Marcin Kus - Inner Bodywork, The Old Surgery, , , 5 Tufnell Gardens (2026)

08/05/2026

What I have been trying to communicate since I started this path of working with the body and with another human being - and what I continue to observe, read and experience - namely calm touch, slower pace of work, safety, not forcing tissues and the self-regulation of the person working with someone during a session, is becoming more and more supported by research related to the nervous system, co-regulation and the therapeutic relationship.

Research shows that the level of activation and the state of the therapist’s nervous system have a direct effect on the client, because both nervous systems influence each other.

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for mobilisation of the body.
It is what activates the fight or flight response.
It increases heart rate, muscle tension, raises the level of activation and prepares the body for action, defence or quick reaction. In other words, whenever the nervous system, through the senses, detects a lack of safety.

The parasympathetic nervous system works in the opposite way.
It is responsible for recovery, rest, digestion and returning the body to balance. This happens when we observe and perceive a safe environment.

It is thanks to the parasympathetic system that breathing slows down, the heart starts beating more calmly, the body releases tension and the organism can regenerate.

One of the main nerves connected to the parasympathetic nervous system is the vagus nerve, which I wrote about here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CJctWKiMv/

More and more research also points to the fact that the client’s nervous system responds not only to the technique itself, but also to the state of the person providing the therapy.

The pace of movement, tone of voice, quality of touch, presence, predictability of contact and the therapist’s level of activation all influence how the other person’s body perceives the situation.

The nervous system is constantly scanning the environment for signals of safety or threat.

If the therapist is calm, stable and does not work aggressively, the client’s body can gradually lower its level of activation.

Breathing begins to deepen, muscles stop maintaining such a high level of tension and the body starts lowering its state of readiness and protective tension.

Research is also increasingly referring to HRV, meaning heart rate variability.

This is one of the more important indicators showing how flexibly the nervous system can shift between activation and recovery.

Higher HRV is generally associated with a better ability to regulate, adapt and return to balance after stress.

That is why in bodywork it is not only the technique itself that matters.

Equally important are the pace of the work, the quality of contact and whether the body receives signals that it no longer needs to defend itself.

Work performed aggressively, mechanically and with forceful pressure on tissues often increases the body’s defensive response.

The body may perceive this as another stress stimulus.

That is why calm, precise work and gradually entering tense areas instead of “attacking” them with force is so important.

This is when the body is more likely to begin releasing tension naturally rather than through pressure.

And more and more evidence suggests that it is not only about the tissues themselves, but also about the state of the nervous system and the sense of safety the body experiences during contact.

—

Sessions available in Derby from Monday to Saturday

College Business Centre
Uttoxeter New Road
Derby DE22 3WZ
Room 26

If you have any questions or would like to book a session, feel free to send me a message.

05/05/2026

Rest is the foundation of wellbeing.

In today’s world, we live in a constant rush.
Action, responsibilities, ongoing projects at home and at work.
On top of that, there is the constant presence of social media, which pulls our attention away from ourselves.
Mass media, through news, often directs it towards events that trigger fear, tension or frustration - both global and local.
This has a strong impact on our mental state.

And the mental state affects the whole body...

It puts us into a state of threat through hormonal responses and changes in body chemistry.
The nervous system reacts by shifting into a "fight or flight" mode.
In this state, there is a higher level of activation, linked to hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.
The body stays ready for action.
Readiness means muscle tension - preparation to respond, move, defend or escape.
The nervous system does not clearly distinguish between a real threat, like a tiger hiding in the bushes, and everyday stress.
The physiological response is very similar.
If this state continues for a long time and there is no space to return to a lower level of activation, a state where the body can recover, it begins to feel normal.
It becomes a new baseline.

That is why it is so important to allow yourself to pause, rest and recover.
Even something simple like a daily walk, stepping away from stimulation, or taking time to relax.
And to learn how to respond to situations that create tension.

Working with the body can support this process. But if there is no space for rest in daily life,sooner or later the tension will return.

Because we return to the same conditions and the same patterns of response.

