The Ten Series

The Rolfing® Ten Series systematically addresses imbalances in your fascial network over the course of 10 sessions. If you have never received Rolfing before, this is a good place to start. The Ten Series first frees your superficial fascia then addresses deep restrictions, with each session building upon the previous to create support for the next level of release. Here is an overview of what happens in each session:

1. Enhance breath.

The first session focuses on structures affecting breathing. We will differentiate your shoulder girdle and pelvis from your torso. These structures should slide and glide on the trunk, but fascial tensioning can “knit” them down, inhibiting breath and movement and effectively acting like a straight jacket.

2. Provide support.

The second session focuses on your lower legs and feet. This session is intended to better connect you to the ground and to provide a strong foundation of support for the rest of your body. We will also enhance the function of the ankle and the toes so that they can participate fully in sensing the ground and in propelling you through space with ease as you walk.

3. Open the sides.

The third session focuses on the side “seams” of your body from your ears to your lateral ankles. The goals of this session are twofold: To give your body more space from front to back, and to better organize you around an imaginary plumb-line from head to heels, through which gravity moves most efficiently.

4. Connect lower body to core.

The fourth session organizes your legs in relationship to your core by addressing restrictions in the “medial line” of the lower body — from feet and ankles to inner thighs and pelvis. The goal is to encourage a sense of effortless “lift” from the legs into the muscular hammock of the pelvic floor. This reduces strain on the legs, provides support for the organs, and helps activate the deep postural muscles.

5. Connect upper body to core.

The fifth session extends the “lift” achieved in session four up the front of the spine. The key structure in this session is the psoas muscle—a deep hip flexor that connects your leg to your low back. We will also address restrictions in your abdominals, pectorals, and anterior neck to lengthen your whole front body, superficial to deep.

6. Open the back.

The sixth session focuses on the back of your body from your calves to your back. The goal of this session is to allow your legs, pelvis, and spine to move independent of one another.

7. Orient the head on the spine.

The seventh session, the last of the deep Rolfing sessions, focuses on your head, neck, and face. The goal is to allow your head to rest with ease on top of your spine.

8. Lower body integration.

The eighth session is the first of three integration sessions that close the Ten Series. The work will be lighter during this and the subsequent sessions, and you will be asked to be more involved—for instance flexing or extending a joint during the work or focusing your breath more consciously. In this eighth Rolfing session, we will focus primarily on any remaining trouble areas in your lower body.

9. Upper body integration.

The ninth session, another integration session, will focus primarily on any remaining trouble areas in your upper body.

10. Whole-body integration.

The last session of the Rolfing Ten Series covers the entire body. The work is superficial as we address any restrictions affecting healthy movement at your joints. ✦