Clutter is something we all deal with as we navigate endless mailings, keepsakes, and things we buy. I was meticulous about my home when I first moved in, but over time, I collected papers on the chair, on the corner of the table, and in bags under the window. After COVID, I really needed to deal with my clutter because the piles were changing my social life.
Two years ago, I decided to earnestly examine my issues with the constant accumulation and never-ending piles that somehow limited my freedom to live as I wanted. Now, I am so much better! I buy less and keep up with the endless mailings that solicit my money and attention. With less clutter, I have a greater sense of calm.
Declutter Your Body
In my work as a Rolfer, I see how our bodies, too, accumulate clutter over time as we hold onto injuries, stressors, or traumas we don’t release. We accumulate tissue thickness as a response to the assaults our bodies endure, lessening our freedom, our flexibility, and our basic function. You may call it aging; I call it imbalance.
Rolfing® is the art and science of body change. Through the ten-session series of direct manipulation of the body’s connective tissue, we release the thickened fascia, which has diminished the body’s natural muscular function.This release allows greater flexibility, more efficient muscle use, and increased range of motion. We feel better, we move better, we look better.
In my forty-five years as a Rolfer, I have seen much of how body clutter diminishes our everyday movements. I see people age before their time. I see people continuing bad habits that create inhibiting movement patterns and chronic injuries, cause pain, and lessen their physical freedom.
Posture Is Key
On a recent trip to New York City, I saw countless people waiting, leaning against a building, looking at their cellphones with their heads almost at a 90-degree angle. Over time, this forward head posture will precipitate neck pain, headaches, reduced mobility, and shoulder droop, with associated upper body pain. The fascia will thicken, inhibiting natural muscular movement.
Notice how kids sit, all slumped over with no inner support. Then think that for six or seven hours a day, they sit like that in school. When they are young enough, they can run around at recess, but the pattern is there – slumping forward with no structural base. It will catch up to them over time.
We can get rid of this body clutter by first acknowledging that a change must be made. Our old body patterns no longer work, and we search for something to break the cycle and restore order. Many of my clients have tried massage, chiropractic, or other modalities in search of solutions but have experienced short-lived results.
Over the ten-session series of Rolfing®, we work layer by layer, piece by piece, to unstick the fascial thickening and restore proper muscular function. The hands-on bodywork lasts about an hour, and educational homework is given to help embody the new space created. Learning how to use your body is key to the work becoming more permanent.
Consider how you feel when your home is freshly cleaned and in order. Everything has its place. Now, think that you can achieve this physically because you can undo much of the chaos that comes with years of injuries, bad posture, and trauma. Rolfing® is all about this. Freedom awaits.
Sharon Sklar is in her 45th year of private practice as a Certified Advanced Rolfer. She has been voted one of Natural Nutmeg’s 10BEST Bodyworkers for the last seven years and is very grateful for that confidence and support. Sharon works with direct manipulation of the soft tissue of the body and movement re-education over a ten-session series to help her clients feel freer, get more balanced, and reduce chronic pain. Great for athletes, children, and adults recovering from the stress, injuries, or traumas of life. Inquiries are encouraged! State licensed. Call 860.561.4337 for more info or to schedule a consultation.