A couple of important reminders before we get going with today's topic:
2. There is no class on Thursday, November 8th.
Classes resume as usual on Thursday, November 15th.
Now over to the fascinating world of connective tissue.
As you now know, the way we stretch needs to be tailored to the tissues that we are trying to address. The practice of YIN YOGA (and my ball+yin interpretation of it) targets primarily fascia, so I thought it would be helpful to know what exactly this "fascia"
is.
In many sciency texts fascia is described as body envelope - a jump suit if you wish - permeating through and every nook of the body. It surrounds nerve fibers, surrounds and bundles muscle fibers, and lines organs and vessels.
It is the element that gives contour and structure to the body, linking the pieces together into segments, and segments into systems. It is essentially the organizing medium that connects all of our
parts into a vibrant whole.
Of course most of us know what happens when this jumpsuits starts to shrink wrap our body a little too tight...
There are 3 levels of fascia:
1. Superficial (the one closest to the
surface).
It lies just underneath the skin to provide insulation and padding, while allowing the skin and the underlying structures (such as muscles) to move independently of one another.
2. Deep.
Deep fascia is denser than the superficial one, and because of how its fibers are organized, it has the greatest resiliency. Deep fascia is the very fabric that creates a strong fibrous
network tying all of our structural elements together. It is the type of fascia that encloses each muscle, that blends into the fibers that create tendons, and then intermingles with those fibers that make up the fascia surrounding bone.
3. Subserous.
This type of fascia lies between the deep fascia and the lining of body's cavities. It prevents the movement of the muscles or organs from
deforming or interfering with this sensitive lining. Working with the core ball allows us to target this type of fascia in a gentle way.
How fascia organizes muscle:
The organizational relationship between muscle and fascia is similar to that of an orange: a broad sheet of fascia encases the whole fruit,
deeper layers of fascia separate the orange into segments, and finally, a thin coating of fascia surrounds each tiny bud of the fruit.
A layer of fascia encases the muscle as a whole, a deeper layer wraps the long muscle fibers into bundles, and finally, each microscopic fiber is bound in fascia.
Imagine all of these layers communicating and affecting each other; and furthermore, picture the thinner
and thicker tubing of your nerves passing directly through this connective tissue network.
Fascia stretches like the knitted fabric of your fave, worn in sweater.
What happens if you snag the sweater on a nail?
Short of a tear, the whole thing is pulled out of shape.
Imagine the solid structures of your body as building blocks.
If one of those blocks is cockeyed, the fabric that interlaces them not only has to toughen up to keep the whole structure standing upright - it will also pull on the other building
blocks.
When a body block is askew for a period of time fascia around it becomes tough and leathery, not unlike that of a scar tissue.
Now tough and inelastic, it fixes that body block in place - so the muscles around it become short and tight and stop being able to fully respond to your desire to relax them.
Eventually the layers of muscle around the joint get glued together, restricting the range of motion in the joint.
When movement in an area of the body is restricted by a thickened connective tissue, the flow of cleansing fluids and nutrients to that area is restricted, and the nervous system
network in the area is compressed.
And so the stage is set for developing compensatory movement patterns, and potentially, persistent pain. Successful recovery protocols must include ways to mobilize the connective tissue network without irritating the nervous system.
