"There is a pattern, an order, in human bodies... When the body gets working appropriately, the force of gravity can flow through. Then spontaneously the body heals itself." ~ Dr. Ida P Rolf ~

Structural Integration or the Rolf Method, also know as Rolfing (trademark of the Rolf Institute), is a bodywork therapy created by Dr. Ida Rolf which realigns the physical body. Soft tissue manipulation coupled with requests for you to move in a participatory manner aid your integration of the work as it happens, and helps create a greater mind-body connection. This releases restrictions in the fascia, producing visible and lasting change.

Fascia is the web of connective tissue that relates the bones, muscles, joints and organs to one another. If the natural balance of the body is disturbed through injury, environmental stresses or postural habits, the fascial web responds by trying to support these unbalanced relationships, and over time can visibly alter the shape and function of the whole body. As your Structural Integration practitioner it is my job to release strain in the fascia so the body can realign itself, returning all its various segments to a properly balanced relationship. Through a series of ten sessions we will work to unwind these old physical adaptations and create new, and more easeful ways of living in your body day to day.  

The Ten Series

The Ten Series is the original "recipe" of sessions that Dr. Ida Rolf developed through her extensive research and trial and error experiences working with friends, family and clients over many decades.  This is the process whereby the goals of Structural Integration can be accomplished.  Each session builds upon the last leading a person to a more balanced, easy, and present state of awareness and being. The parts of the body all start working more in concert so that the whole human being becomes more effective. How exactly this takes place will vary from person to person, depending on what is going on for you personally, but Dr. Rolf's 10 series is the framework that guides this transformative process. As such, there are always specific areas of the body that will be worked on in each individual session.

Sessions 1-3 - "Sleeve" 

These first three sessions focus on the more surface tissue structures, or "sleeve" of the body, and we will be opening up the superficial fascia. Session 1 works to free up the breath, teach you how to participate with the Rolf Method, and to give you a solid sense of up and your own natural upper physical polarity. The work will be on the arms, rib cage and diaphragm as well as the upper legs, hamstrings, neck and spine. Session 2 is about balancing the feet, lower legs and back, and helping you find a new sense of being grounded down through your lower body. Session 3 will work to balance the sides of your body, and give a you clearer sense of your body front to back, and side to side. The work will be from shoulder girdle to knees, looking especially to balance the way the rib cage relates to the pelvis.

Sessions 4-7 "Core" 

These sessions will address and focus on the deeper tissues and more central regions of the body. Session 4 addresses the inner line of each leg, from feet arches to the sit bones of your pelvis. This session can help balance, revitalize, and increase the health of your pelvic floor. Session 5 works primarily in the abdominal region, helping to free and balance the movement of the pelvis with the strong muscles of the abdomen. Session 6 works along the back line of the legs, from the heels up in to the base of the spine, connecting and grounding the lower body with greater awareness. Session 7 is spent almost entirely in the neck and the head. 

Sessions 8-10 "Integration"

In these sessions we will integrate all the pieces of our previous sessions into focus giving a clear sense of the connection of lower and upper body, as well as movement side to side. I will elicit more focused movement from you in each of these sessions in service of refining your motion and increasing your overall clarity of your own body. Session 8 and 9 will be focused on the lower and upper body (not in any predetermined order), bringing more balance to both girdles. In Session 10 the goal will be to help you find a new happier relationship to your own body, bringing everything together from all the hard work we've done. You made it! 

At this point I will ask you to take some time, generally some months, before you come back for anymore work. This will give you a period of time for all the changes in your body and your "self" to settle.