Rolfing® Structural Integration
A wide variety of highly skilled, gentle, slow, sometimes subtle, sometimes deep touch is used to bring about changes in the soft connective tissue or fascia in the body. As the fascia responds to this type of touch, the alignment of the whole body improves. In the process of Rolfing, new habits of the neuro-muscular kind are promoted giving the client improved options of movement, posture, breathing, gesture and expression.
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What are the Benefits of Rolfing®?
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Rolfing has the ability to dramatically alter a person's posture and structure resolving years of pain, tension, stress and discomfort. The genius of the work rests on the insight that the body is more at ease and functions most effectively and coordinated when its structure is balanced in gravity.
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Athletes, families, healthcare workers, business professionals, performing artists and people from all walks of life have benefited from Rolfing. People seek Rolfing as a way to ease pain and chronic stress and improve performance in their professional and daily activities. Those dissatisfied with other pain, mobility and exercise treatments often consult a Rolfer™ like Elias, whose unique premises and methods are often more effective in sustainably reducing pain and dysfunction when years of other approaches have failed.
Research has demonstrated that Rolfing creates a more efficient use of the muscles, allows the body to conserve energy, and creates more economical and refined patterns of movement. Research also shows that Rolfing significantly reduces chronic stress and changes in the body structure. For example, a study showed that Rolfing significantly reduced the spinal curvature of subjects with lordosis (sway back); it also showed that Rolfing enhances neurological functioning.
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How Does Rolfing® Work? ​
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Rolfing can be performed as:
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a single bodywork session for targeted relief as needed by a client.
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the first 3 sessions of the Rolfing Ten Series.
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the traditional Rolfing Ten Series.
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or an advanced Rolfing Ten Series with additional sessions.
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The hallmark of Rolfing Structural Integration is a standardized "recipe" known as the Ten-Series, the goal of which is to systematically balance and optimize both the structure (shape) and function (movement) of the entire body over the course of ten, 90 minute Rolfing sessions. The series is broken down into 3 distinct units, each of which is unique and builds on the next progressively freeing restrictions or holdings trapped in a particular region of the body. Sessions are typically spaced 1 - 2 weeks apart but no more than 6 months for the entire Ten Series.
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Clients who complete the series work often return for maintenance or tune-up sessions in an effort to maintain balance, quality of movement and keep stress and tension from building up in the system. This can be scheduled as needed by the client or some clients choose to schedule regularly bi-weekly, monthly or multiple times a year.
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If you're not sure where to start, you can discuss this with Elias in a phone consultation to see what type of work is appropriate for your goals.
Office Hours: By Appointment Only
Monday: 10:30am - 8:30pm
Tuesday: 10:30am - 8:30pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 10:30am - 8:30pm
Friday: 10:30am - 8:30pm
Saturday: 10:30am - 3:00pm
Sunday: Open Periodically
Phone: 773-627-2698
What Kind of Training Does a Certified Rolfer® Have?
Most applicants of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute come from a variety of backgrounds mostly in the health field. Successful applicants of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute complete a training program that typically requires 2 years of study. Training covers anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, Rolfing theory, structural analysis, soft-tissue manipulation, spinal mechanics, joint mobilization methods, Rolfing Movement Integration techniques, individual research, written essays, and extensive supervised clinical sessions.
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The Dr. Ida Rolf Institute is headquartered in Boulder, CO with additional institutes in Canada, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Japan, and Australia. The Dr. Ida Rolf Institute is the only organization accredited to teach Rolfing.
Rolfing Structural Integration was developed by Dr. Ida Rolf, a trained biochemist who earned her Ph.D. from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in 1920.
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Driven to find solutions to her own health problems as well as those of her two sons, she spent many years studying and experimenting with different systems of healing and manipulation including osteopathy, chiropractic and yoga.
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Dr. Rolf agreed that the body functions best when the bony segments are in proper alignment. She believed that the imbalances in structure placed demands on the body's pervasive network of soft tissues thereby creating compensations throughout the body structure.
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Her life's work was devoted to the system of soft tissue manipulation and movement education that we now call Rolfing®. Dr. Rolf is recognized as a pioneer in manual therapy, movement education and fascia related work which has influenced many well-known systems, therapies and techniques in world of manual therapy.
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In order to pass along her work to others and to make the education process accessible, she developed an expedient series of ten sessions, which came to be known as the Ten Series. The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration was established in 1971.
Since her death in 1979, the Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration has continued to share her work by certifying Rolfers™ and Rolf Movement® Practitioners, supporting research, and building upon her inspiration. Today, you can find Rolfers™ and Rolf Movement Practitioners worldwide.
"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