Explorations in Body Image (reprint)
I. SEPTEMBER 1968 As a human being newly emerged from ten hours of processing in Structural Integration at the hands of Dr. Ida Rolf and one of her students, I am eager to set down some of the most dramatic first-wave reactions and impressions. My initial reaction was moderate shock: apprehensiveness and confusion leading quickly […]
Rolfing and Biodynamics
Q: Tell us a little bit about your history with Rolfing and cranial work. MS: I began my bodywork career in 1975 as a massage therapist in Florida. At that time there wasn’t any continuing education available except out west, so I went to the Rolf Institute in 1979 to continue my studies. While at […]
A Motive for Rolfing, A Motive for Writing
This is a paper I have wanted to write for years, yet, because of the difficulty of its underlying premise, it is one I have hesitated to present. Those familiar with my work know of my enduring love for somatic metaphor, particularly musical metaphor. Most who have taken the time to consider my diverse articles […]
And They’re Off!
The Rolf Institute Research Committee (RIRC) was formed in 2005 with the overriding goal of building a research infrastructure within the structural integration (SI) community so that SI will be recognized in the larger arena of complementary medicine. The Committee, directed by Advanced Rolfer Tom Findley, M.D., and composed of academically accomplished practitioners involved in […]
Telling, Pushing, Asking, Waiting:
Some years ago, I was bit by a tick and contracted a fairly stubborn case of Lyme Disease. Over the next three years, I saw countless health practitioners, both conventional and complimentary. As one practitioner after another grappled with my intractable and mysterious set of pains and symptoms, I was struck by how often my […]
Physical Thoughts About Structure: The Elasticity of Fascia
Aristotle wrote that a heavy object (e.g., a big stone) falls faster than a light one (e.g., a leaf). This would seem so obvious any child would agree. (It seems almost as obvious as geocentrism-the fact that the sun circles the earth once every day.) The “obvious” was so obvious that it took about 2000 […]
Ask the Advanced Faculty
A: At first glance, this is a strategic question: where should we touch in a first session; when should we contact a highly charged area; how should we approach this client; and how do we best start the process. To me, the key concern is not where or when – but how. This inquiry […]
A “North of 60” Rolfer
Wherever you go there you are. Kermit the Frog, uttered somewhere on Sesame Street circa 1971 Well, in 2008, here I are, a Rolfer in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. After thirty- four years of, for the most part, experiencing myself and collecting my mail here, I am still slightly surprised, amused, grateful, and most definitely […]
Rolfing for Professional Musicians
Carolyn Pike: What type of musicians have you worked with? Conductors? Vocalists? Tessy Brungardt: I have worked with all types of musicians – wind, string, horn, percussion, including conductors and vocalists. CP: What Rolfing structural integration strategies do you employ with your musician clients? TB: Musicians usually have complex, multi-layered issues that they bring to […]
Dr. Rolf Remembered
Donald MacDonald, an eighty-five-year old retired cardiologist who lives in Eugene, Oregon, studied Rolfing with Dr. Rolf at Esalen. This interview describes his personal relationship with Dr. Rolf when she taught her work at Big Sur. Karen Lackritz: OK Donald, let’s talk about something I love, Rolfing. Donald MacDonald: I do too. KL: How did […]