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A rich and nuanced reflection on a Rolfing process from a client who came for Rolfing a few years ago... I love how they capture the way this work keeps on opening up new information, even years after. I had the benefit of working with this particular client as a student when I was teaching and they were studying contemporary dance at a conservatoire (if you've done a vocational artistic training, you'll understand their description of it as 'torturous')... so we had another shared context we could draw on in their Rolfing process Thanks for sharing your experience S!

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Rolfing came into my sight at a time when I didn't know I needed it or to be honest, understand what had called me to try it but here we are.

Following training and years of reflecting with other students of hers, there was a collective understanding that the way Jennifer taught gave us all a respite within an otherwise torturous time of our lives. Her gentle approach to offering movement suggestions and sequences gave way to profound questions regarding not what we were doing with our bodies, but how and in what way and why??

When I started the series with Jennifer, I knew I held tension and stress in my body from past experiences. Despite practicing Yoga and somatics regularly myself, I felt there were some things I just couldn't 'fix' or get close to on my own. In hindsight, I was often blindsided by all the information I was taking in, it didn't come naturally to question if certain movements or ways I was approaching what I was doing regularly were actually benefiting my structure or not until I had met and faced was already existing in my body. This is something that I now try to regulate and question within myself when I go to do anything - not just moving my body, but also when I apply for a job or make a new friend.

Jennifer's exceptional, sensitive, and fluid knowledge of the human form and beyond, gave way for a whole new perspective and understanding of what it can mean to be with the body I'm in. I formed new relationships with my bones, muscles, tissue and skin. I began to listen deeper to the current of knowledge within my own being and listen deeper to the feedback it can offer.

It's been a couple of years now since completing the 10 series and the information is still landing, being discovered, and being integrated, of course, but it feels necessary to share; this work has helped me navigate my way towards a happier and more sensitive path to choose how I live in this world - which I am immensely grateful for.

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S.H, 2021

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💫 The awesomeness of Rolfing 💫

I broke my back when I was 14 falling on ice walking home from a friends house. I continued to walk home and woke up the next morning unable to walk or even really move. A home visit from a Dr gave me a diagnosis of sciatica and a treatment of bed rest for 3-4 days. A week later I was back at school but in pain. My true diagnosis wasn’t revealed until an MRI scan in my 30s for back pain revealed I had indeed at some time in my life broken my back.

This long term undiagnosed injury coupled with the forceps delivery of my first baby and a bit of whiplash from a car jolt meant I reached my 40s in low level pain, rigidity in my torso and various imbalances in my physical structure.

Yoga helped, massages helped, mindfulness was a saviour on the pain front but nothing was really helping my whole body to heal and re-align itself.

But then I decided to give Rolfing a go....this therapy has changed my posture, how I feel physically and even how I breathe. Whilst it’s not a quick fix (this is a long term investment in myself) it’s just fabulous.

I figured yesterday that not enough people know about Rolfing so I want to champion it’s awesomeness right here right now.

My therapist is Jennifer Lynn-Crawford, she’s amazing and she [was] at my [then] work gaff (We are Wellness in North Leeds) 💫 💛 💫

Life changing stuff 💛

 

L.F, 2018

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I can be an adventurous person, at times. As most humans are, I’m a walking contradiction. I hate change, but I like when things are new. I try to go around life with the rule that I’ll try anything once. And I do, mostly. I firmly believe in not judging things until you’ve tried them. Mostly, when things aren’t too far out of my comfort zone, I love trying new things.

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I recently realised this and it made a lot of sense to me. At school I didn’t belong to any particular social group for long but went round being a part of each one over the years. I loved having new friends. Now as I try to decide on a career path, I love the idea of everything and have trouble sticking with one thing. I wonder if this is because of the way I grew up as a dancer. I started dancing age 2 and it was “my thing” from then until I was 22. There wasn’t much room for exploring new life ideas. Maybe that’s why I like doing it so much at the moment.

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Now I’m happy to say I’m giving loads of things a go. From the bigger stuff, like working in mental health, photography and retail, to the little things. Which is why I found myself on a Thursday afternoon, lying in a massage treatment room, with someone else’s finger up my nose.

I’ll rewind. I’m now past half way through my ten rolfing sessions with Jennifer-Lynn. She has done wonders for my body. The week before this one I left with a new walk. I can’t stress how crazy different it felt. It was like getting upgraded. Now when I walk it feels like I get so much more out of the energy I put in. My hips swing in my new walk, which makes me feel I’ve gone up at least two sass levels. It’s so much easier and more efficient. After that session I pretty much ran to the bus stop just to enjoy how easily I could.

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In my last session she told me before we started that there was an optional part to this one. If I was comfortable to try it, she would massage the muscles of my jaw from inside my mouth. Then the same with muscles behind the nose from inside the nose. Of course I said yes, I’ll give anything a go once and if I didn’t like it she made it very easy for me to say so.

