Revisioning Rolfing in Light of Biodynamics:
During the last seven years of his life, after nearly fifty years of study, Dr. W. C. Sutherland, the originator of cranial osteopathy, came to an understanding of how the body heals itself, and how a practitioner might perceive and interact with this process. The American Osteopathy Association did not take kindly to Sutherland’s newest […]
On The Need of a Coherent Psychological Perspective for Rolfing
For some time I’ve had the nagging sense that something is missing from the framework of Structural Integration. Something important. What’s missing is a coherent psychological perspective. If one were recognized, defined and added to the context of our work, it would extend our understanding of the work; help us work more effectively and easily; […]
The Living Principles of Osteopathy
In the late 1800s Andrew Taylor Still M.D. presented a unique and visionary form of medicine known today as Osteopathy. It is easy to underestimate the tremendous gift and insight Dr. Still brought to humanity. His gift was the result of profound suffering and grieving, having lost several children in succession to the likes of […]
The Tao of Exercise and Self-Care
There was once an efficiency expert who visited a chocolate factory and watched the women hand-dipping chocolates. Their gestures always included various spirals and twirls in order to prevent drips as they lifted the chocolate from the vat to the paper. This was considered a loss of time and efficiency, and the women were taught […]
Advanced Faculty Q&A
Q: Ida Rolf is often quoted as saying: “Put it where it belongs and ask for movement.” I’ve noticed that many Rolfing practitioners who have been practicing a long time don’t ask for much movement, although I assume they did at one time. Could you comment on why this might be true? A: Dr. […]
The Temporomandibular Joint in the Context of Structural Integration
Christoph Sommer: Peter, you gave me a session last Monday – I had a sore tooth extracted three months ago and I had started suffering from headaches two months ago. I was tired and I started getting sinus infections. Can you tell us something about the relationship of the jaw and mandible into the cranium […]
Rolfing: Over Time… Across Continents Through Generations
[:en] For me, clinical practice is the most satisfying part of being a Rolfer. As much as I enjoy teaching, writing, interacting with colleagues, and participating in the development and evolution of the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration and the ABR (Brazilian Rolfing Association), there is something precious about my contact with individual clients – […]
Patterns that Perpetuate Themselves
In the course of defining Rolfing and elucidating the goals and benefits of structural integration, Dr. Rolf makes a number of striking and suggestive remarks about the nature of human form. She begins the preface of her book with a quote from Norbert Wiener, “We are not stuff that abides, but patterns that perpetuate themselves.”(1) […]
The Maxillae as the Inner Bridge Between Neurocranium and Viscerocranium
Note: The author shared his view of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) when interviewed by Christoph Sommer in “The Temporomandibular Joint in the Context of Structural Integration,” published in the December 2008 issue of Structural Integration: The Journal of the Rolf Institute. Here he adds to that foundation. Schwind’s concept of the treatment of cranial strain […]
The Psoas
Ida Rolf recognized the importance of the psoas early in her career. One of the “cornerstone” muscles, the psoas is covered in depth in the basic Rolfing Structural Integration training as well as in workshops, the advanced training, and the Rolf Movement certification training. Having been a petroleum geologist in my previous career, I had […]