What your body knows (and how it learns)

The story of our habitual actions and postures is encoded in the fibers of our being--specifically, nerve and muscle fibers. The neural pathways we use the most become our automatic defaults (law of facilitation). In electrical terms, they are literally the path of least resistance. Think of them as ruts carved into our brains by the choices (conscious or not) we make over and over. This includes postures and movements.

To unlearn a physical posture that causes pain, we must grow a new rut. I can offer customized practices to help with this. Certain massage techniques I use also help switch ruts. The old ruts never fully disappear, so we have to keep reinforcing the new ones. An excuse to keep getting massages!

Muscle and connective tissue fibers tell the story of our habits in a different way. They get "glued" together, often to support positions we've been in a lot. The gel that glues the fibers together has to be thawed by warming up the tissues; then the fibers can be unglued by breaking up adhesions (or knots) and stretching them out. The longer fibers stay glued, the harder they are to unstick. Another excuse for regular massage!

And here's yet another. Over time, the body reallocates soft tissue to fit the positions we occupy the most (Davis' law). Areas held chronically tight literally lose tissue and become physically shorter. Regrowing the lost tissue then requires re-stretching the area bit by bit over a period of time, either on your own or with a professional assist.

I'm booking out 2-3 weeks now and will be away March 18-28. I'm taking appointments for April. Short notice appointments work occasionally, when there's a cancellation, but I recommend booking in advance. If your schedule doesn't allow that, please let me know if you'd like to be on the waiting list for cancellation opportunities. Happy Spring!

Warm regards, Leora (608) 332-9581 backinharmony.org