Rolfing® Structural Integration

Rolfing® Structural Integration is named after Dr. Ida P. Rolf. She began her inquiry more than fifty years ago, devoting her energy to creating a holistic system of soft tissue manipulation and movement education that organized the whole body in gravity.

Dr. Rolf eventually named her work Structural Integration. She discovered that she could achieve remarkable changes in posture and structure by manipulating the body's myofascial system.

"Rolfing" is the nickname that many clients and practitioners gave this work, and is now a registered service mark in 27 countries. Rolfing structural integration has the ability to dramatically alter a person's posture and structure.

Professional athletes, dancers, children, business people, and people from all walks of life have benefited from Rolfing. People seek Rolfing as a way to ease pain and chronic stress, and improve performance in their professional and daily activities. It's estimated that more than 1 million people have received Rolfing work.

Research has demonstrated that Rolfing creates a more efficient use of the muscles, allows the body to conserve energy, and creates more economical and refined patterns of movement. Research also shows that Rolfing significantly reduces chronic stress and changes in the body structure. For example, a study showed that Rolfing significantly reduced the spinal curvature of subjects with lordosis (sway back); it also showed that Rolfing enhances neurological functioning.

How Rolfing® Works

Theory and Principles of Rolfing®

The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration (RISI) has continued Dr. Rolf's profound inquiry into how to enhance the whole person by organizing the body in gravity. Some of the more important developments of the work since Dr. Rolf's death are also what now distinguishes Rolfing from all other forms of structural integration:

• Principles of Intervention - Rolfing training begins with the Ten Series developed by Dr. Rolf, plus variations of her original protocol. Over the years, the faculty at the Rolf Institute has articulated the core principles on which the original series was based. By understanding these principles Rolfers can work effectively outside of the Ten Series and incorporate intervention strategies that reflect the unique needs of each client.
• Gentle Techniques - Rolfers work with the deep myofascial structures. Some people may experience the work as uncomfortable. Rolfers have continued to develop a broad range of techniques that produce profound results with less discomfort.
• Joint Mobilization Techniques - The Rolf Institute faculty has created a range of soft tissue techniques that release the motion restrictions that impede whole body organization. These techniques increase Rolfers' effectiveness in working with many common structural problems.
• The Personal Experience - Rolfing is a holistic technique in that changes in structure can impact the whole person, physically, emotionally, and energetically. Ultimately, each client's individual experience plays a central role in Rolfing's transformational aspects.
• The Integration of Structure and Function - In Rolf Movement Integration, the Rolfer helps clients become aware of their inhibiting movement patterns and teaches them how to change them. In Rolfing structural integration, the Rolfer releases these patterns through manipulation as they manifest in the client's structure. Rolfing is as concerned with how people experience and use their bodies in their daily lives as with their structural organization in gravity. This unique blend of both the functional and structural aspects of Rolfing is a distinctive feature of the training at RISI.

Rolfing®: Gravity is the Therapist

Site design by The Labor Shed