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I have a lot of tension around my jaw and my neck, possibly left over from a car crash that gave me very bad whiplash almost a year ago. I’ve had my jaw massaged before and always felt like it was needed but having it massaged from inside my mouth left a new feeling. It didn’t seem unusual, a blue-gloved hand and “open wide” was reminiscent of the dentist. It was the feeling that followed that was different. Normally my cheeks feel flat to my teeth at the sides, sometimes they almost feel like they are sucked in. I had this new sense of space there, almost like there was a little pocket of air in my cheeks. Then we moved on to the nose. This part made it possibly the most bizarre hands on work I’ve ever had. Never before in my life has someone else’s finger been up my nose. Except maybe my sister when we used to fight as kids. I won’t lie to you, it was odd. Initially I couldn’t stop thinking how funny it was and I caught the giggles. If there’s anything weirder than lying on a table with someone else’s finger up your nose, it’s lying on a table with someone’s finger up your nose with the giggles. But after the first few minutes it seemed less bizarre. I began imagining that my nose wasn’t there, that the front of my face was flat, Voldemort style, and Jennifer-Lynn was just massaging the front of my face. Although it was a bit odd, nothing about it was uncomfortable, she was incredibly gentle and once I’d gotten over my giggles there were no problems. This gave me a feeling that has been a theme of my rolfing experience: I was suddenly relaxed in muscles I didn’t know even existed, let alone knowing that I was tensing them! I promise you that until you have this done you would have a hard time feeling how to fully relax your face. Imagine the muscles in my face were sails on a boat. Before this session they were pulled very tight making it hard for the wind to catch because there was no give. The muscles behind my nose and in my cheeks now had that extra bit of slack that would let the wind push into the sails and curve them out, meaning the boat could move. The change felt amazing. Who knew all my tension and stress goes behind my nose?!

 

The point is, sometimes giving everything a go once is something I regret. For example I once worked as a beer wench at a stag do (a whole different story), it was not great and I’m in no rush do it again. But most of the time trying new things really pays off. I would jump at the chance to have the inside of my nose massaged again, however weird that sounds! If I hadn’t decided to try something new, I wouldn’t know that now. Sometimes, when I feel like giving myself a pat on the back, I like to think of all the things I’d have missed out on if I never tried anything a bit new and a bit weird. Some I would have happily missed but most I would be missing out on.

L.SF, 2018

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I would like to share the experience of my 11-session Rolfing treatment by Jennifer-Lynn Crawford in Leeds. A short summary for those with little time: Rolfing was one of the best and most helpful experiences I had last year and I am very grateful for the treatment and care I received. I initially contacted Jennifer-Lynn hoping that Rolfing would help to ease the tension and pain caused by my voice disorder. 11 Rolfing sessions later it achieved much more than that:

 

My voice problems: I suffer(ed) from muscle tension dysphonia (MTD), a voice disorder that is evident to other people by strong hoarseness or failure of the voice. It is caused by habitual mis-use of the voice. In my case, the symptoms had developed over more than 6 years. MTD involves excessive tension in muscles within the larynx and the neck muscles. In my case it also led to tensions and soreness of muscles in the upper rip-cage. MTD was only diagnosed later during the course of the Rolfing sessions and treated (in parallel to the Rolfing sessions) by a specialist speech therapist. The Rolfing sessions concluded in early February and accomplished what I had hoped for. Each Rolfing session had immediate effects by easing the discomfort of my chest and neck muscles, relaxing the larynx, and removing some of the hoarseness of my voice. One month after finishing the sessions, my voice is almost back to normal and only occasionally (after stressful days or excessive voice use) returns to old habits. Rolfing played a significant role in this improvement.

 

General Benefits of Rolfing: the Rolfing sessions achieved much more than curing problems caused by the voice disorder. They gave me better body awareness, improved my posture and my gait, and eased back problems. While this was a gradual process, I felt a relief after each individual session that lasted several days, and some of it remained permanently. Photographs taken at different stages of the 10 sessions clearly showed how my posture had changed and imbalances between left and right upper body were corrected. Most surprising to me was a lasting increase in my height by 1 cm after 8 sessions of Rolfing. This was really unexpected and was only revealed when I routinely checked my height in comparison to that of my son. I wanted to demonstrate to him how with age (I am 57yrs old) we start to shrink. But we found that I had grown from 179cm (as in my passport and previous checks) to 180cm.

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Costs: While I initially thought that charges per session were rather high and that 10 sessions would be a financial burden, I reconsidered the rate after the first session. Prices charged are the same throughout the country in the UK and generally lower than in Germany. Session last 90min and the hourly rate is less than half the hourly rate charged by osteopaths or physiotherapists. Rolfing achieves lasting benefits on top of the immediate relief. Overall, I am very pleased with all the changes to my body, body awareness, and resulting self-esteem. One of the best investments I made in my life! Jennifer-Lynn: Jennifer-Lynn was extremely attentive to my body detecting every bit of tension, misalignments or breathing alterations. This was backed up by her profound knowledge of human anatomy and physiology. Being a lecturer in Biology myself, I appreciated her solid expertise. She always explained first what she was going to do and how it would affect me. While she worked on my muscles and facias she was very concentrated on the treatment. I felt that she genuinely cared to provide help with her treatment. I could not think of a better practitioner to experience the benefits of Rolfing. We are very fortunate to have Jennifer-Lynn in Yorkshire. I will certainly come back for “Body MOT’s”. I am very grateful to Jennifer-Lynn for all the benefits I received through the Rolfing sessions!!!

