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For as long as I can remember, I have had tight muscles and body aches and pains. Early in my 20s, I began practicing yoga to address the pain in my body. I am now a seasoned yoga practitioner. While yoga has tremendously helped my pain and keeps me coming back to the mat, I still struggle with the pain and tension. At one point in my yoga practice with one of my teachers, I was discussing the tension in my body. He said to me, “It could be your fascia.” The first thought through my head was, “What the heck is fascia?” Well, turns out, it could be the missing link to tension, body aches and pains as well as a whole host of other problems.
What is fascia?
Fascia is a system of connective tissue that is beneath the skin. It’s a vast network of connective tissue that sheaths every muscle, bone, organ, nerve, and even blood vessel in your body (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Imagine a web-like structure beneath your skin that both connects and separates structures, giving your body its shape and helping everything glide smoothly as you move. Fascia connects every muscle, organ, and cell in your body as well as your skin to the tissue beneath it. It helps separate muscles and other internal organs (Jaspers, 2012). Fascia supports proper function of your body by reducing friction between different structures.
Healthy fascia is flexible, slippery, and supportive. It plays a crucial role in reducing friction and allowing muscles and organs to move efficiently. When healthy, fascia supports proper alignment, helps with posture, and assists in transmitting force throughout the body. When your fascia is healthy, healing happens naturally (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).
What Happens When Fascia is Unhealthy
The trouble starts when fascia becomes restricted, dehydrated, or injured. Tight fascia can manifest as pain, stiffness, reduced mobility, and even contribute to chronic conditions like myofascial pain syndrome (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).
Peter Levine’s work (1997) and other somatic approaches to healing trauma and personal growth emphasizes the idea that the “issues are in the tissues.” The idea is that stress, fear, repressed emotions, and trauma can get “stuck” or “stagnant” in the body. This creates a tension that can over time become difficult to release and leads to physical pain. Supporting and releasing your fascia then is thought to help communicate to your nervous system that it’s safe to relax and to release that tension.
How Can You Support Healthy Fascia?
The good news is that fascia is highly adaptable. As a school psychologist and Reiki practitioner, I’ve seen firsthand how deeply our minds and bodies are connected. Plus, having dealt with tight fascia myself, I’ve had the opportunity to try different techniques. While not medical advice, here are some things that I have tried that I have found beneficial in alleviating the pain I experience:
1. Regular Movement & Stretching:
Any movement—yoga, walking, dancing—keeps fascia hydrated and elastic. Yoga, in particular, encourages varied movement patterns and long holds, which hydrate and stretch fascia (Cleveland Clinic, 2022.). As I mentioned, I have found yoga particularly helpful in releasing the tension in my body.
2. Myofascial Release Techniques:
Manual therapy, such as massage and foam rolling, can break up adhesions and help rehydrate stuck tissues. Research has shown that myofascial release can reduce pain and improve function for many people (Ajimsha et al., 2015). Some of the yoga classes I have taken have incorporated this technique. I always find that I feel my muscles less sore and my stress reduced after doing this.
3. Hydration:
Fascia needs water to stay slippery. Drink plenty of fluids, and remember that movement distributes hydration throughout your connective tissues (Appleton, 2024). This is one of those that is often heard and easily brushed off. I know I did. Once I talked to my doctor about my water intake, I realized I was not drinking near enough and a dedicated effort to increase it helped me feel overall better.
4. Somatic & Breathwork Practices:
Somatic experiencing, mindfulness movement, and even deep breathing techniques are thought to help release tension stored in the fascia by calming the nervous system (Levine, 1997). I’ve talked about these techniques and my experiences with them in my previous posts, Simple Breathing Practices to Manage Stress and Overwhelm and Navigating Loss: My Resources for Moving Through Grief. Please see these posts for more information.
5. Essential Oils and Massage:
Massage can be beneficial in releasing fascia (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Some people find that massaging areas of tension with specific essential oil blends, like Vibrant Blue Oils: Fascia Release, can increase the effects of manual therapy and help support emotional release. Vibrant Blue Oils: Fascia Release helps release emotional stress and energetic blockages. It can help release tension, reduce pain, and improve circulation (Vibrant Blue Oils, n.d.). This is a beautifully smelling essential oil blend with prominent notes of rose, geranium, and lavender. Just smelling it out of the bottle helps me feel more relaxed and calm. Applying it topically to areas that are tight in my body like my neck and shoulders quickly eases my tension and stress.
In addition, stress management techniques are an important part to both mental and physical health. Stress can have negative effects on a number of systems in your body (American Psychological Association, 2018; Pietrangelo, 2025). Please see my post on Mindfulness: A Simple Practice for a Healthier, Happier Life to learn how mindfulness can help reduce stress and pain. If you find that stress is negatively impacting your life, consider talking to a therapist to gain additional stress management techniques.
Key Takeaway:
If you’re experiencing chronic tension, pain, or restricted mobility even after stretching and strengthening, it might be time to pay attention to your fascia. Supporting your fascia is a holistic process that includes movement, self-care, stress reduction, and, if needed, hands-on treatment.
As always, consult with a health professional before starting any new wellness practice, especially if you have a medical condition.
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This post as well as products or services listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information in this article is intended purely as personal recommendations and is not to be interpreted as an attempt to prescribe or practice medicine.
References
Ajimsha, M. S., Al-Mudahka, N. R., & Al-Madzhar, J. A. (2015). Effectiveness of myofascial release: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 19(1), 102-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2014.06.001
American Psychological Association. (2018, November 1). Stress effects on the body. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body
Appleton, T. (2014, October 25).Why fascia hydration is the key to relieving pain, aches, and stiffness–especially for women. Women’s Health. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a62681820/what-is-fascia-hydration/
Cleveland Clinic. (June 14, 2022). Fascia. Retrieved July 18, 2025 from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23251-fascia
Vibrant Blue Oils. (n.d.). Use Sheet: Fascia Release. https://shop.vibrantblueoils.com/usesheets/
Fascia Research Society. (n.d.). About Fascia. https://fasciaresearchsociety.org/about_fascia.php
Jaspers, R. (2012). Fascia: The tensional network of the human body: The science and clinical applications in manual and movement therapy. Churchill Livingstone.
Levine, P.A., Frederick, A. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma. North Atlantic Books.
Pietrangelo, A., (2025, July 1). The effects of stress on your body. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/effects-on-body
