How Yin Yoga is sensed by the Fascial matrix
There is a remarkable communication system within us that holds us together and is a part of our connective tissue: Fascia. And we directly work with it in a Yin Yoga practice.
The biggest ‘sensory organ’ that helps you navigate through life
Fascia is this intricate web of connective tissue surrounds every muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel, and organ in your body—creating a continuous matrix that supports, connects and at the same time separates tissues/organs. Read Fascia article part I for an introduction on fascia.
Now what makes fascia truly fascinating is its role is plays as a rich sensory organ.
Fascia contains approximately six times more sensory nerve endings than muscle tissue (References below). This dense innervation comes in various forms:
Mechanoreceptors that sense pressure, stretch, and movement
Proprioceptors that tell us where our body is in space
Nociceptors that signal heat and/or pain
Interoceptors that monitor our internal state
These sensory receptors are constantly collecting information about both our external and internal environments.
What is the Relationship Between Fascia and the nervous system?
The relationship between fascia and our nervous system works in two fascinating ways:
Nerves terminating in fascia: Many sensory nerve endings have their final destination within fascial tissue (particularly in the superficial fascia). These receptors monitor tension, compression and also chemical changes in the fascia itself.
Nerves penetrating through fascia: Other nerves use fascia as a pathway as they travel through fascial tissues to reach the skin and other tissues. These nerves must navigate through the fascial network, which means fascial tension can impact nerve function.
This dual relationship creates a profound connection: fascial health directly impacts nervous system function, and nervous system activity influences the state of our fascia. Poor posture, repetitive movements, a constantly rounded back as you look into a device… all of this is sensed and answered by fascia.
When we apply gentle pressure to fascia during a Yin Yoga pose or through myofascial release techniques, we speak directly to mechanoreceptors. These live in different parts of fascia, some of them monitor rapid changes in pressure or vibration while others sense a stretch.
A sustained gentle pressure or stretch in Yin Yoga or through myofascial release techniques is sensed by so called Ruffini receptors, which have a down-regulatory effect on the sympathetic tone of your autonomic nervous system. The biological response is a switch to rest and digest state: the relaxation response kicks in.
Free Workbook: Myofascial release for Yoga
Learn about fascia and why myofascial release is a great tool to keep your tissues healthy and hydrated - and is a great combination with Yoga.
Myofascial Release as a tool to listen and interact with your fascia
Understanding fascia as a communication network transforms how we approach myofascial release techniques. Rather than thinking of it as simply "releasing stiffness or tightness" from the body, we can view it as a conscious dialogue with our body's sensory network. We explore and listen.
Here are four ways to bring this awareness into your practice:
Slow Down and Listen
Our fascia responds best to slow, sustained pressure which gives the mechanoreceptors time to register the input and begin the transduction process. Imagine you are having a conversation with your tissues.
Practice: When you roll on a myofascial/tennis ball, move at about 1/4 your usual speed. Pause at areas of tension for 30-90 seconds, breathing deeply and allowing the tissue to respond at its own pace.
Engage Your sense of Interoception
Interoception is the sense of your body’s internal state, which is largely mediated through receptors in your fascia. Using the tool of myofascial release, you can tune into the subtle sensations beneath the obvious feelings of stretch or pressure.
Practice: During a myofascial release session, notice three layers of sensation:
The surface contact (where tool meets skin)
The tissue response (stretch, release, warming)
The internal awareness (changes in… breathing, emotional shifts, energy movement?)
You are starting a conversation, listening deeply as you become present with your body and the subtle shifts and changes.
Bringing Fascia awareness into Your Yoga Practice
You can practice fascial awareness in any style of Yoga, but in particular the slow pace of Yin Yoga opens the stage for exploring this fascial-nervous system relationship. The long-held poses in Yin Yoga create the ideal conditions for mechanotransduction, while the practitioner has enough time to feel and be led into interoceptive awareness.
Now you can add the tool of myofascial release into the Yin Yoga practice to enhance the therapeutic effect on your fascial network. Another tool I like using in my classes is gentle (acupressure) massage, which is bringing the practitioner into contact with their body through healing touch, often in combination with a specific theme. Find an article on acupressure in Yin Yoga HERE.
ONLINE WORKSHOP: MYOFASCIAL RELEASE MEETS YIN YOGA
Learn about and explore Fascia and Myofascial release in combination with a Yin Yoga practice. Fascinating and inspiring!
Theory: Fascia 101 + Myofascial release
Practice: Myofascial release + Yin Yoga for lower body
Think about your daily habits
Our fascial network stores our movement history, postural patterns and also our emotional experiences. We are so used to the way we move or do things, that we don’t notice that for example we don’t notice that our one-sided carrying of our bag for years has led to a thickened fascial structure around the shoulder, which transmits up and down that track.
As we approach fascia with curiosity, we get into a dialogue with this remarkable sensory organ. Our understanding of mobility, physical freedom and also emotional release becomes embodied wisdom.
Through the integration of myofascial release into the Yin Yoga realm, we are not just addressing physical tension, we are engaging with the living record of our embodied experiences. Tapping into nervous system regulation and stress (and maybe even emotional) release is such a helpful tool in this overcrowded thinking world.
I hope this inspired you to practice Yin Yoga or myofascial release - or both in combination, my favorite practice!
Be well,
Simone
References:
Schleip, R. (2003) ‘Fascial plasticity – a new neurobiological explanation: Part 1’, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 7(1), pp. 11–19. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1360-8592(02)00067-0.
Schleip, R., Stecco, C., Driscoll, M., Huijing, PA. Fascia. The Tensional Network of the Human Body. 2nd edition. Elsevier. 2022.