At Body Re-Balance, the nervous system is always addressed first in order to allow better body awareness, learning, and carry over to maintain the gains made in treatment. Traumas and injuries can leave lingering effects on the body’s tissues and lasting overstimulation of the autonomic nervous system. Restrictions and tensions can effect the way the body heals or fails to heal leaving a sequelae of related compensations and faulty movement patterns. Restrictions and congestion in joints and tissues can be gently released with manual techniques that will also calm and down-regulate any overactivation of the autonomic nervous system which occurs with injury, trauma, repetitive stress and faulty breathing patterns.

Releasing the tissues also includes addressing restrictions found in lines of fascia in and through the body. Fascia is of primary concern, as it creates a continuous connected network of hydrating, shock absorbing tissue throughout the body that must allow all structures (bones, joints, muscles, nerves, spinal cord, organs, blood and lymph vessels) to slide, glide, roll, lengthen, compress and decompress.

Fascia should be released without inducing pain which further over stimulates the autonomic nervous system creating a rebound effect (often seen after overly aggressive tissue work). If the body is caught in this type of feedback loop, it can not heal properly and compensations will ensue. Releasing the tissues will allow the brain and the body to re-establish appropriate communication in order to prepare for re-education and normalization of movement patterns

As the tissues are released the aim is to develop a keener sense of body awareness that allows the body to move efficiently, safely and with appropriate core stability. The foundation of core stability begins with restoring correct breathing mechanics, which also enhances the calming effect of the parasympathetic nervous system. Once correct breathing, movement patterns and postures are restored, optimal strengthening can begin.

Athletes are especially surprised at the enhancement in their performance when breathing is optimized. Sports naturally lend the body to imbalance, so synergetic and opposing muscle groups need to be re-balanced with corrective exercises. Without this neurological re-education, strength can not be balanced or maximized and the body is set up for insult, injury, and often long-standing compensations creating pain distal to the origin of the problem

Once the re-education is underway, the client needs to continue to follow through with progressively more challenging exercises that will restore the hard-wired movement patterns we naturally used as an infant when we had to learn how to roll, sit, crawl, stand and eventually walk.

All efficient and stable movement patterns were predicated on moving through this hard-wired progression and should not be ‘lost’ as we age. Luckily, with practice and awareness this can all be restored and re-balanced, regardless of age.