Rolfing

Health and fitness Alexandria Vigrinia

WHAT IS IT?

Rolfing ® is a specialized method of hands-on physical manipulation that straightens posture, improves range of motion, releases tense and tightened muscles.  It increases general vitality by progressively stretching and lengthening the soft tissues of the body, the myofascia, that surrounds the muscles throughout the body. 

 Structural Integration was developed by Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.  As her work gained popularity in the 1960's, it came to be known as Rolfing, which is a trademarked term of The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration (www.rolf.org), which she founded in 1971 in Boulder, CO.  Several schools have emerged since the Institute's founding that teach structural integration.  As a result, the field continues to develop and grow and has seen the founding of the International Association of Structural Integrators (www.theiasi.org).  To further research into Dr. Rolf's theories and practices, The Rolf Research Foundation(www.rolfresearchfoundation.com) was started in 2007.

  People of all ages come to Rolfing-structural integration for help with neck and back pain, reduced mobility and other problems of the musculoskeletal system.  Others seek to improve their posture, enhance athletic performance, and even realize personal growth potential. Rolfing results in a feeling of fitness and wholeness. People who have been Rolfed stand and move with more ease and balance than before.

 HOW DOES IT WORK?

 To align and organize the segments of the body, Rolfing systematically addresses the body's soft, connective tissue network. This connective tissue network, known as the myofascial system, is "the organ of structure" in the body.  Fascia is laid down along the lines of strain and both surrounds individual muscles and in place large areas. It supports the skeleton and soft tissues, positions the bones, determines the direction of muscle pulls and of movement, and gives the body its shape.

 The human body holds itself erect with pairs of muscle groups functioning within a network of fascial sheaths. These pairs normally function in an antagonist relationship with one another. When one of the pair contracts the other must extend to maintain proper balance. If that relationship is impaired through injury or chronic tension in one of the groups, the fascia conforms to the shortening and the rest of the body must compensate to maintain balance.

 The purpose of Rolfing is to free the shortened fascia, allow the muscles to return to a balanced relationship and the body to release the compensations. When the myofascial system is organized, Rolfer's believe that gravity causes it to lift and align the body's segments.  Because gravity exerts its force evenly, it tends to create strain in unbalanced bodies and to support balanced ones

Cosper Scafidi is in partnership with Ann Bartlett
Body in Balance Center and Mind Body Matters
1423 Powhatan St Unit 7Alexandria, Va 22314
703.518.4434