySeinfeld.Ichangedmywholeapproachtopublicdemonstrations.InsteadofexplainingthescienceofRolfingSI, I toldmy story.Mygoalwas not tosellRolfingSI,but to createanattractivecharacterwithwhomtheaudiencewouldrelate.Afterall, if theywereintheroom,thework itself had alreadydrawn themin.AllIhadtodowasgetthemtolikeme,andsinceI’msuchalikableguy,itwaseasyandgenuine.

Letmementiononepoint that is strictlypersonal and illustratesbothmycomfortzone andRolf’swarning to us to exert“scientific caution” inour claims. Inmy

presentations, Idemonstratehow I see. Ipointoutthewaysandmannerthatgravityflowsthroughstructureandwhenitdoesnot.Loandbehold,whenthevectorsandthepainful spots coincide, the audienceseeswhat I see andvoilà, they’remine.(Of course, I don’t leave this to chance.WhileI’mtellingmystory,I’msurveyingthe audience in order to choose just therightbodies tomakemypoint.) I’mpartraconteur, part seminar leader, andpartstandupcomic.

Standupcomedy looks like it’sall createdonthespot.It’snot.Standup,whenit’sdonewell, is rigorously scripted. I only scriptthebeginningofmypublicpresentations.Theopeningwordsofanyspeechare thehardestbecausetheaudiencedoesn’tknowme,whichmakesmenervous.That’swhyIcontroltheopeningmomentsbyaskingthesamequestioneverytime:“Howmanyofyouareheretonightbecauseyouweresentbysomeoneyoutrust?”ThenIraisemyhanduphigh.Thisdoes several things.Thosewordsconnecttheaudiencememberstothereasontheycame,andtheyrememberthepersontheytrustwhosaidtothem,“ItriedthisRolfingthingandit’sgood.”Byraisingmyownhand,itgivesthempermissiontoraisetheirhandandparticipate.

Ithensay,“Thankyou.Howmanyofyouarehereforotherreasons?”andIraisemyhandagain. I thank everyone for givinguphisorhertime.Atthispoint,everyonein the roomhas raised their hands andI have the room fully engaged. In thosecritical openingmoments, I have askedtwo involvingquestions, connectedwiththeentirecrowd,establishedasafespace,andgivenmyselftimetosettledownwithacarefullyrehearsedopening.Itellmystoryandtheeveningisoffandrunningonmyterms.That is theplace fromwhich IamabletotellhowRolfingSIismagical.

IdoubtthatIwilleverhavetheattentionofaroomlikeFrankWengerdid,butFrank,if you’re listening, I heardyou loudandclear.Yourwhisperedwordschangedmylife andmypractice. Since then, I begantospeakofthemagicalplasticityoffascia,the brain, and the nervous system.Asstructural integrators,wehavea jobandanopportunitythatisgreaterthanmerelydoingsessions.Wemusteducateaboutthe

plasticityofthebodytoaworldthatisinpainandreadyforrelief.Whenwedothat,wewillhelpbringtorealityRolf’sdreamthatherideaswouldpermeatesociety.

MyRolfertellsastoryaboutatimelongagowhensomemulti-levelmarketingschemetriedtoworkitswayintotheRolfInstitute.Dr. Rolfwas dead set against using aRolfingpracticetopromoteanythingotherthanRolfingwork.“Besides,”ourfounderdeclared, “I don’t think you [meaningRolfers] areverygood salesmen.”Hmm,letmethinkaboutthat.AsRolfers,weareasked to sell something that fewpeoplehaveheard about, that has a reputationfor being agonizingly painful, and alsocostsalotofmoney.PutthattogetherwithRolf’sexhortation–thatweexert“scientificcaution”with our claims – and it trulymakesmewonderwhat, exactly, arewesupposedtosayaboutwhatwedo?Howarewe supposed to advertiseourselves?HowarewetoselltheonethingthatRolfdidwantustosell–RolfingSIitself?

HowisSIperceived in theworld? In the1977movieSemi ToughwithBurtReynoldsandKrisKristopherson,LotteLenyaplaysClaraPelf,aclearreferencetoIdaRolf.I’mtoldRolflovedthatmovie,sayingthatshewould ratherbeparodied than reported-on. (Reported-on implies noveltywhileparodyimpliesassimilationintheculture.)Ourhistoryisalsorifewitharticlesaboutus, some by reporters or interviewers,and somewritten by otherRolfers.Mypractitioningpartner, TonyZimkowski,tellsaknee-slapperaboutthetimehedida free demonstration first session on ahometownnewsreporter.Thenextweek,thelocalheadlineread“Rolfing–ACrossBetweenaMassageandaMugging.”TherewasalsotheRolferwhowrotehisownstoryabouthowRolfingSI is the “fountainofyouth,”withhisliterarycitationbeingtheletterssectionofPenthousemagazine.

Howisourworkseencurrenlty?In2010,aNew York Timesprintheadlineread:“Rolfing,A Painful FormOfMassage, RegainsPopularity,”withasubheading(andonlinearticletitle,www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/f a s h i o n / 0 7 r o l f i n g . h t m l ? _ r = 0 )callingthework“ExcrutiatinglyHelpful.”I thought of all the years I’d tried todistance myself from the reputationthatRolfingSIhasof beingpainful.Thesame yearNational PublicRadio had astoryonDecember6,2010,“RolfingBackIn Vogue, ButWith Shaky Evidence”(www.npr.org/templates/transcript/

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transcript.php?storyId=131735132),withthe article’s slantmaking it look likeRolfingSI issupposedtofixpathologicalpain, for which, they say, there is noevidence.Iconsideredthisterriblynegativecoverage, yet the stories lit up theRolfInstitute’swebsite like aChristmas treeandRolfersacrossthecountrygotcallsforappointments.Apparently,nomatterhowmuch ourwork is described as painful,peopleareinterested.

