Rolfing

" This is the gospel of Rolfing: When the body gets working appropriately, the force of gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself."  ―Ida P. Rolf

 

 

Rolfing structural integration is a method of soft tissue manipulation, similar to a deep massage, that aims to improve posture, relieve stress, and ease chronic pain. Founder Ida P. Rolf (1896-1979), a pioneer in the field of medicine in the 1920s, was intrigued by alternative healing practices such as homeopathy, chiropractic, and yoga. She felt that the body functions best when its bones are properly aligned and that structural imbalances negatively affect the body's muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This belief led her to establish a method she called structural integration: slow-moving pressure applied with the knuckles, thumbs, fingers, elbows, and knees to the muscles and the soft tissues around them.

 

롤프 운동은 일련의 세션으로 가르치는데―10 시리즈로 알려진― 특정 구조 및 운동 테마에 사용된다. 첫번째 세션은 일반적으로 호흡패턴을 사용하여 갇힌 상태 즉 갈비뼈, 폐, 횡격막 등의 "holding"이라고 하는 것은 해제하는데 중점을 둔다. 후속 세션에서는 발, 발목, 무릎, 엉덩이, 팔, 목 및 머리의 움직임 패턴을 다룬다.

 

Propents of Rolfing claim that it can improve athletic coordination, prevent repetitive stress injuries, and be used as a prophylactic measure in children with potential structural problems. They stress that Rolfing is not just a deep tissue massage, and the Rolfers must be highly skilled. Practitioners first detect problem areas, then " discriminat" by focusing on the muscles that have been pulled out of place by stress or injury. Finally, they integrate the body, relating its segments in an improved relationship, bringing physical balance in the gravitational field," according to the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration―something that a simple massage cannot do.

 

일부 임상 연구결과에 따르면 Rolfing 은 불안을 줄이거나 뇌성마비 환자의 운동을 개선하고 만성피로증후군 환자의 복지를 향상시키며 요통 환자치료에 효과적일 수 있슴을 보여주었다. 골다공증, 피부손상 또는 출혈질환을 앓고 있는 환자 및 혈액 희석제를 복용중인 환자는 Rolfing을 피해야 한다.

 

 

It's estimated that more than 1 million people have received Rolfing work. The term is now a registered service mark in 27 countries.

 

According to the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration, more than 1,550 specialists worldwide offer Rolfing services.

 

Rolf held a doctorate in biochemistry from Columbia University.