Ida Rolf and the Two Paradigms
The history of Ida Rolf’s early work in the field of biological chemistry, long before her creation of structural integration, has always been a very short story. A Ph.D. from Columbia, a decade of work at the Rockefeller Institute, a few papers published, and then she left the world of science, later taking a long, […]
Life on Land
Emilie Conrad has been my teacher for over thirty years. When I first met her, I recognized that she was pointing to a truth that was not so complicated, yet was obscured as a blind spot in our current culture. Her vision, for me, picked up where Ida P. Rolf’s left off. I saw movement […]
On Core (and Sleeve) – reprint
…In which a review of existing theories leads to yet another theory; that, too, is rejected in favor of the priority of tradition; and the essay proceeds to an appeal for a return to Ida Rolf’s original formulation. But this is discovered to be ambiguous; and the essay concludes, inconclusively, with speculation as to what […]
Visceral Patterns in Scoliosis
I have found a way of understanding scoliosis patterns that helps me to know how much help my work is going to be in solving these curvatures. There are different degrees of spinal curvatures we see. The more severe patterns, often classified as idiopathic or congenital, have a particular misalignment of the visceral organs that […]
The Passing of Ida Rolf
I had never laid eyes on Ida Rolf before that raw March 1979 Sunday afternoon when I visited her in a Pennsylvania nursing home. I had come to tape an interview. I had wanted to go directly to the source of the structural integration movement to report the original doctrine rather than someone’s paraphrase. She […]
Self-Care for Rolfers
Q: I’ve been practicing Rolfing for several years now, and was wondering if you could give me some advice regarding self-care. Areas that have come up for me include: minor aches and pains in my arms and hands that seems to be progressing a bit, taking on clients’ energy during sessions, and feeling drained at […]
SourcePoint Therapy and Its Implications for Rolfing Structural Integration
The SourcePoint Blueprint and “The Line” SourcePoint Therapy theory brings with it the powerful implication that the “vertical line,” Dr. Rolf’s “line of gravity,” is an actual energetic structure – an energetic organ with a function as vital to our being as breathing. Rolfers talk about “the Line” as an indicator of order; but it […]
Movement Strategies for the Stomatognathic System
Introduction As the Rolf Institute’s Little Boy Logo shows, structuralists tend to emphasize the role of the pelvis in postural organization. Yet infants initiate the organization of verticality from G-prime (G`) – the upper center of gravity – first by following caretakers with the eyes, and then by raising the head and chest with the […]
Approaches to Psoas Work
Introduction The psoas muscle and its role in human structure has drawn much attention from Rolfing practitioners from the early days till the present time. It has been perceived as a “mysterious” and “emblematic” element of Ida Rolf’s work. Historically, it has been identified and held responsible for the perception of how “deep” Rolfing […]
Dr. Strangegait, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Hip Extension
Matt Hsu is a Certified Rolfer and certified Egoscue Posture Alignment Specialist in San Diego, CA. He co-teaches Seeing Made Easy, a class designed to help structural integrators make accurate assessments, formulate effective intervention strategies, and become better resources for their clients. More information is available at http://seeingmadeeasy.com. When not working with clients, Matt is […]