What is Rolfing?

This strange-sounding word is actually a form of body and energy work designed to manipulate and restructure fascia, the band of connective tissue that binds muscles together.   Rolfers, those who administer Rolfing therapy, postulate that gravity and repetitive incorrect muscle use eventually corrupt fascia and bring the body out of alignment causing bodily aches and pains.  Amongst its many benefits, Rolfing allows those undergoing therapy to regain flexibility, improve posture, and alleviate chronic pain.  Some describe Rolfing sessions as very intense, edging on painful as Rolfers use their elbows and knuckles to loosen knotty, tightened fascia.

Dr. Ida Rolf, the founder of Rolfing, started her studies of the human body and its movement in the 1920s.  She had received her PhD in biochemistry in New York City and went out to study organic chemistry.  Dr. Rolf, driven by her bodily ailments as well as the health problems of those close to her, became interested in alternative homeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic and yoga as a way to help those who conventional medicine had failed.  Through her research, Dr. Rolf came to believe that the web-like soft tissue that surrounds muscles had to be in harmony in order for the body to function at its best.  Once this fascia was healthy, the rest of the body would heal itself.  In 1971 she created the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration which has since educated and certified several Rolfing practitioners.  Currently there are more than 1,550 certified Rolfers worldwide.

One can expect to visit a Rolfer for ten sessions when initiating Rolfing therapy.  Each visit generally lasts between 60 to 90 minutes where upon the Rolfer will lead his patient through a variety of exercises and movements.  The Rolfer has specific goals and areas to target during each Rolfing session.  Generally, the ten Rolfing sessions can be divided into three major segments.  Sessions one through three are called the “Sleeve” segment and they involve loosening and balancing the surface layers of connective tissue of the body.  Manipulation of the arms, rib cage, diaphragm, upper leg, neck, spine, foot, lower leg, head shoulder girdle and hips in that order are the main goals of the Sleeve segment.  Sessions four through seven are deemed the “Core” segment.  The Core segment focuses on the area between the bottom of the pelvis to the top of the head.  There is additional manipulation to the deep tissue of the legs during the Core segment.  “Integration” is the final Rolfing segment.  Sessions eight through ten concentrates on advancing the progress made from the previous seven sessions.  

Rolfing was once quite popular in the United States in the 1970s but interest in it subsequently waned.  It has recently gained momentum, however, especially with younger people.  Clients who partake in Rolfing have often visited chiropractors, acupuncturists and physical therapists with limited success.  These clients claim that their Rolfing sessions are not only more effective than other modalities, but their effects are longer-lasting.  Rolfing has been compared to yoga in the sense that the body is moved and contorted in different ways (some of which are uncomfortable) but ultimately manipulates the soft, connective tissue and results in a more aligned, more energetic and more balanced body.  Rolfing, however, unlike yoga, relies on someone else to do the intense work.