ABSTRACT For years, Jan H. Sultan, Advanced Rolfing® instructor of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute®, has been developing a coherent approach to the mysteries of the sacrum from the structural integration perspective. In this interview, Sultan gives insight into some of the biomechanical and physiological movements of the sacrum and a few suggested applications to resolving common strain patterns in the low back region.

ABSTRACT Words we hear, read, speak, or even think can evoke reactions in our bodies. In this interview, Rolfer Monica Canducci discusses the embodiment of words. Canducci teaches people to work with mental imagery to improve the comfort they feel in their bodies, not as a talk therapist, but as a somatic educator. Learning the familiar and safe words for each client can enhance teamwork during a session.

ABSTRACT Professor Mark Johnson has spent his career investigating the philosophy of human embodiment and how it relates to meaning-making. In this article, Rolfers® Andrew Rosenstock and Nikki Olsen interview Johnson about the role of the body in human meaning. Johnson has authored many books about how metaphors are grounded in aspects of our bodily experience. The conversation touches on bodymind duality and the liberation of non-duality – that humans are complex animals to be explained from the bottom up.

ABSTRACT The tongue and voice are inextricably linked, as Rolfing SI Instructor Ellen Freed discovered firsthand when her tongue temporarily swelled for a few days preventing speech. Applying her cannon of knowledge to the situation, Freed researched tongue anatomy and physiology, while also experimenting with Rolf Movement-inspired vocal exercises. In this interview, Freed reviews her findings that have influenced her wellness practices and how she approaches visceral cranium work with her clients.

ABSTRACT This interview with Rolf Movement® faculty member, Kevin Frank, focuses on gravity orientation and its relevance to structural integration and somatic movement education. Gravity orientation helps us make sense of Dr. Rolf’s insistence that gravity is central to how and why humans can evolve. With French Rolfer Hubert Godard’s introduction of the tonic function perspective in the early 1990s, practitioners of many somatic arts can appreciate the need to understand how movement patterns, of which posture is an example, can shift. Conscious attention to gravity orientation, when practiced skillfully, leads to plasticity in basic motor patterns not meant to be changed casually. The tonic function model links the basis of physical and psychological stability, further bolstering Rolf’s suggestions in regard to this relationship. Authors’ note: This article has an introduction written by Kevin Frank, a lead into our conversation about gravity orientation.

ABSTRACT All humans are embedded in a gravity project. It is a project where we learn to rest down into the support of the ground while also reaching upward into spaciousness so that we may orient to, and move through, our environment. Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® faculty member, Pierpaola Volpones, describes the gravity journey, some of the common experiences gravity brings to each of us as human beings.

ABSTRACT Contraindication lists give guidance to manual therapy practitioners regarding how to handle the symptoms and conditions that they may encounter with their clients. This July 2023 issue of Structure, Function, Integration focuses on autoimmune disorders and the considerations that structural integration (SI) practitioners, in particular, need to consider when working with people with any of these conditions. Topics discussed include whether we have to refer these clients elsewhere every time, whether SI can help people with autoimmune conditions, and what specific cautions are warranted. Rolfers often have clients with complex medical histories, including autoimmune diagnoses, and they may still benefit from this work.

ABSTRACT Whether a Rolfer® is brand new to the structural integration profession or has been practicing for decades, the price they charge is a choice. Author Lu Mueller- Kaul asks – when did you make that choice? Last year or twenty years ago? In this ‘Business of Rolfing SI column’, practitioners are asked to consider inflation when they make pricing decisions for their Rolfing sessions. Our clients often pay for framework considerations we are not even aware of, and would happily pay more in dollars if they spent less of their time and attention organizing appointments, for example. Mueller- Kaul walks us through what, other than Rolfing SI, we bring to our clients, then makes some specific pricing suggestions for the general United States market.

ABSTRACT Spaceflight research about living systems in weightless environments describes gravity as an instructive force directing the growth and development of biological systems. Dr. Ida Rolf was saying this back when spaceflight was in its infancy in the 1970s. Current research describes the consequences of microgravity on the human body and its tissues, making space exploration research an area that Rolfers and structural integration (SI) practitioners might want to read more of. This summary of two peer-reviewed articles describes the absence of gravity on the human body, so that we may deepen our understanding of the presence of gravity and the human body.