Links to Additional
Resources
More Information About Rolfing® and Structural Integration:
- The
Rolf Institute:
My school, and a great resource for information about Rolfing®
Structural Integration. Search
here for Rolfers in any state or country.
- International
Association of Structural Integrators:
Professional organization that sets standards for the field of
Structural
Integration. Maintains a directory of practitioners.
- "Rolf Movement" Videos:
These gentle exercises pair with each session in the series to help you
integrate the work. You may do them prior to the session as well as
after each session, and it's also fine to go through the Rolfing
process without using them - it's just for those who want more!
General Health Information:
- Tame the Beast :
Science-informed approach to persistant pain. Great animated 5
min video.
- Retrain
Pain:
Easy-to-follow slideshow talks you through how the brain and the body
deal with pain, and how we can use simple tricks to speed healing and
break the chronic pain cycle.
- Smart
Sitting Article by Mary Bond: Easy-to-read
information on how to sit. 13-page PDF.
- Sitting Article from
NPR: Short stop-motion videos show how to make a chair more
comfortable.
- Bones:
Photos show genetic variations in bone structure, explaining why people
have different body pattern tendencies, including degree of spinal
curves and hip flexibility.
Portland Resources for Fitness:
- Yoga Union, Yoga Refuge, DAYA Foundation,
Classes with Todd Jackson: My
favorite local yoga studios are now offering online classes – a helpful
aid for your Rolfing
process. Slow, structurally appropriate, with an emphasis
on building awareness.
- Oregon
Ki Society:
Aikido training will teach you how to "coordinate mind and body"
including using "one-point" as your center of gravity for improved
balance and mental focus. At the same time, you will feel yourself
connected to the entire universe. Softening the ego to focus on
universal connection is incredibly beneficial for the nervous system.
- Portland
Hikers' Field Guide: Searchable hiking guide
to the Columbia Gorge and nearby areas.
Portland Practitioners:
- Move Better Chiropractic,
top-notch movement training,
bodywork, and chiropractic adjustment (SE 18th & Hawthorne,
Vancouver)
- Therapy/Counseling:
Meta teaching clinic is a low
cost option, great for those without insurance. I love their approach.
Search for Portland therapists
including by insurance coverage.
Sarah Eckstein, Clinical
Pyschologist, warm yet practical help for a variety of issues
- Equine Natural
Movement:
Learn to do Structural Integration on horses! Or locate an Equine
Structural Integration
practitioner locally or nationally. (Battleground, WA)
Recommended Books:
- The
New Rules of
Posture by Mary
Bond, Certified Advanced
Rolfer. This is the “user’s guide to the body,” offering down-to-earth
descriptions of good body usage for daily tasks such as driving,
typing, and reaching up to change a lightbulb. The posture
and sitting
classes I teach are based on this book.
- Relieve
Stiffness
and Feel Young Again with Undulation by Anita
Boser, Hellerwork Practitioner. Simple movements that you can do
daily
to maintain or recapture youthfulness, fluidity, and comfort in your
body.
- Pain
Free For Women
by Pete Egoscue, PT. A solid resource for safe exercises that improve
alignment over time. Targeted for women but has better photos than the
non-gendered version.
- Rolfing:
Reestablishing the Natural Alignment and Structural Integration of the
Human Body for Vitality and Well-Being by Ida
P. Rolf.
If you want to
learn about Rolfing from the master, this is the source. But it's not
an easy read.
- Waking the Tiger
by Peter
Levine. Learn
how your nervous system responds to danger, and why people sometimes
get caught in that cycle even after a traumatic event has passed. I
also
recommend In
an Unspoken Voice and Trauma-proofing
your Kids by the same author, who was originally trained as a
Rolfer.
- Conscious Loving by Gay
& Kathlyn Hendricks.
Heart-centered
wisdom for emotional growth and healthy relationships. Learn to feel
your
emotions in your body. Lots of other great books by this couple, as
well as life-changing workshops and free materials on their
website, Hendricks.com.
- Finding Your Own North Star by
Martha Beck. A
wise and sometimes humorous approach to learning to trust yourself to
hear the wisdom that your inner self can offer, for career, love, etc.
- The Body Keeps the
Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk. All about healing from trauma.
- Nourishing
Traditions by Dr.
Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. Focuses on vegetables, humanely raised
meat (and organs),
good quality fats, and cultured
foods. Includes recipes.
- Primal
Body,
Primal Mind
by Nora Gedguadas,
a local nutritionist. A perspective on dietary fats,
protein, and carbohydrates, plus cholesterol and nutritional
supplements. The
author advocates a version of the carb-free"paleo"
diet but her advice is quite relevant for omnivores too.
For links to articles about Rolfing, and to see research about Rolfing,
see
Press.