02/05/2026

Każda sesja daje mi nowe obserwacje i doświadczenia. Uczy i wzbudza szacunek do ludzkiego ciała. Bo pokazuje historie zapisane w ciele.
Obserwuję, jak ciało odpuszcza a układ nerwowy zmienia stare wzorce i buduje nowe.
Często widzę to w trakcie pracy.
Gdy zatrzymuję się w miejscu i pod skórą coś się porusza, zmienia, tkanki się przemieszczają wracając do stanu, ktory powinien być naturalny, już nie w stanie ochrony, napięcia, trybie walki. Ciało jakby głębiej opadało na stół, w rozluźnieniu, z wydechem które rozluźnia i puszcza.
Czasem pokazują się łzy...
Bo stan walki, ucieczki, zagrożenia - choć już dawno minął - w ciele był latami nie pozwalając poczuć odprężenie i uczucie spokoju, bezpieczeństwa. Uczę się po każdej takiej sesji.
I dziękuję wszystkim którzy mi zaufali i pozwolili sobie na zmianę tego.

01/05/2026

A case of a client dealing with shoulder pain.

There was a significant restriction in arm movement.
Lifting the arm caused pain and was only possible up to head level.
This also created noticeable stress, as it affected daily comfort and made work difficult.
No clear injury, and the pain appeared after a gym session.
During the one-hour session, the work was not focused only on the arm, but also on the back and chest.
The arm does not function in isolation.
It is connected to the shoulder blade, which works together with the spine, ribs and chest.
These areas are linked through tissues that transfer tension and influence movement and range.
If there is restriction in any of these areas, the shoulder often takes on that load.
After that session, the pain was gone.
The arm regained almost full range of motion and could be lifted nearly the same as the other side.
A follow-up session was done a week later to stabilise the result.

This shows how effective myofascial work can be and that the body does not function as separate parts.
It works as a connected system.

This applies to everything.
Knee pain can be linked to the foot, hip or tension along the back of the body.
Lower back issues often connect with the hips and chest.
Neck tension can relate to the position of the shoulders, chest and even the pelvis.
The body works as one system.

Clinic: Old Surgery, Derby, Mackworth- Saturdays 9:00–19:00
Mobile sessions during the week
From mid-May, sessions will also be available during the week in a new treatment room.

If this sounds familiar, send me a message

22/04/2026

Something is changing☝️

From May 11th I’ll be moving into a new treatment space - one day before my birthday, which feels like a meaningful shift😀

Sessions will now be available throughout the week, not just Saturdays.
More availability. More flexibility.
And more space to work with the body properly, without rushing.

If you have any questions, or you’d like to book a session on one of the weekdays (Monday–Saturday), feel free to message me.

12/04/2026

Ważny obszar w ciele☝️
I niewielu zdaje sobie z tego sprawę. Natomist wielu przychodzi i mówi, że napięcie nie jest już w jednym miejscu.
Czuje je w całym ciele. Plecach, głowie, barkach, ramionach czy klatce piersiowej. Czują trudność z wzięciem pełnego oddechu,. trudność z pełnym rozluźnieniem..
Jest jedno miejsce, które bardzo często ma z tym związek, właśnie ten niewielki obszar w ciele - tuż pod potylicą.

Znajdują się tam małe mięśnie, które mają bezpośrednie połączenie z oponą twardą, czyli strukturą otaczającą mózg i rdzeń kręgowy.
Górna część szyi jest dlatego bardzo wrażliwa, bo to jedno z najbardziej „naszpikowanych” czuciem miejsc w ciele. Małe mięśnie podpotyliczne cały czas zbierają informacje o ustawieniu głowy i pozycji ciała, działając jak system orientacji. Ten obszar leży bardzo blisko struktur odpowiedzialnych za równowagę i podstawowe funkcje organizmu, dlatego nawet niewielkie zmiany są tam odczuwane mocniej niż gdzie indziej.

