Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/97768
For those with cranial training, the sensitive hand can sense and correct any anomalies in the sacral pump, which can be calming and resettling. The practitioner's hand or hands come in from one side to contact the tissues on either side of the spine, as the client rests or rolls down onto your hand. With the one-handed technique, the other hand is free to cue breathing, help the belly relax, cue the individual lumbars, or hold the legs. Photo courtesy of Thomas Myers. Possible Pelvic-Lift Objectives 1. Disengage sacrum from L5. 2. Disengage L5 from L4. 3. Disengage L4 from L3, etc. 4. Engage the hinging of the sacrum below lumbars. 5. Engage the lumbo-dorsal hinge or thoracolumbar junction. 6. Lengthen and hydrate lumbar intervertebral discs. 7. Teach lumbars to fall back from lordosis. 8. Lengthen the thoracolumbar fascia. 9. Lengthen and ease sacral fascia. 10. De-rotate the lumbar column or specific vertebrae. 11. De-rotate an ilium, balance the two hip bones. 12. De-rotate the sacrum. 13. Ease or straighten coccyx. 14. Create ease at the SI joint. 15. Balance the craniosacral rhythm via the sacrum. 16. round client—stimulate G parasympathetic autonomic tone. 17. Release or stimulate pelvic floor. 18. Horizontalize (find neutral for) the pelvis. Points 1–6 address the differentiation of the individual lumbar vertebrae, which often can be locked together as one functional unit. Our first job, before we can integrate, is to get differentiation (and consequent length) in the lumbosacral area. This helps hydrate the discs and find a neutral lumbar curve. Points 7–9 are about lengthening the whole sheet of fascia on either side of the lumbars and sacrum. Points 10–14 are about easing rotations that frequently get set into the SI joint or the heavy lumbars. For those with cranial training, the sensitive hand can sense and correct any anomalies in the sacral pump (point 15), which can be calming and resettling. Point 16 is very important also in this regard. The sacral autonomic outflow is parasympathetic, so stimulation to the sacrum and sacral fascia (this is oft-observed anecdote, not hard science) often results in a "repose and repair" response—the calming of the "fight or flight" response—which can be a great way to end a stimulating or emotionally charged session. Points 17 and 18 bring us back to the educational aspects possible with this move: bringing attention to the pelvic floor, or helping the client find pelvic neutral—what Dr. Rolf called a "horizontal" pelvis. Simple Success Well, Ida, it's been 36 years since you sent me forth with your stamp of approval, and I'm such a good boy that I am still finishing most every session with a Rolf-approved pelvic lift. Actually, it's not that I am so loyal or repetitive; it's that you can effect so many useful changes with this one "simple" move. Thomas Myers is the author of Anatomy Trains (Elsevier, 2009) and Fascial Release for Structural Balance (North Atlantic, 2010). Myers studied with Ida Rolf and has practiced integrative bodywork for more than 35 years. He directs Kinesis, which offers more than 100 professional certifications and continuing education seminars per year worldwide. For more information, visit www.anatomytrains.com. www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 101