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Myofascial Release and Face Yoga – what’s it all about?

Ever heard of myofascial release? Myo what?! You may be wondering.

Imagine a yoga class, natural face lift and full body massage all in one. This is “you time” like you’ve never imagined. Bodytree Instructor, Zelmaré breaks it down.

What is Myofascia?
‘Myo’ is the shortened word for muscular tissue. ‘Fascia’ is the web of connective tissue that surrounds our muscles.

To understand how this critical tissue works, imagine an orange. The peel is your skin. Directly beneath that peel is a white, gauzelike substance that surrounds each orange wedge and ensures that the orange maintains its spherical structure. That gauzelike substance is like your fascia, a connective wrap made of gelatinesque glycoproteins that soak up water, collagen, and various other cells. Its main job is to hold your muscles, joints, tendons, and bones in place.

Fascia covers every muscle in your body, and when it tightens in the wrong places, it causes pain. You’ve felt this pain before, all those times you finished a heavy muscle workout and could barely walk upstairs, or the stabbing temple pain headache caused from sitting at your desk, staring into your laptop all day.

The tissue surrounding your muscles can bunch, wrinkle, and stretch. And when it gets injured, it rebuilds as scar tissue, with fibres in a crisscrossing pattern. Fibres in healthy muscles and fascia all run in the same direction; when they crisscross, they bunch up even more and start to tug on your joints.

What does Myofascial Release do?
Using rollers and balls, Myofascial Release helps flush toxins from our bodies, making sure our lymphatic systems are circulating. It also helps the face look more buoyant and youthful—there’s a reason it’s called “natural botox”.

Is it good for pregnant women?
It’s good for all women and even men though our new class is just for the ladies. It’s particularly good for mums-to-be because during pregnancy your body goes through constant change. Your organs must rearrange themselves to accommodate the baby. Releasing your fascia helps your organs and skin stay lubricated and flexible as your body goes through this rapid change. It’s also very relaxing as the movements are designed to stimulate the brain to release feel-good endorphins. Who doesn’t need that?

If you’d like to be calmer and more relaxed and get a bonus face lift, try out Zelmare’s new Myofascial Release class, running on Tuesday’s at 9:45am.