Rolfing®
Here you will find an overview of the following:
You can also visit the official Rolf Institute web site.
What is Rolfing?
ROLFING is a technique of body therapy that integrates the human physical structure. Rolfing balances the muscle and connective tissues (Myofascia) by taking advantage of the body's willingness to hold a shape induced by applied pressure.
In a carefully developed sequence of ten sessions, each building on the results of the ones before it, the ROLFER helps the client release his or her body into a more natural state of lift and balance. This is done through the use of slow, deep pressure applied by the Rolfer’s hands and forearms. The manipulations are always integrated with the rhythm of the client's breathing and the gentle movements of his joints. The revitalization of an area of long-held tension leaves the client with a feeling of deep physical relaxation and mental peace. Sessions last 60 minutes and are scheduled approximately once every two weeks.
Rolfing reorganizes the body to bring its major segments : head, shoulders, thorax, pelvis, legs and feet - into vertical alignment. Rolfing lengthens the body, approaching an ideal in which left and right sides, front and back, inner and outer muscles are functionally balanced and in which the pelvis assumes a horizontal position. This natural architecture of the body permits the weight of the trunk to be carried directly over the pelvis, the head to ride up on top of the spine, the spinal curves to lengthen and soften, the legs to connect vertically to support the bottom of the pelvis and the feet to support the whole body at a horizontal plane to the ground.
Benefits
Rolfing has helped many thousands of people. Benefits of Rolfing include:
- Relieves chronic pain caused by accidents and injuries
- Creates greater flexibility and freedom of movement
- Improves postural alignment and balance
- Imparts confidence, self-awareness and grounding
- Frees the body from patterns of stress and tension
Through Rolfing the body is free to perform as a harmonious unit, each part giving support to the whole structure. As the client approaches this state of Equipoise his or her body feels more fluid and expansive, lighter and more flexible. Movement in any activity is more graceful and effortless. Chronic pain often disappears. The body becomes an integrated, expressive vehicle with abundant energy for creative work, fulfilling relationships and better health.
Essentially, the Rolfing process enables your body to regain the natural integrity of its form, thus enhancing postural efficiency and your freedom of movement.
Brief History
When she developed Rolfing in the 1960s, Ida P. Rolf. PhD., first called her work Structural Integration. The genius of the work rests on Dr. Rolf's insight that the body is more at ease and functions most effectively when its structure is balanced in gravity. She observed that over time, the field of gravity actually accentuates the body's imbalances and diminishes its flexibility. Based on these core observations, she developed her original method of hands-on manipulation - which later became known as Rolfing - to reduce gravity's adverse effects on the body.
Dr. Rolf recognized that the body is inherently a system of seamless networks of tissues rather than a collection of separate parts. These connective tissues, called fascia, actually surround, support and penetrate all of the muscles, bones, nerves and organs. Rolfing works on this web-like complex of connective tissues to release, realign and balance the whole body - resolving discomfort, reducing compensations and alleviating pain. Rolfing aims to restore flexibility, revitalize your energy and leaves you feeling more comfortable in your body.
As Rolfing progressively reduces structural restrictions, your body becomes aligned and moves with ease. The goal is to have these improvements in function be permanent.
Continuing Rolfing
After completing your basic Rolfing series, periodic tune-up sessions can refresh this feeling of integration and remind your body of its most efficient balance.