Współpracuje też z oczami, może pogorszyć się wzrok, układem równowagi, więc kiedy coś się tam napina, mogą pojawić się zawroty, uczucie niestabilności albo dziwne odczucia w głowie. To również miejsce, które łatwo przejmuje napięcie z codziennego życia: długie siedzenie, stres, ciągłe skupienie, brak odpoczynku.
Ciało zbiera to napięcie właśnie tam, bo ten obszar chroni coś bardzo ważnego - mózg i rdzeń.
Jeśli system czuje przeciążenie albo brak bezpieczeństwa, zaczyna usztywniać tę okolicę, żeby utrzymać kontrolę i stabilność, a z czasem to napięcie przestaje znikać, zostaje na stałe i zaczyna wpływać na całe ciało.

To połączenie nazywa się mostem mięśniowo-oponowym.
To oznacza, że napięcie w tym miejscu nie zostaje tylko lokalnie, jak napisałem wyżej może wpływać na całe ciało. Na kręgosłup, oddech, na to czy ciało potrafi się wyciszyć.
Jeśli tam jest napięcie, ciało często pozostaje w trybie czuwania.
Nawet kiedy leżysz i odpoczywasz, coś dalej trzyma.
W pracy z tym obszarem nie chodzi o szybkie rozluźnianie ani o mocne uciskanie.
To nie jest miejsce, które dobrze reaguje na siłę.
Pracuję spokojnie, powoli i precyzyjnie.
Zaczynam lekko, pozwalam ciału przyzwyczaić się do kontaktu.
Potem powoli przesuwam palce wzdłuż mięśni, wchodząc stopniowo głębiej - na tyle, na ile ciało na to pozwala.
Bez pośpiechu czy forsowania.
Z zewnątrz wygląda to bardzo prosto.
Głowa oparta na dłoniach, niewielki ruch. Ale w środku zaczyna się zmiana.
Oddech zaczyna się pogłębiać sam a ciało przestaje się tak mocno trzymać.
Napięcie puszcza nie tylko w szyi, ale też w plecach, w klatce, czasem w całym ciele.
To nie jest praca na jednym miejscu. To zmiana w całym układzie.
Na sesji zawsze zwracam uwagę na ten obszar, nawet jeśli ktoś nie zgłasza tam napięcia.
Bo bardzo często to właśnie stąd zaczyna się zmiana w reszcie ciała.

Przyjmuję w Derby w Old Surgery w soboty 9.00-19.00 oraz w ciągu tygodnia mobilnie.

Jeśli czujesz, że Twoje ciało cały czas jest napięte i trudno mu odpuścić, odezwij się.

03/04/2026

More and more often men come to me and say they don’t really know what’s going on, but everything hurts. The back, the neck, the hips, sometimes the whole body. And very often there isn’t one clear cause behind it, but long-term overwork, tension linked to responsibility, and constant thinking about how to provide, stay stable and keep things together. Months or years of living in that mode. On top of that, there’s a pattern of holding everything in and just enduring it all. The body does exactly the same...

It holds.

Until eventually it starts responding with pain, stiffness and a level of fatigue that sleep doesn’t fix.
Most people try to do even more at that point. More movement, more effort, more bracing. It might help for a moment, but it doesn’t change the state the body is in.

My work is not about working on the spot that hurts. I work with how the whole body holds tension and why it can’t let go. When that starts to change, the body is no longer constantly in tension or readiness, movement comes back, and the tension doesn’t immediately rebuild after you leave the session.

If you feel like your body is constantly tense and nothing brings a lasting change, send me a message. We can see if this is the right moment to work on it.

30/03/2026

What exactly do I do?

Perhaps many of you see my work as massage.
I tend to avoid calling it massage, because I see it as something different.
I think of this work as supporting the regulation of the nervous system. The nervous system largely regulates tension in the body, and fascia and tissues adapt to that tension over time.
Fascia is highly innervated. It has many functions in the body. It contains a large number of receptors that send information to the nervous system about what is happening in the body -both from the outside and from within.
These signals influence the state of the nervous system, and that in turn affects how we feel, our emotional state and the level of tension in the body. It works both ways.

This is what I focus on and work with.

