The Rolfing® Ten Series
Completing a Rolfing Ten Series can be a transformational experience. We will work together systematically through every region of the body to balance and develop the body’s structure (shape) and function (movement). The Ten Series can be understood as a series of ten steps that map a process of change, meaning the content, number, and pacing of sessions are always adapted to meet the needs of the individual client. The Ten Series can be especially supportive for those who are ready to make a change in their lives, who want to move more easily and with less pain, who want to deepen their self-understanding and awareness, and who want to reset and establish a new foundation. Those who are just curious are always welcome too!
Below is a more detailed look at the goals and foci of each step. Regardless of where we are in the process, we maintain a holistic view of how your system is working to adapt to and integrate the changes as they build over the course of the series.
Steps 1-3: The Sleeve
Where am I?
Goals: Prepare the outer layers of connective tissue; establish safety and boundaries
Step 1: Open the breath through work with the arms, ribcage, and diaphragm. Begin creating freedom in the pelvis and back through work with the upper leg, hamstrings, neck, and spine (red blocks).
Step 2: Establish a foundation of support through balancing the feet and lower legs (green blocks).
Step 3: Start connecting the front and back of the body by working along the sides of the body, beginning to build awareness of how the head, shoulder girdle, and hips are related to one another when standing under the influence of gravity (yellow blocks).
Steps 4-7: The Core
Who am I?
Goals: Address the deeper layers to create lasting support, balance, and ease; open to what matters
Step 4: Open the center line of support from the inside arch of the foot to the base of the pelvis (red blocks).
Step 5: Find ease in the core through the front of the body, working abdominals, psoas, and chest if needed (yellow blocks).
Step 6: Find support in the core through the back of the body from the heels to the upper back (yellow blocks).
Step 7: Balance the neck and head on the top of the body, extending the core from the base of the pelvis to the top of the head (blue blocks).
Steps 8-10: Integration
Where am I going?
Goals: Integrate the core and the sleeve layers; bring the whole body into easeful movement and coordination.
Steps 8 and 9: Depending on the individual needs of the client, Sessions 8 and 9 focus in turn on either the upper or lower body, ensuring a balance of support, adaptability, and dynamic movement throughout the whole (red and green blocks).
Step 10: Bring integration and congruency to the whole system, setting the foundation for years to come (yellow block).
Ready to Get Started?
Reach out for a free 20-min consult call to see if the work is a good fit for you.
*Images originally created by Matt Hsu, Certified Rolfer® and used with permission by the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute.
“Rolfing does not ‘cure’ symptoms. The goal of Rolfing is a more resilient, higher-energy system. The organism is then better able to defend itself against illness and overcome stress, and the greater energy does its own beneficial work in healing and relaxing. Rolfing does not achieve perfection; it begins the process. Its goal is to establish balance in gravity. The ten-hour cycle is a first step in that direction. Rolfing is an ongoing process that continues long after the work has been completed. Bodies have natural liking for uprightness, comfort, and ease. Insofar as they can experience it, they try to live in a place of balance. In this place, the energy of gravity can flow with (not counter to) the energy of the individual.”
Dr. Ida P. Rolf