I recently found out about Rolfing or Structural Integration through one of my students. Because I haven't heard of this particular body work method before I immediately requested all the books on the subject I could find in our library system. There were three. One was by Ida Rolf herself, the inventor of the method and other two where by Mary Bond, the student of Ida Rolf. If you have ever wondered how to improve your posture and the overall quality of your life I strongly recommend reading Mary Bond's books. The books are:

• The New Rules of Posture: how to sit, stand, and move in the modern world
• Balancing Your Body: self-help approach to Rolfing movement

You can read both of these books or just one. They are independent of one another. However, it is very beneficial to read both because you will look at the same principles and ideas from two different perspectives.

I am going to give you one small insert from the first book. It is about proper sitting during driving your car. I found it extremely helpful in retaining my back's length and flexibility, plus I felt more energetic even after long drives. Here is an insert:

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Adjust your seat back to be as upright as possible. ...Slide your buttocks as far back as you can into the crack between the backrest and seat. The bottom of the seat back can then support your sacrum. This arrangement will leave several inches of space between your spine and the seat back. Insert a cushion or other prop into this space to support your chest. (notice - the support is for the chest not the lower back)

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Now I decided not to use a prop for my ribcage. I kept the sensation that my back is peeled off the backrest and I used abdominal push to stabilize myself during acceleration or deceleration. To my surprise it required a lot of abdominal push, especially, during acceleration. Otherwise, I would lean back into the seat back or hold the wheel with my hands tightly, exactly, as riders hold the reins when horse's movement throws them backwards. Besides back and forth stabilization, there is a lot of left and right stabilization during turns, especially, on highways. Now my drives are super workouts for my core muscles.
One of Mary Wanless image tools is really helpful not just on a horse but during driving too. The image is as follows: Imagine you are wearing a driving harness across your chest and pulling a heavy wagon. This image instantly connects your chest to the pelvis and creates a lot of abdominal push. Try it during driving and riding, especially, in sitting trot.

Happy riding...