From July 2017, I took the ERA-hosted certification training for the Rolf Movement Practitioner.
The entire schedule finished on December 1, 2019 (Friday), and I moved from Munich to Haneda Airport on ANA’s direct flight. I returned safely to Tokyo. Since the whole training schedule has finished, I’d like to give an overview.
The Basic Training hosted by the European Rolfing Association (ERA), held in Munich for Rolfer certification, I wrote about in “On the Path to Certification as a European Rolfer — The European Rolfing Association Certification Training (in preparation for English version).”
When Ida Rolf began offering Rolfing classes, she was conducting Rolf Movement training in parallel. On that history — when Gael Rosewood, one of the originators of Rolf Movement, held a workshop in Japan, I had the chance to hear about it, and I put it together in “Movement and Awareness.“
Rolf Movement can be certified by accumulating 30 units through taking part in workshops. In doing so, it is recommended to take them from four different teachers.
On the other hand, there is also the option of taking the training intensively. I chose the latter. I took the 30-day training at the ERA.
The intensive training is divided into three stages, Part I–III, conducted over six occasions.
The curriculum consists of the following composition (for details, see “With What Kind of Curriculum Does It Proceed?“).
Part I — “Functional Embodiment of 10 Rolfing Sessions” (acquiring the functional aspect of Rolfing’s ten sessions) — was held July 7–9, 2017 (3 days), August 31 – September 3 (4 days), and October 19–22 (4 days). Led by four in total: Pierpaola Volpones (hereafter Paola), Rita Geirola (hereafter Rita), Giovanni Felicioni, and Herve Baunard (hereafter Herve) (see “Impressions of the Three Rolf Movement Instructors and the Atmosphere of the Class”).
Part II — “Strategy and Design of A Rolf Movement 3-Series” (how to design a three-session series of Rolf Movement) — was held January 24 – February 4, 2018 (with January 27 and January 31 off) (10 days in total). Led by four in total: France Hatt-Arnold (hereafter France), Rita, Aline Newton, and Nicola Carofiglio.
Part III — “Introduction to Leading Rolfing Movement Groups” (how to use Rolf Movement in group lessons) — was held October 10–13 and November 27 – December 1, 2019 (9 days in total). Led by three in total: France, Rita, and Herve.
In the end, I came to be taught by seven ERA Rolf Movement teachers.
In the Part I training, sessions 1–10 were taken up once a day.
Paola prepared materials. The General Goals, Regional Goals (goals for the body part), Structural Goals (goals for the body’s structure), and Functional Goals (goals for the body’s function) were distributed as printouts, with the key points of each session of the ten-session Rolfing series summarized, which was easy to understand.
As for the way of thinking of Rolf Movement, I wrote about it in “An Introduction to the Basic Way of Thinking“: it introduced the four structural approaches, the idea of the four Articulations = space, and the way of communicating.
The Movement techniques — three of them:
- Containing touch (imagining and approaching a body part as a container)
- Orienting touch (approaching while aware of the body’s two-directionality (Palintonicity))
- Give support (approaching so as to support the body)
— were learned in practice, and I acquired the importance of imagery and the use of words.
The thinking of Movement has Phoric Function (see “Where to Pay Attention in Movement? — Phoric Function and Fixed Point“), so how to convey the two-directionality of the Fixed Point or Reference Point and Direction or Orientation? — this is learned in practice.
For example, in the case of sitting, with the feet and the sit bones becoming the Fixed Point, the upper body moves freely — the directionality (Direction) is determined, so awareness of this becomes important (the body’s two-directionality (Palintonicity)) (see “What Comes into View Through Movement?: Words and Direction“).
Days 1–3 of Part I were practice of the technique incorporating the movements of sessions 1 to 3.
Days 4–7 were practice of the approach seen from the aspect of “bodily movement” of session 4 (see “To Encourage Bodily Awareness: Slowly, Carefully, Into Words“), session 5 (see “Where to Pay Attention in Movement? — Phoric Function and Fixed Point“), session 6 (see “How to Relate the Body’s Movement to Tonic Function?“), and session 7 (see “Impressions of the Three Rolf Movement Instructors and the Atmosphere of the Class” and “On Receiving Training in Europe“).
