Who is Ida Rolf?

Who is Ida Rolf? Dr. Rolf was a strong willed woman of the 20th century. She was driven to help others and herself learn as much about the structural alignment and function of the human body, as was conceivably possible. She did just that and her legacy continues today at the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration.

Ida was born and raised in the Bronx in 1896. She graduated with a PhD in Biochemistry in 1920 and continued her work as a researcher studying not only chemistry but hatha yoga, homeopathy, and osteopathy, as well. She shared her growing incites into the structure and function of the human body to anyone who was interested and would listen.

Who is Ida Rolf and why did she change the way we look at manual therapy? Perhaps her first steps along this path came from an …show more content…
Her first activity as a manual therapist began in 1930s when she was looking for a music teacher for her children. She was introduced to a music teacher named Ethel, who had suffered a traumatic arm injury.

Ethel's condition had worsened to the point were she could no longer teach music. Dr. Rolf worked with her showing her yoga postures and performing her own brand of manual tissue manipulation. Ida was successful at helping Ethel return to teaching music. The foundation for structural integration had been laid.
Who is Ida Rolf?

Ida's reputation as someone who could heal disabling injury grew. Ethel had friends with issues who had other friends with structural injuries and the chain of referrals began. Dr. Rolf always communicated to her patients and students that her first an most important revelation was that the human body would heal itself and only needed a little guidance from trained movement and manual therapy instructors. These individuals needed to understand that the body had to be aligned with