The Often Forgotten Component Of A Mother’s Well-Being

My lifelong interest in dance and movement set the stage for a major perspective shift when I became a mother. Motherhood helped me find new context and value for the practices that I loved but that sometimes mentally caused me harm. I’ve struggled with body image and eating disorders for much of my life, so I worried about what pregnancy and changes to my body might trigger. However, the nine months of pregnancy provided ample time to process these concerns. It was a period of learning to surrender—a great preparation for parenting. It was also a process of shedding a past identity rooted in appearance and youth. I’ve always wanted to be a mother and was curious about the experience of pregnancy. I learn best through experience, and honestly, one reason I wanted to be pregnant was to understand that phase of life better so I could support other women through it. After having my daughter, my interest in movement deepened, shifting from a performance and judgmental perspective to one appreciating the incredible natural processes of the body. Watching her movement development was fascinating. I often got on the floor to mimic her movements, which was both fun and eye-opening. It reinforced my burgeoning belief that we can trust our bodies and follow our movement impulses. Our bodies are always working to heal and create harmony. Dis-ease often arises from imbalance, so I learned to support my body lovingly and allow my daughter to claim the same for herself.

You can think of fascia as the scaffolding for everything else in your body. It is an incredibly intricate, web-like structure that has been present and forming since your earliest moments in life. It is so ubiquitous that if you removed all other elements of your body, including muscle and bone, and left only the fascia, you would have a recognizable (albeit ghostlike) form of your body. Fascia serves multiple crucial roles in your body. When it comes to our form and structure, the fascia holds the shape of your organs, capillaries, tendons, the folds of your brain, and so much more. The fascia is also piezoelectric, which means it conducts energy. Some practitioners believe this network allows the body to communicate with itself in an organized way. In many modalities, the body is organized by energy channels, also called meridians in Chinese medicine. In my work, we can work with the fascia of the meridians to improve energy flow to the body.  Then there’s the fascia’s contribution to energy efficiency. Fascia creates your structure, so when at rest and not engaging your muscles, your body takes the shape of your fascia. This can be helpful, but when out of balance, it can lead to challenges. For example, “modern pelvis syndrome”—the tilt of our pelvis due to tight hip flexors from sitting a lot—can be harder to address because the fascia has accumulated to support your sitting posture. Also, scar tissue is considered by some practitioners to be a form of fascia. It stabilizes a vulnerable area until it heals, but scar tissue is denser and less elastic than muscle or thinner fascia. This can limit range of motion and sensation, and create tension pulls that take the body out of balance.

Pregnancy and childbirth are huge events for the body! Here are some ways they may impact the fascia: Change in Hormones: Hormonal changes as the body prepares for childbirth can lead to increased laxity in the fascia. Traditional passive stretching can lead to overstretching, making tendons and ligaments feel unstable or creating imbalances in the body’s structure, especially for those prone to hypermobility. I favor fascial re-tuning because it encourages both muscle strengthening and re-hydrating the fascial tissues. Change in Structure and Balance: As the body grows a baby, it must adjust in alignment and support the new weight. Generally, as the baby grows, it creates tension that pulls the lower back into hyperextension and tilts the pelvis forward. The entire spine may adjust, and the arches of the feet may drop. Finding ways to support this new alignment is useful to help avoid pain and discomfort. Scar Tissue: Whether from needing stitches or recovering from a c-section, scar tissue may form during the healing process. This can lead to pelvic floor tightness, lack of sensation in the lower abdomen, or tightness in the hips and lower back. Fascial re-tuning can help break up scar tissue, even in deeper layers, rehydrate and reorganize it, and encourage healthier movement patterns.

The first thing that comes to mind is Diastasis Recti. This condition occurs when the fascia of the rectus abdominis begins to separate during pregnancy. While it’s not advised to fix it during pregnancy due to the growing belly, you can support your abdominals to help with back pain. Postpartum, engaging your abdominal muscles properly through breathing exercises is a great start. Once cleared for exercise, fascial re-tuning movements for hip flexors and core muscles can help balance and strengthen the fascia. Scar tissue from C-section is another fascia-related occurance. Scar tissue can form around the incision area, leading to tightness and restricted movement. Gentle massage and fascial re-tuning can help break up and rehydrate the scar tissue, promoting flexibility and reducing discomfort. Another issue that can present during pregnancy is lower back pain. Many women experience lower back pain around the sacroiliac joint during pregnancy and postpartum. The bones of the pelvis loosen to support childbirth, which can lead to subtle misalignments. A sacral set, which can be done alone or with the help of a partner, can provide significant relief. By incorporating these practices, new mothers and mothers-to-be can support their fascia and promote restoration and overall well-being.

Press Spleen 6: Breastfeeding mothers often deplete their yin stores. Pressing Spleen 6 is beneficial postpartum as it supports yin energy, hormones, brain clarity, and overall balance. This point is also helpful around your cycle time. Fascial Re-Tuning for Pectoral Muscles: Breastfeeding can lead to a hunched posture and tightness in the chest. A fascial re-tuning move for the pec muscles is an excellent remedy. You can perform this on a stack of blocks or in a door frame. When working with your fascia, remember to keep the stretch active by resisting while lengthening. Check out this video.

The Road is my dream location. The curated and calming facilities make clients feel more relaxed the moment they walk through the door, instantly calming their nervous systems.  Upstairs at Desert Canary—The Road’s sister location—you can enjoy acupuncture, herbal remedies, lymphatic drainage, and all the holistic support you need. The experience at The Road is unparalleled. Brooke and Margaret, skilled acupuncturists with expertise in skincare and facial sculpting techniques, treat the face and the whole body, mind, and spirit. You can receive comprehensive treatment from the inside out, enhancing your overall well-being and achieving a lasting glow-up that lifts your mood and makes you feel gorgeous. I am honored to work with and learn from such knowledgeable and skillful healers that keep my own practice sharp. I love collaborating with the practitioners. We often share clients—I refer my clients for additional support, and they send clients my way for major fascial imbalances. Releasing the fascia helps the energy flow, making acupuncture treatments more potent. We are all a team!

Absolutely. Many believe (myself included) that trauma is stored in the fascia and it releases in all sorts of ways, including emotional and physical. When we make a significant shift in your physical structure, it can be disorienting—even relief can be disorienting if someone has lived with chronic tension for years. I think another surprising effect is actually how quickly we can make shifts when working with the fascia. I am still surprised (and delighted) when a client comes in with a physical issue they’ve had for years, sometimes decades, and the pain goes away within our first session. In my work, I always leave room for emotions and experiences that are difficult to explain with words. I aim to allow the body to speak. This perspective is one reason I named my business The Listening Movement. Our bodies have much to express, and we are often conditioned to act from a place of intellect first. Over nearly two decades of practicing, I’ve experienced profound insights from listening first. Listening with curiosity, without a need to fix, and allowing others to be heard. There is tremendous power in feeling heard, and it can be transformative to provide that space for our bodies.

A friend gave me this advice when my daughter was young, and I have never forgotten it. There will be endless amounts of advice, techniques, and approaches to parenting. It can be overwhelming, and if you’re a perfectionist like me, you probably feel great pressure to make the right decisions.But you can find grace in knowing that we are each a living process. If you make a choice and it’s not going the way you’d hoped, you can change course. Your child will adjust, and you can change your mind. Embrace that it is a process.