Self Help

Rolfing® Yourself at the Computer

How can I Rolf myself at my computer? Rolfing is about awareness and inner movement as much as it is about extrinsic manipulation and reorganization. Many of you reading this probably spend a fair amount of time sitting in front of a computer for work as well as recreation. Sitting for prolonged periods of time creates considerable stress on the lower and upper back. Neck and shoulder pain often radiate down into the arms, causing pain or numbness in the wrists, forearms and fingers. Here is a simple Rolfing movement technique for reducing stress in sitting. First, notice the position of your head and shoulders in relation to your low back. Are leaning forward or slumping over as you read this? If so, take a moment and find your ischial tuberosities, or "sitz bones". My what? These are ridges (or "sticky outy parts," to borrow a phrase from Cornelia Rossi, one of my anatomy teachers) at the bottom of the pelvis, towards the back. If you can't locate them, simply slide your hands under your tush from behind until you find small ridges a few inches in. Now remove your hands and slowly roll back until you feel that your head is directly over these ridges.

You should begin to feel a little taller and more relaxed in the chair. Look at the keyboard in front of you. Do you feel eye or neck strain as you sit? To soften your neck muscles, try this simple image. When we look at objects like the computer, what we are seeing is actually an inverted image which is reflected through the eye on a sort of screen. This image is "read" by the optic nerve and is translated into the constantly changing picture which you see before you. What I find helpful is to realize that what I am seeing actually enters through my eyes and is projected within. If I imagine that I am bringing the image in rather than reaching out to see, I notice that the image before me actually softens and that the muscles in my neck and face actually relax. Now you try. It's interesting how doing this simple technique helps the head gently move back and relax. It is as if we can move the muscles in our neck from inside. This is precisely what has just happened. Congratulations, you just Rolfed yourself!! Stay tuned!! In future months, we will talk about carpal tunnel, respiratory problems, low back pain and more common ailments which Rolfing movement can help you better manage.

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