An interview with Certified Rolfer® Markus Rossmann
Markus Rossmann is a Certified Rolfer® and fascial training expert. With a background in sports science and a career ranging from working in rehab clinics and on cruise ships to international coaching, he has combined Rolfing® Structural Integration and fascia training in an innovative way.
In this interview, he provides insights into his professional career, the fascination of the Rolfing method and the development of his own approaches such as ‘Fascial Walk’ and ‘Treatment in Motion’. He also talks about the future of fascia research and gives valuable tips for aspiring Rolfers.
Find out how Rolfing Structural Integration can change not only the physical structure, but also people's lives, and be inspired by Markus Rossmann.
What has shaped your path to becoming a Rolfer® and fascia trainer?
After studying sports science, specialising in prevention and rehabilitation, I wanted to learn something more practical, something ‘hands-on’. However, traditional training as a physiotherapist was not the right thing for me. Then - by a lucky coincidence - I came across Rolfing Structural Integration. My wife had had problems with her spine for some time and was given a voucher for a Rolfing session with Herbert Battisti. After this session, she told me enthusiastically that he had worked almost exclusively on her feet - and suddenly her back pain had disappeared. This fascinated me so much that I tried a Rolfing session myself. It was love at first sight - or rather, at first touch. Ida Rolf's approach and her work have stayed with me from that moment on.
Rolfing forms the basis of my entire professional career. Without this training, I would not be where I am today. The special quality of touch and the holistic work with which people can be supported both physically and psychologically are still unique to me today. I was very fortunate to be trained by renowned Rolfers such as Dr. Robert Schleip, Christoph Sommer, Harvey Burns and Herbert Battisti. The many years of collaboration with Herbert Battisti, who is still a mentor to me today, was and is a particular blessing for me.
Rolfing also gave me completely new impulses for my work in the field of sport and movement that I would not have been able to find in my sports studies. My participation in Hubert Godard's movement training programme was particularly formative for me, as it changed my perspective on movement forever.
Finally, it was a stroke of luck that I met Dr Robert Schleip at the right time. His ground-breaking findings on fascia not only led to new treatment methods, but also to a completely new form of movement training - fascial training, which I was able to develop together with him and other colleagues. This concept opened doors for me all over the world and had a decisive influence on my career.
What makes Rolfing® so fascinating and what career opportunities does fascia research open up for you?
For me, Rolfing is much more than the treatment of a single structure in the body. It has taught me to use the quality of my touch to explore the body holistically: I take in the information that my counterpart's body gives me and give the best possible feedback through my treatment so that the body can help and heal itself. What fascinates me every time is the profound effect this work can have on the whole body - and ultimately on the whole person.
During the treatment, we Rolfers not only pay attention to the structure we are touching but also keep the entire body in view.
This holistic approach, the so-called ‘body reading’ and the complete attention to the person as a whole, is something that makes Rolfing unique.
As I originally come from a sports background, it was natural for me to transfer these principles to movement training. The combination of my knowledge of sports science, my training in Rolfing and my passion for fascia research has enabled me to develop innovative movement programmes. These programmes are based on strengthening the body in its entirety and keeping it healthy in the long term. This has not only opened up new professional perspectives for me but has also given me the opportunity to support people all over the world.
You have developed concepts such as ‘fascial walk’ and ‘treatment in motion’. How can these approaches help people?
‘Fascial Walk’ is the best, easiest and healthiest full-body workout that you can integrate into your everyday life. Why? Walking is a movement that we do every day. However, if we walk incorrectly - and in my experience around 90% of people in Germany do this - we give our body unhealthy stimuli every day. But walking correctly can have an incredibly positive effect on our health.
My provocative question is therefore: Have you ever thought about whether you are walking correctly? Most people don't, even though it is so easy to learn how to walk properly. This is exactly where the ‘Fascial Walk’ comes in: it is a technique that I have developed to teach people to walk consciously and healthily. I have written a book about it, given numerous courses and also work on this method with psychosomatic patients in my clinic. The feedback is consistently positive - many people report how easy it is to learn and the lasting effects it has on body and mind. Without my Rolfing training, this concept would never have been developed.
