"Our Man In Gravity"

 "Our Man In Gravity"

What's going on here? Not what you may think. But, what is anything what anyone thinks, anyway. No, it's not a hair styling. It involves the hair though. But, not only.

Here's the skinny ...

It's a new twist — please enjoy the unfoldment of that pun — on the classic approach to Human healthy balance. That would be your Dr. Ida P. Rolf Structural Integration. You know, balancing the arrangement of the body with the Gravitational Field of the Earth. That one.

There are a few important aspects of understanding how in the heck you can even transform the arrangement of the body from one of random disorder to one of balanced order.

First, what kind of order are we after in the first place? The human body, like any friggin' structure on this planet lives under the influence of Gravity. Simply put, that means things have to be stacked up vertically, with symmetries side to side, and levels front to back. That's basic Anatomical Design. Well understood. That's basic Physics. Also, well understood. 

So there's Gravity. You're in it; but, are you with it? If you take a look around you'll see the answer for yourself ... not so much. A whole lot of folks live in default of their natural potential for upright bodily balance. Why? We grow bigger and stronger as we mature, structure — how things fit and work in relation to one another — that's learned. We're shaped by our experience. Bad habits, unresolved accidents and traumas, insufficient learning, modelling after significant others who may not manifest adequate balance themselves. All that ... we arrive in adulthood with random imbalances and their compensations welded into the fabric of our bodies. Ouch!

Good news! The human body is plastic. Just like it took shape, it can be reshaped. That's were Dr. Ida P. Rolf Method Structural Integration comes in. 

But, we're way past that folksy hand jive. Read on.

But first ... there's another important thing that relates directly to the case in hand. The soft connective Fascial tissue system. Fascia is the organ of structure. It keeps everything in its place. It maintains relationships. Fascia is a protien-rich, micro-fibrous tissue which is ubiquitous and continuous throughout the body. It goes from the outermost layer of the skin all the way fused to the bones. It wraps and interpenetrates everything ... muscles and organs. Your brain. It is the medium of transfer for nutrients and carries circulation and nervous function. It's everywhere, man! All the way down to the cell walls. Maybe even into the cells themselves.

The thing is to visualize this three dimensional Fascial matrix of support and communication. Think of the pulp and segments of Citrus. It's like that. It's what give your body its shape.

Ain't it something? Who knew? Until very recently the Fasciae were considered not much more that stuffing, filler. Now there's the field of Fascial Studies, and lots of research into it's properties and new understanding about its therapeutic significance.

So now for the big reveal. That photo at the head of this article is a new twist on the classic approach which uses guided movement and touch. Usually in a series of sessions, all pointed to transforming the arrangement of the body into that simple balance which Gravity requires.

Since the Fasciae are continuous and plastic, shouldn't it be possible to pull on one end and get a line of connection to respond all the way at the other end? You betcha! Head bone connected to the toe bone kind of thing.

The new, as yet unnamed approach is just as pictured above. The idea is that we pull the hair in a prescribed and very precise manner, and the body responds owing to the fascial lines of connections. Sort of like the guy during the Nixon era, Chuck Colson. He famously said, "If you have them by the balls, their hearts and minds will surely follow". 

Early iterations of this technique looked like this:

Effective, but cumbersome. And, not so attractive. You had to leave those things on your head for the duration of the multi-week processing.

If you refer back to the image at the top you'll see the whole thing is revamped. There's still the hair rollers, albeit much smaller. The kicker is the gizmo. Who doesn't like a gizmo? In fact the gizmo is the selling point. Gotta have an appliance, don't we? 

That gizmo thingy is state of the art electronics driven by a proprietary algorithm that calculates and sets tensions hair stand, by hair strand. This thing is so precise, just for fun sometimes we crank it to the limit and marvel at how the toe curl. Toe by toe. This thing is granular plus, plus. Nose out of joint? You'll have that appendage front and center pronto. Men! A little short in the nether department? Give that little fellow some slack, be the stud you wanna be! 

Rolf Talks Golf

Rolf Talks Golf

I channeled Ida Rolf. What?...Who?...Whether or not you’re into such stuff or whether you give a hoot about the game of golf, please read on. Dr. Rolf says makes some sense. Even for the non-golfer.

Dr. Ida P. Rolf founded Structural Integration. She had solid scientific credentials in Bio-Chemistry. She researched the causes and cures of chronic disease. Out of her findings she developed and then taught a unique approach to human health and well being. Her teaching now lives on in several accredited schools. 

The main goal of Structural Integration is to restore and evolve the body to its natural balance along the lines of Gravity. It is possible to do this because the human body is plastic; it can change. And, just like any other structure on this earth, the human body is subject to the force of Gravity. So it makes sense that when the body is more symmetrical and stacked up vertically it should work better. Right?

As a long-time student of the work of Dr. Ida P. Rolf I think I may have imbibed at least a little of her essence. That’s where the channeling stuff comes in. Who knew? In the spot where I work her picture looms just over my shoulder. Listen to what she whispered into my ear. (Why golf? One of my friends who I’m inviting to come in for Structural Integration is a golfer. So relating the work to his interest was on my mind. Even if you’re not a golfer, see if what she says doesn’t also apply to you in some way.)

Ida was famously blunt in pointing out that most people live out of balance with respect to the demands of Gravity. In her words, “they are at war with Gravity.” (If you look at yourself and others you’ll see whether what she is saying is true.)

Ok, Dr. Rolf, what’s on your mind?

“I just don’t get it about those golfers. All that fuss about pushing a little ball around on the grass. To each his own. They spend so much time and so much money on what not and whatever. Lessons. Books. Equipment. Play, play, play. Practice, practice, practice. Well, I will concede all that gets some improvement by and by. Some, anyway. By … and … by.

The one thing that those … duffers … haven’t seemed to have stumbled upon is taking a good long look at the complete picture. The body itself and how it’s put together is a big part of what goes into the game. The human body in structural terms is supposed to work with the force of Gravity. That calls for architectural balance — symmetry and verticality. But, if you bother to look, you’ll see that the average person lives with the centers of Gravity of the major segments of the body slipped out from the central axis. As for symmetry…you may have an arm and a leg on each side, but how different they are! Goodness, gracious! A lot of energy, time, and expense is invested in lessons and equipment trying to compensate for some of those obvious but unrecognized physical imbalances. 

Why not do something to get the body itself into proper alignment in the first place! I didn’t make this stuff up, folks. I didn’t create a problem just so I would have something to fix. Take a look at yourself in the mirror. See for yourself what I’m talking about.

Your body is in balance or it isn’t. Usually a little of both. People at the top of their game in athletics and the arts already know how important cultivating physical balance is. How about the average Joe … And Joanne? If you were a putter, would anybody buy one? Would you? Are you hoping for yet another design gimmick so you can go get another big bucks driver?

So if I’ve offended your tender ego by suggesting that you take a firm grasp of the obvious, get over it. Suck it up and do something about it. You don’t have to go see David. He’s a nice boy, but he’s big bucks. Just think about what I’m telling you. You’ll know what to do. Your aunty Ida loves you. Now straighten up!”

Whew! Thank you Dr. Rolf, ma’am. You said what I was afraid to say myself. Thanks for the compliment too. I think.