The Series of Ponds that make-up your Body
As a therapeutic based massage therapist, I enjoy and think it highly important to teach my clients about their bodies for better understanding and healing. One of the first things I would try to describe is Connective Tissue and Congestion, or dis-ease.
Although I came up with many metaphors, the example I probably most often used came to mind when thinking about the pond and stream I grew up near (The Beaver Pond).
Think of a pond and stream that has been damned up by the local wildlife (beavers) at the beginning of spring. At first it starts off clean, clear, and beautifully refreshed from its winter hibernation. Within the course of the first few weeks, or sooner if there is no rain to break up the stagnation, one can start to see pockets of muck on the surface of the pond. In a few more weeks there are more pockets as well as sludge building in between. Over the next few to several weeks, the pond scum grows and, without intervention (natural or otherwise), the pond sludge overtakes the entire surface of what was once a beautifully clear surface.
Now, as always, there are pros and cons to everything and that includes a pond/stream being damned, as well as the metaphor in which it represents — the health of the tissues within our bodies.
First of all, our connective tissue is a part of everything in our body. From surrounding individual muscle fibers and entire groups of muscles (also known as fascia), to our organs, blood vessels, skin, etc. providing connection and protection in, of, and for the body. (So much great information to share but only so much time/space ;p).
The connective tissue in many areas of the body should be able to flow smoothly over or along with one another like buttered pasta rather than glued together pasta.
(Think of a trigger point, aka knot or pressure point, like pasta that sticks together as it boils -hard to separate)
Second of all, what do I mean by congestion in the body? It can feel differently in the tissues of the various areas of the body, but overall what I mean is a build up that is kind of like inflammation buuuut different.
It’s as if the body’s filtration system (or lymphatic -kind of the clean-up system) isn’t working well enough or is overloaded, and so remnants of damage, inflammation, waste, etc. are left behind and are blocking the proper flow.
I don’t mean edema, but rather more of a density of the tissue that can be palpated. There are many variations of this; however, perhaps the ‘easiest’ to explain is the congestion that builds between muscle fibers (or groups of muscles) and their connective tissue(s) that starts to bind them together.
Now, to explain our pond metaphor. The first pockets of muck are often irritation or build-up (congestion) within certain areas of the body -it could be within a specific muscle (or fiber) or surrounding a specific joint. It can happen within the fascia (connective tissue), muscle(s), or other areas -joints, organs, etc.
To keep it simple we will stick to the soft tissues (muscles and fascia mostly).
This can happen for any number of reasons -postural/work/sleep habits, movement patterns, repetitive/overuse and/or strain, injury, trauma, poor water intake, and I also believe poor nutrition self-care, and inefficient waste elimination.
Over time, and as the body communicates, these sometimes insignificant ‘blockages’ start to communicate to other parts of the body (near and far) creating more and more until the ‘surface of your pond’ is full of congestion, trigger points, adhesions, and all sorts of various types of pond scum.
Just as with the pond, dis-ease and disfunction in the body can start small, but over time and without intervention can take over the entire organism…
There are positive benefits to damming a stream, in fact modern agriculture would be lost without creating new pathways to arid land… Our bodies are even more amazing in so many ways, as well as forgiving and resilient (so much so that it is nearly impossible to be able to ‘fully’ explain in one article -if ever).
Merely one of the ways our bodies are so incredible is through creating easier and quicker passageways. I am sure many of you have learned that as our minds learn something and we ‘get better’ at it, it becomes easier and often times quicker because the brain develops ‘shortcuts,’ or even eliminates ‘unnecessary’ pathways; well, our physical bodies do the same thing…
For example, if a runner does not ‘properly’ cross train and always moves his/her body in the same way, the body can start to group multiple muscles together in order to become ‘better’ at what is most used for — which can be great; however, it can also limit how those muscles and the body functions within it/themself(ves) as well as with other parts/muscles/aspects/movements of the body — creating possible disfunction through imbalance…
There are pros and cons to every natural action. The goal is balance.
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As much as I love beavers and their many wonderful contributions, this is a great example that displays how imbalance in/of the body (mentally, emotionally, spiritually, energetically, and physically) can effect the health, quality, vitality, and vibrancy throughout the body.
How that imbalance can easily be transferred to other parts of the body far or near the original ‘displacement’ of balance.
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