Please read the below excerpts before doing the recorded class. When doing the class know that for most exercises you will do between 5-10 repetitions. Some you will know 10 is too much. For example, rolling on the hamstrings, 8-10 is good. rolling on the neck 5 is better. Please make sure you drink plenty of water after as you will be releasing toxins. Its like getting a massage.

The Foam Roller & Fascia: The amazing body and our fascia (all excerpts from Lauren Roxburgh)

“fascia is actually nothing short of critical because it helps to create  the shape of our bodies. Not only that, but fascia is the largest and richest sensory organ in the human body, which makes it essential for maintaining alignment, vitality, and function.

So, what is fascia? Basically, it’s like a very thin wet suit just under the skin that wraps around the entire body and also around each individual muscle. It keeps everything in place and connected like a matrix, includ ing our organs, muscles, tendons, ligaments, attachments to joints, and of course, our posture. It connects and separates things in the body.

By nature, fascia is malleable (although, in an unhealthy state, it becomes stagnant, rigid, and knotted up, and lacks a healthy, oxygenated blood supply). Imagine a sponge and how springy, stretchy, and resilient it is when it’s wet versus how hard, stiff, and dense it is without moisture. Juicy, thin, hydrated, and lubricated fascia (think Saran Wrap) is happy fascia…and that makes for a happier and lighter person. For better or for worse, fascia changes form based on our actions, movements, and patterns. If we repeat a certain motion over and over again, our fascia will begin to adjust its shape in a way that reflects that movement or movement pattern—think about “text neck” and how it can lead to a hunchback. Because the fascia is an interconnected web of tissue that covers the entire body, when one area of the body is misshapen or out of alignment, it naturally affects other connected areas of the body, throwing them out of alignment, too. Healthy fascia is thin, smooth, hydrated, and resilient, like plastic wrap; unhealthy[…]

How the Foam Roller Works

The roller is the best tool that allows you to independently remove the stored-up density and toxins in the tissues—and specifically, the fascia—while simultaneously hydrating the tissue with oxygenated blood and fluid. The end result is healthy, malleable tissue just waiting to be worked into tip-top shape. The roller delves into the fascia in much the same way bodywork does, flushing the toxins from the fascia; smoothing the thick, dense scar tissue; and hydrating the connective tissue to create a smoother, healthier, leaner, and more vibrant appearance. All of this also helps reformulate the structure of the muscles into a sculpted, sleeker, leaner, more malleable form. Once you’re working with this healthy, shapeable tissue, you can then use the combination of lengthening, toning moves, and the rolling fascia to create long, sinewy muscle—in other words, healthy and balanced muscle—and fascia that ultimately give your body a beautiful longer, leaner, more youthful shape.”

Excerpt From: Lauren Roxburgh. “Taller, Slimmer, Younger.” iBooks. https://books.apple.com/us/book/taller-slimmer-younger/id1035155142”

The Foam Roller, fascia & breath: Why breathing is an integral part of the foam roller fascia release.

 “We’ll start this program at the very beginning: learning how to breathe. This is essential for physical, mental, and emotional health.

Hunched, slumped, and poor posture are all often directly linked to incorrect breathing. Fully expanding and filling the lungs encourages the spine to lengthen. Try taking a deep breath and see how you naturally sit or stand taller. Awesome, right? And here’s an incredible statistic: Our bodies are designed to release 70 percent of their toxins through breath (better than a juice cleanse). I know it sounds almost too easy, but this simple tweak can actually help regulate weight, flush toxins, improve digestion, promote better sleep, and create a taller stature!

When you are breathing correctly, not only do you exercise more efficiently, but you also live more efficiently. The roller exercises today will focus on the rib cage, collarbone, chest, neck, shoulders, diaphragm, and lungs. All of this will help build a heightened awareness of your breath. It also brings awareness to your posture and any tension or blockages in the body, and expands the chest for deeper breath, decreased stress, and a calmer nervous system. By breathing more efficiently and increasing the oxygen intake, your body releases more CO2, which helps burn excess fat and regulates all of your systems. The more fat you burn, the more you slim down.”

I send you this because I want you to understand the importance of breathing in general, in life in Pilates .......but it is also really important with the fascia release. Practice your breathing and just feel some of what she describes here. It helps manage stress, release tension and toxins. Breath of life, if your not breathing your not living.😳 This will be a big focus in our class. 

Cheers,
Renee

Excerpt From Taller, Slimmer, Younger, Lauren Roxburgh
https://books.apple.com/us/book/taller-slimmer-younger/id1035155142
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