Structure and Its Integration: The Possible Meaning of the Terms
Ida Rolf’s most prominent definition of Rolfing is “The Integration of Human Structures”. It is short and concise but nevertheless manages to describe to a surprising extent what Rolfing is about and what it intends. “Structural Integration” is not a very popular name however. Perhaps one reason is the fact that both terms have been […]
Technical Catalogue – V
The techniques are described outside the context of integrating the whole. They must not be used this way but only if properly indicated by that context. They can otherwise introduce disorder into the structure instead of order. Standard Torsion of the Right Lower Leg Not much is known yet about the configuration of the fascial […]
Physics for Rolfers
The fundamental new concept which Ida Rolf has introduced in connection with the well-being of human beings is to look at the influence of gravity, the physical weight of the body and its parts. From here she went on to interrelate physical to other factors, from anatomy to physiology to neurology and so on, all […]
The Influence of Gravity, Normal Force and Anatomy on the Shape of the Body Lying on a Surface
If a person lies on a surface, gravity and normal force naturally continue to act on his or her body. “To take somebody out of gravity” would demand a missile, not a bed. But gravity and normal force affect the form of the body in a different way than in standing because the blocks are […]
How Can We Know What Works?
Once after a first session of Rolfing I had forgotten to change the numbers from zero to one before taking pictures. When I then looked at the developed pictures I was shocked to find out that I had great difficulties to decide which were the before and which the after pictures. And afterwards I wasn’t […]
Seven Elements of Touch
There are probably good arguments for the view that “touch” is altogether impossible to describe. A frequent one takes the position that the quality of touch, whatever that may be, is wholly a matter of intuition and experience. But the predominance of touch in practice and because it is the medium through which professional knowledge […]
On Some Aspects of Folding
Folding is representative for movements where the existing balance is kept unchanged as opposed to locomotive movement. This means that the Line, which passes vertically through the gravity center of the body, remains in its place in space. Therefore the ?line?, the long axis of the body, must bend to make it possible for the […]
The Results of Rolfing and Their Relation to Structural Integration
0.1. Introduction. After the first five years of working as a Rolfer I sent out a questionnaire to all of my former clients. I asked them to rate their improvement of structure, symptoms, and psychological ailments on a scale of percentages starting from 100% and going down in steps of 20% to zero and then […]
Structural Levels at the Pelvis
The hierarchy of structural levels proposed elsewhere (1) consists of – from top to bottom -: intersegmental configuration, intrasegmental configuration, and shape of bones. ?Top? means high complexity, ?bottom? low complexity. It is justified to distinguish levels because the progression from considering single bones to the arrangement of all the segments of the body is […]
The Hip Axis, the Zigzag Line and the Midline of the Trunk as the Main Indicators of Normal Erect Posture
48The Hip Axis The one-joint model of the body is nearly self-explanatory (Notes on S.I. 90/1). It appears simple enough and corresponds directly to human experience. Nevertheless, it seems hard for many people to bodily sense the relevance and significance of the device. It helps sometimes to ask them to imitate the model, “to model […]
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