- Benefits of Treatment
- What Do I Wear?
- Who Gets It?
- How Often?
- Does it Hurt?
- Does it Last?
Almost everyone will benefit in some way from these treatments. The following are some of the ways that Rolfing Structural Integration® may benefit you:
What Should Women Wear? |
What Should Men Wear? |
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Please wear a sports bra top or equivalent, preferrably with an open back as shown below. Yoga shorts or bike shorts that do not extend past the knee are ideal. |
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Men, please wear comfortable athletic shorts or boxer briefs if you prefer. |
An open back like this is ideal, it makes it much easier to do backwork when seated. |
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- Professionals
- Office Workers
- Athletes of all ages
- Children
- Anyone with a stressful life
A number of professional athletes and other celebrities have already discovered the benefits that can be derived from the Rolfing Method of Structural Integration®. If it can help these people who have made a career of fine-tuning their bodies for optimal performance, imagine what it can accomplish for ordinary aches and pains!
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I recommend that you space each session approximately 1 week apart, and continue with your maintenance sessions at least once per month.
This is probably the question most frequently asked. The answer is:
- Sometimes it does, but not in the way people think
- Sometimes it doesn't
- Sometimes it feels terrific
Most people associate "hurt" with injury. When people are receiving a session, they have no sense of being injured. In fact, even if the work is momentarily uncomfortable, it feels appropriate, safe and, as many people put it, like a "good hurt." One measure of the skill of a Certified Rolfer™ is the ability to find that unique place for each client where working more deeply creates resistance and pain and working less deeply sacrifices results.
Yes, the structural changes brought about through a 10 session series tend to last.
Photographs taken afterward show that the changes in posture are still present and often improved.
After your Rolfing Structural Integration® series you will have different ways of sitting, standing, and walking that when practiced, will help continue to keep your body in balance.
After your initial series, it is important to have maintenance sessions to continue to provide your body with its ultimate vitality and freedom.
Create long lasting freedom from tightness and restriction in your body with Rolfing Structural Integration®
Rolfing Structural Integration is performed over the course of 10 sessions ("the 10-series"), and each session focuses on a specific goal and region of the body. The results are cumulative, and each session builds upon the results from the previous one. During your initial consultation, we work out a treatment plan and strategy that works the best for you.
Sleeve Sessions
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Session 1 | Open the breath. A free and open breath prepares the body for the demands of the upcoming changes. A full breath provides support for the chest, shoulders, and neck. Some work on the arms may occur. |
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| Session 2 | Find the feet. Opening the breath changes the physical demands on the feet, so we create flexibility and adaptability there so that the whole body can feel supported |
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| Session 3 | Lengthen the sides, balancing front and back. Now we open up the sides of the body and differentiate soft tissue of the the pelvis from that of the ribs to allow the pelvis more movement options. |
Core Sessions (deep tissues influencing spine)
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Session 4 | Find support for and access “the core” from the bottom. The core begins from the base of the pelvis up through the roof of the mouth. We start this session by finding support through the ankles up along the inner leg before accessing the core. | |
| Session 5 | Access the core from the front. We focus on the deep tissues dealing with the front of the spine and core space to establish flexbility in the low back. | ||
| Session 6 | Access the core from the back. We address the deep tissues of the back of the spine and core space to establish flexibility in the low and upper back. | ||
| Session 7 | Access the core from the top. By working in, on, and around the head, we balance the head and neck atop the flexible spine. |
Integration Sessions
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Session 8 | Integrate the upper/lower body. Depending on the needs that present themselves, we solidify changes in the upper or lower body. Integration sessions help reprogram movements and make changes last. | |
| Session 9 | Integrate the upper/lower body. Changes in the other part of the body are reviewed in light of the changes of the previous session. | ||
| Session 10 | Integrate the entire body. We coordinate soft tissue movement across multiple joints so that movement can be as unfettered and free as possible. |
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*Images courtesy of Matt Hsu
What are the benefits of Rolfing Structural Integration®?