From theTimes article, I hadwonderedwhether “excruciating” or “helpful”wouldstick,andIguessIgotmyanswer.Itremindsmeoftheoldadvertisingadage,“There’snobadcoverage.Idon’tcarewhatyou say aboutme. Just spellmy nameright.”ItalsobroughtmebacktohowRolfdidn’tthinkRolferswereverygoodatsales.Well,Dr.Rolf, yourwork, as expressedthroughus,yourheirs, is sogreat that itsellsitself.RolfingSIissowell-establishedthatitcannotbeextinguished,evenbytheworstcoverage.Infact,insteadofrehabbingour reputation forpain,wehave cashedinonit.

ThetitleoftheLos Angeles Times crosswordpuzzle onNovember 1, 2011was “ThatHurts!” and the clue for 91-Downwas“a four-letter wordmeaning ‘deeplymassage.’” You guessed it: ROLF. So Iguess it’s fair to say thatwehavemadeourwayintotheculturallexicon.Howareweperceivedby society? It seemswedoexpensivedeepmassagethathurtslikehell(butitworks,exceptthere’snoevidence).Andpeopleloveus.

Ritchie Mintz trained at the Rolf Institute in 1978. He is a Certified Advanced Rolfer and the author of Foundations of StructuralIntegration (self-published, available at http://ritchiemintz.com).

The Relationship of Continuing Education and Practice Building A DialogueBy Anne Hoff, Certified Advanced Rolfer™ and Karin Edwards Wagner, Certified Rolfer

Anne Hoff:Aswe planned a themearoundPracticeBuilding for this issue, Ifeltitwasimportanttodiscusseducation.Asmuchasit’scrucialtoattendtobusiness–ourwebsites,networking,marketing–itis also important to continue todevelopprofessionally, and there’smanywaysthat candirectlyor indirectly impact thegrowthandsuccessofourpractices.Karin,youtakealotofcontinuingeducation(CE)classes,andyoualsoorganizemanyclassesfortheRolfing®StructuralIntegration(SI)communityinthePortlandarea.Whatareyourthoughtsonthis?

Karin Edwards Wagner:Well,firstI’dliketosaythatlearningcanhappeneverydayinourpractices,bybeinggoodscientistsandobservingwhichinterventionsworked,researching our questions, and simplypaying attentionwhilewe areworking.Classes are just one tool for learning. Idefinitelydon’ttakeclassesforthepurposeofPracticeBuilding,butratherasanaturaloutgrowth of my learning addiction.Potential clients often resonatewith thatprofessionalcuriosityandcommitmenttoexcellence.They interpret it tomean thatifyoudon’thavealltheanswers,youwillengagedeeplywiththeprocessoflearningabouttheirparticularcase.It’slikelytobeabetter investment thanworkingwithapractitionerwhoisbrilliantbutbored.

AH:Absolutely! I think classesmake forfreshenergyforourwork,andclientssensethat.As farasPracticeBuilding,youcanworkthatimplicitlyorexplicitly.Implicitly,you just trust that the expansionofyourskillswilldraw inmorepeoplewhocanbenefit fromwhat you learn. I’ve takenthreeworkshopsinthepastyear,andwhileIcan’tsayit’sstrictlycauseandeffect,Ihavedefinitelyseenaboostinmyclientloadoverthatperiod.Toworkitexplicitly,youcanputoutanewsletterorwriteablogpostwhereyoumentionthatyouhavetakenaclassandnowhavenewskillsinaparticular

field.Oryoucancontactapastclientandsay, “I’ve learned something that I thinkmight helpwith your issue,would youliketocomeinandtryasession?”Itendtogomoretheimplicitroute,thoughIdosometimementioninablogpostsomethingI’veaddedtomyskillset.Whatdoyoudo?

KW: I domention shiny new skills inmyemailnewslettertomyclient list,butonlyifIhavecapacitytohandletheextrasessions that inevitably result. This is agreatstrategyforcreatinganopportunitytopracticetheclassmaterial.Ioftenmanagetobook theweek following a classwithat least tenclientswhoare reallyexcitedabout experiencing thenew information.I do sometimes specifically reachout topast clientswhomight find it relevant.Sincethisismotivatedbyagenuinedesiretohelp,peopleseemtofinditthoughtfulratherthanpushy.Also,IpostalistofalloftheclassesI’vetakenonmywebsite,sopotentialclientscanseehowmyknowledgebasematchesuptotheirneeds.

AH: You mention booking the weekfollowing class to directly apply thematerial. I know that was the casewhenyou came to Seattle to study JohnDeMahy’s lumbar-pelvic algorithm, thatyouhadclientswithpelvicissueslinedupforyourreturn.Doyoutellclientsaheadoftimethatyouareabouttotakeaclassonacertaintopic?

KW:Inthatcaseitwaseasy,becausehalfofmyclientshavebackorpelvicpain,soIscheduledthosepeopleforthatweekandeveryoneelsehadtowaitaweek–althoughIusedthealgorithmtocheckallofthemtoo.

AH:IthinkJohnDeMahy’sclassisagoodexampleof one typeofCE: averynuts-and-bolts classwith specific assessmentandtreatmentskillsthathoneourabilitytohelpwithparticularissues.Ifindthatwhenclientsgetquickresultstotheirpresentingissues–particularlywhenthoseissuesare

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gnarlyandhavenotbeenmetwithsuccessfromothermodalities–thentheyarequitelikelytotalkaboutitandrefertheirfriends.So this typeofCE class can reallyboostword-of-mouth referrals, once you arecomfortablewiththeskillset.ThematerialwelearninourbasicRolfingtraining,andofcoursetakingsomeonethroughtheTenSeries, canoften solve clients’presentingissues,butitmaytakelonger,orwemaynotgettheresultswewouldlike.Theveryspecific knowledgewe get from thesepractical classesmakes ourwork veryefficientandenhancesourabilitytoexplaintoclientsexactlywhatisgoingon.

