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"Before I started seeing Russell, I imagined that rolfing would be a little like surgery. You’d just lie there and someone would remove these blockages from your body. It would be a process of subtraction, of cutting things out. And it would be essentially passive. But it feels a lot more participatory than that, and a lot more educational. Often what I feel like is that my body is being offered alternative ways of feeling, or experiencing, or being in the world. Like someone’s presenting a different perspective on life, only it’s muscular/fascial/skeletal rather than intellectual. It’s as if Russell’s hands are saying "Well I know you’ve been being this one way (tense, collapsed, twisted, whatever) for the last 30 years of so, and that’s fine, but here’s another possibility. You could breath like this, if you like. You could move your arm here." And it’s such a revelation, such a surprise."
"So to whatever extent Rolfing’s about removing restrictions, it’s as much about the mental/emotional restrictions as the physical. It feels less like surgery and more like a conversation or a teaching/learning process. And even then, it’s far from rote. Kind of like someone’s wandering around opening windows. Or at least pointing out that there are windows…And I can just feel the breeze blowing through."
I’ve heard that Rolfing is painful. Is it really?
"The other thing I expected from rolfing was pain. It’s what I’d always heard: rolfing hurts. And it’s not like there’s been no pain ever. But there’s been surprisingly little. Most of the time, the work feels incredibly subtle and precise. The surprising thing to me is how deep the work can go, how impactful it can be, without pain. I’ve experienced far more painful types of bodywork that had little or no real impact."
"Lastly, the true miracle of Russell’s work is Russell himself. He’s one of the warmest and most completely present people I’ve ever met, let alone been touched by. And he listens better to bodies than anyone I know."
"Working with Russell is a rare experience of being seen and touched. Always conscious and respectful of boundaries the process, it has been a healing experience on many levels including emotional and physical."
"I felt held both emotionally and physically. His availability and presence touched me in places I had never let any healer come close to before."
"The body work is simply profound... Russell is much more than a body worker he is a healer."
"It was intimate, safe, non-sexual and most of all the healing of many wounds both physical and emotional. Russell engenders trust."
"I can sit down with comfort and remain there! Such a mundane experience had been denied me for years due to extreme pain in the hamstring area. I had seen my primarey care physician, orthopedists, chiropracters, an osteopath, and acupuncturist. Then I heard about the rolfing method and eventually came to Russell and in one session I found relief!. It was an amazing, astounding experience. I finally found relief with his Rolfing manipulations.
"Continuing with monthly visits have always brought some new insight regarding how the body can function to its optimum capability...What joy!"
"Rolfing is a unique experience and Russell Stolzoff is one of the most experienced practitioners. His thoughtful questioning always leads one to be more of a whole person, balanced in mind, spirit and body."
" I feel great, younger than I've felt in years. It now feels pleasurable to move around and walk. What you do is truely amazing. Thank you."
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