This therapy is unique and unsurpassed in its ability to dramatically alter a person's posture and body structure. Physical performers such as athletes or dancers use it as a way to enhance their performances. People with stress or chronic pain can have their symptoms greatly relieved or eliminated entirely. Almost everyone will benefit in some way from these treatments. The following are some of the ways it may benefit you:
Enhanced athletic performance due to:
- Relief from posture-related pain
- Relief from joint problems
- Improved mechanical efficiency
- Improved coordination
- Greater flexibility
- Heightened body awareness
Increased physiological efficiency due to improved:
- Breathing
- Circulation
- Digestion
- Sleep patterns
Improved alignment and appearance through prevention of:
- Pain and stiffness associated with aging
- Stooping and compression associated with aging
- Skin, muscles, and organs sagging from poor posture
Improved psychological efficiency:
- Increased energy
- You feel good
- You may experience growth through self-insight
Structural Integration can also:
- Accelerate injury recovery times
- Effectively deepen practices such as meditation and yoga
People have reported feeling relief from:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Lower back pain
- Spinal curvature
- Joint stiffness
- TMJ pain
- Headaches
- Sciatica
- Visceral position and tissue restrictions
- Foot problems
- Aches or pains in areas such as the neck, shoulders, hips, back, arms, legs etc.
- Stress, tension and stiffness
- Poor posture
- Lack of energy/vitality (living and working below inherent potential
Call 561.247.1250 or CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment!
What is the difference between Rolfing Structural Integration and massage therapy?
It is often asked if Rolfing Structural Integration is just like Massage. It differs from massage in many ways. First of all, the techniques used are not those used in a typical Swedish massage or even Neuromuscular therapy. Massage is meant to relax the body and mind, increase venous blood flow, flush toxins from the muscle tissue, and even lengthen tissue.
The therapist is interested in educating you as the client to have better posture. By releasing patterned restrictions in the connective tissue matrix, this helps to move your body structure in the direction of balance and symmetry. When your practitioner is applying a technique to an area, besides releasing restrictions in soft tissue, he or she is also intending to help you connect with how it feels to hold your body with less tension. This leads to the re-organization of the body’s structural relationships, so that the entire body can be better aligned in gravity and function more efficiently in motion.
Perhaps the greatest way that Rolfing Structural Integration differs from Massage Therapy is the ways in which the therapist performs an evaluation to determine what needs to be done before each session, and looks to methodically produce specific structural changes that create long lasting results. You body is worked with wholistically, rather than just a series of parts and symptoms.
For example, after addressing the alignment in the feet and ankles, you may sense that your are more supported by the ground when you walk. This increase in stability translates up the entire body, all the way to the head. You may now walk upright with more ease and less effort.
How does it work?
As shown above, the series consists of ten sessions. Each session builds upon the results of the previous one, so that the results are cumulative. Sessions last from an hour to an hour and a half. The amount of time between sessions varies and is determined on an individual basis. The average spacing one week apart.
We begin by evaluating your structure and together we will establish goals for your series. As a Rolfer I am trained to recognize your body's structural organization and compensations.
After assessment is complete, you will then lie on the table where I will apply just the right amount of pressure where the fascia is restricted. During treatment, you may be asked to "breathe into" the area being worked on and/or make synchronized movements. The combination of applied pressure and synchronized responses frees and repositions the connective tissue, and aligns the body's segments.
I work with more than just your connective tissue; I also work to educate you about how your body moves. Throughout the process, I will help you to become aware of your old movement habits and holding patterns, and will encourage you to experience your body’s newfound sense of alignment, energy, and freedom.
How long does it take?
A complete 10 series typically takes 3 months. It is then very important to get ongoing care in order to maintain the vibrant state of health that you achieve.
Who Gets It?
Professional sports
- Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers coach says, "I'm the kind of person that likes to physically challenge myself. I think (Structural Integration) is a valuable resource...for keeping myself together."
- Charles Barkley, former basketball star
- Chris Carter, ex-Minnesota Viking football star
- Qadry Ismail, Baltimore Ravens football star
- The Phoenix Suns basketball team has players work with a Structural Integrator
- Mario Lemieux, hockey legend
- Bob Tewksbury, ex-pitcher for the Minnesota Twins
- Ivan Lendl, former tennis champion
- Craig Swan, former N.Y. Mets pitcher, and Certified Rolfer™, whose career ended from a sports injury. "Bodywork can extend athletic careers," says Swan. "I truly believe if I had received Structural Integration in the early part of my career, I would still be pitching today."
