Myofascial Release
Rossiter is a powerful, two-person stretching technique that aims to restore natural space to the body by working the fascia. This form of bodywork was founded by Richard H Rossiter in the 80s and is gaining more of a name for itself as scientists begin to better understand the important role that fascia palys in our bodies.
Fascia is a web-like network of connective tissue that extends throughout your body, wrapping and interweaving with your muscles, organs, nerves, blood vessels, and more. Much like a root system that holds soil together, fascia helps maintain the structural integrity of your body, providing support while allowing your tissues to move and interact with one another.
Fascia is also a highly sensory, communicative tissue. Rich in sensory nerve endings, it helps your body perceive movement, pressure, tension, and changes in its environment. Researchers are continuing to explore fascia’s role in the body's communication systems, revealing just how interconnected our bodies truly are.
When fascia becomes less mobile or its tissues lose some of their ability to glide freely, it can contribute to feelings of stiffness, tension, and restricted movement. This is part of why the Rossiter approach considers the body as an interconnected whole rather than a collection of isolated parts. Instead of focusing on a single muscle or area of discomfort, we consider how different regions of the body work together.
Over time, everyday activities and repetitive movements — like looking down at your phone, sitting at a desk, or running — place repeated demands on our tissues. Our fascia continually adapts to these demands, but sometimes areas can become less mobile, affecting how comfortably we move and how tension is distributed throughout the body.
Caring for your fascia is about supporting your body's natural capacity for movement, sensation, and connection. Through Rossiter sessions, we work with the relationships between tissues to help restore mobility, ease restrictions, and support greater freedom of movement throughout the body.
The aim of Rossiter is to restore natural space to the body, where the fascia has bound up to the point of causing tension and pain.
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I’ll help you identify where your fascia is bound up through conversation and observing your gait/ movement
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I’ll apply body weight and heat to these locations : you’ll be laying on the floor for most of this experience and I’ll use my heels/feet to palipate different locations (iie. forearms, traps, IT bands, quads…)
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I’ll guide you through movement to help restore space to these locations : these movements are a slow and deliberate method called “shearing”
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In the Rosstier pracitce, the client is “the person in charge” and as your “coach,” I aim to empower you. Together, we’ll strengthen your mind-body connection and listen to what your body has to share with us. I look forward to working with you and breathing love into your personal wellness narrative.
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Why do we use our feet in Rossiter? The foot is a larger tool making it more sustainable for the practitioner and easier to evenly distribute weight across your fascia to isolate it for a good stretch.
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Why are most Rossiter sessions only thirty minutes long? Rossiter is a deep and active practice. We want your body to be able to fully drop in and receive the benefits of Rossiter. After receiving thirty minutes of Rossiter, you may feel tired, because your body will be using energy to make sense of what it’s experiencing. We want your Rossiter experience to be sustainable for your body and nervous system.
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It's super important that you stay hydrated when receiving Rossiter. Fascia is multilayered and made up of 70% water. In order for your body to retain the space that we’re aiming to bring back to it, your fascia needs to be able to fill up with new water. Drink up!
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It’s best practice to go for a walk after each Rossiter session. Walking helps bring your body to a state of equilibrium after undergoing an experience that shifts things around.
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Rossiter is a practice that appears to be strictly physical, but it’s also deeply energetic. Its not uncommon to experience an emotional release during or after a session. Our fascia holds memories and traumas beyond our conscious mind. Know that you are in a safe space to experience yourself and let go. This isn’t to scare you, it’s just to prepare you to drop in and allow whatever needs to happen, to happen ~