Sarah's Rolfing thread (no, not Rolf Harris!)

[Cerulean]

I am being Rolfed for the first time tomorrow.

'What's that?' I hear you ask, well - the Rolfing Ten Series is a process that seeks to realign your body and bring it into balance through observation, training and manipulation.

It is expensive and there are very few practitioners (only 9 in London, I think) but I figured that my poor body is very confused at the moment what with having to carry over 5 stone of obesity over the last 5 years and suddenly losing it!

So as I lose the last 3 stone I thought I would do the last stage of the journey with someone who can help me understand and learn to use my new body as it emerges. It is also supposed to help you with your yoga practice (I've recently started studying yoga again and am so stiff that I need all the help I can get!)

So I shall be updating this thread with my sessions as and when they happen.

[katie_oxo]

It sounds fascinating - I look forward to reading your posts and seeing how it goes.

Cath

[Geri]

Ooooh that sounds very interesting... Look forward to hearing how you get on today

[westiegirl]

Very intriguing. I too will be keeping up with your progress!

[gaijingirl]

The name does sound like some kind of very dodgy sexual practice....

Will be REALLY interested to find out how you get on. Our counsellor is always saying I need to do something a bit more yoga-y or holistic or something like that..... I do keep meaning to do yoga but tbh, the few times I've done it I get so bored - I'm definitely more of a competitive sports type person. I don't suppose that's bad in itself, but I get her point about neglecting the other side of me!!

I keep thinking about taking up taiko (Japanese) drumming which is both extremely physical but also has quite a "spiritual" for want of a better word, side to it. BUT there's only really one group in London I can join, their meetings are on the same night as my badminton club and they demand that "taiko becomes the most important thing in your life".... hmmmmm

[Eileen]

i will be back too see what you have too say about it Sarah.

[Cerulean]

Well - just goes to show that Mrs Know-it-all here sometimes forgets important things. Like asking what to wear. I assumed it would be like Shiatsu - no skin on skin contact so I wore tracky bottoms and a long sleeved top. And no pants underneath. Commando. So when the practitioner asked me to strip to my underwear I laughed and had to explain!

Luckily my tracky pants are so loose that they could be shifted round like shorts so we worked round them!

The first session in the series covers most of the body. I only really have ongoing problems with my ankles - they are very stiff and clicky. Mainly because I have sprained them so many times over the years that they must have built up some fibrous muscle protection around them. Also, like most office workers I have stiff shoulders and I also have tight hamstrings so I have exercises to loosen them that I am supposed to do twice a day.

Today was a bit like a deep tissue massage - you have to breathe into a lot of the strokes and some of the strokes are so firm and in sensitive areas that there was a lot of huffing and puffing at the tightest parts of the backs of my legs and the stiffest nerves in my shoulders, but on the whole I felt quite 'ironed out' at the end of the session and alive enough to walk from East Finchley to Crouch End and then back to my home in Holloway.

Getting into bed just now though, my bottom is quite sore (he worked on my glutes quite a lot!) The next update on this won't be for a month - but that's when the real work begins on a bit by bit basis - week 2 of the process is the feet. Shame I have to wait until after my holiday!

[katie_oxo]

Sounds really good and very therapeutic.

Had to laugh at you going pantless - that's the kind of thing I'd have done, to be wearing the wrong thing.

Cath