Rolfing® Structural Integration
Rolfing SI systematically helps the body attain increased grace, flow and balance. In Rolfing, a distinct manual technique is used to free restricted fascia (connective tissue that connects the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels). For various reasons, including disuse, not enough stretching, injury and emotional trauma, the fascia and the underlying muscle tissue can become stuck together. This results in reduced movement and range of motion, which ultimately alter our connection with the ground and sky or our ability to connect and reach, having an impact on all our daily movements and sports activities. The sensitive, precise yet deep touch in Rolfing offers the body new impulses. This encourages a new orientation that can positively influence our posture, give us more movement freedom and can even impact our outlook on life. The approach in Rolfing is holistic and individual-orientated, which is why an active and honest relationship is so highly desired between Rolfer and client. Movement patterns that reduce resistance toward flow are addressed and new possibilities investigated. In contrast to other methods, Rolfing balances and integrates the body in its relationship to gravity. Typically, Rolfers follow a 10-session recipe that prepares the body and the mind systematically. Each session builds upon the previous session, slowly unraveling adhesions and promoting awareness and mobility. The duration of a single session is usually between 80 and 90 minutes. The sessions are scheduled one to two weeks apart. During the sessions, the client may be asked to walk or perform a daily activity while the movement is analyzed. The manipulations are performed in various positions and often involve active participation. Occasionally, some sessions are added to the original 10 and follow-up sessions are scheduled as needed or as desired.
Rolfing is beneficial in the treatment of postural restrictions and chronic pain of all origins and is very helpful for:
people of any age seeking relief from recurrent or persistent physical discomfort, such as lower back pain, disc injury, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis/golf elbow, headache or migraine, vertigo, whiplash, intestinal distress, feelings of tightness in the chest or throat, pain in the abdomen or pelvis, jaw restrictions, scoliosis
athletes seeking increased body awareness and performance enhancement
dancers, actors, musicians and artists who wish to enhance their artistic potential through bodywork
people with movement restrictions and discomfort caused by work-related patterns
children and adolescents with movement or postural limitations
or simply anyone wanting to expand their consciousness, increase their well-being, balance and authenticity
«When the body gets working appropriately, the force of gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself.»
Dr. Ida Rolf
History
Born in New York in 1896, Dr. Ida P. Rolf was one of the first women in the United States to receive a PhD in biochemistry and physiology. She left the States in 1927 to study mathematics and physics in Zurich and spent time learning homeopathy in Geneva. In her search for solutions to many chronic illnesses, she investigated the effects of yoga and osteopathy on the bodys structure and function. Based on her observations of the human body, its movement and alignment, Dr. Rolf noted the effects of gravitys constant force on the system and consequently developed „Structural Integration“. Encouraged by Fritz Perls, the founder of Gestalt therapy, she started to teach her method in the Esalen Institute in California and received great acknowledgment. In the early 1970s, she founded the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration in Boulder, Colorado, where she taught until her death in 1979.