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Feeling stress in your body? Try out Myofascial release

HomeJournalJournalFeeling stress in your body? Try out Myofascial release
17 Jan

By Trishia Marie

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In Journal, Stress Less

Feeling stress in your body? Try out Myofascial release

low-back-pain-stressEven if you have a strong yoga practice (perhaps even, especially if you have a strong yoga practice), you will have areas of tension in the body that are related to the fascia. Fascia is a web of sorts, made of connective tissue that weaves in and out of muscles and eventually turns into the tendons and ligaments of your body. It is a huge network running from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head and is becoming a topic of research for topics as diverse as flexibility, stress management, nervous system communication, and even proprioception (sensing where your body is in space).

This tissue requires hydration and cannot easily move fluid in and out of the cells without movement in the surrounding muscles. When we spend a lot of time idle, not using our bodies regularly, areas can become brittle, dry, and “stuck”. We also can find areas of tension in muscles from poor muscle use in yoga practice, running, or other sports.

So whether you are constantly on the move or barely moving, helping to bring hydration to the connective tissue can help you reduce pain, improve flexibility, and decrease stress. Today, we’ll share a mini myofascial release series that you can do at home with a tennis ball or any similar round object.

Before we begin, a note of caution: Please do not use myofascial release on any areas that are actively inflamed, or areas that feel sharp or stabbing when you place pressure on them. If you have active inflammation or sharp, stabbing pains, see a doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist for a diagnosis and treatment plan.

Now, on to the mini practice:

Let’s focus on the low back and hips as that’s an area that causes a lot of problems for a lot of people. According to the National Institutes of Health,

About 80 percent of adults experience low back pain at some point in their lifetimes. It is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work days.

Begin by lying on a yoga mat or blanket on a hard floor. Bring the soles of your feet to the floor and place the tennis ball just under your right hip in the fleshy area of the low back. Very gently, allow the right side to relax and let the natural force of gravity take over. You don’t need to push down, just sink into the ball. Breathe a bit.
When you are ready, use your body to roll a few inches in one direction or another. Find a new spot to rest the ball and gently sink into it again. Breathe here and relax into the sensation. Work around the low back, making sure NOT to go directly under your spine with the ball. Hit the right and left sides of the back hip area before moving on to the next half of this step.
For part two, roll over to your belly. Place the ball in the area your pockets would be if you were wearing jeans. Gently sink in and repeat the process of relaxing for a few breaths before rolling the ball into a new spot. You can get as much or as little of the upper thigh as you like here before moving the ball to the other side of the body.
You can explore with the tennis ball to find a variety of ways to place gentle pressure on the body to release myofascial tension. It’s a great practice that should be repeated regularly.
Enjoy!

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