Rolfing®/Structural Integration is a specific method of working on the body to improve posture.
Developed since the 1940s by Ida Paulina Rolf (1896-1979), an American researcher in biological chemistry, Rolfing consists of a manual and educational approach and is practiced in individual sessions.
In Rolfing, posture is understood as a constant process of dynamic balance, in dialogue with the gravitational force and the environment of relationship.
The Rolfing practitioner (also called “Rolfer”) intervenes with a precise and sensitive touch, mobilizing the muscular fascia, the connective tissue that radiates throughout our body, and progressively stimulating the release of any tension and stiffness caused by imbalances of various kinds, such as repetitive and staining daily movements, the aftermath of accidents or surgery, compensatory postural attitudes…
The mobilization of the fascia allows to harmonize the muscle tone and to distribute more effectively the load on the articular structures, thanks to a better transmission of the movement among the body segments.
The learning process is guided by tactile and verbal cues and invites the student to actively participate in the exploration of motor and perceptual coordinations that underlie everyday gestures.
The work is carried out partly in a lying position on a massage table, partly in a sitting and standing position, to transfer the acquisitions of the experience in verticality.
A preliminary orientation interview allows to define the path in accordance with the needs and objectives expressed by the person, and is refined through the reading of postural organization and fundamental dynamic coordination in walking and breathing. Walking, perceptual orientation, and breathing, constitute in this sense a field of analysis of movement to which to return regularly to evaluate the changes produced by guided practices.
The basic cycle includes ten thematic sessions spread over several months, at the rate of two monthly meetings depending on individual needs. Each session has a variable duration of 1h/1h30.
Links
European Rolfing Association:
www.rolfing.org
Italian Rolfing Association:
www.rolfing.it
Readings:
I. P. Rolf, Rolfing® –
I. P. Rolf, Rolfing and Physical Reality, 1990