By Tobias Elliot-Walter
I was working in London at a very exclusive membership club as Operations Director when the COVID pandemic started. London was one of many cities that was hit hard. I was infected with COVID early in that first wave. Even after three months I was still feeling weak and not myself. I knew my job was likely disappearing and I was let go in October 2020 due to the company’s rationalising process. It became clearer to me during this time-out that for a time I have had a longing to do something more meaningful.
Why did you choose to become a Rolfer®?
About a year earlier, during a Yoga Teacher’s Training (2018) at a Sivananda Bahama Ashram I rediscovered my fascination with human anatomy, movement, as well as my connections to spiritual development, and this reawakened a general inspiration in optimising physical and mental wellbeing. I was looking towards something in the realm of physical wellbeing or physical therapy, and…
…the insights of Dr Rolf about optimising the human body in the field of gravity was to me so brilliant and beautiful that it had a profound effect on how I perceived myself and the world around me."
Where did you first hear about Rolfing® Structural Integration and why did you decide to pursue it as a career?
We are Buddhists at home, it’s been like that as long as I can remember. I converted to Buddhism myself when I was 10, at a three-month seminary at the Rocky Mountain Dharma Center (currently called The Drala Mountain Center) about two hours North of Boulder, Colorado.
Brainstorming about possible career paths, my stepfather asked me; have you ever tried Rolfing? ‘What is Rolfing?’, I asked. My Dad had experienced several Rolfing Sessions in San Diego when a teenager and volunteered to be a model for a friend who took the training at the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® in Boulder. Many decades later he is still very enthusiastic about the effects Rolfing had had on him. I quickly found a Rolfer near me to experience my first 10-Series, which had a profound impact on me.
What was your career before you got into Rolfing?
I come out of a traditional German hospitality education, and I have worked in the hospitality sector for 24 years. I lived in London for almost 16 years, and I worked in high-end venues. I had the opportunity early in my career to travel around the world and open restaurants in Macao MSAR, Scottsdale, Arizona USA and Dubai UAE, whilst still being based in London. I worked in a private members club in Mayfair as Director of Operations. It was a very demanding and high stress job, but an amazing opportunity that I enjoyed.
Hospitality is a tough and demanding industry that has taught me not only a lot about how to run a business, operational thinking and optimising processes, but also much about people and the challenges that can arise when humans interact with each other, not just on a cultural level, but also regarding conflict resolution or class differences. And it further provided insight into basic human needs such as hunger, anger, impatience, fear and so on that we all have to deal with on a daily basis.
How do you feel with the decision of changing your career and becoming a Rolfer?
I feel nervous and thrilled at the same time. I ‘freshly’ graduated from basic training in April 2023 and am now looking at taking my first steps as a Certified Rolfer®. Yes, I bring in all the knowledge of my previous profession from a business perspective, …
…but to apply my newly gained skills, awareness, and touch to help someone else, to potentially make them feel better in their body and about themselves, is a wonderful prospect that fills me with joy."
Since 12 June 2023 I am working part time as Rolfer and I have started training as a health practitioner. I am looking forward to the road ahead, to continuing education, learning, and looking forward to the people I will meet along the way, as I grow as a Rolfer and my practice.
Interview partner: Certified Rolfer® Tobias Elliott-Walter - Germany
Photos: Michaela Reinhard, Client Model: Johnathan Marx
Visit Tobias Elliott-Walter’s website
Read article in German
