The goals for massage and Rolfing are often very different. Massage is usually about relaxation. Rolfing is about aligning structure and improving long-term function by working with connective tissue--called fascia--which surrounds and penetrates muscles and every structure in the body. While fascia's remarkable plasticity allows us to adapt to stress and injury, it also becomes rigid and less mobile. It then pulls the body out of alignment with gravity. Throughly highly refined techniques, a certified Rolfer can lengthen the fascia which in turn frees the body from constrictions and enables it to right itself effortlessly in gravity.