Rolf Structural Integration

Dr. Rolf's structural integration is a work of art that creates harmony between a person's energy field and the wider energy field in which they exist - the Earth's gravitational field. This harmony is created when gravity acts through the person's central axis. In this situation the human body does not have to fight In gravity rather it works for them and actually allows them to grow up!

Dr. Rolf was a biochemist, and when she researched options for treatment to prevent pain, she discovered almost by chance the possibility of opening adhesions of the fascia (connective tissue), thereby returning the muscle and sheaths of fascia to their original length, allowing the muscles and fascia to return to the original length at rest.

Dr. Rolf was also a physicist (she studied nuclear physics in Switzerland), and she quickly understood the significance of restoring muscle and fascia to the original length.She realized it was possible to restore or create balance in the structure as a whole, with the understanding that muscles and fascia largely determine the balance of the structure or lack there off.

Based on this new possibility,  the balance of structure through manipulation of muscles and fascia, the question of what is a balanced structure and what is a physically efficient movement - the pursuit of movement that requires the least effort - appeared.

Dr. Rolf gradually built a complete process that takes place in 10 treatment sessions, a process that not only produces the optimal balance of the structure, but also teaches the client how to use the structure correctly to not re-create the same adhesions of the fascia and to use the movement in the most efficient way saving energy.

The process of the ten treatments is divided into three stages:
In the first stage (3 sessions) the main work is done on the larger - more external muscles and fascia, which in many cases, do too much work at the expense of the smaller internal muscles. After the tension and the excess tone in the external muscles are removed, we move to the second stage (four sessions) in which we actually build the alternative to the overactivity of the external muscles, this means - build the possibility of the structure to rely on its middle axis - “the line”

In these two stages, the main work is opening the adhesions of the fascia and thereby creating the right length for the muscles.
In the third stage - the integration stage, the main intention is to make sure that the client has learned to use the new options that are now available to them and that they really produce a movement that starts from the core, and in the most efficient way. Thus, the optimal functionality is ensured while sitting, standing and walking.

The organization of the structure and its correct use have many effects beyond physical efficiency. The use of the middle axis or “the Line" as Dr. Rolf called it, is like being present in the middle of yourself and in full connection to your essence. The lightness that is created in the body, the uprightness, the clear connection to the ground, express vital flow and relaxation on an emotional level and in the physical aspect. It should be understood that the opening of the fascial shortenings and adhesions creates a release from restrictive movement patterns which are themselves an expression of limited mental emotional patterns. In this way, the structural integration is far beyond a mechanical repair - it is actually a real transformation that is reflected in the posture - in the external appearance, in the internal feeling and the ability to execute.