Time to Celebrate the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration

Wow! The 40^th anniversary of the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration is swiftly approaching. To celebrate, the Institute has set aside the week of May 14^th - 22^nd as Rolfing Structural Integration National Awareness Week. Not only is this week Awareness Week, it is also the time Dr. Ida Rolf would have had her 115^th birthday (May 19^th, 1896)! This Awareness Week provides Rolfers worldwide, as well as those who have benefited from Rolfing, with an opportunity to celebrate an inspiring scientist who created an amazing whole-body therapy, and whose institute has been sharing her mission since 1971.

Dr. Rolf’s vision was to make her powerful healing art available worldwide. Her goal was to retrain people's fascia with hands-on therapy as well as with movement re-education. The element of education was crucial to Dr. Rolf, because she believed that without self-awareness, the body could not move with true freedom in gravity. Thus, Rolf Movement Integration has evolved as a course of study promoted by the Institute. Rolf Movement helps one recognize habitual, dysfunctional patterns and then evolve past them into more functional movement patterns. Any activity, therefore, from surfing to standing up, can be completed with greater ease, flexibility and freedom of expression. People from all walks of life, all ages of a life span, and even animals have benefited from Structural Integration and Movement Integration.

The Rolf Institute offers three different training programs, and to date there are over 1,700 Certified Rolfers in 35 countries. Since its inception, the Institute has brought relief to thousands of people worldwide. With growing awareness and interest in health and physical well-being, this number can only grow--and Dr. Rolf’s vision is free flourish.

Do You Enjoy What You Do For A Living?

One of my favorite questions to ask my clients is, "Do you enjoy what you do for a living?" It seems casual, perhaps, but it regularly gives me necessary understanding of a person’s deeper structural issues.

I'm very lucky to LOVE what I do professionally. It's a challenge and a delight both mentally and physically, and no matter what concerns a client brings to the table, there's the thrill of creativity and strategy as we address the situation. However, it's all too easy to perform a task without actually enjoying it, and I know how often we find ourselves, for love or money, doing just that.

What happens to your body when you have a job you don’t enjoy, or when you frequently perform tasks that you resent? The intrinsic desire to do something you enjoy versus something you must do causes a “war” within the body, which results in stress, which leads to tension. This tension, day-in and day-out, takes a toll on your body and creates unnecessary holding patterns. Tightened and shortened muscles and connective tissue can cause one to be in pain constantly.

This is where the love of my job comes into play: Although you may not be able to make yourself love your job, you can do something to deal with the resulting stress and tension, and prevent accumulations of the day-in and day-out full-body constriction. In both my Rolfing sessions and my massage therapy, my client and I collaborate and brainstorm ways to improve their structure, increase embodiment, and reduce fatigue. In short: Just because your job is a pain doesn’t mean you have to be in pain!

The Gospel of Rolfing

"This is the gospel of Rolfing:When the body gets working appropriately, the force of gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself."
~ Ida P. Rolf

Ida Rolf was a pioneer not only in soft tissue manipulation but also for women in the field of science. Having earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in 1920, she went on to explore organic chemistry at the prestigious Rockefeller Institute. With this foundation in place, Dr Rolf peered more deeply into the realm of the body, including but not limited to the fields of osteopathy, chiropractic and yoga.

Over the course of these studies, Dr. Rolf came to understand that proper alignment, physiologic function and anatomical structure were the basis of these and many other healing methods. Interested in addressing her own body's issues, Dr Rolf combined her knowledge of the body's chemical make-up with the principles of these healing modalities, and began to create her own form of structural therapy. Dr Rolf was then lead to this fundamental question: “What conditions must be fulfilled in order for the human body-structure to be organized and integrated in gravity so that the whole person can function in the most optimal and economical way?”

Structural Integration, as Dr Rolf called the therapy that she developed, answers this question. Through a series of sessions, Rolfers and their clients create the conditions for good posture and pain relief to occur naturally. By removing soft tissue “roadblocks” like scar tissue and fascial adhesions from clients’ structures, Rolfers work to give the gift of not only proper posture but a profoundly improved sense of well-being. Dr Rolf's methods and teachings, today known as Rolfing^®, are now taught at Institutes worldwide. Dr. Rolf would be proud to see that Structural Integration has become an international healing art bringing alternatives for pain-free living to all who would benefit.

