Fascia-Flexibility and Mobility

Transcription

1 Fascia-Flexibility and Mobility Nia Continuing Education Copyright 2009 by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas All Rights Reserved. No part of this guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the authors.

2 PREPARATORY MATERIAL KEY TERMS Fascia Belly of the muscle Flexibility Mobility MATERIALS NEEDED None The Body s Way Key Concepts xfascia is a sweater-like type of connective tissue that surrounds tissues such as organs and muscles. xsome types of fascia are very liquid-like. Others are tougher in nature. xhealthy fascia provides support and communication. In unhealthy fascia, the ability to provide support and clear communication is weakened. xfascia is kept healthy by movement and usage. xthis lesson focuses on using flexibility and mobility to activate different qualities of movement in order to sense and maintain healthy fascia. xflexibility xsensed as energy moving outward xsensed as an elastic quality of muscles and joints xsensed as a warm stretch of the muscle without tension xdynamic flexibility, the perfect balance of contraction and release, is sensed as opening and lengthening xloss of flexibility is sensed as heaviness, rigidity, stiffness, cramping, and fatigue xin this lesson, flexibility is also conceptualized and sensed as stretching the belly of the muscle. xmobility xsensed as energy in constant motion xsensed as a continuous energy flow and excitation of the nerves xdynamic mobility, the perfect balance between excitation and relaxation, is sensed as youthful freedom xloss of mobility is sensed as tightness, discomfort, and loss of power xfeeling slippery is introduced in order to sense the liquid-like qualities of fascia. 2 Nia 5 Stages Lesson - Fascia Flexibility and Mobility

3 Nia 5 Stages Lesson - Chest 3 PREPARATORY MATERIAL

4 PREPARATORY MATERIAL DEBBIE SAYS: Today, our focus is going to be on the sensation of fascia, a type of connective tissue. Based on how you slept and what you did last night, your fascia is talking to you. There are many kinds of fascia, but imagine that fascia is like a sweater. It goes around something. There is fascia that is much more fluid, and that has a glycerin-like substance to it. Then there is fascia that is a little bit stronger, more like a leather glove, but it still has movement. Every part of your body is connected by way of fascia. All your organs and muscles are covered with it. Movement keeps fascia healthy. The moment you stop moving, it becomes a little brittle and stiff. That s why when you wake up in the morning, you feel a little stiff. Fascia loves stretching. It loves that sensation of length. What it likes even more is when you sustain that sensation of length for awhile. If you take your hand and slide it up and down your forearm, you can get a sensation of what fascia is supposed to do. It covers things. It creates a moveable, liquid connection between things - between all muscle fibers, bones, organs - everything. When your fascia is healthy, it s like having outstanding reception. When it s not healthy, when it gets stuck, it s like the phone ringing with information, and you go, Hello, hello, hello? There s nothing there. The communication is not being transmitted to your body. That s a real bummer, as all the body parts are meant to speak to each other. Here s an example. The nerves that innervate the muscles are meant to send information. When the connective tissue is weak, the transmission is weak. It is slowed down or lethargic. You may experience that as, I feel stiff; I feel pain. Then you may start telling yourself you have fibromyalgia or arthritis. It has to do with chemicals and alignment and all that good stuff. We are able to stay well by becoming sensitive to the body s intelligence. The moment we notice something isn t working properly, we can address it. We notice when our heart action shifts. The fear of a heart attack is big; therefore we pay attention to any abnormality. The same thing goes with breathing. If all of a sudden breathing becomes erratic, we go, Oh my gosh, I ve got to go find out what s wrong. Unfortunately, there are certain discomforts and imbalances that we have come to think are normal, even though they re not. One of the things you want to pay attention to is the fascia. When you are moving, you can sense healthy fascia as Dynamic Ease, meaning you can dynamically move with ease. Struggling to get up from the floor would not be Dynamic Ease. The person with the inability to get down or up is the one I would send to the emergency room and say, This is serious. The most important thing to remember is that movement is what keeps fascia healthy. That gives me the motivation to say, I m going to get down on the floor for five minutes a day and do the 5 Stages. That is enough to keep our bodies a bit tuned. We need to do something to keep our bodies moving. Perhaps this means going to a Nia class, taking a walk, eating at the coffee table instead of the dinner table, or spending one minute getting up and down from the floor. We need to feed our bodies with movement. 4 Nia 5 Stages Lesson - Fascia Flexibility and Mobility

