The history of Rolfing

Dr. Ida P. Rolf who lived from 1896 – 1979, developed Structural Integration what later became known as Rolfing.

She was one of the first women in the USA to get a PhD in biochemistry and physiology. During her extensive research for effective solutions for chronic diseases, she came across different modalities like yoga and osteopathy that worked with the body’s structure and functions. She developed the method of Structural Integration, which built upon the observation that posture and movement are subject to the laws of gravity.

Ida Rolf and Rolfing became more and more known, when Fritz Pearls, the founder of Gestalt Therapy, invited her to teach this unique approach at the famous Esalen Institute in California.

At the beginning of the seventies, she founded the Rolf Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Henceforth, Structural Integration spread across the globe as Rolfing.