Rolfing
Rolfing is a systematic, hands-on
approach to aligning and re-educating the human body
which relieves chronic stress patterns, instills
order, and teaches easier, more comfortable models for
movement. A Rolfer concerns himself with the fascia,
or connective tissue, the body's tissue network that
envelops and permeates muscles, forming lubricated
surfaces between adjacent layers for free movement. It
is in this tissue that the impacts of physical and
emotional traumas manifest. The fascia shrinks, dries
out, and forms adhesions where body-wide strain and
tension patterns have resulted in compensation to
stresses the body has suffered. These spots are the
focus of a Rolfer's attention: he seeks to release
these bound areas, allowing the body-wide patterns to
unwind, letting a person rebound upwards in response
to gravity's downward pull in a series of ten
carefully planned sessions, nicknamed the "Ten
Series."
Ida P.
Rolf, Ph.D.
After earning her doctorate in biochemistry from Columbia
University, Dr. Rolf's research centered on connective
tissue physiology. Her studies led her to make several
observations about human structure:
• most people are out of alignment with gravity's pull
• our function improves as we are brought into line
with gravity
• bodies can be aligned in gravity through fascial
manipulation, owing to fascia's inherent plasticity.
The Rolfing "Ten Series" is the culmination of Dr. Rolf's
fundamental discoveries coupled with her fifty years of
study and practice.
photos by Ron Thompson
