"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭" ... 𝐃𝐫. 𝐈𝐝𝐚 𝐏. 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐟

"Nobody can prove what I am about to say, but I think it is so: every energy in which we live is nourishment to us. It is something which is literally contributing food to the individual. If you are living within a field of sound, the same is true of your ears. 

Now it would be absolutely ridiculous if we lived in a field of Gravity and it had no effect on us, yet down through the ages this has been our assumption, that it didn’t make any difference. This assumption is still held among a lot of people. They think it doesn’t make any difference how you carry yourself because you are a spirit, an immortal and superior something, and it’s the superior something which is in charge of the situation. 

Well, a spirit is in charge of the situation, but not in the way many think. The spirit is in charge to tell the individual that he can so organize his body that he is now in line with a supporting force [Gravity]. He cannot just go on indefinitely striking out indiscriminately against this force that’s tearing him down, yet this is what he tries to do. 

You know average posture: the head way forward, the back way back, the chest almost lacking, the ribs down, no air coming in, etc., etc. His spirit will carry him through? It is an assumption that no longer works; it is the relic of an idea which was universal a hundred years ago."

— Ida P. Rolf

𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐎𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.

Featured 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 

𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐎𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Author: David D. Wronski

Abstract ...

Fascia “informs” ... Gravity “justifies”

 

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES

There’s an inextricable relationship between Gravity and Fascia. This is overlooked. [Interesting, remember how Fascia itself had been overlooked?]

Gravity should be included as a prime factor in understanding Human health and well being. Make it an integral consideration in Fascia science, research studies, and clinical practices.

Simply put, Fascia wouldn’t behave as it does without Gravity.

BACKGROUND

The Fascia Research Congress was started by Tom Findley MD, PhD and Robert Schleip PhD — both practitioners of Structural Integration, the method originated by Ida P. Rolf PhD. She is acknowledged as the “Mother of Fascia”.

Knowing the ideas which underpin Dr. Rolf’s approach will clarify the significance and utility of working with an included view of the integral relationship of the form that is Fascia with the force that is Gravity. And, hopefully recontextualize the subject to open for new creative ideas on approaches for the bench and for the office.

DISCUSSION

Key points on the Fascia-Gravity connection ...

Gravity is an essential reference. Balance in the architectural arrangement of the whole body is healthy, normal. The standard for bodily balance is the same as for all structures on Earth: balance in respect to the three cardinal planes. The Fascial system is the “Organ of Structure”. It is the bodywide, three dimensional fabric [“matrix”] of support and organization. Seeing its globally interconnected tensionality we now model the body as a tensegrity structure; i.e., true balance maintained in the equipoise span of the connective tissues. Imbalances in the Fascial web are contributive in symptoms of chronic pain and stress. Imbalances in the fascial web have accompanying compensations. Fascia is plastic, adaptive. Myofascial anatomy is a clinical map. Integration of the body structure with Gravity is wholistic, somatic: that is, we access the whole Human being at the concrete, hands-on body level. Upright verticality in the Human body structure is in the definition of normal. It is the direction of Human physical evolution.

CONCLUSION/SUGGESTIONS

The Human body design calls for balance with the force of Gravity. Imbalances contribute to dis-ease.

That the Human body can transform to such a level of structural integration is still to be seen as a realizable possibility. Much less a value in itself. Including this can open new areas for research study as well as clinical diagnosis and applications.

PROPOSED RESEARCH

Compile an image record of pre/post Dr. Ida P. Rolf Method Structural Integration processing enlisting models in training classes in schools accredited by the International Association of Structural Integrators. Images to include strictly comparable photographic imaging/analysis, and other innovative measurement devices; e.g., on site foot pressure plate mapping, gait analysis; selected digital pattern overlays in system with analysis of spatial and morphological variances.

 

HOME PAGE

YOUR STANDING ON EARTH 

It Concerns ... Your Standing On Earth 

This website will give you some tips and pointers toward living into more tangible balance in you own life.

More to the point, how you stand. That makes a difference, you know. On how you see the world. And, how the world sees you. 

It's a matter of balance. Merely standing on two feet is not the whole of it. Not nearly. There's the evolutionary possibility for us humans to stand fully upright. According to the Anatomical design of the body and the basic Physics of Gravity. 

Simply put, living adequate to the demands of the constant and ever present pull of Gravity. Most people fall short.

We know from science and its practical application in architecture how things should be put together. We make sure whatever we build is, at its core, what the trades call "plumb" and "square". This goes back to pre-recorded history when somebody first figured out the simple fact that a stone fence would last if the stones were set one on top of the other. 

This applies to the human body too. The inherent natural design of the human body calls for everything to be level and even around a vertical line. Stacked up nice and straight. 

