Dr. Ida P. Rolf was the original founder of Structural Integration(SI), later getting renamed Rolfing to honor her. Ida was born in New York in 1896. At twenty years old she had graduated with bachelors in chemistry. She then began her doctoral studies at Columbia University. Graduating with her PhD. in chemistry in 1920. Ida then began doing research at Rockefeller Institute. Starting off as a chemical researcher, she quickly moved up to an assistant in the lab and finally a lab associate (the highest non-tenured position possible at Rockefeller).

Ida missed spending time with her growing boy and left the research field in the 1940's. It was after this time that Ida began to set the foundation for what was to become Rolfing. In the 1960's, Ida was traveling around the United States teaching SI in places like Esalan and Boulder. She settled in Boulder, CO. in 1970 falling in love with the mountains and nature in Colorado. Founding the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration which later was renamed Dr. Ida Rolf Institute. Ida sadly passed away in 1979 at the age of 82 but left behind her transformative work and wisdom that only 2000 people worldwide have learned.