Rolfing® Structural Integration
Integrating Body Movement and Function for Healing
by Lina Behie, BSc

Imagine a breath that resonates from your heart out to your head, fingers, and toes; one that massages your organs, releases tension, and finds the edges of who you are. What would it be like to start with this free breath and systematically become organized from the ground up. That is, to have your pelvis balanced and supported over your feet; your ribcage would find a new ease with its presence over your pelvis. With that, your arms would be free for self expression and your head weightlessly taking in the sensations of your world. This is a Rolfing Structural Integration experience.

Rolfing is a form of body education in which tissue is reorganized to maximize form, function, and fluidity. It does this by working with connective tissue, called fascia, on all layers of the body. Myofascia describes connective tissue that wraps muscle fibres and is elastic to respond to muscular movement. Fascia is found everywhere in the body—it surrounds cells, tissue, organs, and body systems; it is tendons and ligaments; and there is also a fascial layer that wraps us from head to toe like a body stocking. Fascia is the continuous matrix of the body. This is where Rolfing works.*

The Rolf Institute® members, Jeffery Maitland and Jan Sultan**, define this work:

"Rolfing is the philosophy, science, and art
of integrating the human body-structure
in spacetime and gravity
through myofascial manipulation
and movement education."

The philosophy involves the concept of the “line.” Gravity has a distinctive line of pull from the centre of the universe into the centre of the earth. This is the “line” that our bodies organize and disorganize around, in every moment, with the force of gravity. When we find ourselves “on our line,” we naturally find our way to health and wellness.

The science of rolfing spans from the knowledge of gravity to the profound understanding of three dimensional anatomy. Many events pull us off our line like chronic pain, repetition of movement patterns, emotional distress, and trauma. Rolfing is rooted deeply in anatomical language and where the rolfer works is determined by how a person moves his or her body. Rolfing involves experiencing release from muscular patterns that no longer serve us. This frees up energy and truly can offer a new world view of being.

The art of Rolfing involves seeing the patterns of life beneath the skin and feeling the lasting length possible in one’s body. It is a dance between client and practitioner to find this inner emerging line. Release from restrictions built up over years is a joyous experience. This is the wisdom of Rolfing.

Rolfing was created by Dr. Ida P. Rolf in the 1950s.*** She obtained a PhD in Biochemistry in the 1930s and was working as a university instructor in New York city. She found herself kicked by a horse on a trip to Colorado and was suffering from disruptions in her breathing. A Montana osteopath was able to relieve her discomfort and upon returning home, Dr. Rolf was motivated to find solutions for her own physical needs and the needs of her children. She was very active in yoga and shared ideas with osteopaths and homeopaths of her time.

She started working with injured members of her community. She found that the concept of gravity and length in the body was critical to support a person being on their line. She discovered it was possible to put injured tissue back to where it is supposed to be when working with the fascia in a person’s body.

Dr. Rolf was successful at bringing back body movement and function to people who had given up after many years of disabling pain. This is how she developed the principals necessary to have consistent results with her Structural Integration work. She began teaching her work in the 1950s and soon found herself with a school (The Rolf Institute®) in Boulder, Colorado, giving training to many others to continue her work after she passed away in 1979.

What does the rolfing contact feel like? It is dynamic, from light to deep touch. There is continuous conversation between client and practitioner about how the work feels. Clients are asked to move with the work and to feel from the inside, while the practitioner is working with them from the outside. Rolfing can be intense at times due to the nature of changing structural patterns in the body. Pain is not a part of rolfing.

Changes of the magnitude discussed above do not occur in just one session. Rolfing is designed as a series of ten sessions where each session is focussed on a particular part of the body. One session offers a taste of the power and possibilities for change. Rolfing is process-oriented work and for the true rolfing experience, the ten session series is what offers a transformational shift to bring an overall balance in gravity. Some people have found themselves more organized and with better posture after experiencing the work. Other people find themselves relieved of chronic pain or discomfort in certain activities. For the majority of people Rolfing offers a new awareness about how a person’s experience of life can change when their body changes.

Rolfing is an influential form of bodywork. It bridges the many layers of our life and relates it all to our body. Soft tissue injuries are perfect territory for this model, the place where we need an alternative to traditional medicine. Rolfing is about having skilled hands working in the soft tissue, as well as providing education on how the body can be balanced with gravity. Sometimes we get slowed down from pain in our bodies and sometimes we need help finding a new way. Rolfing is an option.

References:
*Rolfing, 1977, Dr. Ida P. Rolf;
**Rolf Lines Journal, 1992;
***Ida Rolf Talks, 1978, Rosemary Feitis.

Lina Behie is a Certified Rolfer currently practicing in Saskatoon. On Tuesday, Oct. 12th, at 7:00 pm, there will be a free information night open to the public to learn more about Rolfing Structural Integration, 4th floor, Birks Building, 165-3rd Ave., S., Saskatoon. Call (306) 955-4344 for appointments and information.