The center line of the body is supposed to match up with the vertical action of Gravity. When the two are aligned you are living in balance. Equipoise. This is not just a nice idea. A high concept. It's tangible. A percept. You feel it. And, it feels right. You see it for yourself.

There are implications here concerning health. Bodily balance is, by definition, healthy. Psychologically, bodily balance equates with being present, having a clear-eyed take on your world. What could be more ecological? Enlisting the energy field of the Earth as a ingrained standard for balanced living. Spiritually, balance and inner peace are directly related. Oh, yes. It feels good too.

This is all just plain common sense. But, you have to give the idea a moment to sink in. Most people aren't living anywhere near their natural potential for true balance in the makeup of their bodies. Out of balance is so commonplace it goes unnoticed. Even, taken for normal. Usual, yes. Normal? Kind of.

Take a look at these stills from the recent movie Birdman. What do you see?

My first take when I saw the image on top was that it might be a posture thing. A moment in time where the actor moved one shoulder higher than the other. I looked further, and it appears that may be the way the gentleman is put together. I'll bet most people who saw the movie were only struck by the fact that he was levitating. I was. The other, just as obvious spatial imbalance, goes unnoticed.

To illustrate the point further, go somewhere where lots of folks are around to observe. Now, take a look at how they walk. Sure, one foot goes in front of the other. But, look more closely. Each person exhibits a different pattern of movement. This is a result to a very large extent on how their individual life histories have become recorded into the very fabric of their flesh. The seemingly simple act of walking is a complex motor function. The articulation of the feet and legs. The transfer of movement through the pelvis. Then upward, through the torso and into the shoulders. The neck and head also participate; or, don't. Tightly fixed head ... that's called "head strong".

Also, as you observe how people move, consider how some patterns are more efficient and graceful. Then, how some others (a lot), if extended over a long period of time, will lead to complications and disfunctions. 

This is not necessary. And, it's easy to correct. But, again, you have to want it. It does take doing. So, what to do?

KEY POINTER: Pay attention to how you use your body. It's called mindfulness. Just include your body sense into your total field of awareness. Your body is constantly giving you feedback on when it's happy, and when it's not. Pay attention to the signals. Adjust accordingly.

Additional posts on this website will be added to build on this basic foundation. 

If you want to get into it big time right away, here's a place to go. Click this. 

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 ... 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Straight Talk About Gravity ...

Everything you should want to know, 

but may not have been asking

This is a long read. So, let's cut to the chase so you can have an idea of where we're going.

About Gravity. There's an aspect to that Universal force which is unrecognized and underappreciated. Specifically, Gravity can easily be enlisted on an individual Human level as a ready at hand, ever present, and sustainable resource for health, well being, top performance, full creativity, and healing. "Healing", being not just about clearing up an owie, but in the larger sense of getting right with things, with reality. Gravity as a guide in this is reliably real. And we now know how to enlist and utilize Gravity for, as Dr. Ida P. Rolf said it, "for a more Human use of our Human being".

[Speculating that perhaps how come it hasn't been promoted widely already is that there's no money in Gravity. It's for free! Like Chris Rock said, "There's no money in the cure. The money's in the drugs."]

If that preamble rings your chimes, read on. If not, read on. For sure. Maybe also in that latter case, read it twice.

Now for that straight talk about Gravity ...

First thing. Gravity scribes a straight line. It goes vertical. Well yah! Who doesn't know that? You drop a ball and it goes straight down. Everybody knows that! As children on a preverbal level we get how Gravity works when we're playing at stacking blocks. 

The interesting thing though it's everywhere. It goes straight vertical here, there, there, and there. Missoula to Moscow. Dubuque to Djibouti. Consistent. Reliable. True. At least true enough for whatever you have a mind to do.

And, so ... ?

But, it is also said there are no straight lines in Nature. So, what is this “line” of Gravity? And, saying that it’s a straight vertical line? Can we see it from both sides? Of course you can. Stay with.

Let’s discuss ...

When we trace the action of Gravity we see it goes from being anchored at the center of planet Earth and extends out to the center of the Universe. [Of course, not just Earth; this is true for any rock you may find yourself on in God’s Great Creation. Elon Musk, take that to Mars with you!] Gravity as Mr. Einstein has pointed out has all to do with the attraction of mass. Like a lot of things, the bigger they are the more attractive. To the eye anyway. To me they're all lovely. But, did I just digress? Oh, yes, Gravity. And, then it comes back again. From the center of Creation back to wherever you may be standing right now. Gravity, that is, does that. Mr. Musk too, we pray will come back. If he ever gets there in the first place anyway.

Gravity doesn’t really travel; we speak of it that way for explanation purposes. You can’t see Gravity. Just its effects. But, you can put your finger on it. We’ll get to that a bit later. It's about a firm grasp of the obvious. Hint: your felt sense is a kind of seeing.

