Have you ever wondered why stretching one part of your body makes another part of the body feel better or experience relief? There is an entire branch of complementary medicine devoted to the way that some parts of the body correspond to others. Reflexology, for instance, applies pressure to specific points on the hands, feet and ears to relieve pain in other parts of the body, impact the organs etc. So I became curious about this phenomenon and decided to find out about it. In the process I came across the term fascia and found out how it is connected to yoga.
What is fascia?
According to hopkinsmedicine.org, fascia is defined as a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in place. This is a kind of connective tissue that separates the internal organs from the muscles. Fascia is composed primarily of collagen, and it encloses and stabilises the different layers of tissue within the body. Some experts describe fascia as a kind of scaffolding or supporting framework that is interconnected, which runs throughout the entire body. Fascial tissues can also store and release energy.
There are several things that can cause fascial tissue to become tight and unhealthy leading to pain and stiffness. If one has a sedentary life, with too little activity, this could be one problem. Repetitive stress, where the body repeatedly performs the same action again and again could also cause problems, as could trauma or injury. Myofascial pain syndrome is a condition where a person feels pain when pressure is applied or when they engage in certain types of movement. This syndrome also results in something called referred pain – where the body feels an echo of pain in an unrelated part of the body.
How yoga helps to keep the fascia healthy
The treatment for inflamed, stiff or painful fascia is to get the muscles and the tissues of the fascia to relax. Physical therapy involving stretching is thought to be most effective. Changing one’s habits to improve the posture, to include more movement throughout the day also helps. It is possible to keep fascia in good health by practicing self-myofascial release along with yoga. In involves placing gentle pressure on specific points of the body to ease the tension not only in that area, but other corresponding parts of the body.
Applying gentle pressure to the plantar fascia located at the soles of the feet is seen to ease the tension and pain in the feet. It also eases the pain and stress in the hamstrings, calf muscles, lower back and skull. The hip area is another area when applying gentle pressure helps to improve muscle health and blood circulation. A foam roller or a firm round object such as tennis ball can work well.
Just five minutes of self-myofascial release followed by certain yoga positions can result in optimal fascial health and wellbeing. Poses such as Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose), Ardha Bhekasana (Half Frog Pose), a variation of Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) are recommended for good fascial health.