Rolfing is a deep-tissue massage that aims to improve mobility and balance, boost energy and generally increase your well-being. It was developed by Ida P. Rolf, a New Yorker whose capacity for study has only recently been capped by Doogie Howser, M.D. After receiving a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Columbia University in 1920, she went on to study atomic physics, maths and homeopathic medicine. Still not tired, she subsequently explored various forms of alternative therapies, including the Alexander technique, chiropractic medicine, yoga and osteopathy.

Her aim was to improve matters for the chronically disabled, as she thought that the performance of conventional medicine was inadequate. By the 1940's she synthesised all she learned from the various therapies she had studied into a system she termed structural integration, which later became known as Rolfing.

Dr. Rolf believed that the body has to be in alignment with gravity for optimum health. If it isn't, then you expend extra energy on movement, which puts unnecessary strain on the muscles. This means that your muscles work to compensate for poor movement patterns and the connective tissue surrounding them, the fascia, hardens, causing even more strain.

The Rolfing technique aligns and balances the body along a natural vertical axis. The Rolfing practitioner gradually stretches, lengthens and realigns the fascia by using deep pressure, until it reaches its normal length and flexibility once again. .

If you are hoping to light up some candles and offer to give your partner a good Rolfing, then prepare to think again. Rolfing involves vigorous deep tissue manipulation and can be uncomfortable and even painful. As well as this, taking Rolfing course won't qualify you as a practitioner - it will only educate your connective tissue.

It takes ten sessions of about one hour each to complete a Rolfing course. Each session builds on the one before but each has its own goal. According to the website, www.tryrolfing.com:

"In the beginning, it's almost like inducing a slight bit of chaos in the body. But out of chaos, comes reorganization. Sessions will establish support in one area so that work can be done in another area, and your body will adapt. It's like stacking blocks. The blocks on the bottom need to be able to support the ones on the top."

Before the treatment begins, your therapist will take a full medical and personal history and evaluate your posture and body structure for signs of tension and misalignment. You will then lie on a massage table or floor mat while the Rolfer uses their knuckles, thumbs, fingers, elbows and knees to try and get your fascia to bend like a young sapling once more. However, don't think that you can fall asleep. You will be required to actively participate in the session by answering questions, synchronising your breathing and moving various body parts.

Proponents claim that Rolfing is beneficial in a myriad of areas - posture, breathing, movement, energy and body awareness. Several independent studies have also borne out its benefits. For example, the Department of Kinesiology at UCLA found that people who underwent Rolfing had better posture, demonstrated a greater range of motion and were able to move more easily and smoothly. Rolfing is also thought to bring about emotional benefits. According to its founder:

"There is an ongoing psychological change as well toward balance, toward serenity, toward a more whole person. The whole person evidences a more apparent, more potent psychic development."