Rolfing, etc

[Guest guest]

You could probably email the websites for some

more details on Hellerwork and Zentherapy. I had some

Rolfing long ago and it was all deep tissue bodywork.

(didn't make a dent, he wasn't the best Rolfer) In

Hellerwork, I think they also include some movement

reeducation exercises and even get into some psychology.

There is a book that you can print out from the

Hellerwork website. There is actually a movement reeducation

component to Rolfing, but you don't hear much about it.

There is an interesting book on this by Mary Bond

called Balancing Your Body: A Self-Help Approach to

Rolfing Movement. I haven't worked with this book yet but

I think the exercises are similar to the one in the

back of Dub's book. There are a couple of really good

books that compare different types of bodywork.

Discovering the Body's Wisdom by Mirka Knaster covers over 50

"bodyways", including Rolfing and Hellerwork but not

Zentherapy. Bodywork by Thomas Claire covers about 17 types

of bodywork indepth, including the author's

descriptions of his experiences as he tries each one. I have a

good feeling about Hellerwork, though I have not tried

it. Also, many people may respond better to a gentler

approach such as Neuromuscular Therapy. My favorite yoga

teacher and author, Sam Dworkis, practices this and says

that he gets better results by working gently with

superficial layers of fascia rather than by "going for the

gold". He applies this to asana practice as well,

recommending stretching very carefully into the belly of the

muscle and not into tendons (until the muscle is really

stretched out) and never stretching into joints

(ligaments). I had some bodywork from a friend of mine in the

last year. He used to practice Trager. He has some

problems in his hands (as many bodyworkers do) so now he

finds it easier to do deep tissue work than to do more

gentle massage, as he can use tools (as well as elbows

and knuckles) for this. He would sometimes dig in

above and below my collar bone with a sharp piece of

ivory. He said this was a Chinese tool that they use for

what they call "bone cleaning". Lots of bodyworkers do

deep tissue work without being trained as Rolfers or

Hellerworkers. I have been much less interested in bodywork as I

am more committed to self-healing. That doesn't mean

not getting help if you need it, but there is also

the element of expense. It is also possible to do a

lot of self-massage. Tools can be useful for that.

But yoga can be all you need. The one-size-fits-all

approach of Ashtanga may not be the best fit for everyone,

but I'm sure that everyone can find a way to practice

yoga appropriately for best "results".