5 What you can sense in relationship to the connective tissue is the belly of your muscle. It s pretty easy to see in your bicep. The belly of the muscle is really the center. When you lengthen, when you reach out, you are stretching the center, the belly of the muscle. Today, what I want you to feel in all the stages is the lengthening of the belly of the muscle. We can feel this when we activate the sensation of Flexibility, which is sensed as extending energy out. When you activate Flexibility, you can feel the belly of your thigh, your hamstring, bicep, triceps - you can feel them all lengthen. Today, you re actually going to feel more stretching than you normally feel in the stages. We re going to start with that - stretching the belly of the muscle to make our fascia healthy. We re going to energize our movements with the sensation of Flexibility. Some of the scientific information I m sharing with you is coming from this amazing book, The Anatomy of Hatha Yoga by Timothy McCall. It s really a science book about how the body works. If you are into anatomy and function, it s phenomenal. Prolonging the stretch is important for a couple of reasons. First, when we stretch our arms, we re connecting to the space outside. Also, we re actually going to activate more layers. The nerve doesn t just go, Zap. Muscle, work. The nerves innervate the muscle through layers and layers and layers. If we lengthen this and sustain it, a few nerves wake up, and then a few more, then a few more. Staying longer means you want to have it feel better as you stay - not stay longer and go, Oh gosh, I can t hold it anymore. That s not a positive input. When you re doing the 5 Stages and you sustain the stretch a little longer, you are really going through fiber and fiber and fiber, and connection, connection, connection. You can take what is a one minute practice in each stage and make it a two minute practice in each stage with the intent to improve Flexibility. You could also focus on Strength, Mobility, Agility, or Stability so that you are conditioning your body using the 5 Stages. At the same time, you re Self-Healing, learning about a sensation, and learning how to cultivate and keep that sensation alive. Today, after we practice the stages with the focus on stretching the belly and sensing Flexibility, we will shift to sensing Mobility for the health of our fascia. Mobility is the sensation of energy in constant motion. When I say, First stage, Embryonic, you re not going to stop. You ll be moving, moving, moving. When I say. Stage two, you re going to go. Stage two, move, move, move. Stage three, you re not even thinking. Stage four. Stage five. That s how fast I m going to do it. This is about Mobility. Don t think. Your body knows how to do this. If you think, you re going to stop it from figuring out how to help you. PREPARATORY MATERIAL Nia 5 Stages Lesson - Fascia Flexibility and Mobility 5

6 LESSON LESSON PLAN PLAN PART 1: YOUR BODY S WAY PRACTICE Welcome Show & Tell 5 Stages Your Body s Way xbody Awareness x5 Stages xbody Gratitude PART 2: THE BODY S WAY PRACTICE The Body s Way Lesson 5 Stages - The Body s Way Script Body Gratitude Closing The Body s Way Lesson Look Listen Belly x of bicep The x size, shape, and prevalence of the fascia show us that fascia is meant to be somewhat pliable while at the same time providing support. Imagine Fascia x like a sweater wrapping around organs, muscles, etc. Fascia x (connective tissue) network - like a phone with good transmission 6 Nia 5 Stages Lesson - Fascia Flexibility and Mobility

7 5 Stages - The Body s Way Script THE BODY S WAY PRACTICE 1: FLEXBILITY Embryonic Slip into Embryonic. Circular. Round. Moving fluidly and fully in order to ignite your fascia, your connective tissue. This tissue gently provides support for your muscles and organs, and holds all parts together, so that you have a very stable infrastructure. Cook all four sides. Reach out and draw in. Long arms. Long legs. Toes pointing. You are stretching the belly of the muscle. You are stretching, lengthening the connective tissue that slithers and slides underneath your skin. Lengthening, you feel a yawning sensation of the muscles. As you inhale and exhale, you sense the sweater of connective tissue around all your organs - lungs, intestines, liver, kidney, heart. Moving, stretching, and breathing, you are reclaiming the health of your fascia so that this sweater has the freedom to move. When you feel ready, you will move into the second stage, Creeping. Creeping Pause for a moment in this horizontal architecture. Your hands press down into the earth. You are connecting to the sensation of the fascia of the torso yawning and stretching. The belly of the muscle is lengthening. Begin to creep. One hand reaches forward. Take your time, so that you sense the in-between sensation. Imagine the connective tissue between bones, cartilage, ligaments, and joint capsules. This connective tissue, this fascia, has a vibration and an intelligent ability to communicate. It lets you know how to create more comfort. Sense the sliding from side to side. The individual tissues are slipping and sliding. Sense looseness. Sense moisture. Every time you reach and lengthen your arm, sense the belly of the muscle stretching. Reach and increase the length. This time, as you reach, freeze. Prolong and sustain the stretching sensation. Where do you sense it? Now, as you shift sides, sense the sliding, and again, prolong the stretch for a moment. Move, and then pause, prolonging the stretch. The connective tissue is following the lead of your muscle fibers, so that your Flexibility is improved. Move and sustain the stretch. When you are ready, you will move into the third stage, Crawling. Crawling Crawling. Your spine hangs. Sense the release of the connective tissue. Sense the elasticity of your tendons, ligaments, joint capsules, and the slippery connective tissue. Every part is slippery. You are mostly liquid and LESSON LESSON PLAN PLAN Nia 5 Stages Lesson - Chest 7