Gravity is really a cyclic constant. That would seem to make it a circle, right. Conceptually, maybe even actually so. Regarding the latter, it does have a sustaining quality; like how it tends to keep things together. On this circle concept, it helps us to understand how it keeps recycling so to speak. Keeps things rolling. 

But let’s augment that and add that the active path of Gravity is indeed a straight line, whether from the center of the Earth to the center of your body, or to the center of the Universe. You can hold two differing ideas in mind at the same time? The world is a duality, why waste your time fighting and promoting just one view. I was once on an airplane flight at sunset time traveling south from New York City. On one side of the plane out the window it was a stunning solid block of azure blue; on the other side, a brilliant glowing orange. Both. Get it? Give the devil his due. In my book that bugger represents the full-on down side of things. Just about stuff. No heart and soul. But, when you think about it, maybe letting that devil do what he do, maybe that’s a necessary part of getting behind the Pearly Gates. Just sayin’. Like no soul got to Heaven still grappling with that unrelentingly persuing and never-giving-in trickster. But, I digress. [The devil made me do it.]

Dig this. Quoting Scott Russell Sanders from his novel The Paradise of Bombs ...

“There is a mystical virtue in right angles. There is an unspoken morality in seeking the level and the plumb. A house will stand, a table will bear weight, the sides of a box will hold together only if the joints are square and the members upright. When the bubble is lined up between two marks etched in the glass tube of the level, you have aligned yourself with the forces that hold the universe together."

Net, net, for all practical purposes, on Terra Firma Gravity’s a line straight enough to call it vertical. This way of modeling our understanding of Gravity is important, and useful. In more that a few ways. Read on. And, that no-straight-lines-in-nature quip while it is true to a point, consider how it's on account of that straight vertical line that we appreciate nature's beauty.

There’s some really good news in that for all us God’s Children.

Let’s explain ...

That line of Gravity isn’t just a marked static line, like one drawn on a piece of paper. Or even that chalk line snapped on the wall with a weighted string to keep wallpaper going on straight. It’s dynamic. It’s alive really.

As a line, looked at on Earth there are two actions. The one pulling down/inward; i.e., centripetal. The other pushing upward/outward; i.e., centrifugal. So what, you may ask. The thing is we all get the pulling down part. Like when you drop Auntie’s fine bone china handed-down-the-generations Rosenthal tea cup and it falls and cracks into a million pieces to the floor breaking what otherwise was a proper afternoon tea time. And, smart-ass that you are you offer her the excuse that it was Gravity what done it.

The underappreciated aspect of Gravity is how it exerts that upward lifting action. I know, like nobody’s let go the ball and it goes up. Not without a push anyway. So how do we grok this upward thing?

We need to talk centrifugal some more. Okay?

My professional interest is in the process of balancing of the Human body with the Gravitational field of the Earth. Dr. Ida P. Rolf’s brilliant observation is that, “When the body gets working appropriately, the force of Gravity can flow through”. She goes on to say, “Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself.” If that is a new idea to you, pause and give it a thought. That’s for real, for real! The approach she developed and handed down is called Structural Integration. Some may be familiar with the nickname “Rolfing”.* There are other brand flavors also. The one common factor is that balancing the body in respect to the demands of Gravity is the main goal.

The core idea with that definitive and peerless approach is in how we already know the body is designed to be arranged in an architectural balance. This is well known science. Both Anatomy and Physics. Architects and builders know this as a central point. In architectural terms the body is just like any other physical structure on Earth. And, since imbalances can creep in and — importantly — since the body is plastic, individuals can learn this simple, basic normal balance and/or be restored to such a healthy balance. 

The standard of balance? Not some smarty-pants cooked up notion. No. You probably know the answer: Verticality. "Balanced" in the Structural Integration view is with the centers of Gravity lined up along the body’s central vertical line; with corresponding symmetries/side to side and everything level/on the horizontal front to back.

So now we have a Human being with a body in balance to match the vertical action line of Gravity. That result is structural integration. The vision and goal of the Rolf process called Structrural Integration.

What then?

Let’s get back to “centrifugal”. Just like a tree, roots go down and the branches go up. Humans too. We don’t have physical roots, but the pull of Gravity confirms our rootedness. We feel that. Especially after a long day of work. Or, that triathalon. Or, a pub crawl. You know what I'm talking about. Right?

As for the up — the centrifugal action of Gravity — some good news! But you gotta be in balance to appreciate that. Some semblance of balance anyway. Otherwise, out of balance, Gravity is entropic; it pulls you down, tears you apart. We live in default of having chronic aches and pains and stress for not recognizing that body imbalances as such are the culprit, in whole or in part. And, that those imbalances exacerbate other health problems. And, we take it for granted that there's nothing to do about it but to take pills. Or, get all cut away or propped and stoked up with some fancy procedure. 

Balancing the body is the natural way. So get in balance!

