Dr. Ida Rolf (1896 – 1979)

Dr. Rolf was one of the first women to receive a PhD in biochemistry and physiology in the USA.

Dr. Rolf was a pioneer in the field of body therapy.

When she developed Rolfing more than 50 years ago, she contributed the finding that gravity, as an organising element of fascia, is particularly important for the structure of the body.

Rolfing leads to a structural rearrangement of the body, so gravity can be used as a strengthening power.

Her ambition to introduce Structural Integration to as many people as possible took her all over the world. In the early 1970s Ida Rolf founded the Rolf Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

She dedicated the rest of her life to teaching the technique, which was named after her later on. So, Structural Integration became known as “Rolfing” all over the world.

When she died in 1979, she left behind a unique method which is applied by more than 1600 Rolfers all over the world today.

Connective Tissue and Gravity

The organ linking all internal structures within the human frame is called connective tissue. This creates a complex web of compartments for each bone, muscle and organ while connecting of them by a cohesive structure called a fascial web.

Fascia is constantly changing and adapting in response to demands placed on the individual‘s body. It reacts to strain by producing extra material to provide stability and support. However, it can produce more material than necessary. In time, it can actually reduce mobility, resulting in a change of postural position and patterns of movement.

Dr. Rolf called the fascial web the “Organ of Form” and suggested that through deliberate, accurate and precise manipulation of this tissue, the elasticity and sliding capacity of the tissue can be restored, and so the body is realigned in such a way that it can function with more ease.