The nervous system shapes our behaviour and regulates tension in the body, and the fascia and tissues gradually adapt to that tension.
If something lasts too long, tension builds up to increase stability and protect the body from further overload.

Tension is not always a bad thing.
It is often a result of the body trying to protect us.

Ongoing stress, difficult emotions and situations that affect us over a long period of time can lead the nervous system to adapt and create protective patterns.
This is why we often see raised shoulders, a collapsed chest, rounded posture - as if the body is slightly closing in on itself.
And importantly, this does not have to be a real threat. The nervous system also responds to what it perceives as stressful or uncertain.

This can be worked with by supporting the nervous system in a calm and safe environment. Over time, the body begins to receive signals that it no longer needs to hold on to these old patterns.
After sessions, clients often share that they feel more connected to their body, move more freely, feel calmer and more relaxed, sometimes experience a boost in energy, and notice a greater sense of clarity in how they feel and perceive things.

✨️

I work at Old Surgery in Derby on Saturdays between 9:00am and 7:00pm.
If you have any questions or would like to book a session, feel free to send me a private message.

29/03/2026

If your body feels tight, heavy or restricted, you don’t have to live like that.
I work with people who experience chronic tension, pain and stress-related stiffness using myofascial therapy that supports both the tissues and the nervous system.
These restrictions and tension often build up over time due to ongoing stress, pressure, physical overload, long working hours or constantly being in a state of tension.

It also happens that emotions which are held in and not expressed over time can contribute to this tension and keep the body in a constant state of stress and reduced wellbeing. During sessions, these emotions can sometimes surface and release, and people often feel a deep sense of relief afterwards.

This work helps the body release long-held tension patterns, increase range of motion and restore natural, lighter movement.
Many clients share with me that they notice easier breathing, lighter movement, greater range of motion, less pain or sometimes pain disappearing completely, deeper relaxation.

Clinic: Old Surgery, Derby, Mackworth - Saturdays 9.00am - 19pm
Mobile sessions available during the week.

If you’d like to check availability, feel free to message me.

23/03/2026

Something many people notice after sessions surprised me when I first started this work.
It’s something I now hear again and again.

Breathing becomes deeper and more natural.
The body stops feeling so heavy and tense.
Tension that was constantly in the background starts to ease.
The mind becomes quieter and sleep often improves.

But it’s not the same for everyone.
For some people there is a noticeable boost in energy, as if something has opened up in the body.
For others there is a deep sense of relaxation and a need to slow down.

This doesn’t happen by accident.
Fascia is one of the most richly innervated tissues in the body and constantly sends information to the nervous system.
When tension is present for a long time, the nervous system starts to treat it as normal and keeps the body in a state of readiness.
During myofascial work and breath awareness, that signal begins to change.
The body receives a different message -it no longer needs to stay on guard all the time.
Breathing naturally deepens.
Shoulders begin to drop.
The body either settles into calm or returns to energy - depending on what it needs most.
That’s why the changes are often felt not just in one area, but across the whole body and overall state.

Old Surgery, Derby, Mackworth - Saturdays 9am–7pm
Mobile sessions Monday–Friday

If your body has been holding tension for a long time, send me a message and we’ll see what’s behind it.

18/03/2026

Many people live with tension in their body for years.
Neck pain.
Lower back stiffness.
Tight shoulders that never really relax...

At some point it becomes normal, until the body finally experiences what real relaxation feels like again.

During myofascial sessions I often see something interesting happen.
Breathing becomes deeper.
Muscles soften under the hands.
The body shifts from protection into regulation.
People often describe it afterwards as something finally let go.

When the nervous system no longer needs to hold tension, the body can start resetting those long-held patterns.

Old Surgery, Derby — Saturdays 9am–7pm
Mobile sessions Monday–Friday

If you’d like to check availability, feel free to send a message.

Marcin Kus - Inner Bodywork

08/05/2026

05/05/2026

02/05/2026

01/05/2026

22/04/2026

12/04/2026

03/04/2026

30/03/2026

29/03/2026

23/03/2026

18/03/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share