Path to a Fuzz Free Life

Did you know your muscles grow “fuzz” between them when you do not stretch enough? This fuzz is a build-up of the fibrous tissue that holds our muscles in place. Your body is constantly building these fuzzy layers to help support the muscles you use the most. Fortunately, you can melt away that “fuzz” in the morning with a good stretch – think about when your cat or dog stretches after a good nap. Not only does it feel good, it assures their continued full range of motion. Gil Hedley has an excellent (not to mention humorous) explanation of this phenomena in his video The Fuzz Speech.



Unfortunately, “fuzz” can grow layer upon layer when muscles are not in use. When one’s range of motion is limited by injury or inactivity, the “fuzz” can grow to be quite thick adhesions, causing tightness and impeding movement. Without proper stretching or body work, we can build more and more adhesions as we age.

The good news is that the tightness felt by these adhesions can be “melted” away by use of massage therapy and Rolfing. Rolfing provides the hands-on work necessary to deal with these restrictions. Whether the adhesions are newly formed, or have been present for quite some time, Rofling is essential to rid the body of the tightness they cause and restore a full range of motion thus allowing you to get back to the activities you enjoy most.

Could your tightness and loss of range of motion be due to these fuzz-like adhesions? If it's been a while or you've not yet experienced Rolfing Structural Integration, please come in for a session and melt the fuzz away!

So Close!

Rolfing's role in the community has evolved since its inception in the 1950s. It enjoyed a spike in popularity in the 1970s, survived a pause in the 80s and 90s, and is enjoying a bit of a renaissance in the 2000's with help from a health-minded country and spokespersons like Dr. Oz, Oprah, and the New York Times. Always a mind/body therapy dealing with posture, self-awareness and structural evolution, it is mostly the understanding of Rolfing that has shifted and changed, rather than the bodywork itself.

As I've said in previous posts, much of what I combat when discussing Rolfing with someone for the first time is their anxiety over predicted pain during their session. I try my best to communicate that yes, Rolfing CAN be intense, but no, that's the the GOAL of the session. I'm not successful if I cause you pain, I'm successful if we reach our goals--if you have more flexibility, increased range of motion, less scar tissue. It is my hope that when people represent Rolfing they will choose to convey the opportunities it offers rather than playing on people's fears.

I'm both pleased and disappointed to see this article, Rolfing: Excruciatingly Helpful in October 7th's New York Times. How wonderful to share this bodywork with such a wide audience--it's just too bad that they perpetuated concepts that aren't relevant to what Rolfers are doing! Excruciating?? Did they have to use that word?? Clients of mine--have I ever treated your session like the only way to achieve results was to bring you to the brink of intolerance? I hope not! And the subtitle: "A Painful Form Of Massage." Massage? No thank you! I'm a very proud massage therapist, but when I don my Rolfing hat, I leave the former style of bodywork at the door. Rolfing is about realigning your structure--there's nothing "massage" about it.

Fortunately, within the article itself there's much more focus on accuracy: "Dr. Rolf developed a theory that the body’s aches and pains arose from basic imbalances in posture and alignment, which were created and reinforced over time by gravity and learned responses among muscles and fascia — the sheath-like connective tissue that surrounds and binds muscles together. Rolfing developed as a way to “restructure” muscles and fascia."

That's writing I can get behind, and worth a read if you promise to take it with a grain of salt.

Don't Give Up!

No matter if it's from an injury, repetitive motion, or strain, scar tissue can be much more painful to massage than muscle tissue. It's kind of not fair--you've already had the car accident or had that surf board slam you in the leg!--that even after an injury takes place, after the chiropractic and physical therapy, scar tissue continues to build and can cause problems years later.

Much of what I do is help clients improve their range of motion after an injury--recent or from something in the past--that has resulted in a build-up of restrictive scar tissue. It's not always comfortable and it can make you sore the next day but don't be discouraged! More often than not, the area becomes inflamed for a day or more after working an area that hasn't had proper movement or blood flow in a while. While not pleasant it's a good sign! Your body is continuing the process that the massage began of breaking down those restrictive tissues, which is a step toward improved movement, endurance, and over-all well being.

Is Rolfing Still Around?

Many times when I introduce myself as a Rolfer, people respond with something like "Rolfing's still around?"

I'm very happy to say that yes, Rolfing is still around! Its combination of postural education, movement education, and myofascial therapy is especially relevant to our stressful lives, overworked tissues, and strained structures.

This man had mild anxiety about visiting a Rolfer, did it anyway, and felt great results.



The goal of your Rolfer isn't just to alleviate pain, but to little-by-little improve function, awareness, and balance. Watch for more and more Rolfing videos, posts on Twitter, and blog posts in your circle, and if you think of it, share them with me!