Robert J. Cumming, Certified Advanced Rolfer™, B.A.
I’ve been doing structurally-oriented bodywork for over 30 years now! It’s amazing – I feel like I was born with the touch of a Rolfer™ or a “Structural Integrator”.
Since the very beginning of doing bodywork in my life, whenever I’ve engaged in the touching of another’s body, it has always been with the intention of facilitating an overall structural affect. My hands have always felt for such a response in the structure and fascial system of another person and my eyes have always watched for the effect – whether that was immediately while I am engaged in the touch or to see how my touch initiated a structural release that evolved in the day or days after engaging in the work.
It’s as though I feel like I’ve had lives and lives of having done this work before. I have definitely found it to be my “calling” in life – or my “dharma”.
I have worked on all kinds of peoples; professional athletes, dancers, golfers, computer users/programmers, chiropractors, physical therapists, business people, surfers, teachers, other bodywork practitioners, para-gliders!, bicyclists, musicians, children - the list goes on and on and on. Some people are in discomfort from chronic pain or other bodily issues. Others are just seeking to enhance their athletic performance or appearance, get more flexibility, a more balanced posture, and achieve a greater ease of movement and breathing capacity.
I put a tremendous amount of time, energy, and effort into every single session I work – with every single person I work on and every session they do. My work of preparation begins 24 hours before a person comes in and includes detailed notes and structural assessments during each session.
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BUCKY!!!
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Even one of my best friends, Bucky, has progressed through some of my Advanced Rolfing® work into the adductor and psoas core areas (like the 4th and 5th traditional Rolfing sessions!). I’ve used the PL5000 cold laser on Bucky extensively – with wonderful results every time! He’s pictured just afterward structurally integrating the work – looking BEAUTIFUL & feeling SPECTACULAR!!!!!!! YOU CAN LOOK & FEEL THAT AMAZING TOO!!!!!!!!!
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— A Gift For You —
Walking/Breathing Exercise You Can Use Every Day – Especially to Complement Every Advanced Rolfing® Session! (particularly session #1)
“6 3 6″
I have been using a walking/breathing exercise in my life for over 30 years now that can be an extremely great way to integrate your Advanced Rolfing® experience into your functional, movement activities. It can also be used with any regular walk or hike to completely change your usual experience and is also a great way to start your day out! I call it, “6 3 6″.
It is especially complementary to the traditional Rolfing® session number one (working with the breath and the upper torso), but can be used with any “integrative walk” after any of the traditional 10-Series Rolfing® Sessions; it will help to encourage oxygen and movement into all the surrounding connective tissue areas (fascial system) that have been mobilized with my advanced work. You will find it to be something great you can add to any regular walk or hike as a way to completely change your experience and better up your energy, keeping your upper body in better connection with your legs.
After any Advanced Rolfing® session it is ideal to go for an integrative walk within the first few hours after; 5 to 10 minutes is fine, 10 to 20 or 30 minutes is ideal!
Start your integrative walk out with about 15 minutes of a nice paced walk/gait, tuning into how your body is responding from your Advanced Rolfing® work and how it has most likely brought greater lift into your now better, symmetrical structure. Also tune in to how the weight of your body is grounding down through your feet that are now probably meeting the ground in a more balanced, even way (from the front-to-back of your foot and from the inside-to-outside of your foot).
After initiating your walk ideally for about 15 minutes and bringing your awareness into your better functioning, contra-lateral gait, take a slow, full, even-paced breath in through your nose (say for 6 counts or seconds), hold this for half that time (say for 3 counts), then breath out a slow, full, even-paced breath through your mouth (say for 6 counts). A full breath is going to be different for everyone and may fluctuate during your walk and from day-to-day.
“6 3 6″ is just a proportion; whatever is a full breath for you in through your nose at that moment of your walk, holding for half that, and whatever is a full breath for you out through your mouth at that moment of your walk – given however your breath is responding to your walk at that moment. Continue doing this “6 3 6″ proportion for about 24 times, walking at a good pace (not too slow, not too fast – you don’t want to be “huffing and puffing”), ideally on level ground.
This will open up your rib cage and bring length up through the spine and a corresponding better grounding down through your feet into the ground. You may find after say, 12 to 14 times or so of the “6 3 6″ proportion, your lung/breath capacity will break through a holding point that your lungs were only reaching to, and go beyond it – opening up your breath and bringing greater flexibility through your ribs to spine.
Again, this is a wonderful way to compliment your Advanced Rolfing® work and continue your experience of structural integration in your body (throughout your fascial system) from session-to-session so that you can experience optimal, maximum progress!!!
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CALVIN!!!
Calvin’s daddy has gone through the 10 series program and a number of further advanced sessions, all of which I’ve used the PL5000 cold laser – most often with instantaneous muscle strengthening results. Calvin was there for every session, often wanting to get in the door to give his own assessment of how things were going! Calvin came to know me well enough that I was able to give him a little hands on work too, on his back – and we even progressed to his stomach at one point (the traditional Rolfing session #5 area)!