Structural integration

Structural integration is a hands-on technique developed by Ida P. Rolf (1896–1979). Rolf earned a doctorate in biochemistry at Columbia University and worked as a researcher at the Rockefeller Institute. She later studied various approaches to working with the body, including osteopathy and yoga, spending many years refining the idea that the body's form could be organized through hands-on work.

She became widely known while teaching at the Esalen Institute in California in the 1960s, and founded the Rolf Institute in Boulder, Colorado, in 1971. Rolf herself called the method “structural integration.” “Rolfing,” a nickname others gave it, later became the institute's registered trademark. Today, practitioners trained at the Rolf Institute generally use the name “Rolfing,” while those trained at other schools generally use “structural integration.”

This approach views the body as a structure standing in gravity. It holds that when the head, chest, pelvis, and legs are stacked neatly like blocks along a vertical line, gravity becomes a supportive force for the body. Conversely, when those blocks shift forward, backward, or sideways out of alignment, the explanation is that the body must constantly maintain tension somewhere to keep from falling over.

In this view, fascia is the central tissue that maintains body alignment. Fascia is connective tissue that surrounds muscles and links the whole body like a web. The approach explains that when one area shortens or stiffens, tension travels through this web to other areas, and the body adopts compensatory postures in response. Rather than focusing only on one painful spot, structural integration therefore works through a sequence to organize how the whole body is stacked.

The first session begins with an assessment of standing posture. The practitioner observes the body's tilt and gait from the front, side, and back, and may take photographs to compare changes. Sessions are often received in underwear or fitted exercise clothing so that the body's contours are clearly visible.

The work takes place while you lie on your back or side on a table, or sit on its edge. The practitioner uses fingers, knuckles, forearms, and elbows to apply slow, deep, gliding pressure to the fascia. You may also be asked to make gentle movements, such as slowly flexing your ankle or turning your head. The deep, slow pressure can feel relieving yet heavy, and stiff areas may feel hot or prickly.

A session usually lasts 60–90 minutes, and sessions are often spaced 1–2 weeks apart. The typical Rolfing Ten Series is organized into three phases.

• Sessions 1–3: Release the body's outer, superficial layers to create more room for breathing and movement.
• Sessions 4–7: Work with the central layers, including the inner legs, pelvis, deep torso, head, and neck.
• Sessions 8–10: Integrate the whole body so that the areas organized in earlier sessions move together as a connected whole.

Some of those who studied and taught at the Rolf Institute in the 1970s went independent and founded their own schools, incorporating their individual ideas. Branches developed according to how much movement education they added to hands-on tissue work, whether sessions included conversations about the mind and emotions, and whether they viewed the body in terms of symmetry or asymmetry.

• Hellerwork: Founded in 1978 by Joseph Heller, the first president of the Rolf Institute. It combines hands-on work with movement education and dialogue, and consists of eleven 90-minute sessions.
• SOMA Neuromuscular Integration: Established in 1977 by Bill Williams, who held a doctorate in psychology and studied directly with Rolf. It places greater emphasis on how the nervous system perceives and moves tissue than on the tissue's shape.
• Aston-Patterning: Developed by Judith Aston, a movement educator who studied dance, after she began working with Rolf in 1971 and went independent in 1977. It views the human body as inherently asymmetrical and moving in spirals, taking that asymmetry as a starting point rather than something to correct.
• Kinesis Myofascial Integration (KMI): A school founded by Thomas W. Myers. It uses Anatomy Trains, a map of connected fascial pathways, to structure its series.

Although these schools share the same roots, they differ somewhat in the number of sessions, intensity of pressure, and emphasis on movement education. When choosing where to receive sessions, checking which school the practitioner trained at can give you an idea of what to expect.

• People who feel their posture is misaligned, such as having a rounded back or one shoulder lower than the other
• People who feel their body leans to one side when standing or walking for a long time
• People who want to use their body with greater ease in dance, yoga, or exercise
• People who want to work through the whole body in sequence rather than receive massage focused on individual areas

• This technique takes place over multiple sessions. At the initial consultation, it is helpful to check how many sessions are planned, how far apart they will be, and what they will cost.
• Speak up right away if the pressure feels too strong. Deep pressure is a characteristic of this work, but the practitioner can adjust its intensity and speed in response to your feedback.
• Ask about clothing in advance. If you are uncomfortable being in underwear, check whether you can wear fitted exercise clothing instead.
• Take a slow walk afterward. Many people say that standing or walking feels different after a session. You may feel achy the next day, like mild muscle soreness, so put off strenuous exercise for a day or so.