According to the 2012 research, it only takes 90 seconds for the cells to begin responding to pressure changes. It takes a whole lot longer for a pill to dissolve and make it into your blood stream.
This is why we spend the first few weeks of
every yoga session by working with yoga therapy balls: these grippy, pliable balls take the concept of touch to a whole new level.
A muscle stays short, tense and contracted because the nervous system is telling it to do so.
Muscles that have become locked up due to stress, injury or poor movement patterns create an
internal dam effect - nutrients aren't delivered into the hungry tissues, and waste products aren't filtered out.
This is one of the reasons why knots are tender to touch: the inflammation locked into the tissues irritates the nerve cells within the knots, causing pain.
Balls increase circulation and stretch wherever they are rolled. The rolling and kneading action unglues persistent myofascial restrictions by unwinding knots, sticky lumps,
and adhesions.
Deliberate ball work coupled with a mindful attitude alters the nervous tone, induces relaxation, helps your body breathe better, which, in turn, further reduces nervousness and anxiety.
Delve deeper: add in the YIN!
Once the myofascial adhesions are dissolved, yin postures work beautifully to lengthen and hydrate connective tissue, feed the nerve endings, and further soothe the mind. And because yin postures work along TCM meridian lines, you get the added benefit of acupressure massage - all in one workshop.