KW: Yes, those nuts-and-bolts classesprobablyhaveamore immediate impactonPracticeBuilding,while other classesare about long-term skill developmentsuchasqualityoftouch,presence,howtostrategizeourwork,andsoon.Thisismore“theartofRolfing[SI],”anditencompasseseverything thatmakes ourwork specialanddifferentfromothermodalities.Whilesome classeshave this art as their entirefocus,othersofferbothnuts-and-boltsandmore far-reaching skill sets. I’d say that’strue about SharonWheeler’s scar class,if onlybecause it is intrinsic tohow shethinksandworks,andifyouarewatchingandlisteningtoher,there’salottolearnonthatmetalevel.Ironically,I’dalsosayitwastrueformewithJonMartine’sneurofascialclasses,becauselearningtosenseandworkwiththeneuralnetwasthecatalystformetobeabletojumptoamoresophisticatedqualityof touch. It’s importantnot togettoocontentwiththeimmediatelysatisfyingtoolimprovements,butalsotobepushingourselvestogrowinalargersense.

AH: Iwouldput the advancedRolfingand RolfMovement® trainings in thatsecondcategoryof“theartofRolfing[SI].”Althoughstudentsmaycomehomewithalotofveryspecifictools,tomymindtheselonger certificationprograms functionasnot just another layer of training, but asanew integrationofourworkatahigheroctaveofunderstandingandembodiment.Andofcoursetheyare,onaverysimplisticlevel,apractice-buildingstepalsobecausetherearemanyclientswhowillchooseaCertifiedAdvancedRolferoveraCertifiedRolfer, or a dual-trained Rolfer / RolfMovementpractitioneroversomeonewithjust a structural background. I thinkweareblessed that theRolf Institute®offersthese trainings. In some cases they arevirtually the only opportunity to study

withseniorfacultywhohaveevolvedthisworkbeyondIdaRolf’slegacyinawaythatexpandsourdomainwhilestillkeepingituniquelyRolfingSI.What’saheadonyourCEagenda? I’m takingSharonWheeler’scranialclassandorganizingJohnDeMahy’sreturn to Seattle to teach his cervicalalgorithm.

KW: I’m digging in for a fresh tissuedissectionclasswithJeffBurchandToddGarcia,aswellasthefifthandfinalclassinJeff’sVisceralManipulationforStructuralIntegrators series. I hope to do anothervisceral class with Liz Gaggini whenthe time is right.And I’m excited to behostingLaelKeeninJanuary2014forher

transformativeRolfing [SI] andTraumaclass,basedon theworkofPeterLevine.Portlanders are also looking forward toRonMurray’sfourthclass,tobescheduledfor2014.

AH:Thanksforyourtime,Karin,andforalltheorganizingyoudo.It’swonderfultohavealltheseclassesavailableinPortland!

Anne Hoff has a Rolfing practice in Seattle, Washington, and has begun to organize Rolfing CE classes there. Contact her at [email protected] to be added to the mailing list for classes. Karin Edwards Wagner keeps a list of SI practitioners who like to take classes in Portland, Oregon, and you may email her at [email protected].

Eight Days in the MountainsBringing SI into a Buddhist Meditation RetreatBy Will Johnson, Certified Rolfer™; Diana Newby, Certified Rolfer; and Jackie Ashley, MA, BC-DMT, LPC

Editor’s Note: Over the years, this Journal has published articles by Will Johnson and reviews of various of his books. This past spring Johnson led an eight-day Buddhist retreat that focused on the application of Dr. Rolf’s vision of the “Line” to the practice of sitting meditation. As an integral part of the program, all participants received four sessions of structural integration (SI). The following article shares observations from three points of view: Johnson’s perspective as teacher of the program, Rolfer Diana Newby’s as a member of the SI team, and Jackie Ashley’s as a retreat participant. (Jackie is on the faculty of the Somatic Psychology Department at Naropa University.) Johnson will be teaching two more of these retreats in May and June of 2014, one in Colorado, the other in New Hampshire, and he is currently assembling his SI team.

Part 1: The View from the Teacher’s SeatWill Johnson

LastyearIreceivedaninvitationtoteachasittingmeditationretreathighintheSangredeCristomountainsinCrestone,Coloradoatthebeautiful,recentlycompletedretreatcenter of theAmerican body-orientedBuddhistteacherReggieRay.IsharewithReggie a passion for dharma teachingsthat are highly body-oriented, and inconversationswe’vehadover theyears,I’vealwaystoldhimthat,wereItoteachathiscenter,IwouldwanttobringateamofRolferswithmeandforregularRolfing®SIsessions to be an integral part of theretreat.Tothebestofourunderstanding,integratingdeepbodyworkwithBuddhistpracticeshasneverbeforebeenexploredorundertakeninthisway.

The retreat took place fromApril 26throughMay5of2013andwas,inaword,extraordinary.Firstofall,letmetalkaboutthe bodywork team.When Iwas firstgiventhegreenlighttogoaheadwiththeretreat,Idecidednottoactivelypublicizemyneedforabodyworkteam,butinsteadsimplyspokewithonepersonwhospokewithanotherpersonwho. . .yougettheidea.Within a fewmonths I’d receivedpassionateemailsfromSIpractitionerswhohadsomehowheardabouttheretreatandreallywantedtobeapartofit,andourteamcametogetherquiteeffortlessly.

Andwhat a team!DianaNewby,RobynMidori,KiaSatterfield,andTheresaZordanhad all received their basic training atthe Rolf Institute®. BenHanawalt andArisaLaFondweregraduatesoftheGuildfor Structural Integration. Each of thesebodyworkers,withoutexception,isstrongin presence and sensitive in touch, andall of themresonatewith thenotion that

PERSPECTIVES


PERSPECTIVESDr.Rolf’svisionof theLinemaycontainsomekindoftransformationalmystery.Weallbondedveryquicklyasaunit,supportingone another beautifully, andduring theretreat–inthespiritofthebandsofWildWestoutlawswhowouldhideoutinthesemountains–wegraduallybecameknownasTheGangofThieves (as in “we stealyourpain”).TheGangparticipated in themorningandeveningmeditationsessionsandworkedonparticipantsintheafternoon.

WeallmetinCrestonefortwodayspriortothestartof theretreat forapre-retreattraining.During those days I spoke atlength about howmy approach to thepractice of sittingmeditation is a directreflection ofDr. Rolf’s teachings aboutthe Line and her implications that anembodimentof theLinewouldstimulatewhatshewouldrefertoas“evolutionaryenergies”which, in turn,would result insomekindofevolutionofhumanbeing.

