The Rolf Movement training, too, finished its fifth day. Having reached exactly the halfway point, in the workshop we looked back on what had been learned so far.
This Phase 2, compared with Phase 1, takes the form of offering sessions as a Rolfer for 6 of the 10 days, so the content is more practical (for details, see “The State of the Practitioner’s Own Body Is Reflected in the Session“).
In the Basic Training, the procedure (recipe) of each of Rolfing’s ten sessions was given, and it could be carried out along that, so there was something to return to as a starting point when at a loss.
On the other hand, in the case of Rolf Movement, guides are given — what kind of relationship to build with the client? In what bodily state to approach it as a Rolfer? What method of body observation to take? — but it does not concretely teach how to build the three-session series (for details, see “What Comes into View Through Intuition and Body Observation…“).
So the method of training, too, naturally comes to differ.
That is, taking a risk and incorporating a different method is required (such as reducing the work done on the table and doing the session in a standing position).
So the Instructor places emphasis on preparing the environment (in the sense of holding the space), and there is nothing at all like “it must be done this way.”
And course correction is done only if something wrong was being done. When a comment from each person was asked for by Rita at the end of the fifth day, several said they were “confused in a good sense”; but, to the extent that Rolf Movement has a degree of freedom, how a session will conclude can become invisible, and anxiety can arise.
Still, since in the end it can come together as a session, trusting the process of the body’s change further is required.
Now, if the characteristic of European Rolf Movement were to be put in a word, it would be the point that, as I have written repeatedly in this column, it is greatly influenced by the ideas of the Frenchman Hubert Godard (hereafter Godard) (called Tonic Function).
In the 1990s, Movement training was conducted simply in terms of the relationship between bodily awareness and movement; but entering the 2000s, with Tonic Function being incorporated, a theoretical pillar entered, and I think the content of the training developed further too.
This time, the Assistant Aline Newton explained Tonic Function over time on the second day. As for the body’s structure (Structure), “Tonus = muscular force” is necessary in order to stabilize posture (stability), but the stability of the Tonus is influenced by various factors.
Where to entrust the weight? And as a result of that, being able to move the body freely — this two-directionality (Palintonicity) is a basic idea of Rolfing (see “The Five Principles”). And Tonic means continuous.
Translated literally into Japanese, it means working continuously. Godard paid attention to the function of muscles that work continuously with respect to gravity. There, he divided muscles into Phasic, which work momentarily, and Tonic, which work continuously.
How, by all means, to draw out the Tonic part? It becomes important in bringing the two-directionality into play.
What influences the Phasic/Tonic is easy to understand when seen from the following five viewpoints.
The first is tissue (Tissue). Through the approach to the fascia done in Rolfing, it affects the structure and the Tonus.
The second is the perceptual/cognitive (Perceptual). Something acquired as a human grows. It is taken into the body in the form of habit, but it is incorporated mainly for self-protection from threats in the environment.
The third is thinking (Thinking) and words (Words). This also includes what mother tongue (Language) is chosen, and body language (Gesture). One experience settles within the body as verbalization = a concept. For example, taking even the single phrase “straighten the back,” whether to stretch the spine, put force into the spine, or let the spine lengthen on its own, and so on, is remembered in the form of words through different experiences depending on the person.
The fourth includes meaning (Meaning), significance (Significance), or the symbolic (Symbolic). Turning the face slightly back, or making a gesture of closing the chest, is done because, for that person, it feels safe and conveys meaning.
The fifth is moving jointly (Coordination). As one research result, Nikolai Bernstein proposed the hypothesis of Motor Coordination. It was found scientifically that the structure is maintained by suitable muscles working efficiently.
By observing the body from these five viewpoints, where to approach becomes clear. The work, too, is often practiced using the five viewpoints, and the profundity of this angle can be felt.
Next, I’d like to introduce what I learned about the atmosphere of the class and building the relationship with the client.