Support
"In a human body, support is not something solid. Support is relationship. Support is a balance of elements that are not solid all at, elements that are incapable of withstanding the weight that presses down on them except as they are balanced.” Dr Ida P Rolf
When I first meet my clients a question I often ask is: “What is your support network like?” Some people look at me blankly, others tell me about their friends or estranged brother or some might just say they’re not a “close bunch.” It is not something I have to know but instead something I’m curious about. As I get to know you and your body, and I begin to consider how it is that your body supports you and you support your body, I feel like the pieces of the puzzle begin to emerge when we look outside the box. When I consider “support” I consider it in the broadest of terms.
Rolfing is not just about what’s going on inside your body, it’s also about what’s happening around your body: in your world.
If we are using all our energy to hold our bodies up we’re going to feel very exhausted and depleted. You and your body are supposed to be working together, not fighting against each other.
The relationships that become the fabric of one’s support network need looking after and time has to be invested to keep them strong and healthy. This, too, can be said of the relationship we have with our bodies. If we can understand more about what support our bodies’ need – and indeed what support means to our bodies – then we are rewarded with a sense of ease and effortlessness as we go about our days and years.
So, when we bring the notion of support back into the body, we are looking at the relationship of parts. How your ankle supports your knee, how your knee and ankle support your hip etc.
Given half a chance all muscles and bones can be a part of the supporting process. But what happens when the body is misaligned is that this support becomes compromised and out of balance. Take a moment to ask yourself the question: “Where in my body do I need more support?”