Here’s the benefit. Here we introduce The Line. Not the line of Gravity, or the center line of the body. When we refer to "The Line" we’re talking about the congruence of those two lines. And, not just as an idea, but as a lived experience. It’s a sound scientifically-based concept. And, it's a sound percept. An unambiguous experience. You feel it. Plain as day.

Gravity, however, is so there there we don’t give it much attention. We do things that involve learning to keep balance, of course. 

But, as an ongoing daily inner event, and how the body stacks up, Gravity is mostly ignored as significant. And, it takes some doing to get into that. That may be why I'm writing going on and on like this. It's a new idea really. And, new ideas don't just get saluted just because you hoist them up the flag pole. And, especially new ideas that involve some real change, and skin in the game. Like becoming sane in an insane world. Takes some courage. Like taking the Red Pill. Pilgrim, Gravity is the Red Pill.

To be clear, it's a non-doing really. It’s subtle, so you have to give it some quiet attention to notice what’s going on. That's all the doing necessary. Believe me, once you get a taste of that elixer, you’ll make a habit of taking your medicine regularly, daily. I know. I do.

When you are living The Line you get the benefit of that other side of Gravity. Centrifugal. It’s uplifting, energizing, supportive, nurturing. It feels good. It feels really alive. It’s not just a concept. It’s alive. You feel it. Unambiguously. It feels right. Right at home.

You can even say that the direction of Human evolution has that vertical component to it. Elon Musk is a smart one for sure. Smart. And his rockets go straight up on a vertical path. There’s a "rocket" in a body in balance tangibly working and connected to one’s very sense of being embodied. It's also smart alright, but it is also in the province of wisdom. And, Lord knows, we can use a good dose of that in our times. In balance you can simply be. And, out of that simple sense of simply being, wisdom arises. Yes? Yes! 

As an inner event within your own experience you will see Gravity also goes up straight on the vertical. How far up it goes, that’s for you to find out. And, where you will go. The self-guided approach to life has it's finality; a dead end. Living connected to the "forces that hold the Universe together", that's really living.

In other words “The Line” is dynamic. Alive. Life. Not just a concept, but a percept. It’s way subtle, but way powerful. Like Gravity, it’s so there there and always and everywhere we’re inured to it. Subtle. Yet, it holds the Universe together. Powerful. What, Pilgrim, are you trying to hold together? Maybe Gravity can give you a hand? A lift? Word!

To recap ... when you’re out of structural body balance Gravity is a downer. In balance, now you’re ALIVE.

Dr. Rolf also observed: “Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelentingly threatening environment. Those over forty may call it old age. And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that it has been ignored: they are off balance, they are at war with Gravity.”

Now you get it that out of balance, it’s only a downer. A lot of what ails us is due to imbalances in the makeup of our body. These have been accrued inadvertently over time. Like the Grand Canyon. Years upon years of slow erosion of flowing water. If you’ve ever been there and taken in the Grand Canyon you’ll know the awe inspiring presence of something so vast and ancient. Profound. You might not be ancient, but being out of bodily balance sure feels that way. Causative factors: repeated bad habits, unresolved accidents and traumas, inadequate or improper training, modeling significant others who themselves may not have been good examples of correct balance.

With the method of Structural Integration the whole thing is about establishing the center line of the body and integrating it into closer alignment with the line of Gravity. This is understood scientifically about the design of the body, both Anatomically and in Physics in respect to the demands of Gravity. Balance. Balance in the three planes. Vertical, level, symmetrical.

That we can learn such balance is due to the natural plasticity of the body. We are shaped by our experience. Some of it misshaped. At any age and with any life experience one can learn the simple balance of the body in respect to the dictates of the force of Gravity. And, undo imbalances accumulated over time due to those contributing factors. Here again, the culprits: bad habits, unresolved accidents and traumas, insufficient or improper training, modeling significant others who themselves may not have been good examples of such bodily balance.

DISCLAIMER: Understand, professionally I practice Structural Integration. Personally, I practice structural integration. My purpose is first to get you engaged with the idea that balance of the body is a good thing. And to engage you in the prospect that this is something you want for yourself. As for getting professional assistance, that's available. But, you can simply start doing things that contribute to a more balanced stance on your own. The choice in the first place is to decide to get things in order. Step by step. And, to get started doing it. Okay?

As my Go-To Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj succinctly puts it, "The entire purpose of a clean and well-ordered life is to liberate man from the thralldom of chaos and the burden of sorrow."

Understand the line of Gravity is not just a scribed line. Like in the building trades using a string and a weighted-mass plumb bob to confirm the vertical. That’s an applied, static method. There’s another method that individuals can take advantage of in their own life. In their own time. Balancing the body with the Gravitational field of the Earth. Be an "Easy Rider", doin' your own thing, in you're own time.

