*This article is a translation of one I wrote while I was practicing in Japan.

I would like to report on the progress of Ms. N’s Session 3.

She didn’t feel significant changes immediately after Session 2, but as days passed, she began to sense the connection between her feet and pelvis. She started to feel as if she was walking from the area near the hip joint, close to the pelvic region.

Additionally, before Session 1, she mentioned feeling unable to use her arms effectively while walking. Now, due to the dynamic movement starting from the pelvic area, her arms began to swing naturally during walking.

She shared her impression: “It was my first time experiencing gradual amplification of positive changes after the session ended, which felt very mysterious.”

The Rib Cage within the Upper Body

Session 3, performed in a side-lying position, is designed to activate the connection between the upper and lower body as a unit.

We first approach the rib cage, which was also addressed in Session 1, but now from a side-lying position. The serratus anterior muscle becomes crucial at this point. (See figure below)

Focusing on the serratus anterior, we connect the arm and the rib cage.

I believe it’s not an effective methodology to consider human movement solely in terms of individual muscles. This is because when we intend to perform any movement, it’s impossible for only one muscle to work in isolation.

Movement is not a contraction of a single muscle but a natural interconnection of various parts. We must consider this natural essence of movement rather than isolated muscle contractions.

At the very least, we need to understand movement in terms of units that connect different parts (or certain muscles with other muscles).

The serratus anterior is a very important muscle for grasping the upper body movement as a unit. Through the serratus anterior, we connect the arm with the rib cage, and the rib cage with the head and neck region.

The Pelvis within the Lower Body

Next, we connect the foot and leg, which were addressed in Session 2, with the pelvic area.

When activating the connection between the foot/leg and the pelvic area, we focus on balancing the lower limbs, particularly centering on the iliotibial band and fibula (the outer bone of the lower leg). The iliotibial band and fibula act like a balancer connecting the front and back when capturing the lower body movement as a unit from the side.

By integrating the front and back movements of the lower body from the side, we ultimately organize the lower limb movements as a unit centered on the pelvis.

Integration of Upper and Lower Body

We integrate the upper body centered on the rib cage and the lower body centered on the pelvis into one unit of the body.

The quadratus lumborum muscle becomes important here. (See figure below)

Focusing on this quadratus lumborum, we create a connection that allows the upper and lower body to work together as one unit.

In Ms. N’s case, there was a noticeable left-right difference. While her right side had a connection and smooth coordination, her left side lacked smooth linkage between the upper and lower body. Adhesions in the quadratus lumborum and iliacus muscles inside the pelvis were causing a disruption in the coordinated movement between the upper and lower body units.

We enhance the coordination between the upper and lower body while performing AMP (Active Movement Participation, where the client moves slowly in sync with the treatment), which we introduced in the previous Session 2.

The practitioner’s hands initially feel individual lumps of muscle, but gradually a softness like bread dough begins to emerge, eventually developing into a supple flow. I have often experienced this sensation of softness as a signal that muscle adhesions have been released.

As I started to feel this sensation, Ms. N soon reported feeling a connection between her big toe pad and her pelvis as they moved together.

The Body as a Unit

“For the first time, I could feel the connection of my body as a unit.”

This was Ms. N’s first comment after the session ended.

In Rolfing, Sessions 1-3 approach what we call the “Sleeve” (like the outer sleeve wrapped around a coffee cup). Among these, Session 3 serves as the concluding session for the Sleeve. Many clients begin to feel sensations or positive changes different from before.

It’s the sensation of the body, which previously moved in disconnected parts, now moving with organic interconnectedness.

Moreover, the area covered in Session 3 completely corresponds with what is known as the Gallbladder meridian in Eastern medicine.

The Gallbladder meridian has a function called “pivot,” which in old Japanese terms referred to the crucial part of a door’s movement.

This relates to the boundary between Yin and Yang, and how Session 3 in Rolfing (corresponding to the boundary in Eastern medicine) integrates Session 1 (corresponding to Yang) and Session 2 (corresponding to Yin) aligns perfectly with the concept of “organizing the pivot of movement.”

I find it very interesting that different approaches like Rolfing and Eastern medicine identify common essences in approaching the human body.

From the next session onwards, we will approach the deeper areas and spaces called the Core.

In Rolfing, we believe that effectively approaching the inner body becomes possible only after organizing the outer body.

In Ms. N’s case, we were able to balance the outer Sleeve effectively, so I feel that the upcoming sessions will be very meaningful.

Tweet