Pilates, Fascia and alignment….
By Laurette Ryan PMA-CPT
You’ve probably been hearing a lot lately about the role of fascia in exercise. You may have heard it described as a webbing or net enveloping the body but that is just a small piece of the picture. We can go back to the very formation of you as a body for a deeper insight.
In the embryonic stage, you are made of 3 types of germ cell layers. Ectoderm, Endoderm and Mesoderm. The Ectoderm forms your brain, skin, and nervous system, the endoderm your digestive system and the mesoderm forms the framework or matrix for everything else. It is this mesodermic stuff which is in effect fascia. It weaves in and around everywhere. This fascia began to morph as you grew from embryo to fetus. It became the scaffolding for bones, when bone cells deposited there and built up, you got bones. As the end of these bones pushed into their fascial bed -fascia did it’s thing and thickened up and became denser at those points and formed ligament or tendon. As the fascial bed lay with bones and joints pulling it in different directions- muscle cells deposited -(in this fascial matrix) and fascia took on qualities or morphed into our different muscles and muscle groups.
It weaves everywhere throughout your body, it holds things in place. It can be juicy, gel-like and super pliable or thick and matted, clay or glass-like. It’s differing qualities depend on where it is in the body and what conditions it encounters. This can be beneficial or not so beneficial and is really influenced by our alignment throughout our lives.
Fascia is extremely rich in nerve endings- it provides the brain with feedback, particularly when it is healthy and aligned properly. When it is not aligned properly, when there is pressure or tension placed on the fascial bed – fascia responds by thickening and matting up-(think about the knots in your shoulders or back)- this causes irritation, pain and discomfort, which in turn causes more tension and pressure to the area affected. What’s the fix? In my research I have noted there are two very good ways to alleviate this problem. One is Rolfing, manually smooth the fascial tissue – re-educating the tissue manually. But the second way is far more exciting for us as Pilates teachers, and that is to exercise and move in good alignment. Simple as that! Isn’t that what we do every day with Pilates? Clients feel better through their whole body with a sound Pilates program. Pilates feels different than weight training or calisthenics because the attention to alignment is one of the biggest differences. (key* start with the spine)
Understanding the role of fascia in exercise and particularly Pilates will deepen your practice. Remember fascia is everywhere, it permeates you, your bones, muscles, it surrounds and lifts all parts of you, it holds you together and floats you between your bones…it is constantly responding to the conditions you are in. Work and live in good alignment for you are a fascial bubble.
Laurette Ryan
www.balancepointpilates.com
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