ROLFING®

ROLFING ®

The Benefits of Rolfing® Structural Integration

Do you want to be more flexible? Breathe with greater ease? Have less back pain? Then Rolfing® SI might be just for you. This holistic bodywork is based on the discoveries of American biochemist, Dr. Ida Rolf. Below are 7 reasons why Rolfing® may interest you.

1. Rolfing® promotes mobility

Rolfing can resolve unhealthy patterns within the body's fascial network. After Rolfing, the fascia and muscle layers glide more freely over one another, and joint mobility is improved. As a result, mobility and flexibility are promoted throughout the entire body. The range of motion increases, and movement becomes smoother and more graceful.

2. Rolfing® can improve breathing

One of the goals of Rolfing is to free the breath. A full and deep inhalation should be as easy as possible, while exhalation should be relaxed and allow a person to let go. We breathe between 15,000 and 20,000 times every day; any improvement in breathing has a considerably positive impact.

3. Rolfing® improves posture

Rolfing is a process that systematically reorganizes the body by adjusting imbalances in the myofascial tissue so that the body can realign itself with less effort. Our bodies have the opportunity to utilize gravity—being supported by it, rather than feeling crushed by it. By working the body through the 10 sessions, the inner ear, shoulders, pelvis, knees, and ankles will increasingly align along this vertical line. The body's structure becomes balanced.

4. Rolfing® leads to better balance and more stability

As the body develops an easy upright position and mobility improves, most clients experience a general feeling of being lighter while walking and standing. At the same time, they find stronger support from the earth. Their feet improve contact with the ground, and they perceive their feet and legs as providing a more reassuring base. Consequently, the standing position is more stable.

5. Rolfing® can relieve pain

Tension and discomfort in the body resulting from strained imbalances and decreased movement can be relieved by Rolfing®. This is how back pain, painful tension in the neck and shoulders, headaches, as well as hip, knee, and foot discomfort can be alleviated and resolved; furthermore, these improvements are primarily long-lasting.

6. Rolfing® improves proprioception (body perception)

Through Rolfing®, clients relearn how to feel and experience their own bodies. For example, they become aware of issues they previously did not pay attention to:

 * How do I breathe?

 * How do I stand?

 * How do I sit?

 * How do I walk?

 * When do I hike up my shoulders?

 * How does my body react when I am stressed?

7. Rolfing® has a positive effect on the mind

The body and mind cannot be separated. This becomes clear repeatedly during Rolfing sessions. Freer breathing and more openness in the rib cage also imply more openness toward our environment and other people. An increased sense of stability and support brings more energy in general, more balance in difficult situations, more confidence, and a capacity to assert oneself with assurance.

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European Rolfing® Association

SARSI (Swiss Association Rolfing® & Structural Integration)

Photos courtesy of Certified Advanced® Rolfer David Kirk-Campbell