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T.B, 2018

 

 

I (56, female) have received 4 sessions of Rolfing treatment with Jennifer-Lynn .It was my husband who – after several Rolfing sessions with Jennifer-Lynn – encouraged me to try this method, since he found the sessions very helpful. I went to see Jennifer-Lynn since my left hip was slightly aching. After about 3 sessions my discomfort in the hip had disappeared and I experienced some other positive effects of the treatments:I was pleasantly surprised that I had gained much more ease when walking. I felt more movement in the pelvis (more “swing”) and more rotation in the torso (arms swing more, too). I was absolutely thrilled (and still am!) as it is a very nice “life feeling” to experience such ease. I had not noticed before that I was restricted in movement in this area and this positive change persists without having “to do” anything to keep it up. I also stand more upright; my shoulders are in a better place (not slumping forward and down anymore) and my neck/upper back area are better aligned (I am confident now that I don’t have to develop a dowager’s neck). Comparing my “before” with the “after photo, the changes are clearly visible. Moreover, I have developed a better awareness of my whole body. This is not only important to me with regard to my posture but also because I have suffered from IBS for about the last 15 years. Jennifer-Lynn provided me with some very useful tools, e.g. exercises as well as specific information on how to reconnect with my tummy, in particular with the TVA muscles – something I didn’t know about before. I am also now more aware how my body reacts to certain stress factors – in my case I seem to contract habitually my upper tummy muscles (displacing the guts up against the diaphragm) – which could add to my IBS problems by disturbing digestion processes. Since I think that there is not much help available by conventional medicine regarding IBS problems, I am very happy I have found a new strategy I can work with in the future to try to ease my IBS symptoms in addition to just dietary measures.I will definitely be back for an “annual structural alignment MOT” – as I am convinced that a well aligned body will have less friction on bones and joints, thus being able to avoid problems due to too much friction which could cause “osteoarthritis”. I think Jennifer-Lynn is an exceptionally talented Rolfing-therapist with amazing sensibility for the body! She works very thoroughly and the sessions were always extremely pleasant! I am very grateful for her help!

 

G.B, 2018

 

 

I found rolfing with Jennifer-Lynn extremely beneficial. For me it worked it two different ways. Firstly, by looking at what my body could do for me. This was achieved though Jennifer-Lynn manipulating the soft tissue in such a way to encourage my body to work with less resistance and adopt more beneficial postures. I really could feel the change at the ends of the sessions, encouraging a new understanding of my body. It’s not a silver bullet, but the fact that I can still feel the changes several months later is testament to it’s effectiveness. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it has encouraged me to reconsider how I view my own body. It’s amazing how many small assumptions and views of your body that you have without really knowing it - pervasive things that colour your understanding of yourself, and what you should and should not be able to do. Almost imperceptibly, Jennifer-Lynn’s subtle questions invited me to reconsider my assumptions and lead me to a more balanced and holistic view of myself in my body.

J.E, 2017

 

 

After suffering from general aches and pains from an intensive job training period, and specifically acute tennis elbow - it was recommended to me by another tree surgeon to try Rolfing. I had never heard of it but after researching a little further I found Jennifer-Lynn. From the first session she understood the physical demands on my body from my job and built up a clear understanding of what I needed to achieve. The sessions were well structured, aims clearly communicated and the therapy, whilst challenging mentally to get my body to respond, worked amazingly. The results were mind blowing - each week allowing me to reach further, stretch easier and be more flexible in every aspect of my life. My own understanding of my physical abilities and limitations and how to change the way I move was enlightening. I have since recommended this therapy to other tree surgeons, but also to other people in my life that I believe could really benefit from getting their bodies working more efficiently and being able to reach new levels of mobility. Jennifer Lynn’s gentle manner and professionalism were very settling, and her ability to read my body and it’s responses were quite ‘magical’. Thank you for straightening me out!’

R.C, 2017

 

 

 

After 7 years of chronic leg pain I thought I'd 'give Rolfing a try' as I'd tried pretty much everything else and I'd read an article online and thought it might help. I was totally blown away by Jennifer- Lynn and the Rolfing process. My leg pain disappeared within the first couple of sessions and has not returned. However, what I didn't anticipate is just how much Rolfing and Jennifer-Lynn's expertise has touched other parts of my life. I've found a brand new appreciation of myself that I never thought I had and I feel fabulous both inside and out. My posture has changed, my foot alignment has changed, I'm walking confidently and I'm starting to listen to my body rather than ploughing on regardless (which is what I've done in the past). Rolfing is an investment for the future and I'm so glad I booked those first 3 sessions. I'd 100% recommend Rolfing with Jennifer- Lynn.

H.T, 2017

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