Forgotten Muscles Massage and Bodywork

For those of you unfamiliar with craniosacral therapy it's a light bodywork modality focusing on the restriction effecting the central nervous system- the brain and spinal cord to improve the flow of cerebralspinal fluid (the fluid that delivers nutrients and removes waste from the brain), resolve global tension patterns (your body will ALWAYS priotize your central nervous system above all else, if there are restrictions the rest of the body will form protective tension patterns to protect it), and improve overall brain and nervous system function. The version I practice and receive is from the Upledger Institute.

Everyone responds differently- I've had clients text me an hour later saying they cried for a good long while later in the day (emotional release); I've had clients who have felt nothing at all and then after sleeping they feel more relaxed in their mind and body (sleeping is when our bodies do the most repairing!); I personally used to get low grade headaches for a bit from the intercranial pressure changes because I had so much tension blocking the fluid flow out of my head; some people report more energy after and some people get really tired (means their body is doing some healing which is great!); some clients have told me they see clearer after (the nerves to the eyes pass through the sphenoid- a very important bone in craniosacral); sometimes my jaw feels a little off until it gets used to the reduced tension- anything is possible! Sometimes it takes 3 sessions to feel the cooler effects of the work as the body learns how to respond to receiving it.

Anatomy, density, shape, and organ movement (motility) are some things I look for when distinguishing organs from each other!
When I sink into the organ I feel skin, then maybe bone if I'm in the ribs, then thick denseness of muscle, then a slippery slidey layer called the periteneum that surrounds the organs allowing them to slide and glide over each other, then the organs themselves.

The sacrotuberous ligament is one of the most common things I work on in my massage practice.
Some of the the problems it can cause are:
It tightens the hamstrings that it shares an attachment with at the sit bones through their fascial connection.
It tightens the erector spinae which are muscles that run along the spine through their fascial connection.
It tightens the pelvic floor that run between the sit bones.
It tightens the jaw since the jaw mirrors the bones of the pelvic and pelvic floor.
When one is tighter it makes the hips, legs, knees, feet uneven.
It impacts the opposite shoulder through gait (opposite arm swings forward when we walk).

This video includes some concepts from the Franklin Method® Pelvic Power workshop. https://franklinmethod.com/product/pelvic-power-part-1-2-deluxe-bundle/ is great if you'd like to dive into this info more, otherwise you can wait for an in person workshop or ask me to go over the information at appointments or pilates classes! :)

The sternoclavicular joint is a joint that commonly becomes stuck and when it stops moving the glenohumeral joint (where the arm bone meets the shoulder blade) starts to compensate. This leads to angry rotator cuff muscles and bicep tendons and can make daily shoulder movements uncomfortable.
When you begin to bring movement back to the sternoclavicular joint and allow the clavicle (aka collarbone) and shoulder blade to move freely the muscles of the shoulder can move with less tension! :)
So think of your arm movements coming all the way from the sternoclavicular joint and you'll feel more power in your swings and more length when you reach for things!
This is from a larger Franklin Method® workshop if you're interested in more, this is a great webinar: https://franklinmethod.com/relaxedshoulders/
Otherwise keep an eye on Body Language Pilates (the shirt I'm reping) for when we start offering Franklin Method® workshops!

Lots of little things to do in 3 minutes, feel free to pause and spend more time on each one! I'll probably make another jaw video soon!
Make sure not to go too hard, a little pressure goes a long way! :)