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Transform any traditional stretch or active yoga pose into a myofascial release technique by following these 3 simple principles:

1. Find your Goldilocks Spot

Not too little and not too much

Never force

Position yourself so you can feel sensations in the desired body part and soften

2. Give it time, lots of time

Your tissue lets go when its a low amount of stretch and you stay for at least 5-10 minutes...sometimes more.

3. Bring presence, breath, and awareness

to the area so you can acknowledge what you feel there and soften into it.

Remember the nature of sensations is that they arise and pass.

Just as long as you are not forcing your body it's ok to soften into sensations.

A release feels like a sensation change or deeper opening into the area you're working. It could be warmth, cool, icy-hot, like air or water is flowing through the tissue, sometimes it's a little 'rippy/burny' especially if scar tissue.

Intro to Myofascial Release Home Practice

Psoas Release

Side Opener

Piriformis

Back Release

Deeper Back Release

Front of Hips Release

Chest Opener

Psoas Release with Small Ball

* Just as long as you don't have a surgical mesh holding you together* this technique is SUPER for you!

Lay on your stomach, place the ball 1-2 inches from your belly button and soften in. NEVER FORCE, allow, breathe, make noise it will be quite tight! Soften for at least 5 minutes until warmth, cool or you sink deeper. That's a release!

Chest Opener with 36 "Vertical Foam Roller

This technique helps open breathing and lung capacity significantly!

Lay on your back, with the foam roller lined up with your spine, supporting your head. Keep your knees bent for balance, turn your palms up to the ceiling and slowly move up in snow angel fashion until you feel a connection to your chest. Now focus all your attention there to breathe and feel into your ribs and all the spaces between. Soften for at least 5 minutes until warmth, cool, or your arms and chest opens more effortlessly. Nice work!

Piriformis Release with Small Ball

Lie on your back, place the ball in the middle of one of your bum cheeks. Keep knees bent and slowly allow that leg with the ball placed under your bum to butterfly open to the side. It will sink deeper into this deep muscles and tissue. Soften for at least 5 minutes until warmth, cool, or sensations pass. Excellent dedication, you!

Side Body Openers

Make sure you are very diagonal or 'kittywampus' on the bed so you don't fall off! place a pillow under your lower side, bring your arm up until you start to feel a connection and pull into your side body, ribs, torso, leg your top leg hang off the bed. Soften and relax into this big opener for at least 5 minutes until warmth, cool or your arm or leg effortlessly drop down more. Whew! Feel your length and height after this!

Sacrum Lift & Spine Opener

Place a more firm ball or foam roller horizontally (perpendicular to your spine) and lift your knees to 90 degrees. Push the foam roller towards your bottom and lift your arms above your head to feel that traction or pull from tail to top of your head. Soften for at least 5 minutes until warmth, cool or a deep easy breath or sigh moves through you. Still getting taller! Nice showing up for yourself!

"Hip Muscle Energies"

Just like a drawer can get jammed our joints can too! So push those 'drawers' back in for a few seconds and then pull them out to see if they will align and glide a little better!

Lying on your back, start by tick-tocking your tailbone side to side by reaching one leg longer than the other. Hold for 5 seconds each. Then bend both knees place right foot on top of left thigh like you're going to step on it. Resist being stepped on by pulling your left thigh up to meet that force. This works to loosen and free the rotation of your hips. Repeat 3x on each side, 5 seconds each. Then end with an adductor squeeze. Turn up the dial of squeezing a foam block or foam roller between your knees. Celebrate clicks, clunks, and gentle pops. Your pelvis is coming into alignment! At first it feels 'very unnatural' because you've gotten used to being so out of alignment. Now get out for a nice arm-swinging walk! Move your cerebral spinal fluid easily through your center!