Rolfing® is a form of manual therapy and movement education developed by Dr. Ida Rolf over 50 years ago. She found that by systematically reorganizing the connective tissue in the body, also called fascia, aches and pains go away, movements become more fluid, and living becomes more comfortable.
the core principle of rolfing®
At the heart of Ida Rolf's teaching, is the idea that the majority of pain, injury and disease is the result of poor alignment in the body. It's a systemic whole body approach to facilitating freer movement and comfort in the body.
proper alignment is everything
When the connective tissue is aligned, the body moves with optimal neuromuscular efficiency. Good posture ensures that the muscles of the body are aligned at the proper length–tension relationships necessary for effective absorption and distribution of forces throughout the body, alleviating excess stress on joints. In other words, proper posture keeps muscles at their ideal lengths so that joint motion happens the way it should. Proper posture is essential for efficient movement.
This classic image for Rolfing depicts an actual client of Ida Rolf's. You can see the that when the parts of the body are out of alignment the bio mechanics are compromised.
Compensation patterns are the main reason for misalignments in the body. They happen for many different reasons. Injuries, lifestyles patterns, and emotions are the most common causes of misalignments throughout the body.
injury
After an injury our bodies often adapt by creating new patterns to compensate for weakness. These patterns work for us while an injury is healing, but afterwards our bodies often hang onto the pattern that we developed.
lifestyle
There are many different lifestyle patterns that cause misalignments in the body. A parent holding a young child, an athlete with a repetitive motion like swinging a golf club or a bat, or someone working at a desk for many hours per day.
who is rolfing® for
Rolfing® has helped people of all ages who wish to experience greater freedom of movement and comfort in their bodies. Whether you're an athlete looking to recover from an injury or enhance your performance, a yogi looking to increase self-awareness and flexibility, or one of the many people that suffer from chronic pain, Rolfing can probably make a big difference in your life.
People with Chronic Pain
Athletes looking to Improve Performance
People with Repetitive Motion Injuries
People Looking to Improve Flexibility
People who have experienced Trauma
People with Chronic Muscular tension