What is Rolfing® Structural Integration?
Change is inevitable in our lives. As we age, we tend to see ourselves with diminishing capacities, and we often believe that this is the natural course of events. Rolfing® Structural and Movement Integration is one intervention that challenges this assumption, and that can show us that our bodies and our selves can have more ease and comfort, even as we age.
Rolfing seeks to bring the body into better alignment with gravity. In about ten one-hour sessions, people report feeling increased ease, range of motion and awareness. Many people report a decrease in pain due to injury, overuse and poor postural habits.
Structural Integration was developed by Dr. Ida P. Rolf out of her interest in the properties of connective tissue (tendons, ligaments, myofascial sheaths) and her interest in maximizing human functioning. The goals of Rolfing are achieved by systematically exploring the body with various tools, including slow pressure to release structural restrictions in the connective tissue, and movements designed to help find new ways of moving that support proper alignment. Often, a person receiving Rolfing is asked to gently move his body while the Rolfer™ works with the tissue to release and reeducate the body at the same time.
Rolfing is designed to help a person find his core support and to allow new options of movement and ways of being in the world. In doing this, the body is freed of restrictions due to past injury, pain, and habit in order to bring the body into the present moment.
Frequently, people come to Rolfing for relief from pain. In my experience, many people receive a significant reduction in their pain. This has been substantiated with research on hundreds of Rolfing clients in Brazil. In addition, people who receive the Rolfing series frequently notice that they have a better sense of freedom, or range of motion in their bodies. Many also note an improvement in balance and also in their ability to be aware of their bodies, thereby decreasing the probability of further injury. Of course, each person's experience of Rolfing is different, based on his/her history, physiology and motivations. As Dr. Ida Rolf stated, comprehensive recognition of human structure includes not only the physical person, but also eventually the psychological personality--behaviors, attitudes, capacities.
Please look at my testimonials page to see the spectrum of responses that my clients have had to Rolfing.