How to Take Care of FASCIA, Our Muscle Connector

Introduction

How did you feel when you woke up this morning? Or after sitting for a long time in a meeting? Did your body feel tight? Do you feel like you can do with a good massage?

That tight feeling is a result of hardened fascia in our body from a lack of movement. It is most apparent when we wake up in the morning. But it can also occur at any time in the day.

Some of us will instinctively stretch. Many have gotten used to this feeling and will continue without any release in the body.

The thing is, tightness in the fascia builds up from cumulation. Tightness today will add to the tightness tomorrow etc.…. and over time, this causes a less supple and pliable body to movement. And in some cases, tightness will cause hardness that elevates to pain.

So you might ask yourself- what is fascia? If I exercise often, then my fascia should be good. I train my muscles well, so I don’t see a problem. Because when I teach my strengths, I should train my fascia. Well, not quite.

Muscles are a bundle of fibers, and their job is to protect our body; hence it contracts to move. Muscles are connected, but they are not inside one another.

What is Fascia?

Fascia is the connective tissue that binds our whole body. In other words, it attaches to our muscles. That means our muscles are wrapped in the fascia, so are our bones, ligaments, and organs.

One of the fascia’s jobs is to make sure our body is globally and locally connected in its entirety. It does this by being its very own existence, layering between all parts of our body.

As far as muscles are concerned, fascia is woven throughout and wrapped around each muscle fiber.

How much or how little our muscle can engage depends upon the movement quality of our fascia.

Think of our Fascia System like an Orange

Fascia in Movement

It is essential to know that our body is not an assembly of parts. Given the nature of fascia, our body does not work in isolation. Think is a web of interconnection that maintains communication with one another.

Hence fascia cannot be dissected by individual organ, muscle, or bone. We can think of it as a connection- when one part of our body moves, other parts respond coherently.

It is a whole and connected network. One essential thing to note is that the quality of our movement is governed by how much or little our fascia can glide.

In other words, fascia determines our ability to move, how well we can move or how we move at all.

Why Should We Care For Our Fascia?

Because fascia interconnects every micro and macro part of our body… it is most important to take care of our fascia quality, so it facilitates good movement and keeps our body in good shape.

Anti-aging posture

Ease of breathing
Graceful movement pattern
Smooth flow of qi
A balanced state of mind
Connects body to mind
Maintain a pain-free body
Reduces risk of injury in any activities, including exercises

What is the Most Important Thing We Should Do for Our Fascia?

The most important thing we should do to ensure healthy & good quality fascia is to PANDICULATE
Pandiculate is a form of deep stretch that is akin to the experience of giving ourselves a big yawn and stretching the morning
It is important because it wakes up the sensory-motor system & prepares us for movements
It also sends bio-feedback to our brains regarding levels of contraction in our muscles to reset muscular tension
ultimately to reduce tensions in our body

Pandiculation

Contracts & releases muscles in a way that the alpha gamma feedback loop is naturally reset through the chains our connection in our entire fascia
But this needs to be done slowly, in a giant yawn manner
Because fascia responds to deliberate movements instead of just loading with intensity
when our fascia feels released, the muscles will relax
Hence the contraction from lack of exercise will reduce