8 LESSON PLAN LESSON PLAN space. As you crawl, be aware that you are liquid, moving through space. You are space, moving through space. Allow your joints to move through your most comfortable range of motion. Now, playing with your thigh bones, allow your left thigh to slide all the way forward to the point where you feel your hip fall towards the earth. Pause once again and prolong the stretch. Feel the lengthening. Crawl, and on the other side of your body, prolong the stretch. Feel the yawning sensation. Crawl again, sustaining the stretch so that you diminish any sense of restraint. Sense the hip of the knee that s forward. Looking up, notice the stretch through your torso. When you are ready, you will move into the fourth stage, Standing. Standing To accommodate your body, open your feet and knees. Walk your hands back. Shift your body weight to one side with that heel up. Settle down and fill the underside of your body. Fill the hands of your connective tissue with your body weight. Let your breath be deep. Allow the prolonged position to increase the relaxation that you feel in your hip joint. Shift sides. Your hands reach up and out. Stretch and reach through all ten fingers - your thumb, the nurturing finger. Index finger - your desire finger. Middle finger - your power finger. Look around with your eyes. Allow Mobility of your chest. 8 Nia 5 Stages Lesson - Fascia Flexibility and Mobility Reach now with your ring finger - the commitment finger. Little finger - your boundary finger, or edge. Continue to shift weight in a way that feels like you are loosening the connective tissue. You re reclaiming that slippery quality. Looking up, sense the front of your chest and neck. When you feel ready, you will push down into the last stage, Walking. Walking Walking on the balls of your feet, continue to reach. Look up. Feel the belly of the muscle stretch. Stretch through your armpits. Yawn and stretch through the sides of your body. Open through the front of your ankles. How high can you get your heels? Let your hands float behind you and feel the ribcage stretch. Slowly, let your hands fall behind you. Reach behind as if dragging a very heavy cape. When you feel ready, your heels will come down and your arms will relax. Walking naturally, let your body talk to you. Let your body feed back to you what the action of stretching has provided. Listen to the voice of your body. Listen to the connective tissue. Body Gratitude Guide participants to give gratitude to their body by walking around the room and noticing the healing changes that have occured.

9 THE BODY S WAY PRACTICE 2: MOBILITY Embryonic Embryonic. Connect to the sensation of fascia, the slippery connective tissue. We are working with the sensation of Mobility. Embryonic. Circular. Fluid. Move, move, move, back, belly, left, right, circular. Creeping Creeping, stage two. Opposite hand, opposite knee. Moving forward. Mobility - energy in constant motion, Sense your breath in constant motion. Crawling Crawling, stage three. Energy in constant motion. Looking, moving, moving Standing Standing, stage four. Energy in constant motion. Moving hands. Moving knees. Walking Walking, stage five. Energy in constant motion. Don t think about it. Let your hands come down. Walk, walk, walk. And slide back into Embryonic. THE BODY S WAY PRACTICE 3: MOBILITY Embryonic Circular. Fluid. Round. No thinking. Energy in constant motion. Fingers, hands, back, belly, head, nose, lips all are in motion. Rolling and turning. Creeping Creeping, stage two. One hand and then the other. Looking. Dragging yourself forward. Speed it up a little. Mobility. Speed it up so that you change your breathing pattern. Crawling Crawling, stage three. Let your spine hang. Let your breath be mobile. Standing Standing, stage four. You re mobile. Walking Walking, stage five. You re mobile. Let your hands hang down. Let your breath be mobile. LESSON PLAN LESSON PLAN Nia 5 Stages Lesson - Fascia Flexibility and Mobility 9

10 LESSON LESSON PLAN PLAN Body Gratitude Guide participants to give gratitude to their body by walking around the room and noticing the healing changes that have occured. Closing *Note: this particular closing is optional. You may choose instead to use the 7-minute workout, a guided meditation, or a unique step out of your own. One of the greatest gifts of this practice is putting your attention on one part of your body to sense what it s meant to do. Connective tissue is really meant to be slippery. Everything you do should feel slippery. You are mostly liquid. If we wake up and feel dry and stuck, that shows us we are not really in relationship with who we are. The wisdom of The Body s Way is available to us. All you need is a desire to learn and to develop a relationship with sensation. Five minutes each day, one minute per stage, is enough to get you going. If you practice the stages this week, practice with the awareness of, I m slippery. Today, when you re moving around, reaching for a glass, sitting down in a chair, feel slippery. When you put on your shoes, think, What can I do to feel slippery? It will change your whole day. 10 Nia 5 Stages Lesson - Fascia Flexibility and Mobility

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