Whatwealsodidduring thatpre-retreattrainingwas to explore a four-sessionseriesthatI’dputtogetherspecificallyforthis kindof gathering thatwould allowparticipantstoreceiveahands-onsessioneveryotherdaythroughouttheretreat.Thefirstsessionwasasleevesessioncombiningelementsofhoursone, two, and threeoftheTenSeries.The second sessionwasacoresessioncombiningelementsofhoursfour,five, and six.The third sessionwasan integrationsessionof sortscombiningelements of hours eight and nine andfinishingupwithaseventh-hourfocusontheheadandneck.Thefinalsession,frombottom to top,wasdonewith the retreatparticipants sitting on their cushions inuprightmeditationposturecontinuingtoexplorethepracticeof“breathingthroughthe whole body,” which the Buddhapresentsinalltheearliestsutras(butwhichisrarely,ifever,exploredortaughtinanyofthecurrentschoolsorlineages).

Themultiple, body-oriented focus that Ibringtothepracticeofbreathingthroughthewholebodyconsistsofthealignmentof the upright torso, the relaxation/surrendering-of-the-weight-of-the-body-to-gravity that alignment allows, theawakeningofthefeltvibratorypresenceofthebody,theunderstandingthateveryjointina relaxedbodycanmove–constantly,subtly–inresilientresponsetotheforceofthebreaththatwantstopassthroughthebodylikeawavepassingthroughwater.Bypayingattentiontothesesomaticpotentials,tensions in the tissues of the body and

contractionsinthepatternsofthemindcanbegintoletgoandcomeundone,revealingadeeper,moreopendimensionofbeingthathasbeenhereallthetime(thatplaceintheverycenterofourcenterthatfeelssorightwhenwe’reabletoconnectwithit),butthathasbeenblanketedoverbythoseverytensionsandcontractions.Breathbybreath, body can comemore vibrantlypresent.Mind can become significantlyquieter.AndlikeAlicedroppingthroughthe rabbit hole, transformations to ourawarenessofselfcanbegintooccur.Andallofthisresultsfromthesimpleapplicationoftheprinciplesofalignment,relaxation,andresiliencetoone’ssittingpractice.Hmmm. . . sounds tome awhole lot likewhatRolfwassuggestingwouldbepossibleforsomeonetrulyexploringtheLine.

As the retreat progressed, and as thepractice kept deepening, Iwas able tosit andwatch, oftenwithamazement, aspeoplereturnedfromtheirSIsessionsandresumed their sittingposture in thehall.Cross-leggedknees thathadbeen at thelevelofarmpitsfordecadescamedowntothefloor.Headsthathadhungdownandfarinfrontofthecentralaxisofthebodycamebackupandover the torso.Bodiesthatlistedtotherightortheleftcamebackovercenter.And,ofcourse, itwasn’t justashiftatthelevelofbody.Asbodieskeptrelaxingintoanuprightsittingposture,asholdingpatterns softened to allowmoreandmoreofthebodytoremaininmotionin response to thebreath, thepractices –andtheexperiencesandreleases that theparticipantswerehaving–justkeptgoingdeeper and deeper. Themost commonresponseIreceived,overandoveragain,duringprivateinterviewswithparticipants,wasalongthelinesof“why,WHYwasn’tthistaughttomethirtyyearsago?!”

So . . .wheredowego fromhere? I’vealreadybeen tentatively invited to teachtwomoreoftheseeight-dayretreatsnextyear,oneinColoradoinMay,andanotherat aBuddhist center inNewHampshirein June. I have long believed that theBuddhistdharmaandRolf’svisionofthetransformationaldimensionsof theLineholdamissingkeytoeachother’spathofinquiry,andcertainlytheBuddhistworldis starting to open to and embrace thispossibility.As theremay very likely bean increasingdemandfromtheBuddhistworldforthiskindofretreat,theGangofThieveswill need to grow.Perhaps this

mayevolve into an eventual training for“BuddhistBodyworkers.”

What it certainly currently entails is aninvitationtothegreaterRolfingcommunitytocontactme([email protected])ifyou’d like tobeononeof the teamsatan upcoming retreat. In themeantime,I encourage you to contact any of thebodyworkersImentionedaboveifyou’reinterested in exploring this short series,especially the final session seated inmeditationposture.They canalsoguideyou in the application of alignment,relaxation,andresilienceasyouexplorethedimensionsoftheLinethroughthepostureofsittingmeditation.

Part 2: A Rolfer’s ExperienceDiana Newby

Itwas an amazing honor to have thesemeditations practitioners come throughthedoor eachday from the silence andallowmetoworkontheirbodies.Icouldn’tbelievethatalthoughnoneofmygrouphadeverexperiencedRolfingSI,theyeachtooktotheworklikeafishinwater.Simplyput,theycameintothesessionroomknowinghowtobe“Rolfed.”

Their body awarenesswas tremendous.They breatheddeeply intowhere Iwasworking, they shifted andmoved andstretched to enhance thework, and theyhada senseof theirLine farbeyond thelimitationoflanguage.Theyhadanimplicitunderstandingofuprightness,andhowtorestintoit.Intheinitialsessions,theycametomewithanumberofachesandpainsthatarecommoninthecontextofameditationretreat.However,astheweekprogressed,each retreatant began to givehis or herbody lifewithsubtlewavesofmotionasthebreathflowedthrough.Theyletgoofthe“shoulds”ofthedharmaandhonoredthattobeblissfullyaliveistomove.Andtheyquicklycaughtontothisconcept.Byallowingthesubtleshiftsandmovementswhilemeditatingandbreathingwith theentire body, they could communicate tome so clearlywhatwas happening intheirexperience.Itwastrulyarewardingexperience since itwas an authenticallycollaborative effort. They came into thesessionseachdaywiththedesiretodeepentheirpractice.

As a result of the contextwithinwhichwewereproviding theSIsessions,manytransformationsoccurredduringtheretreat.


PERSPECTIVESPeoplewerereadytoresolvesomeofthepainintheirspirituallives,utilizingbody,mind,andsoul.Whencomingfromaplaceofsuchopennessandvulnerability,ittookverylittleguidance,andtheytransformed.Asmentioned,itwasanhonortobewiththemintheirprocessandfascinatingasaRolfertohaveclientsaccessingtheirLineasaresultoftheirdharmapractice.

