The Internal Webbing That Weaves Your Body’s Stories
We each have a remarkable and highly advanced communication grid inside of our bodies. Most of what’s occurring inside of us we’re not even consciously aware of, but there is one element that is consistently bringing our awareness to all things internal-FASCIA. As your largest sensory organ with over 250 million nerve endings, fascia is truly the great communicator. Also known as connective tissue, fascia is a fibrous webbing that reaches into every part of your body. It unites all of your muscles, nerves, bones, organs and blood vessels. Fascia exists in a superficial layer just below the skin then transitions into a deep layer embedded in muscular tissue known as myofascia. This layer of fascia holds the structure of our bodies together, determines our alignment and allows (or limits) our movements. The sensory nerve network running throughout your fascia is also why you feel pain, tension or restrictions in your body–it’s that simple and that complicated.
As our fascia is in contact with our brains through this neural network, it also stores every experience we’ve ever had on a cellular level. What that means for you–even if your brain doesn't remember it, your body will. Feeling that old injury from twenty years ago out-of-the-blue? Thank your fascia. Did you wake up from a bad dream and now the tension in your neck won’t go away? Thank your fascia. You had a fall and you know for all intents-and-purposes you’re healed but the restriction remains? Again, thank your fascia. So this is where things can get a little tricky…
As our fascia represents a physical manifestation of how we live our lives, how we care for it (and ourselves as a whole) fundamentally matters. What does this look like IRL? Positive, constructive communication with our bodies–i.e. regular exercise and stretching, mindfulness practices, conscious breathing techniques and mind or body-based therapies to name a few. When we experience emotional stress, physical injuries, traumas or a lack of movement, fascia can become “sticky”, “gluely” or “hard”. This not only impedes good communication between the body and brain by affecting the neurons in the fascia, but lends itself to more long-term issues if left unaddressed including chronic pain or tension, systemic inflammation and limited mobility. Fascia is meant to expand and contact, gliding and guiding our bodies throughout each day. We can strengthen and enhance communication and function in our fascia by purposefully attending to it daily. Just as we are able to shape much of our external dialogue with others, we can shape the internal exchanges in our fascia to create an embodiment of well-being. So take the time to tune into and attend to what your body is communicating to you through your fascia so that what it's whispering doesn’t turn into a scream.
