Releasing myofascial pain through the breath

Do you suffer with stiffness, pain and restrictions?

If you are feeling tightness and restrictions- waking up in the mornings with stiff backs, ribs, shoulders, hips etc can all be worked through with a simple morning routine and some small changes to breathing patterns.

Our breathing patterns correspond to our thoughts and feelings.  Life stressors, past trauma and repetitive worry / fear thoughts all prevent optimum breathing. 

If you consciously tune into your thoughts, you’ll likely notice how often you think, analyse and play out arguments around relationships, health, money, children and careers. Notice how you breathe when you think of these things and then consciously think of things which bring a sense of peace and joy and compare the change in breath.

Ideally we should nose breathe, sending a soft long breath 3 dimensionally to feed the diaphragm, stomach, pelvis, spine & ribs and softly exhaling through the nose to cleanse (detoxify) the body. When we breathe this way blood, nutrients and oxygen is effectively delivered to organs and tissues throughout the body. 

Facial tissue surrounds all organs, nerves and soft tissues covering  your entire matrix. It is highly intelligent with 6x more proprioception (information) than any other tissue. The lungs are wrapped in fascia allowing movement and stability, when we shallow breathe, and therefore not effectively moving the ribcage and torso, it stiffens and restricts. This is the case throughout the body. Areas not moved through the breath, touch and physical movement stiffens and restricts, leading to discomfort and pain.

Myofascial pain is often caused by stress, tension, & FEAR, causing us to spend too much time in our sympathetic nervous system (flight or flight). Our bodies believe every thought & feeling regardless of whether it is our reality.  When we consciously interrupt those thoughts with nose, long & soft,  3 dimensional breathing, extending the out breathe, we stimulate the vagus nerve, sending messages of safety, switching into the Parasympathetic NS, allowing the vagus nerve to calm all organs to initiate digestion and relaxation.  

Rather than stretching (forced tension) to release areas. For long term changes we can use the breathe and scan the body. Visualise the breath moving into those areas, then self-release. 

How do we self release?

• Starting with a sense of self-compassion.

• We locate tight / painful areas

• Compare sides 

• Press lymph nodes under arms & groin 8+ X

• tap on bony areas giving information & simulating circulation I.e head, jaw, clavicle, ribs 360, Pelvis, Knees, Feet 

• Close your eyes for a minute and breathe (introception)

• Smooth the areas up, down, left right. Sweep to armpits for torso areas, sweep to groin for lower body areas

• Move skin slack (skin) left, right, up, down

• Close your eyes, breath for 1-2m (introception)

• Massage deeper (to your pain threshold)

• Sweep to armpits or groin 

• Move and massage, side bends, circle see how it feels in different directions. 

• Compare again and notice the difference. 

5 mins each morning on your chosen area will release stiffness and pain in  a short period of time. If you really work on breathing well throughout the day and catch fearful circular thoughts before they run away, bringing yourself back to your breathe, you will make great gains in a short space of time.

Also if your work requires you to sit or hold static positions for long periods throughout the day, you ideally need to get up every 20mins and shake, move, bend, twist and get the circulation going. This will save many visits to therapists. 

If you need help getting started or wish to keep up effective maintenance I highly recommend integrated Bowen, fascial release, lymphatic bodywork, mobility work which incorporates the breath such as Pilates & yoga. Any bodywork or exercise therapy which incorporates a partnership between mind, body & breath. Ensuring you’re working with the nervous system, lymph, fascia, breath and you are engaging the mind to support the release.

Tension doesn’t release tension long term.  Therapists can assist and hold space, but cannot fix. You can self-heal with support  and guidance.