What is Rolfing™ Structural Integration?

A Rolfed Body is a Happy Body.

So what is Rolfing™? Is it massage? Physio? What is it like and what exactly does it do? I get this question a lot and even though Rolfing™ has been around a long time, it is still not as well-known as you might expect. Rolfing™ is well-known in Olympic circles. There are Rolfers™ who work with the Olympic Athletes and a whole team of them were in Rio for the 2016 Olympics. Yes, really!

Rolfing™ is a physical modality. From a distance, it can look like massage – but it’s not. As a Rolfer™, my area of focus is your fascia. That’s the thin tissue holding your organs together. I want you to imagine you are in bed. A night of tossing and turning has left your duvet and top sheet all tangled. Massage would be working on the contents of that duvet, working the muscles. A Rolfer™’s focus would be more on that top sheet. Bringing it back into alignment so nothing is pulling or tugging in the wrong direction.

We do Rolfing as a 10-Series. First we build the base, giving your core and lower body stability and alignment. Then we move upwards, aligning you left to right, side to side, front to back… You get the idea. But there is more. Much like the benefits you get through yoga, floatation tanks (which I highly recommend) meditation, etc. Rolfing helps you with better quality sleep, improved mood, a desire to move more, return to activities that we once loved but have forgotten.

Everything is a process and Rolfing can be a powerful modality to add to your healing path.

There is also an emotional connection that is released through Rolfing. We hold body memories, both good and bad, in our tissues. Many clients achieve an emotional release and can find themselves brought to tears. I hold the space for them to let them release what they need to release.

I’ll be sharing feedback from clients on their Rolfing experience and why they chose to seek it out for themselves. If you have chronic pain or do not move the way you used to or would like, then consider Rolfing. It does a body good.