Dr. Ida P. Rolf
Ida Rolf and her Revolutionary Pioneer Work
The American mathematician, physicist, physiologist and biochemist Dr. Ida Pauline Rolf
(1896–1979) explored the human mental and physical self-healing powers and their
relationship - and the properties of connective tissue.
She was one of the first scientist who found out that …
... it is not the bones and muscles that determine our posture, but a special
connective tissue determines the structural order: the fasciae.
... the body's ability to move is restricted by tense, shortened or glued fasciae -
but this can be changed or even reversed by manual manipulation!
... the erection and movement of the human body is always subject to the laws
of gravity.
... the improvement of the body feeling also has a positive influence on the psyche
and vice versa.
In her research for alternative healing methods she combined this knowledge with Homeopathic Medicine, Osteopathy, Feldenkrais, Yoga and Chiropractic and developed therefrom in the 50‘s the
„Structural Integration“ – carried on under the name Rolfing®.
Fascia can be loosened, stretched and brought back into a better shape and position
under varying degrees of slow and sensitive pressure, which transmit information through the
nervous system and can lead to a spontaneous change in the tone of the tissue.
In 1969 she trained the first Rolfer. In the late 1970s, her teaching was brought to Germany by Dr. Robert Schleip (today a leader in international fascia research, Ulm) and Peter Schwindt.
Since then, the method has been further developed and the latest research findings have been integrated.