What are Patterns in the Body?
Habitual movements and our sense of self create movement memories (ingrained neural pathways) in the body. The way we choose to use our bodies repetitively actually changes the structure over time.
Any personal trainer will be quick to tell you that repetitive exercises help us sculpt our muscles and bodies. But repetitive movement also trains our physical-psychological habits. If we consider the sheer number of hours we spend in specific movements and positions in our daily lives (sitting in chairs, working, watching TV, texting, gardening, picking up our children, playing sports and so on), it cannot be surprising that these movements and positions cumulatively form our physique and sense of well-being. If we habitually move in unharmonious, misaligned ways, we end up sculpting injury and disease.
The process of Structural Integration includes releasing holding patterns that are contributing to imbalance in the body and introducing new ones that make the body look and feel longer, stronger and more at ease.
Posture or movement patterns can be favourable or not, depending on how well they serve the body’s well-being.
Patterns in the body can be a result of a number of different causes. Some reasons are:
Structural restrictions in the tissues or alignment of skeletal structure (adhesions or layers sticking and not gliding over one another)
Errors in motor coordination.
Habitual pathways as a result of repetitive movements (for work, sports or playing musical instruments, etc.), as a response to protecting the body from injury or anticipated danger (whether real or imagined).
Patterns of imbalance range from subtle to severe and while they may have served the body in the past, they become a hindrance to the body when they are “locked” inside and are unable to release and let go.
For example, when someone has a sprained ankle, the body shifts as much weight as possible onto the uninjured side of the body to protect the injured ankle from further pain. This shift affects how the body stands in gravity and creates an imbalance on one side of the body as it is forced to carry an uneven distribution of weight. As the ankle heals, the body does not automatically shift back from its unbalanced position, for it has learned a new way to cope with injury and a pattern is established.
Contracting in response to pain, holding the breath to block emotions, or slouching to accommodate a computer terminal are examples of patterns that can make the body stiff, rigid, and painful.
Rolfing Structural Integration helps to release places where the tissue may be adhered or stuck and then teaches the body to let go of old ways of holding or moving by introducing new options of movement. This allows the body to experience a sense of physical freedom, strength and moving with ease.