Rolfing focuses on your alignment and body mechanics.  It focuses on the fascia—i.e., the connective tissue in our bodies that doctors are now considering to be the organ of structure or posture. At its best, the fascia is a thin membrane that covers all of our muscles. At its worst, it bonds together to create knots, pain, tension, and thickness, impeding our body’s ability to exercise its full range of motion, and then enforcing the body’s tendencies to restrict itself and shorten.

Different people develop different lines of tension in the fascia of their body. This develops based on how the body is used. Injuries, repetitive movements. These lines of tension can cause imbalances in the body. Because of this imbalance , the extra strain on the soft tissue of the body will eventually create scar tissue. There is a thickening and hardening of the tissue because of the overuse. 

Your Rolfer has the ability to observe your posture and see where these lines of tension are in your body. For example some people have a tendency for more fat build up on the outside of their hips and thighs or others on the inside. Additionally, other sets of muscles and fascial sheets are not used as they were intended to be and lose their natural tone due to this misalignment. Releasing these lines of tension can assist in dramatically changing  the contour and shape of your leg. 

Through a combination of hands and other contouring treatments your body is  re-aligned. The work is profound, in large part because fascia is malleable, and it’s inclined to do what it’s told.