Articles > Stress - Your Breathing, Skull, and Fascia

STRESS - YOUR BREATHING SKULL AND FASCIA

One of the central ideas of cranial osteopathy (as well as its more commonly known cousin - cranio-sacral therapy) is that a major function of the breathing system, besides bringing oxygen into the body, is to create movement between the bones of the skull.  When this is possible, the cranial plates can float around the central nervous system.  This is in stark contrast to a body that is gripping, held in particular, set patterns, and reinforcing tension from within the nervous system.  For example, when the head juts forward from the neck, the muscles of the back are called into service to anchor the head in the best way they can.  However, it is the bones that are best suited for this kind of support, not the soft tissue -  the soft tissue will adapt and begin to do its best to stabilize the head.  What happens is that the muscles of the back lose their capacity to respond and adapt, to carry fluids - both nutrient and waste throughout their span and then become hardened and tense, more like bone.  They no longer have the capacity for free, easy movement.

If it were not for the fact that fascia was malleable and capable of changing....then our bodies would become hardened, thick and malleable.  this is where rolfing differs from other bodyworks in that this material is our

Luckily, the connective tissue body, the fascia, has both resilience and malleability.  Through the patterned sessions of Rolfing, the connective tissue body becomes more open, resilient, and falls into a natural alignment with gravity.  The work is to support the natural movement of the body towards this balance.  This is done, in part, by consistently giving the body new inputs. This information helps you to create new patterns that allow for a more dynamic and natural support.  This support can become a tangible reality because it resides within your body and was created from your body's innate, natural alignment.