Part 3: A Retreatant’s ExperienceJackie Ashley

I havebeenwaiting a long time for thisretreat.Years...maybeadecade?

Will Johnson is somewhat of an iconforme. I have been teaching from hisbookThe Posture of Meditation formanyyears to students in thefirst year of theMasters in SomaticPsychologyprogramatNaropaUniversity.AndIamfinallyinhispresenceandbeginninganeight-dayretreattodeepen,frommyownpersonalexperience,meditatingwithmybodywithhisguidance.

I have expectations, hopes, excitement,andtrepidation.Andfrommyfirstjournalentry–gratitude;theretreatissilent;itisasmallgroupofpeopleofwhomIknow–noone.Itisallagesandgenders,itsscheduleis full days of practice, and it is in themostbeautifulofshrineroomsatBlazingMountain retreat center in Crestone,Colorado,with thevast viewout acrossthe SanLuis valley.One ofmy favoriteplacesinthewholeworld.And,aspartofthe schedule, regularbodyworksessions.Idon’tactuallyget theprofundityof thisuntilIshowupforone.

Ibringwithme,asIbegintosit,afamiliaraversiontopeopleandaself-judgingstateofmind;embarrassment,jealousyandcomingoffofadeephurtbyafamilymember;veryfamiliarandratherdisturbing.Somethingsjustdon’t seem to change all thatmuch.That,andthepaininmymid-backandrighthip;hereIam,again,practicingbeingwiththeseoldfriends.

Imoveaboutthefirstfewdays,tryingtofindmyplace, indulging inmyaversiontowiggling,coughing,nose-blowing,andcrying.Aswellasthebeepsandhumsofthesoundsystem.AndthisisOK–really?Lotsofpeoplearemovingtheircushionsaroundtheroomeachsession,andaswemoveabout,weallcollectmorecushions,

benches,andvariousthingstosupportourbodiesandourpractice.Weareencouragedtomoveandsupportourselves,asmovingisournatureashumans.“Weareperpetualmovers,we humans,”Will reminds us.ThoughphysicallymovingabouttheroomisnotwhatIthinktheinstructedintentionwas,thisseemedtobewhatishappening.Wefinallysettle,forthemostpart.Ihavean image of us all, our hunter/gathererancestors’bloodstillcoursingthroughus,this little tribe, findingourplacewithinthe community, collectingwhatweneedtobecomfortableaswegoalong,findingourplace to restwithin the spacewherewe could commit to being. Butwe arestuckwith this tribe, thisgroup, likeourancestors,weneed towork itout. IhaveneverhadthisfreedominanyofthemanyretreatsI’veexperienced.HereIwasabletochoosemyseat,myplace,gathermorethan I hadbroughtwithme andwithinthat spot, I foundand experienced evenmore freedomin therealmof“stillness.”Ihadspace.

Settlingin,theteachingsdeepenintotheprofound challengeof relaxation, lettinggo, and listening to the body speak itsneeds,expressitsshimmeringsensations,and allowing the “primal contraction”torelease itsholdonourbeing.“Primalcontraction” . . . I wrote this downnumerous times. I explored this phrasewithWill’s initial set intention for ourtimetogether:“Wewillfindtheplacesweareholding/resistingandplaywiththeirrelease.”Thiscametomeasasubtlesenseofdeepembarrassmentinbeingahumanbeing,ofbeingwhoIam.Andtheeffortthattakesinourculture.Manyhumansgettothisquestionintheirlives,butwewhopracticemeditationoftencome to it andexplore it in retreat. It’shardwork.Willjokeswithus,remindingusthat“nobodythrowsusaparadefordoingthis...”Andinthisretreat,IexperienceandwitnesstheHerculeaneffortittakestoallowourselvestosurrendertoourbodiesastheprimaryteacherandguideinthisquest.

TheHerculean effortmanifests, forme,in the invitation to lie downwhenmybodyachesor is tired. I always startmystudentson thefloor,on theirbacks,buttojustliedownwhenmybodywantedtoin a formal retreat? It’s embarrassing. SomanyyearsofretreatswhereIwastoldorexpectedtoworkwithmybody’spainfulsensations throughbreathing, exploring,orjusttoleratingthemuntiltheytransform

into something less uncomfortable. Itoftenworks,butanother sensationarisesto replace it (and the chorusof emotionsandcommentaryonitall).Disciplineandperseverance inyourpracticewerehowyouwouldarriveatastateofemptinessorfreedom fromdisturbing emotions.Thiswas the litany. Itwasn’tuntilWill spokeofhowmeditationpracticeadherestotheculturewithinwhichitlandsthatIwasabletoexpandmyattitudeabitandcontemplatethismoredeeply.

Our culture asks us towork hard andaccomplish,topushthroughthechallengesthat confront us to be able to succeed.And this is howwe, here in theWest,practicemeditation for themost part.Butwhat about surrender, allowing, andcuriosity?Wheredotheyfitwithinthatactofdiscipline?Like thebreath thatmovesbetweenthehardboneandsoftstriationsofmuscle.Thereisspacethere.Candisciplinemeantakingcareofourselves/bodies?Ihadtobeshockedintorelaxing/allowingbyWillsimply asking, “Whybe in excruciatingpainwhenyou can choosenot to?”Thisresonatedsostrongly,notjustwithhowIrelatetomybodyinpractice,butwithmyemotionalstatesaswell.Willalsoremindedusthatitisaculturalconditiontobelostand absorbed in thought and thus notpresenttoourbodies.