- Bret Saberhagen, former Kansas City Royals Pitcher
- Tom Seaver, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher
- Jeff Linder, competitive cyclist
Olympic athletes
- Michelle Kwan, 2002 U.S. Olympic figure skater, 98 Olympic Silver Medallist
- Elvis Stojko, 2002 Canadian Olympic figure skater, 98 Olympic Silver
- Medallist says, "Structural Integration helped me to find my center of balance for
- competition."
- Wendy Wagner, 2002 U.S. Olympic Nordic Ski team
- Iginia Boccalandro, 2002 and '98 Venezuelan Olympic luge team
- Ben Hindle, 2002 Canadian Olympic bobsleigh team
- John Bauer, 2002, '98 & '92 U.S. Olympic Nordic Ski team, 8x National
- Sarah Will, five times U.S. Paralympic Gold Medal Skier, credits her gold medal to Structural Integration. She says, "Structural Integration increased my performance time 100%."
- Isabelle Brasseur & Lloyd Eisler, 2x Canadian Olympic bronze medal pairs figure skaters
- Brian Orser, Olympic Silver Medallist and World Champion figure skater
- Sharon Sander, ranked #2 on the U.S. Pentathlon team
- Lance Deal, 2000 U.S. Olympic hammer thrower, 96 Olympic Silver Medal
- Erin Aldrich, 2000 U.S .Olympic high jumper and 2x All-American
- Joe Greene, 1996 U.S. Olympic Bronze Medal winner of the long jump, now training to win the Olympic gold medal, says "Structural Integration has made a huge difference."
- Kristen Ulmer, former World Champion Extreme skier
- John Egan, world renowned Extreme skier
- Mickey Egan, Rumanian Olympic Skier
- Grant Ernhardt, a U.S. Biathlon team member, 2002 Olympic hopeful
Other Celebrities
- Leon Fleisher, virtuoso concert pianist
- Levar Burton, actor
- Sean Young, who has starred in the movies "Bladerunner", "No Way Out", "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective", "Wall Street", "Fatal Instinct", "Once Upon a Crime", and a few dozen others receives Structural Integration"®" from Certified Structural Integrator Bob Brill.
- Willie Nelson, songwriter: "My wife recommended (Structural Integration) highly", says Willie Nelson, "...The first of ten sessions fixed (my back pain)," reported the New York Times, on Feb. 23, 1995.
- Sam Keen, best-selling writer, is a former Psychology Today editor and co-producer of award winning PBS documentary "Faces Of The Enemy".
- Courtney Love, actress/singer
- Denis Leary, actor/comedian
- Diane Ladd, actress
- Georgia O'Keefe, artist
- Miro, modern artist
- Fritz Perl, psychotherapist
- Mary Elizabeth Mastontonio, Broadway/movie actress
- Maria Benitez, Flamenco Dancer
- Steve Turre, jazz trombonist
Where and how are Rolfers trained?
There are 14 schools of Structural Integration in operation today. Many practitioners, including myself, were trained and certified by the Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration in Boulder, Colorado. The Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration is the only school accredited to teach the Rolf Method of Structural Integration. Successful applicants complete a training program that usually requires 2 years of study and includes a continuing education program extending for 6 additional years. The training includes the biological sciences, the theory of Structural Integration, and extensive clinical work under supervision.
About the Rolf Institute
The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration was founded in 1971. Its major purposes are to train and provide continuing education for the Rolf method of Structural Integration, to conduct research and to provide information to the public about the work. The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration has been granted Service Mark rights for the word Rolfer™ in the United States and 15 other countries. It oversees the training of Certified Rolfers in Europe, Australia, and South America as well as in several locations in the United States. The institute is a non-profit organization governed by an elected board of directors. It has a faculty of 25 instructors in Rolfing Structural Integration, Rolf Movement™ therapy and anatomy.
Call 561.247.1250 or CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment!