‘Treatment in motion’ was born out of my own experience. At the beginning of my career, I worked exclusively with movement but was not satisfied with the results. Later I focussed only on treatment, but here too the results fell short of my expectations. It was only when I started to combine treatment and exercise that I realised I was achieving much better results.
But I realised that sustainable health can only be achieved if people move consciously and correctly in their everyday lives - and integrate a few simple exercises into their daily routine. I am firmly convinced that 10 minutes of targeted exercise per day, combined with conscious everyday movement, can keep orthopaedic problems and pain at bay in the long term.
Knowledge about fascia plays a central role here. Fasciae are full of receptors for body awareness. When I treat these structures during functional movements, I simultaneously promote movement perception, execution and movement memory. Put simply, if I want to improve the quality of my patients' movements, I can achieve this much more effectively by letting them perform the movement and supporting them with touch - rather than just explaining the movement to them verbally. Feeling is often more effective than hearing. And the combination of both is unbeatable.
This method has not only helped me to better support my patients, but also to maintain my own health as a therapist. By treating in motion, I can take care of my body and at the same time achieve better results for my patients.
What opportunities does Rolfing offer and what tips do you have for new Rolfers?
Rolfing is and remains a unique method of bodywork that clearly stands out from other body therapies - especially traditional physiotherapy.
I experience this every day in my work at the clinic with patients who have just undergone surgery. They receive daily physiotherapy, which of course helps them. But after just one Rolfing treatment, many of them only want to be treated by me if possible. The results are simply noticeably different for them.
I can't say whether Rolfing will one day become as popular as osteopathy. But I am convinced that we don't have to hide. In the future, I can even see the possibility of Rolfers increasingly working as permanent employees in clinics. The quality and effectiveness of this method speaks for itself and is increasingly being recognised.
I have three key pieces of advice for newly certified Rolfers who are starting their career and venturing into self-employment:
1. Persevere!
Building up a regular client base is a challenge, especially at the beginning. But if you keep at it and let the quality of your work speak for itself, success will follow.
2. Maintain further training and curiosity.
It is essential to keep learning, to think outside the box and, in particular, not to lose sight of fascia science. Developments in fascia science are currently happening at breakneck speed, which means that both movement approaches and treatment techniques need to be constantly refined. It is important that these advances are continually incorporated into Rolfing training.
3. Develop your own style.
Rolfing thrives on individuality. It never ceases to amaze me how different the approaches and treatment styles of my Rolfing colleagues are. Everyone brings their own creativity and perspective to the table. If you keep an open mind, the creative learning and development never stops - and that's what makes our work so special.
How do you see the development of fascial work and what role will Rolfing play in the future?
The development of fascial work reminds me of Galileo Galilei: he scientifically proved that the earth orbits the sun, but it took around 50 years for this fact to be generally recognised in science. The situation is similar with knowledge about fascia.
The scientific evidence is overwhelming and clearly shows that fascial work should be an essential part of all body therapy work.
But many people find it difficult to question old habits and decades-old routines.
My prognosis is clear: in the medium term, no therapist will be able to get by without well-founded fascial work - simply because the results are so much better. However, by ‘fascial work’ I don't mean a weekend here or a short workshop there, but a truly in-depth training programme, such as that offered by Rolfing. Unfortunately, there are still many therapists who call themselves ‘fascia therapists’ without having a deeper understanding of fascial anatomy or its functional connections. The topic is often underestimated, and a comprehensive understanding requires time and intensive study.
Rolfers have the advantage that their training is particularly well-founded and they have a unique perspective on physical problems.
This perspective opens up new avenues that are often lacking in traditional rehabilitation or prevention. Rehabilitation clinics are slowly beginning to realise that old therapeutic approaches need to be reconsidered and supplemented by innovative methods such as Rolfing.
In the future, I see an important role for Rolfers in rehabilitation clinics and other medical institutions. It will not only be possible, but necessary, for Rolfers to work in such institutions and actively shape the therapeutic approaches. This is the only way we can ensure that Rolfing and the importance of fascia work become better known to the general public and gain a firm place in preventive healthcare and rehabilitation.
Interview partner: Markus Rossmann, Certified Rolfer®, fascia and health expert
Interview and editing: Sabine Becker
Photo: Copyright © Bicom and Markus Rossmann private
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