Asasomaticpsychotherapist,Iknowthatourexperiencesandmemoriesareheldinourbodies,especiallythosethatareextremeandtrauma-based.Whenwetryand“justtalk it out,” session after session, thingsdon’tchangethatmuchorourexperiencesturn into debilitating illness or chronichealthproblems.These thingshavebeendocumentedandconfirmedinthestudiesonneuroscienceandthebiologyofemotion.Andthisiswhyabody-basedmeditationpracticeissoimportantatthistime,inthisplace.BecauseasI,andthosearoundme,begantolaydownandsurrender,healinghappened. The body,when allowed torelax,canreleaselong-heldemotion.Itjustbegan–thecryingandshakingofmanyofus.Wewereheldandallowed,inthesilenceandsupportoffloodingsunlightandWillatophishugepileofcushions, torest.Toexperiencethe“unifiedfieldofsensation,”wherethereisnoseparationbetweenourexperienceofbody/mind/emotion/feeling.Mytearswereoftenthoseofhumilityandgratitude, acknowledging the simplicityandpowerofthissimpleactofmeditationandtheinvitationtoitssupineversion.The


simpleactofallowingourselvestorest.Itwasahardparadigmshift,fromtherigid,static,uprightpostureweareinstructedtohold, to layingdown.Despitemyearlierattempts tomovewithin thepostureandmy instructions tomy students tomovewithintheuprightposture,thereisnothingmoreprofoundlyreleasingthanallowingourselves to fully surrender to gravityandrest.

Wewalkedinbeautyoutside,exaggeratingthe bobbingof ourheads to loosen thatholy sphere from its rigid attachmentto our necks.Our eyeswere invited toview vastly and in an unfocusedwaywhatwas in frontofus.Aswedid this,we could not get absorbed in thought.Aswithourexperiencesofsensations,anunfocusedviewallowedforourexperienceto bepresent-moment-based – the basisfor the experienceof emptiness and self-realization.Mergingthefieldsofsensation,sight,andmovement.Wewereintroducedto someof the ancientTibetanpracticesofKum Nye,astaughtbyTarthungTulku.Thesepracticeswere created tohelpandsupport the body in long-term retreats.Andwehadfourbodyworksessions.Here,again,Isurrendertogravityuponatable,whereaRolfingpractitionerlaysherskilledhandsuponmybodytophysicallyreleaseandelongatethemusclesthatwereholdingmebackandresistingmydesireforfurtherfreedom.During these sessions, Iwouldgointodreamstatesthattookmethoughtheroomsofmychildhoodhomeoronthebackof a running sorrelmareacross thevastexpanseofMongolia.Aftermybodysessions,myjournalsweredreamentries.

Asourlastdayneared,IclearlydeepenedintoWill’sreminderoftheeleventh-centuryTibetan teacher Tilopa’s originalwordsaboutmeditation: “Donothingwith thebodybutrelax.”Whenwecandothis,wenaturally feel the dharma andwe havethefoundationforafullexperienceofourown true nature. “Allow, notice, let go,and relax” – these are the pointing-outinstructionsof thegreatTibetanmasters.Realizationcanoccurthroughthebodyinthesesimpleyetchallenging instructions.It happenswithout effort.Andweoftenmiss it. Since this retreat, Inow live inadifferentplace ofunderstandingwhen Ipractice. I live in thatplacewhere I trustthoseshimmeringmomentsofsubtlebodysensationasthepotentialtoawakening,andthatsurrenderingtogravityandtorestisagiftnottobedenied.

The Rolf Institute® Membership Conference 2013The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration (RISI) held its Membership Conference August 9-11 in Boulder, Colorado. Below are two reports, one from a Rolfer™ and the Membership Chair, the other from a current Rolfing® Structural Integration student.

Synopsis of the Membership ConferenceBy Audrey McCann, Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Membership Chair

TheMembershipConference,heldat theHotel Boulderado, seamlessly unfoldedstartingwithanopening“meetandgreet”withfood,cocktails,andpianomusic.Wethengathered to listen to openingnightplenary speaker JeffMaitland, PhDandAdvancedRolfingStructural Integration(SI) Instructor.His topicwas“TheBeingof Rolfing® SI” and the audience sat inraptattentionasMaitlandspokeabouttheinterconnectedness and transformationalqualitiesofourworkandhowtobringthat“being”intoourownpractices.

Saturday morning’s plenary speakerThomas Findley,MD, PhD, CertifiedAdvancedRolfer,wasmetwith interestand thoughtful questions. Findley’s talkencouraged and challenged Rolfers ofall experience levels to increase theirinterestintheirowninquiriesforresearchopportunitiesanddatacollectionregardingfasciaworkbasedonDr.Rolf’sprinciples.Themorning’sbreakout session speakerswereRolfersKarlHumiston(“ThePeronealFoot-Pointing Spiral”), TessyBrungardt(“TheHand inDetail”onarmandhanddisorganization), and Cathy Ulrich(“FibromyalgiaConsiderations and theRolfingSIMethod”).AfternoonbreakoutpresenterswereRolfers BrookeThomas(“PracticeAbundance: Jump Start YourPractice”)andThomasWalker(“AccessingtheFluidBody,aPathwaytoWholeness”),andLidiaGarner,RN,MS,CWCN,COCN(“Wounds:Types,Treatments,HealingandScarManagement”).

Theevening’sfirsteventwasawine-andchocolate-tasting fundraiser tobenefit theRISI library: to continue theworkofDr.Rolf,preservethearchivescurrentlyheldinthelibrary,andsupportthefuturegrowthof the library.The event raised$1,400 in

donationsandwas further supportedbytheHotelBoulderado’scomplimentaryfoodandbeverages,whichsavedRISI$2,000.Thechef’s“divinepairings”weremuchnotedby the foodieRolfers in attendance andincluded: salmonpairedwith cucumberinfusedwater; pearswith champagne;chocolatemoussepairedwithport; andcoffeepairedwithchocolates!The“pairings”wereacomplimenttowhatwedoasRolfers,pairingstructureandfunction.

Festivities continued with a buffet,networking opportunities, and thetraditionaldancepartywith livemusic.Wedancedlateintothenightdespitehotelmanagement interruptingus twice tobequieterandstartwrappingitup!

Sundaymorning beganwith plenaryspeaker Karl Humiston’s “Rolfing SIand theHealthcareWars:Tales from theBattlefront.”The talk centeredon topicsofhealthcare,career,psychology,andtheeventsinHumiston’sprofessionallifethateventuallyledhimtohiscareer-changingdecisiontobecomeaRolferandincorporateRolfingworkintohispsychiatricpractice.

