What is Rolfing® Structural Integration?

Rolfing® is a wholistic approach to healing that restores and re-aligns  the connective tissue (or fascia) throughout the body. It is a system of bodywork that combines soft tissue manipulation and movement education to re-balance the body, thereby releasing stresses and strains that may have been held for many years.

The result is a greater sense of vitality, emotional resilience, and overall sense of ease.

Injuries, chronic tension and poor postural habits make it more difficult to maintain an easy upright posture, causing the body to struggle against gravity's downward drag.

As the body loses its structure, it compensates by thickening and shortening the fascia. This affects our physical and emotional wellbeing at every level: nerves and vessels get squeezed, joints lose space, and energy cannot flow.

Rolfing helps to reverse these effects by taking advantage of the pliable nature of fascia. By slowly lengthening and reshaping the fascia, patterns of strain are systematically eased, and the body's structures can shift back to where they belong. 

As your body better aligns itself with gravity, it will require less effort to stand and move. The newfound space in your joints and length in your body will manifest in the quality of your presence and movement. 

Here's a short video about what Rolfing® is, and what it can affect.

The Rolfing® Ten-Series

The Ten Series is a great opportunity to learn about your patterns and habits, and gain insights about how you move through the world. As your body learns in each session to move in more natural ways, the work steadily integrates into your daily life.

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 Rolfing sessions. Each session focuses on freeing restrictions or holdings trapped in a particular region of the body. A practitioner also maintains a holistic view of the client's entire system during each session, thus ensuring the transformational process evolves in a comfortable and harmonious way.

Sessions 1-3: The "Sleeve" Sessions

Sessions 1-3 strive to loosen and balance surface layers of connective tissue.

Session One is devoted to enhancing the quality of breath with work on the arms, ribcage and diaphragm. Opening is also started along the upper leg, hamstrings, neck and spine.

Session Two helps give the body a stable foundation by balancing the foot and muscles of the lower leg.

Session Three typically involves a "side view" for an understanding of how the head, shoulder girdle, and hips are positionally related to one another when standing under the influence of gravity.

Sessions 4-7: The “Core” Sessions

These are referred to as "core" sessions and examine terrain found between the bottom of the pelvis and top of the head. The idea of core also includes the deep tissue of the legs for its role in support.

Session Four begins this journey, from the inside arch of the foot and to the bottom of the pelvis.

Session Five is concerned with balancing surface and deep abdominal muscles to the curve of the back.

Session Six seeks to enlist more support and moment from the legs, pelvis and lower back, while the seventh session turns its sole attention to the neck and head.

Sessions 8-10: The “Integrative” Sessions"

Integration is emphasized throughout the remaining three sessions, as sessions 8-10 provide an opportunity for the practitioner to blend previously established advancements, and ones yet to be made, into the body in a way that encourages smooth movement and natural coordination.

Sessions Eight and Nine has the practitioner determining how best to achieve this integration, as the protocol is unique for each individual.

Session Ten serves to inspire a sense of order and balance. Once completed, the wisdom of the Rolfing Ten Series will drive and support the body with health for years to come.