History of Rolfing, Hayden Integration, Gentle Rolfing for Healthy Alignment

Testimonials

For over twenty years I've had challenges getting a good night's rest due to back and muscle pain…In my endless search to find help I thought I would give Rolfing SI a try. Much to my surprise and incredible delight, after only my second session with Chris I felt a dramatic change. The pain that seemed to generate from deep within suddenly all but disappeared. I began sleeping well throughout the night, energy came back to me in the daytime, and I felt as though I was getting my life back. The work Chris has done for me has truly changed my life, and to be honest has felt like a miracle come my way. I will always be grateful to Chris for sharing his gift.

- Gary

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Body and Being Blog

History of Rolfing

The story of Rolfing® Structural Integration begins with Ida P. Rolf, Ph. D, a biochemist and rising star at the prestigious Rockefeller Institute in the 1920s. She suffered from scoliosis and spinal arthritis, and her two sons also had health problems. She found mainstream medicine inadequate for dealing with those problems, so she began a lifelong search for alternate means of approaching health and the body. Her explorations included yoga, chiropractic, and osteopathic medicine.
Finally, she synthesized her scientific training, diverse experiences, and personal intuition to develop Structural Integration. It was based on two ideas:

• A human being functions and feels best when aligned properly with regard to gravity.
• The body can be reshaped into this alignment with the right application of certain techniques.

It became clear that Structural Integration affected more than physical alignment, as those who had received it were also reporting benefits in their emotional, mental, and spiritual lives. Dr. Rolf's approach was so successful that in 1971 she founded a school in Boulder, Colorado, with the hopes of passing on her knowledge to her growing number of students and continuing her own research.

Dr. Rolf died in 1979, but her students have continued and developed her work. Rolfing Structural Integration retains its original mindset of aligning structure, but has evolved into a diverse field. There are now more than 1600 Certified Rolfers around the world, in 41 countries, helping many thousands of people live their lives more fully and with greater comfort.