Days 8–11, also as a review of sessions 1–7, each made a 10-minute program themselves, and, splitting into two groups of eight, carried out the Embodiment each had worked on.
There was practice of the approach seen from the aspect of “bodily movement” for sessions 8 to 10 (see “Body and Brain: Why Is Slow Movement Important?“), and on day 11, a 50-minute Rolfing session in groups of three. With the role division of three — Rolfer (the person offering the treatment), client, and supporter — practice was done three times in total (see “Overall Summary“).
Part II moved on to treatment of clients.
First, a session was done with two students paired. Centering on the technique learned in Phase 1, without approaching the fascia, a 40-minute session using only movement — AMP (Active Movement Participation) and gamma touch, and so on — was carried out (see “The State of the Practitioner’s Own Body Is Reflected in the Session“).
After that, sessions were offered to clients. It was done together with a guide on what points to be careful of (see “What Comes into View Through Intuition and Body Observation…“).
What is interesting is that, when designing the three-session series, the fine points are not learned, step by step — such as “form the strategy like this, and the procedure is this!” — in the way of the ten-session Rolfing procedure learned so far.
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).
Emphasis was placed on preparing the environment (in the sense of holding the space), and there was nothing at all like “it must be done this way” (see “Confusion in a Good Sense + On Tonic Function” and “The Atmosphere of the Class + Building the Relationship with the Client“).
On the other hand, the basics were shared here and there (see “Territorial Body and Body of Action,” “Organizing the Balance of the Three Information-Gathering Systems,” and “Pre-movement, Yoga, and the Alexander Technique“).
On the final day of Part II, 15 students each presented an Embodiment with a time allowance of 10 minutes each. It proceeded in the order of four people doing Embodiment in a row, then a 15-minute break (see “Presenting an Embodiment to the Group“).
A television interview came in on short notice, and a year and a half opened up between Part II and Part III.
Part III is about learning how to hold a movement class in a group lesson with the thinking of Rolf Movement (see “Taking Part in the Workshop Held in Munich, October 10–13, 2019 (First Half)“).
When it comes to presenting an Embodiment class, there is nothing but practice; so on days 1–4 (the first half), a 10-minute class was presented in front of everyone. Every day, the class proceeded while receiving feedback (see “Presenting the Embodiment Presentation: Knowing Each Person’s Intention and Points for Improvement“).
After a presentation, there was always a discussion time: with what intention was the class conducted? There was feedback from the students and the teachers, and this was useful in holding others’ classes and led to the participants’ level rising (see “How Is the Class Proceeding? — The Flow of a Day“).
How to prepare a safe space in which the students can speak easily? The care on that point was wonderful, and I, too, was able to take a risk and challenge new things (see “The First Half (4 Days) Has Finished. What Awarenesses Arose?“).
Days 5–9 of Part III were, at last, the presentation of a 50-minute Embodiment. Since homework was prepared in advance, I submitted the assignment (see “November 27 – December 1, 2019 (Second Half): What Homework Has Been Assigned? + How to Teach?“).
The second half began — five days in which each person’s degree of progress could be understood well (see “How Does the Class Proceed? Feedback + the Atmosphere of the Class“). There was much to learn, and the students’ classes, my own presentation (on the presentation, see “My Presentation Came Last on the Second Day: How Did It Proceed?“), and the feedback from others were truly valuable.
The final day. I was able to safely receive certification as a Rolf Movement Practitioner (see “Training Completed: The Difference Between the Turtle’s Mind and the Rabbit’s Brain, and the Meaning of Learning Slowly“).
The intense 30-day training, too, finished safely, and I’m relieved.
Going forward, I’m thinking it would be good if this is of even a little reference to those who take Rolf Movement training in Munich, Germany, or in other countries.