THE ART OF SOFTENING

finding unexpected tenderness in times of tension.

INTERVIEW WITH COLLECTIVE FOUNDER, SARAH GARVIN

SHARE WITH US THIS NOTION OF SOFTENING.

I’ve actually spent the last several years learning how to do just that - not just physically, but in the ways in which I speak, think, respond, move and work - essentially how I show up and experience the world. I spent so long in what felt like survival mode that I’ve only recently started learning how to approach life differently. Allowing for rest, slowing down and recognizing when I’m operating from old, habitual impulses.

AND THE SYMPTOMS OF SURVIVAL MODE?

A major disconnect between mind and body. I was clenching my jaw, grinding my teeth and holding extreme tension in my neck, shoulders and hips. I’ve had to wear a night guard for over seven years! Despite all of this I knew I needed to more deeply explore how I was feeling emotionally and carrying myself physically, even if a single treatment product or practice wasn’t going to magically fix it. This idea of softening became less about being gentle or relaxed and more about finding ease within my own body.

HOW DID YOU LAND ON ROLFING?

I’d been reading about our fascia network and became incredibly curious about the way connective tissue interacts with mobility and physical comfort, muscle tension and the body’s physical structure as a whole. There were multiple accounts regarding injury recovery using fascia work as a means of therapy. I’ll try just about any type of bodywork or wellness experience, but I knew I wasn’t interested in another traditional massage. I do recognize that the body keeps the score, but that the relationship between stress, emotion and physical tension is extremely complex. I’m constantly curious without pretending we have all the answers.

WALK US THROUGH A TYPICAL ROLFING SESSION.

I was taken aback at first at how gentle the physical practice actually is. I expected something much deeper, more intense or aggressive, (which means it’s somehow more effective, right?) but in fact the level of touch was all incredibly soft. Within 15 minutes of my first session I could feel my entire body open almost all at once. My curiosity was peaked.

“I was trying to introduce softness into my life, yet here i was questioning whether something could work simply because it felt gentle”

Subsequent sessions varied in intensity, and not all were completely pain free. Session five dove deep into pelvic floor and abdominal work, including some intense realignment. What began in the superficial areas of the body progressed deeper and deeper, to eventual complete integration.

The practice requires willingness to communicate and express, (this isn’t a relaxing massage), but each session is building towards the next. Session seven, for example acts as a ‘reward’ after sessions four, five and six that have been focused on intense core work, after which we moved directly into the center of perception, which is the head. Building an exclamation point, (!) so to speak. I did experience some initial spinal and hip discomfort, which is natural in Structure Integration as you focus on re-educating your connective tissue to realign the body with your center of gravity.

WHAT BEGAN TO CHANGE, PHYSICALLY… EMOTIONALLY?

I can’t say for certain the succeeding moments of emotional release were directly tied to Rolfing, but the timing is rather undeniable. I’d been through a rather intense period of deep, personal grief just five years earlier and in the midst of my Rolfing journey, an unexpected wave of emotion literally engulfed me for several days - totally unrelenting and (what felt like) out of nowhere. I felt equal parts raw and exposed, yet in this transition to softness, I didn’t force it away. My pre-softening self would’ve put a cap on the experience and forced my way through, but I was committed to this notion of softening, no matter how uncomfortable or vulnerable it made me feel. Unlike what we see on Instagram, each wellness experience is not always easy or tied up with a bow.

Physically, I became much more conscious of almost every aspect of my body: how I was standing, my habits of weight dispersement, how I engaged my core and how much attention (or lack thereof) I paid to my posture. Breathing without force, remembering the power of my diaphragm, and recognizing that much of this physical evolution was happening not only in my ten-session series, but while walking, standing, breathing and moving through life. One of my biggest takeaways of Rolfing was the gift of body awareness which required me to pay much greater attention to my everyday habits.

ANY UNEXPECTED DISCOVERIES?

Self-talk! I had no idea how much negative self-talk was running rampant through my mind, and in particular sessions my practitioner would note on my choice of language I used when speaking about myself. She would kindly redirect or adjust my choice of words, and in this I began to recognize how much of my internal experience was shaped by habitual thoughts and reactions.

YOUR TOP ROLFING TAKEAWAYS?

I’m still incredibly fascinated with fascia and how the body is a complete, interconnected system, and how it contributes to movement, posture and physical comfort. I count structure integration as a form of invisible luxury; an investment in something less tangible than a spa experience of exotic escape. It’s about physical awareness, comfort in your body, freedom of movement and our daily experience within ourselves. I’ve always believed the Self is our first home, and Rolfing is indeed foundational in its approach to mobility, physical patterns and tension. How we feel on a day-to-day basis affects everything. Not only in physicality, but the emotional, and mental aspects as well. I’ve learned that softness isn’t the absence of strength, and not every wellness experience is rooted in immediate comfort. Our bodies are so complex, and this relationship between physical tension and emotion is absolutely fascinating to me. It’s our daily habits, I believe, whether within movement, emotional balance or self-talk, that deserve our attention and care. This is what, quite literally, makes up our lives.