Rolfing. Lots of people have heard of it. Many more have not. So what is it? What does it do? And what's with the funny name?

Rolfing gets its name from the late Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D. Rolf was a biochemist whose knowledge of physiology and curiosity about human structure led her to develop an extraordinary technique, which she called "Structural Integration." In the late 1920s, Rolf began tinkering with ways to improve the structure and function of the human body. With keen observation, she noted that too many people were struggling with their own bodies. She became convinced that there was something she could do about it.

Over the years, Ida Rolf's technique evolved into a refined hands-on method that yielded dramatic results. With ten one-hour sessions, Rolf found she could literally transform people. The public gave her work the nickname Rolfing. Practitioners who now carry on in her footsteps are called Rolfers. Many of us are treated to quizzical looks when asked, "What do you do for a living?" It's a good question.

Just what does a Rolfer do? The goal of Rolfing is to organize the structure of the human body within the gravitational field of the earth. It seems simple, but just by shifting focus from looking at a person as an isolated individual to seeing him or her as an organism in an environment (gravity field), a whole new set of possibilities opens up.

For example, when a client shows up in my office with a pain in the neck, one of two things can happen. First, I could palpate their neck, notice all the tension and soreness, and dig right in to "fix" the problem. Might work. Might not. But being a good Rolfer, I choose the second option. I look at the whole person standing before me, note where there is imbalance and lack of support in the pattern of structure, and work first to help my client find an easier way to be in gravity. By the time I go to "fix" that neck, it will be getting better already and will probably stay that way. After a standard series of sessions, not only is the neck pain gone, but the client is standing taller, moving with more fluid grace and ultimately experiencing a wave of order spreading into every aspect of his or her being. This reorganization is the natural response to being balanced with respect to the field of gravity.

Most people see their body as a collection of bones and muscles, along with a few organs thrown in there somewhere. What a Rolfer sees when viewing a person is a seamless river of fascia flowing in and around the various places in the body. Fascia is that shiny, slippery stuff that encases each muscle. Actually, it encases every muscle fiber, becoming tendon near the end of the muscle, becoming the periosteum covering the bone and continuing on without a break right into the next muscle.

Fascia is what Ida Rolf called the "organ of form." It is literally the stuff that holds us together and gives us our shape. If you took away everything in your body that is not fascia, you would still look like you. When we are relatively balanced with respect to the gravitational field of the earth, our fascia stays supple and resilient. When we are off balance, it must thicken and shorten in some places or stretch wide and stringy in others in order to hold us erect. Once this happens, we are pretty much stuck with our imbalance unless we actively do something about it. The good news is that fascia is very plastic. It can be molded and reshaped by the hands of someone trained to work with it -- namely, your local Rolfer.

Since the 1960s, when Ida Rolf trained many of the early Rolfers, Rolfing has experienced waves of popularity. Along the way, various rumors and misconceptions have sprung up. So let me say a few words about what Rolfing is not. First, Rolfers do not use equipment or machines to work on your body. People often ask about this and I am always surprised. Rolfers use only their hands (okay, sometimes an elbow) to soften and stretch the fascia surrounding your muscles. Another misconception I often hear is that, "Rolfers pull the muscle off the bone." I wish I knew where this idea comes from! I've heard it from coast to coast, and I swear it isn't true.

What Rolfers do is gently separate layers of fascia that have become stuck together from trauma, poor posture or illness. Since fascia is made mostly of collagen, it tends to form bonds with itself in much the same way that scar tissue forms to heal a wound. Luckily, the bonds are fairly weak. Rolfers can restore mobility to areas where it has been lost. Lastly, the big fallacy: Ask anybody who has never had a Rolfing session and they will tell you, "Rolfing is really painful." The answer to this one is simple -- maybe it hurts a little, but it feels so good! In general, Rolfing feels great. That's why people love it. For fleeting moments at a time, there might be some discomfort. A pleasant feeling of release immediately follows, however, as the restricted tissue lets go and opens up. The client is always an equal partner in the whole process. If anything doesn't feel right, speak up and your Rolfer will stop or adjust the pressure. The idea is to open and release, not to shrink and guard against the work.

There are no sudden movements in Rolfing. Everything is slow. You can see it coming a mile away. Even though this type of bodywork can be intense, it feels profoundly right. The Rolfer and client engage in a kind of dance around the limitations and boundaries that exist. Respect for those boundaries is primary.

People come to Rolfing for many reasons, most of which can be summed up in the phrase, "Please touch me deeply." The Rolfer is happy to oblige. People of all ages seek Rolfing, from newborns to senior citizens. Some are looking for relief from pain; some are looking to improve their appearance or performance. Most are looking for something that will allow them to get on with their lives. A series of Rolfing sessions can be a perfect chance to explore who you are and to experience the fact of your physicality in a new way.

As a Rolfer I am treated to the exquisite pleasure of seeing my clients open and blossom into richer and more whole people on a daily basis. The only thing better than seeing it is feeling it happen in your own body as the wave of opening spreads through your entire being.

Ed Toal is a Certified Rolfer practicing in Anchorage and Cordova. Call 279-9444 to schedule a free consultation. To find a Certified Rolfer in your area, contact the Rolf Institute at (800) 530-8875 or visit their website at www.rolf.org.

"The word ROLFING is a registered service mark of the ROLF Institute of Structural Integration."