Next,theExcellenceinResearchAwardwaspresentedtoRobertSchleip,PhD,Rolfinginstructor, and fascial researcher,withSchleip linked in fromGermany throughvideoconferencing. Faculty colleagueMichaelMurphy presented the awardwithwordsof appreciation for Schleip’sinvaluable research on fascia and hissuccesses for theadvancementofRolfingSIforthepresentandfuturegenerations.Attendeeswere also able to greet andthankSchleipvia apannedcameraviewseveral times during the presentation.Schleip spoke about his research alongwiththelatestworkbeingcompleted,andvoicedhisappreciationandgratitudetothemembershipandattendeesfortheaward.

Afternoon breakout session presenterswere Rolfers Ellen Freed (“The LayersofOur Body”),GeorgetteDelvaux,DC(“HowUnderstandingYourClients’HealthProblemsMakesyouaBetterRolfer”),and

INSTITUTE NEWS


INSTITUTE NEWSKeithEconomidis,MSOM,LAc (“SinewChannelsandFascialPlanes:OneRolfer’sPerspective”).

Sunday’s closing presentationwas yetanother energetic speaker:MasterChen,aTaoistteacherwhooperatesatempleinEstesPark,Colorado.Chendiscussedtheimportanceofnurturingthehealthofthehealer andoutlined simple steps for thedeliberateandsacredcareofourselvesashumans,Rolfers,andahealingprofession.Chenrevealedthatthistypeoffocusonself-careleadstoastrongerpracticeandhealingability forRolfersandourclients. [ManyRolferswill know StaceyMills’s paper“Self-careforRolfers”.]Chenthenledtheaudienceinaseriesofsimpleexercisestoincreaseenergy,vitality,andgeneralhealth.

One particularly nice feature of thisconferencewasthelargenumberofstudentswhoattended,andasoneoftheorganizersIwaspleasedthatmanyRolfersandfacultymembersappreciatedthepresentationsandoverallflowoftheconference.

We are already planning the 2015Membership Conference, tentativelyscheduledforAugust7-9.Weareimprovingthe format and time frame so that therewill be two full lecture days presentedin a format thatwill allow attendees toparticipateineverysessionoffered.Welookforwardtoyourattendance.

What I Learned At My First Rolfing® ConferenceBy Tom Robinson

Icametothe2013MembershipConferenceasastudent.IwasoneweekfrombeginningPhaseII,andI’dcompletedaboutseventy-fivehoursofSkillfulTouchoverthepreviousfourmonths.Iwantedtolearnmoreaboutwhat experiencedRolfers™weredoingandseehowitwouldhelpmewithwhatIwasdoing.Well,ithelpedmemuchmorethanIexpected,andIhadexpectedalot!I’lldiscussherewhatIlearned.

From opening speaker JeffMaitland,I learned that you can give a talk thatso engages your audience that it takesparticipantstoarenewedandunitedplace.Andwhenyou’rereallygood,sometimesyoucandoRolfingStructuralIntegration(SI)sessionsonpeopleoverthephone.

FromTessyBrungardt, I learned I couldworkout theDupuytren’s contractures inmywife’slefthand,becauseIwatchedherdoitinfiveminutestoanotherRolferafterherveryenlighteningbreakoutsessiononthehand.

FromBrookeThomas’ breakout session,I learned that the first and bestway tobuildmy futureRolfingpractice is to tellpeoplewhy I’maRolfer,notwhatRolfingSIisabout.Whatarelief!I’mnowtryingtodraftcopyforawebsitethatcaptureswhyI’mbecomingaRolfer:thisbecomesamore

personalandhoneststatementaboutwhoIamandwhatIwantformyfutureclients.

FromThomasFindleyandKarlHumiston,IlearnedtothinkabouthowIcouldworkwith amuchwider set of clients than Iexpected, including veterans and evenpedophiles. Findley talked about howRolfersgainedofficialstatusaspractitionersof complementary medicine at VAhospitalsontheEastCoast,accomplishingconsiderable changes in theirworkwithveterans.Humiston toldhowpedophilesheworkedwithdidnotrealizetheeffectoftheiractionsuntilRolfingsessionshelpedthemintoasenseofembodiment.

FromKeithEconomidis,IlearnedtothinkofRolfingSIalongsideacupunctureasanotherintegrativemodality.Thiswas reassuring,as I have beenpracticing Skillful Touchout of an acupuncture clinic. I thoughtEconomidis’sbreakout sessionoffered thestartofanambitiousreviewofhowmanydifferentmedicines and therapies cancomplement,enhance,orreplaceestablishedallopathicapproaches.

Andintheclosingceremony,IlearnedfromTaoistMasterChenthatIcanrunaninternalnon-radioactive, full-body scan, to helpdiagnosewhateverisgoingoninmybody.

Tom Robinson has been a management consultant for thirty years, and before that a wilderness guide. He received a PhD in Education from Stanford in 1987. He received most of his Ten Series from Jan Sultan in 1971-1972. Tom lives in Seattle.

Congratulations to the New GraduatesABR – May 2013 Faculty: Monica Caspari (Instructor), Johannes Freiberg (Assistant)Students: Lisa Barr, Luc Lippuner, Matt Lombard, Emily Savage, Max Treinen, Andrea Zeger

USA – August 2013Faculty: Ray McCall (Instructor), Robert McWilliams (Assistant), Merlin Madrid (Assistant)Students: Aaron Alexander, Jackie Ames, Stephané André, Sarah Berckman, Gerald Caffrey, Marnie Deford, Glenda Garcia, Tylan Hadlock, Glenn Janke, Michal Kapic, Rebecca Korfhagen, Jiro Kuroda, Myrian Luz Lopez Ortiz, Erik Mackelprang, Eric Maklan, Beth McNeill, Jill Motley, Ashley Quinn, Fawn Sewell, Rich Stone, Jeanne Vadnais, Emily Willis, Amy Willman

ERA – September 2013Faculty: Gerhard Hesse (Instructor), Students: Detlef Bickel, Anna Folkhard, Tanja Irle, Heinrich Langschied, Michael Lerch, Margarete Mate – Di Pasquale, Susan Michel, Claudia Trächsel


