“When the Body gets working appropriately, the force of Gravity can flow through, then spontaneously, the Body heals itself.”
—Dr. Ida P. Rolf
What is Rolfing®?
Rolfing® structural integration is a holistic manual therapy and movement education that strives to bring greater ease and awareness to posture and movement, resulting in less effort and pain and in greater possibilities to achieve your full potential.
Rolfers® seek to ease patterns of tension held within the fascial matrix of the body and guide clients through the process of neuromuscular re-patterning. This allows for new possibility in movement, perception, posture and sometimes even psyche. The client is an active participant in their own healing process.
The Ten-Series
Developed by Dr. Ida P. Rolf, the 10-series is a systematic approach to working with the body through a holistic lens. Each session addresses different territory and with a unique perspective in mind, specifically tailored to the goals of each individual client. Each session builds upon the previous sessions and prepares the body to receive the sessions to come, creating potential for a transformational experience. The 10 series is the original and most effective way to experience the full potential of change that Rolfing can bring to your life. However, a single session focused on your specific issues, or the first session of a 10-series is a great way to experience what Rolfing is, and the first three sessions in the series will give you insight into how your body will respond to the work. There is no need to commit to the whole 10 series up front.
A Quick Overview
The first three sessions help you connect to your breath, your foundation (feet and legs) and your lateral line, preparing you for the changes that occur in the following sessions. The core sessions (4-7) address the sources of structural and movement patterns, working with deep investing fascia in the core and midline. The integrative sessions (8-10) assimilate the changes that have occurred and help you to incorporate these changes into more optimal and efficient function. For a PDF visual overview of the territory covered in each session, click here.
Katie Grauel
My Story
I first found my way to Rolfing® Structural Integration in 2015 after years of working as a guide and instructor in the outdoors. Through years of use, overuse and misuse of my body I was suffering from a multitude of chronic injuries. These injuries limited my ability to continue to pursue my passions of climbing, running, backpacking, and mountaineering, as well as my career of working in the outdoors. I felt that in my mid-20s I was too young to be in so much pain and feel so old. That off-season I had gone through months of rehab for my injuries with physical therapists and chiropractors to minimal improvement.
After my first Rolfing session I felt the immediate transformative benefits, and they lasted. As I went through the 10 series I felt an ease of breath, that I could stand taller, walk with greater balance and fluidity and best of all, many of my areas of chronic pain began to diminish in intensity and frequency. It was as though I had been reminded that I could heal myself, and I was able to continue to follow my passions and work outdoors.
I continued working seasonally instructing mountaineering, climbing and canyoneering courses with Colorado Outward Bound School, and have filled in many other physical and part-time jobs, from EMS, to construction, bus-driving and substitute-teaching Spanish, and teaching swing dance. In my free-time, you can find me exploring the canyons of SE Utah and mountains of SW Colorado with my rescue pup, Pickles.
Education/Certifications
Katie graduated from Willamette University in 2011 with a B.A. in Environmental Science and Geography. Katie graduated from the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute in 2020 as a certified Rolfer™. She is also a Board Certified Structural Integrator (BCSI) through the International Association of Structural Integration and Licensed Massage Therapist in the state of Utah. She also is an EMT, Wilderness First Responder, has a CDL class B.