Last week I was in Colorado for a continuing education workshop at the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute, Structural Aging in the Pelvic Girdle and Legs with instructor Valerie Berg. In this workshop we spent a lot of time observing and working with spiral, rotational movement in the spine, and how that movement is supported by the pelvis and legs. We viewed the spine as an “engine” that is “fueled” by the force of gravity via the pulsing rhythm of our gait during locomotion. More simply: our spine should move and rotate while we walk and run, and that makes walking and running more effortless.
During the workshop we referred to the work of Serge Gracovetsky and his Spinal Engine model. Dr. Gracovetsky turns the mainstream view of the legs/spine relationship upside down. Instead of looking at the legs as the primary mover of our body, he shows that it’s side-bending and rotating in the spine that drives us forward in walking and running, and the legs merely fuel the spine. If you’re curious to learn more about Gracovetsky’s model and the science that supports it, have a look at this video presentation from the Rolf Institute and Dr. Gracovetsky that explains the functional mechanics of the spine and legs.
Another major theme of the workshop was the importance of the feet. Restrictions in the feet have implications up the legs and into the spine, inhibiting free-flowing rotational movement. A key indicator in the feet is the big toe: how connected to the Earth is the big toe during walking and running? Is the big toe able to flex and push off the ground? Is it soft and supple? Or is it stiff, or turned out to the side, with minimal participation in movment?
If you want a bit more on this topic, here’s a short video where Valerie Berg shares her ideas on Rolfing and structural aging. That’s all for now. May your feet be as supple and springy as a jaguar paw!
________________________________________________________ Originally published as a newsletter via my Substack earlier today. Read more at San Diego Rolfing Newsletter Substack.
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