BALI

Phase I - Foundations of Rolfing Structural Integration

February 17 – March 28, 2014Instructor:FernandoBertolucci

GERMANY

Phase III

February 10 – April 3, 2014Instructor:HarveyBurns

SOUTH AFRICA

Unit II

April 7 – May 30, 2014Instructor:TBA

Unit III

September 1 – October 24, 2014Instructor:TBA

ADVANCED TRAINING

LOS ANGELES, CA, USAPart II: March 10-27, 2014Instructor:JanSultanw/LaelKeen

CHARLESTOWN, WV, USASeptember 19-23, 2014October 24-28, 2014 December 5-9, 2014 January 16-20, 2015 March 7-10, 2015Instructors:TessyBrungardt&JonMartine

ROLF MOVEMENT CERTIFICATION

UNITED STATES

Embodiment and Intervention: Grounding and The Lower ExtremityJanuary 20-26, 2014Instructor:MaryBond

The Jaye & Harrington Flow Weekend: The Aesthetics of Balanced Movement: Flow in Our Work & Our LivesMarch 7, 8 & 9, 2014Instrutors:JaneHarrington&VivianJayewithguestinstructorSuzannePicard

Breathing, Walking and Being: Embodiment and Intervention: Movement Education for Structural Integration Practitioners and Somatic EducatorsMarch 16-21, 2014Instrutor:MaryBond

The Fundamentals of Rolf Movement Integration: Enhancing Practitioner SkillsPart I: May 12-16 / 19-22, 2014Part II: September 15-19 / 22-25, 2014Instructors:CarolAnnAgneessens&SuzannePicard

Perceptive Core Stability: Stability Work to Complement the Rolfing SeriesJune 25 – July 1, 2014Instructor:KevinFrank

BRAZILJanuary 20 – February 28, 2014Instructor:MonicaCaspari

Class ScheduleBASIC TRAINING

BOULDER, COLORADO, USA

Phase I: Foundations of Rolfing® Structural Integration

January 27 –March 10, 2014Coordinator:AdamMentzell

April 14 – May 26, 2014Coordinator:AdamMentzell

September 1 – October 13, 2014Coordinator:MegMaurer

Phase I: Accelerated Foundations of Rolfing Structural Integration

March 16 – March 31, 2014Instructor:MichaelPolon

June 22 – July 7, 2014Instructor:SuzannePicard

Phase II: Embodiment of Rolfing Structural Integration & Rolf Movement® Integration

January 13 – March 6, 2014Instructors:KevinMcCoy&MichaelMurphyPrinciplesInstructor:RebeccaCarli-Mills

May 12 – July 3, 2014Instructors:BethanyWard&LarryKolihaPrinciplesInstructor:JaneHarrington

August 18 – October 9, 2014Instructor:ThomasWalkerPrinciplesInstructor:CarolAgneessens

October 20 – December 18, 2014Instructors:ValerieBerg&EllenFreedPrinciplesInstructor:KevinFrank

Phase III: Clinical Application of Rolfing Theory

January 20 – March 14, 2014Instructor:JuanDavidVelezAnatomyInstructor:MichaelMurphy

March 24 – May 16, 2014Instructor:RayMcCallAnatomyInstructor:JohnSchewe

June 16 – August 8, 2014Instructor:LibbyEasonAnatomyInstructor:JuanDavidVelez

October 20 – December 19, 2014Instructor:RayMcCallAnatomyInstructor:JonMartine

INSTITUTE NEWS

OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORSKevin McCoy (Faculty/Chairperson)(262) [email protected]

Peter Bolhuis (At-large/CFO)(303) [email protected]

Nicholas French (Western USA/Secretary) (214) 357-7571 [email protected]

Linda Grace (At-large)(215) [email protected]

Benjamin Gunning (Central USA)(414) [email protected]

Ron McComb (Eastern USA)(503) [email protected]

Michael Murphy (Faculty) (650) 559-7653 [email protected]

Maria Helena (Lena) Orlando (International/CID) +55-11 [email protected]

Hubert Ritter (Europe/Past Chair)+49-30-4435 [email protected]

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEPeter Bolhuis Kevin McCoy Nicholas French

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEERussell Stolzoff, ChairDuffy AllenValerie BergEllen FreedJörg Ahrend-Löns, ERARebecca Carli, Movement FacultyRay McCall, Interim FDRB LiaisonMichael Murphy, Faculty Rep to the BoardSuzanne Picard, Phase I FacultyPedro Prado, ABRJan Sultan, Advanced Faculty

THE ROLF INSTITUTE®

5055 Chaparral Ct., Ste. 103Boulder, CO 80301(303) 449-5903(800) 530-8875(303) 449-5978 faxwww.rolf.org [email protected]

ROLF INSTITUTE STAFFDiana Yourell, Executive DirectorJim Jones, Director of Education Vanessa Gordillo, Assistant to EducationPat Heckmann, Manager of MembershipGena Rauschke, AccountantTrace’ Scheidt, Enrollment Manager/ Financial Aid Officer Ray Viggiano, Clinic Coordinator Linda Weber, Office ManagerCarah Wertheimer, Admissions Advisor Susan Winter, Manager of Marketing & PR

AUSTRALIAN GROUPThe Rolf Institute5055 Chaparral Ct., Ste. 103Boulder, CO 80301 USA(303) 449-5903(800) 530-8875(303) 449-5978 [email protected]@rolf.org

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EUROPEAN ROLFING ASSOCIATION E.V.Patricia Pyrka, Executive DirectorSaarstrasse 580797 MunchenGermany+49-89 54 37 09 40+49-89 54 37 09 42 [email protected]

JAPANESE ROLFING ASSOCIATIONAkiko Shiina, Foreign LiaisonOmotesando Plaza 5th Floor5-17-2 Minami AoyamaMinato-ku Tokyo, [email protected]

CANADIAN ROLFING ASSOCIATIONKai Devai, Administrator 615 - 50 Governor’s Rd. Dundas, ONT L9H 5M3Canada (416) 804-5973(905) 648-3743 fax [email protected]

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