Consider the designers’ and builders’ use of the plumb line. Three things. 1.The plumb bob itself — that weighted-mass which Gravity pulls down. 2.The string. 3.The hand — what holds it in place, and what holds it up, and what decides where to put it to begin with. Notice that it’s the string that connects the two. That string is under tension. That’s dynamic. Same with the weighted mass of the body. It’s like a plumb bob. Gravity wants to pull down on it. Normally we struggle to keep up. That downward pull is a good thing. Metaphysically you can say it is literally pulling down and away what you don't have in the first place. Karma, baby.

But, in balance, the “up” is automatic, built into the systematic reciprocal relationship with Gravity and the living organism. Centered on The Line. In the building trades that line has the intention of making sure things are plumb and square. As regards the Human being, The Line also has a healthy intention. If you look it's there. You feel it. What it's like. Sit down and look within. What you are feeling, that's it. Any imbalances in the body will show themselves. At first discomforting maybe. And, early in this practice with a bunch also of discomforting thoughts. Stick with it! Sit in what J. Krishnamurti advises: "Choiceless awareness". Or, as the Buddhist Masters put it: "Presence Awareness". The thing about doing that in a good balanced posture is that things clear up naturally, spontaneously. Like Dr. Rolf said, "Spontaneously the body heals itself". Let the grass grow by itself. You'll see.

It’s a big subject. Intention. In terms of daily living on Earth let’s understand that The Line has two intentions. One is horizontal. In other words, daily living on planet Earth. Doing this and that, going here and there, getting what have you ... like that. Even Elon Musk and his sending rockets up, that’s really in the domain of the horizontal physical reality. Doing stuff.

The other intention is vertical. In one way, moving down. Oriented, if you will, grounded to the Earth. And ... and, moving up, up toward the Center of the Universe. Which, we might want to refer to as Source, the Creator. It’s that upward movement of the force of Gravity that has the intention to keep you centered and in the moment. Keeping it Real. Connected for life ...

Perhaps with the talking about spiritual matters you're getting that The Line is not just about a better body. We talk about the body because we can get our hands on it. The entire enterprise is what's called "somatic". Entering within yourself at the felt sense bodily level, but understanding that it's a wholistic event. Body, mind, psychology, soul, spirit. We separate these for speaking purposes only. Words will do that. The reality is that it's a unity. In other words, you can think of The Line as the Shepherd's Staff. Guiding a good life. What's a "good life"? Well, having a sense of simple basic bodily balance is a help. You do you. But, be righteous. Righteous? Now with all these words surely you have a sense that it involves simple geometry. As for ultimate matters, when the student is ready the Teacher will appear. Gravity is a teacher. In the Teacher's Hand.

You could say that the thrust of Human evolution is in living in an equipoise balance between those two movements. Up and down. The breath and its action is a good metaphor for that same dynamic. In and out if you're into that tantric Yin Yang thing. 

In other words Gravity has its material side, and its metaphysical side. In the world, but not of the world. Just like it has its downside [centripetal] and its upside [centrifugal]. Yin and Yang if you want to get all Eastern with it.

So, what do we want to take away from all these words. This: Gravity is a sustainable and most readily available resource for living well. For health, performance, creativity.

Get with it!

* "Rolfing" and "Rolfer" are service marks of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute.

𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥"

 

Gravity is the "Red Pill"

"Red Pill" is a big thing in the movie The Matrix. It's small, it's a pill, so it's small; but you get what I'm saying. "Big" in significance. It's a symbol for awakening from conditioning; the conditioning of society, the constructed illusory Matrix. It's integral to the story; so, if you haven't best for you to go right now and watch the show so you have the full skinny on the reference.

First, to be clear, society needs its conditioning. We all drive on the same side of the road. Well, except for those contrary Brits and all the lands they held in their imperial sway. Or, you turn the water faucet clockwise to shut it off. Or, you light the Tobacco end of a filtered cigarette. Or, the up elevator goes ... up. Except that one at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City when I lived there; a mind of its own it had. 

But then there's the conditioning of ideas. Ways of thinking. The way I think it is, is the way it is; and the way it should be. Isn't that pretty much at the root of all the shit we see in the news these days? A contest over whose view is to prevail. When, in fact, having a view itself might just the problem. We, however, contest of this view or that. The recent Presidential election exemplifies that point. One candidate is gonna take us all to hell. And, so will the other. Depending on which side you take, the stakes have been framed as so dire it's a wonder that more idiots haven't decided to take matters in their own hands. 

In any case, there also is a thing in ordinary life about waking up. Better, waking up from. Plenty of wisdom knowledge on that subject. It's above my pay grade to attempt to give chapter and verse. Go look for yourself, if you're so inclined. If not, never mind; don't give it a second thought. Come to think of it, that's the formula for awakening, don't give a second thought! As my go-to Nisargadatta Maharaj put it: "... the rigorous refusal to harbor thoughts." 

