What is Rolfing®?

Rolfing® is named after it's founder Dr. Ida P. Rolf. To read about her and the history of Rolfing at the Rolf Institute website, click here.

This dynamic process of tissue manipulation and movement reeducation can benefit people of all ages and physical conditions. The traditional Rolfing method is to holistically address the entire body through a ten session series. The goal of each session is to release and reeducate a particular area of the body in a way that builds on the previous session and prepares for the next. When you meet with your Rolfer,™ you will discuss your goals and desires for the series. Your goals will guide the series and be woven into the overall goals of the individual sessions.

What makes Rolfing different is the way problem areas are addressed. Much like a contractor addresses the foundation of a home when a homeowner complains of cracks in the walls and misaligned doors or windows, a Rolfer™ looks at the entire system of your body to address aches, pains, and restrictions. If your goal is to reduce neck or back pain, for instance, a Rolfer will not only work to release the specific area that hurts, but will explore the imbalances and tensions elsewhere in the body that are putting stress on the area where you hurt. The result is an overall feeling of balance, comfort, and freedom in your body.

This freedom comes from releasing and reshaping the fascia of the body. Fascia is a type of connective tissue. It is very strong, flexible, and dynamic. This tissue is a continuous network throughout the body that envelops muscles, organs, vessels, and nerves. It connects these structures to bones and gives the body its shape. When an injury occurs, the fascia adapts by doing what it needs to do to protect your body. This may mean adding more tissue (scar tissue) or shortening around an injured joint (loss of mobility). While these solutions worked in the short run, the result is often chronic pain. If you have a history of injury or severe trauma, you can image how many areas of the body may have been affected. Rolfing will help return the fascia to a comfortable length that allows for the most movement possibilities and future adaptability.

Your body is dynamic, resilient, and sensitive. This is why it is important to allow ten sessions. The sessions need to be several days to a few weeks apart, depending on how your body reacts to the work. This gives the body time to make sense of the changes we invoke in each session and to do any adjusting needed to find a balanced place to be ready for the next session.

In each session, you will likely spend time walking, lying on a comfortable Rolfing table, sitting, and standing. Rolfing is a partnership between you and your Rolfer in which you will be a very active participant. Between sessions, it is common to continue to feel change happening as your body adjusts. Noticing these changes and their affect on you is your chance to expand your self-awareness.

Once the series is over, you are encouraged to give the body time to integrate the changes and new patterns of movement and posture. This may take months or even years. Some people receive the ten series once in their lives and do not feel the need for any future sessions. Others want to explore advanced sessions or try sessions specifically dealing with movement. There is no rule for whether to receive future Rolfing sessions. Many clients schedule periodic maintenance sessions or come in to prepare for events like surgery, athletic competition, or other physical life changes. Some come in to recover from accidents and injuries, or other physical events like surgery or childbirth.