Have you heard about this spider web stuff, this stuff that connects everything with everything in our bodies? This stuff that just until a few years ago was pretty much ignored and referred to as that packing material.
Fascia is indeed like packing material (but far more complex), inside every one of us. It surrounds and hosts muscles, bones, blood vessels, organs, nerves, glands and the spinal cord. It connects everything with everything, it holds it all together as it is a supportive system.
It is mostly formed by elastic collagen fibres and a liquid called the extracellular matrix.
This fascia is meant to slide and glide through and with movement. Fascia needs movement to stay hydrated and malleable. It should always retain a certain springiness.
However, through trauma (both physical and emotional) inflicting inflammation in these tissues they can lose their slide and glide and can get stuck together which can cause pain and dysfunction in the body.
Physical and emotional trauma stays in the tissue but there is a lot that can be done to release stuck fascia. This can be done by a bodyworker who works with fascial unwinding techniques, like a highly experienced massage therapist or a Rolfer.
But it is also something that we can practise ourselves to some extent.
Use a foam roller and/or trigger point balls to release and hydrate these tissues. Promoting the slide and glide action back into the tissues. Which allows your body to move into optimal alignment and promotes optimal function and health.
It is vital to get the fascial system to work smoothly to strengthen the body.
As we know by know one system is not a stand-alone. It is all connected.
At SuperHealth Playbook we work on the fascial system in our Release and Restore classes. Allowing to not only to unwind your mind but also your tissues for a great night's sleep.
Fascia health is another component to look at when it comes to optimising your body...but easily forgotten about.
If you like to learn more about fascia check out the Guru on this topic...Tom Myers ( aka the fascia Guru) give a talk at Google about the Fascial system.