That is awakening. You stop carrying around ideas about what it is, how it should be, and how you think and feel about the difference. Take a fresh, unfiltered look. Because, in the world, there'll always be differences. Heck, if not, why would anyone want to wake up from a cozy dream? 

The "Matrix" is living with a set of prescriptions about what's what. Handed to us by family, teachers, society, priests, and politicians. A dream. Nothing necessarily wrong with any of that. Just, to not be aware that "all the world's a stage" is to keep running in the same set habitual circles, ignorant of the underlying realities. But, once awake, you then open yourself to creative options. Heck, look at the friggin' news, Boy! Oh, Boy! We are most probably at a fin-de-siècle of biblical proportions, and the sleepers at the wheel of the ships of state are still pretending to know what they're doing. Die-hards; let's pray not. Time to pray. To repent. To fess up to our stupidity. Cultivate the virtues. Humility before the Creator. The self-made approach to life is showing us its end game. But, what pol got elected confessing they don't know? Socrates was just some guy way back when. Now, everyone knows; and the contest goes to the one who convinces us they know best. What could go wrong with that?

Waking up is not, by the way, the same as woke. "Woke" in my book is just being hip to whatever the popular zeitgeist is pushing at the moment. "Awake" is having the scales fall from your eyes, cleansing the doors of perception.

So, how does Gravity play into this waking up stuff?

We're not talking about Gravity as a concept. That is, in intellectual terms. Formulas and theories. That stuff is good for moving things like rockets, or building walls. Fine enough. 

There's Gravity as percept. But even not like when you drop your ice cream off the cone, and it falls to the ground. We all know from Gravity like that. Or, from when as kids we played at stacking blocks. Or, how you see a picture is off kilter on the wall.  That sort of thing is more direct, ingrained: but still mainly intellectual. It is closer to activities like skiing and skateboarding and surfing. That sense of reciprocal kinesthetic balance you have to have to keep moving with the flow.

But, there's more. Way more. As the above illustrates, the sense for keeping one's balance is a learned skill. We all have it, in varying degrees. The difference between the two young fellas above is in the balance of the body itself. Repeat ... the balance of the body itself. The one with obvious imbalances in the makeup of his body may in fact be the better skateboarder. We're not talking about the ability to balance. Get that straight. The boy on the right brings a balanced body to the party. That's a crucial difference. It's about the experience of living, of being alive. Do you really want to live!? Yes? Balance your body!

Gravity to the rescue.

And, that is how Gravity frees from past conditioning. We all arrive at adulthood with a random mix of imbalances fixed into the fabric of our flesh. We are shaped by our experience(s). Unresolved accidents and traumas get folded in. Habits, both good and bad, get repeated and shape the way we do things; the way we see things. Insufficient learning, and improper learning. "Shoulders back, head up, knees locked, hips clenched" ... sound familiar? Soldiers have been famously known to faint under holding that standard of uprightness too long. That can't be good. And, very influential, modeling significant others who may have themselves not been healthy examples of simple bodily balance. 

Dr. Ida P. Rolf, the originator of the definitive and peerless approach to Human balance in respect to the demands of Gravity stated it thusly: “When the body gets working appropriately, the force of Gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself.”

Of course, now the conversation opens to another question: what is healing? Obviously it's about fixing what isn't right. Flipped over more positively, it's about cultivating what is right. In personal bodily terms this has to do with how imbalances in the arrangement of the body limit range and choice. Contribute to chronic problems associated with pain and stress; if not being the actual cause.

So, you may [should] be asking, "What is right?". Right in bodily terms is the same as for any structural arrangement on Earth. Stacked up nicely vertical, symmetrical side to side, and level front to back. This is not a static situation like a brick wall. It's dynamic. But, at the core that "Plumb & Square" reference needs to be there. 

Healing in its broadest sense also has to do with soulful with reality. There's a range. Wholeness. Oneness. Healing separation(s). Dislocated joints on the ordinary level. The expulsion from the Garden, that's a soul level matter.  

As pointed out, there's the immediate physical reality of how things under the influence of Gravity need to be arranged vertically upright, with symmetries and levels. This is architecture 101 from the time when someone figured out that mud fence would hold up if it was straight. Same with the human body. The basic science of Anatomy and Physics. I know. It makes sense. Just now to put it into practice.

There's the alignment with the Creation itself. For that, sitting in easy alignment with Gravity, energies move and things sort themselves, by themselves. That's Gravity at work! Not much to say. See for yourself!

𝐋𝐲𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐩.”

First, the rules that apply. The universal one. A big one: Gravity. We all generally know about how the force of Gravity keeps your feet on the ground. Downward pull ... grounding. Let go, and it falls down. That’s called “centripetal”.

There’s also the opposite and equal force. “Centrifugal”. Upward ... lifting. That latter one, the upward movement, that one we don’t really appreciate in an every day, directly experienced way.

