The Ida Rolf Rolfing Technique

The Ida Rolf Rolfing Technique evolved over the span of many years. It is interesting how Dr. Rolf’s life work has continued on and evolved even after her death in 1978. Dr. Rolf graduated from Barnard College in 1916. After graduation she earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Dr. Rolf developed some back problems after being kicked by a horse on a camping trip soon after graduating from college. She was not satisfied with the medical treatment she was getting, so she sought treatment from an osteopathic doctor instead. What she learned from the osteopath would lead her on to make her own discoveries that would become the Ida Rolf Rolfing technique.

For 10 years Dr. Rolf studied Tantric Yoga and applied this knowledge to helping people with disabilities. She used the postures of Yoga in her practice, and as she learned new techniques she incorporated them into her practice which evolved into what she called Structural Integration, but later became known as the Ida Rolf Rolfing technique.

Over the course of 50 years she studied and taught that through structural integration the changes that gravity makes on the body could be corrected over time. The body would come into balance with the planet’s gravitational field. Dr. Rolf learned through her studies that gravity is a constant force that is either pulling structures down or holding them up. Gravity’s effect on the body is that the body shape changes just like the body was a piece of plastic that could be molded. The connective tissue that encases every muscle, bone, and organ of the body is affected by the force of gravity, but can also be restructured through the Ida Rolf Rolfing technique.

Dr. Rolf started teaching in California at the Esalen Institute at Big Sur. She taught that the body is changeable, and that the imbalance of poor posture can be replaced by the balance of good posture. She called her work body education, and later changed it to Structural Integration. Her work caught on so that Boulder, Colorado became the headquarters for her work and was called The Guild for Structural Integration.

As the Ida Rolf Rolfing technique caught on in the 1960’s, the term Rolfing was coined and later became a registered trade service mark. Only Ida Rolf Rolfing technique certified practitioners are allowed to display the Rolfing service mark in their company logos. Licensed practitioners are now commonly known as Rolfers.

The Ida Rolf Rolfing technique evolved from the work of Dr. Rolf. She discovered that just as gravity can change a body from a state of balance to imbalance, her techniques could use gravity to assist the practitioner to put the body back into balance. She taught that the connective tissue could be stretched over time to reshape the body and promote not only balance with gravity, but also improvement in health.

How Rolfing Massage Works

Rolfing massage is a technique devised by Dr. Ida Rolf, in the 1950s. Her technique has evolved over the years to improve the structure and function of the connective tissue of the body. This procedure manipulates the connective tissue that connects muscles to the skeletal attachments. Rolfing massage is implemented to create balance everywhere in the body in relation to their center of gravity.

Our society has become more sedentary in our everyday lives. Many people work behind desks and their only exercise is what they get while typing on a keyboard or getting up for coffee and TV breaks. Over time the connective tissue (fascia) thickens and becomes less functional. Fascia is thick fibrous plates of connective tissue that protect and envelope muscles and joins them to connect with cartilage and bone. The thicker the plates become the less elastic they become. Over time posture is affected. Rolfing massage breaks down the thick fascia allowing for better posture and better range of motion of body parts.

Rolfing massage therapy is preformed over a series of visits lasting an hour to an hour and 15 minutes each time. The goal is to realign and restructure the connective tissue, thereby realigning the body in relation to its center of gravity. With each Rolfing massage the client is asked to perform certain exercises such as walking, bending the knees, flexing and extending joints before and after the treatment. The level of movement and function is noted before and after treatment each time.

With poor posture the body can come out of alignment. Consider this scenario: The curvature of the neck could be off just enough to cause the head to come out of alignment with the spinal column, which could result in severe headaches and neck and shoulder pain. Rolfing massage works to break down those tight bands of connective fascia that constrict and contract the muscles and their skeletal attachments. Over time there will be noticeable improvement.

Poor posture and poor alignment is learned over time. Our muscle fibers react to an injury and we might favor that injured part of the body. We might favor the injury long after the injury has healed because the fibers retain a long memory of the injury. Hence a permanent change in how we maintain our posture may gradually take place. It is the cooperation between practitioner and client to work to change the structure of the connective fascia to regain a more functional body alignment in relation to his/her center of gravity.

The body and mind work together to make Rolfing massage effective. Through the course of the treatment and beyond you will be relearning how to maintain balance in the body. The gradual outcome should be that you are able to carry your weight evenly without favoring one side over the other. Rolfing massage is not only for the limbs, but for every area of the body.