One of the first metaphors that made an immediate impression on me when I started practicing massage was the term “Cement Back”. You don’t have to be a bodyworker to understand the difficulty one might encounter when working with tissue that’s analogous to the consistency of cement. Where do you even begin? Plus, how must that person feel living inside a body whose soft, flexible tissue seems to have hardened into place.
There are lots of
ways people refer to these layers of tension that build up between and within
the neuromatrix of our bodies. “I have lots of knots in my back… I carry all my
tension in my neck and shoulders… I’m not very flexible…. I really need to
stretch more…” are just a few of the common phrases I hear from folks looking
to get some relief.
“Fascia is a form of
dense connective tissue. It is a continuous sheet of fibrous membrane located
beneath the skin and around the muscles and organs. The fascial system forms a
3D matrix of connective tissue extending throughout the body from head to toe.”
(Trail Guide to the Body, p. 24)
I believe that
imagining this ubiquitous tissue that connects the entire body as fluid and
flexible – like it feels after exercise, after conscious relaxation, after
massage – can help create that physical state of being. Even more than thinking
about how any one or synergistic group of muscles function, focusing your
mind’s eye on what I call “fascial fluidity” throughout the entire body during
exercise (and stillness for the matter) can produce more positive outcomes than
just the activity alone.
Visualizing your ever-changing
body as more than the sum of it’s parts opens a pathway for increased range of
motion, self-awareness, and vitality. I encourage everyone to develop an
open-minded curiosity about the relationships between different areas of the
body; a relaxed yet attentive approach to areas that may not be functioning
optimally and gratitude for the all of the incredible things our bodies do
automatically.
After all, beyond good and bad,
it’s amazing to be alive.
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