Here’s something you might not know. When your body is aligned in its makeup in respect to the demands of Gravity that upward movement is an empowering, healing agent. You feel it. It’s a lived experience. It’s alway there, just now to pay attention.

Big thing to know: There’s always an up and a down. An upside, and a downside.

Then there’s bombs.

What does Gravity have to do with bombs? Bombs go BOOM. Also, they go down. No surprise there. Is there an upside? What goes up from bombs? Nothing good. Reading the news should fill you in on the details.

Same for rockets, and bullets. While those mostly go horizontal — call them vectors —the force of Gravity which always exerts its downward pull. Again, what comes of it, it’s a downer. Down and out when they strike their mark.

Maybe it’s time to evaluate things on just how they perform on the scale of up and down? Just sayin’.

Bombs, rockets, bullets are violent. They bring nothing constructive. Unless, of course, your idea of things is that you have to use them to get what you want. I refer you again to the news of the day. Or, to prevent someone else from getting what they want at your expense of what you want. Or, it’s how you make a living. A living from dying. Does anyone see the irony in that?

Net, net ... war/death and destruction/militarism, that whole indigestible Enchilada, it’s a downer. And, add to that any other way the ingenuity of mankind can figure how to kill their fellows. Unless, those so-called fellows are sub-human. Then, it’s pest control. You have read the news ... Oh Boy!

So, where do we go from here? Ask yourself. What’s it gonna be boy? Yes, or no? To war?

If you’re in a position to do something on a geo-political level, and you want war to end, then work on that. Your smart enough to have got yourself in that high seat; so, you go! That is, if you’re not beholden to interests who want war for political and/or pecuniary reasons. No new news there. Then, you have a hard choice to make. Put bread on the table, or find a new line of work. Or, wait until it all blows up, then pick of what pieces you can. Of course, using your guns to keep others from taking what’s yours. Skip the news, read Human history.

If you’re an average citizen of the world what can you do? Purify your heart. Take the war out of yourself. Didn’t the Dalai Lama and others essentially say, “No peace without inner peace”?

How to do that. Gravity can be helpful. Very. It’ll help you take those conflicting vectors out. The inner struggle. At at war with Gravity itself. 

“Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelentingly threatening environment. Those over forty may call it old age. And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that it has been ignored: they are off balance, they are at war with gravity.” 

–Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

Just by sitting still and easy, Gravity’s uplifting way will clear out what’s in the way. But, do it regularly. Commit. You’ll see.

𝐈𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥?

 

Good question. And, perfectly understandable. A lot of people have the same concern. Even some who have been "Rolfed" say it's painful. What they don't usually mention is that the experience is about pain leaving. Or, that there can be occasional intensity, but not something hurtful. But, as a client you are in charge. Everything proceeds with your permission and acceptance. That's the plain fact. 

Have you ever had an experience of pain leaving? Or, moving into a place of discomfort and discovering just out of being willing to go there it transforms from pain to pleasure? Try it, you'll like it.

This will answer the big question to your complete satisfaction. You don't want to miss choosing to do something good for youself out of a simple misunderstanding. Wrong information. Do you?

Okay? Let's unpack the question ...

But it does depend on three things: 

What do you mean by is? 

What do you mean by Rolfing? 

And, what do you mean by painful?

That may sound like a smart-ass answer, but a few things need to be cleared up and given the necessary context. That understanding will settle the question. Promise.

"Is"

What is the "is" in question? What's the "is-sue"? 

Your body. Every Human body. Any Human body.

We're talking about the individual Human being and their condition in simple, basic bodily terms. In this case, it's about its condition in respect to how it stacks architecturally. What it takes for that arrangement to live in a normal healthy relationship to the constant and ever present force of Gravity. It's that simple. 

Let's take a look. There's  balance, and there's out of balance? Frankly, usually a mix of both. Typical patterns: head forward ... one shoulder higher ... ministry of funny walks.  Those imbalances, though ... ouch! They can be painful. Not to mention the compensations necessary to keep everything together.

How do we look at the body as a structure? What do we look for? 

The body has an anatomical design, its natural and healthy architectural arrangment. There is a set of definite relationships of the many segmented parts; that is ... feet, legs, hips, belly, chest, shoulders, hands, arms, neck, head. This arrangment as a whole stacks up and operates under the influence of Gravity. Just like any physical structure on Earth. We know the rules of Gravity for our buildings. Same for the Human body. Vertical, symmetrical, even. Bada bing!

Imbalances often occur. Bad habits, unresolved accidents and traumas, lack of training, no training — we're self-taught mostly [who taught you how to stand, to sit, to walk?] — modelling significant others who may not have been themselves good examples of balance in the makeup of their own bodies. 

These arrangements accumulate over time, and unless resolved or corrected, they get set into the fabric of the flesh. Such imbalances report themselves as chronic pains and stress. Limited range, sub-par performance, lack of creativity. 

This is what the orginator, Dr. Ida P. Rolf said about that: "Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelentingly threatening environment. Those over forty may call it old age. And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that it has been ignored: they are off balance, they are at war with Gravity."

It's plain to see looking at any individual's body in terms of how well it stacks up along the straight line vertical; also looking for necessary symmetries, and levels-evenness front to back.  

In summary, the "is" in Rolfing is your body and it's alignment in respect to the dictates of Gravity. 

"Rolfing"

Rolfing is a legal service mark name held by the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute. It's one of the schools in the field known as Structural Integration. While the question was put regarding "Rolfing" this answers for the entire field of Structural Integration.

Structural Integration is a definitive and peerless approach to Human balance. Unique in that its main goal is to balance the body with the Gravitational field of the Earth. As such. Sure, anything you do that's good for you contributes to balance. But, bodily balance as such, that's the whole Enchilada in Structural Integration. While we have the innate ability to heal and become whole, other than Structural Integration there is no other formal method designed to address whole body balance along the lines of the demands of Gravity. Repeating ... as such. 

Dr. Rolf, put it this way: "This is the gospel of Rolfing^®: When the body gets working appropriately, the force of Gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself." 

As is well known, the Human body takes its shape over time through lived experience. On average it's a random bag. We arrive at adulthood with a mix of balance and imbalance fixed into our flesh. 

Balance is normal and healthy. Imbalances require compensations. "Dis-ease." These, unless resolved, set in and we find ourselves living in patterns which are inefficient, limiting performance and creativity, and sapping vital energy to maintain. Ouch! That's painful! Yet, we can be seduced to accepting this as "Just the way I am". That there is no alternative. 

Well ...

Good News! The Human body has a plastic quality. It has taken the shape you're in, and it can be reshaped.

You may be wondering if that's the "painful" part. The reshaping. Stay tuned. No problemo. 

Structural Integration offers individualized assistance to bring the body to a naturally effortless, graceful upright stance; with ease, flexibility, and fluidity. As Dr. Rolf put it, "So you should be easy in your harness".

So much more could be said, but this should suffice. When you decide to do something constructive to bring this kind of balance into your life, all your other questions can be answered. You can add a comment/question below this post.

So now, let's talk about the Elephant in the room.

"Painful"

"Just what do I have to do today to get you into a balanced body?"

Most people look at things like Structural Integration as a therapy. I got a problem; I need it fixed. I've tried everything, maybe this'll do it? With medical attention and therapies typically something is done to you. You're a passive recipient. You take your medicine. You take the shot. Get a procedure done to you. Go under the knife.

Strutural Integration is a system using manual touch and guided self-movement. Rather than "fixing" a symptom, chronic problems get resolved out of fostering that head to toe balance in the whole body.  And, the big difference is that in terms of dealing with "painful" in Structural Integration you are in control*. 

If at any time the contact in a session of Structural Integration is unacceptable, for any reason — whether it be the manual touch itself or the movement instruction —  the process works best when you speak up for yourself. Then the practitioner can change the pace, ease up, slow down, or stop. Net, net ... you are in control. It's your body after all. Your limits are always respected.

That should settle the question on "painful".

But maybe a little more about what is pain. It's a big subject.

We all know pain. It can vary in intensity. An itch, temporary annoyance, a twinge, a chonic persistent ache, to a stop-the-world-I-want-to-get-off 10 on a 10 point scale.

Pain is first a physical sensation. Yet, we give it meaning, have pictures for it. Have stories that tell how it got there. Have situations, places and people who trigger painful feelings. In other words, pain comes packaged. There's the physical felt sense, and the psychological/mental and emotional components too. Getting rid of pain sometimes depends on where to open that package.

This is important to mention since Structural Integration is what's called a "somatic" method. As such, it addresses the whole Human being, but grounded in Anatomy and Physics. There may be a psychological/emotional component but we can get our hands on the body. Knock on wood. Balance the body, balance the mind. The body/mind apparatus is a unity; it all goes together.

*Structural Integration is taught in schools recognized by the International Association of Structural Integrators. An important distinction about this approach is that it is not a therapy. That said, yes, bringing a higher order of balance into the makeup of the Human body may have therapeutic effects. But, the work is a teaching. A training, to learn to live in balance in tangible, and noticeable ways. This is something you take away from the process. As an experience. It's not just intellectual, conceptual. It's perceptual. You own it much in the same way you own how to ride a bike, swim, juggle. Or anything else you've learned to do, and now it's set in muscle memory. 

And, since the method is instructional, you participate. You learn. You put in effort. That's very different from many of the things you can do for yourself therapeutically. 

It takes doing. An effort on your part.

So, what are you waiting for?