Metta Massage

05/26/2025

Your fascia is always listening.
To how safe you feel.
To how much stress you’re under. Physically and emotionally.

Fascia isn’t just structural.
It’s sensory.
It’s responsive.
It’s constantly adapting to what your nervous system perceives as safe… or not.

That’s why fascia increases in tension and restriction under chronic stress.
It braces when startled.
And it softens only when it senses it is safe to do so.

So when we try to “break it up” or “go deep” in massage & bodywork without respect for what it’s responding to, we often miss the point.

Fascia isn’t something to push through or “break up.”
It’s something to listen to.

And what helps it shift isn’t more intensity.
It’s regulation.

The more safety your system feels, the more capacity your fascia has to change.

At Metta Massage, I take a fascia-focused approach that understands this relationship.
It’s not about overpowering the body. It’s about communicating with it, clearly and respectfully.

Try bodywork from a whole new perspective.

Via ~Sarga Bodywork

03/17/2025

Your fascia and nervous system are in constant conversation. 🤝

The question is: Are they speaking the language of tension or ease? 🤔

If you didn't already know, fascia isn’t just scaffolding for your muscles. It’s a sensory organ, rich with mechanoreceptors that send information to your brain about movement, pressure, and pain. In fact, fascia has more sensory nerve endings than muscle tissue. (Schleip et al., 2012)

When fascia gets dehydrated, densified, or hypertonic, it doesn’t just make your body stiff, it can keep your nervous system stuck in a stress response. 😰

Ever feel like your body is holding on to tension even when you’re trying to relax? That could be your fascia your nervous system reinforcing those patterns of tension in a sympathetic feedback loop.

Here's where myofascial bodywork comes in:

🧬 Fascia is intrinsically connected to the vagus nerve. Bodywork techniques that employ slow, sustained pressure help to stimulate vagal tone, signaling to your body that it’s safe to shift into parasympathetic mode (rest, digest, and heal).

💥 Restricted, dehydrated fascia can compress nerves and limit movement, making the body brace and overprotect. Myofascial bodywork helps restore glide and hydration within the tissues. (Stecco et al., 2013)

😖 Fascia holds onto tension patterns. When your nervous system is stuck in a sympathetic loop, fascia can respond by being chronically braced. Bodywork that is myofascially focused has a more lasting effect because it helps to re-educate your body to find equilibrium by specifically targeting the NS.

The broad, sustained pressure from myofascial bodywork techniques (especially barefoot ones) help to reduce fascial tension and downregulate the nervous system, shifting the body out of stress mode and into a place where real healing can happen. ❤️‍🩹✨

In other words, myofascial bodywork changes the way your body processes tension, pain, and stress. It's profound! 🤯

Via Sarga Bodywork

03/04/2025

Massage therapy is an important part of a health and wellness routine!

02/16/2025

Your body has a reset button, and it’s hiding in your fascia. 🤯

You’ve probably heard of fight-or-flight mode: that wired, stressed-out feeling when your body is stuck in high alert. But have you heard of the other side of the nervous system? The rest-and-digest mode, also known as the parasympathetic response, is where healing, relaxation, and recovery happen. 🧘

The vagus nerve is your body’s built-in switch that shifts you into this state and here’s the part most people don’t realize: Fascia plays a huge role in activating it. 🕸️

So, how does myofascial massage help reset your nervous system?

🧬 It stimulates the nervous system.
Fascia is packed with sensory receptors that communicate directly with the nervous system. Gentle, sustained pressure sends signals to the brain that it’s safe to relax. (Schleip et al., 2012)

😰 It shifts you out of fight-or-flight.
Tight fascia isn’t just uncomfortable—it keeps the body on high alert, reinforcing tension and stress. Bodywork helps release stored tension and brings you back into balance. (van der Kolk, 2014)

🧘 It supports homeostasis.
When fascia and the nervous system are regulated, blood flow improves, digestion works better, stress decreases, and recovery speeds up. (Findley, 2012)

This is why myofascial massage isn’t just about relieving pain and tension. It’s about full-body healing. ❤️‍🩹

Your body is designed to heal. All we have to do is support it. ❤️‍🩹

Via ~ Sarga Bodywork

01/22/2025

The new space still has a few things left to do…but it has come a long way.

12/21/2024

I am super excited to share that I will be ringing in the New Year in a new space!

12/13/2024

While the physical benefits of massage and bodywork have been recognized for decades, we are only beginning to fully understand its profound impact on mental health. 🧠

Neuroscience reveals that the effects of massage go far beyond general “relaxation,” showing significant potential for managing chronic mental health conditions.

Studies demonstrate that massage reduces cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, which is often elevated in individuals with depression and anxiety. Simultaneously, massage boosts serotonin and dopamine production—essential neurotransmitters responsible for mood regulation and feelings of happiness. This dual effect helps restore balance to the nervous system, fostering a calmer mind, a more stable emotional state, and relief from depressive/anxious symptoms.

Over time, regular massage creates a pattern of nervous system regulation, enabling the body and brain to rebuild their natural capacity for self-regulation. 🎉

Myofascial massage specifically activates the parasympathetic nervous system quickly and powerfully—the body’s “rest and digest” mode—which counteracts the heightened “fight or flight” response often seen in those with depression, anxiety, and other chronic mental health challenges.

The element of physical touch in massage & bodywork also nurtures a sense of connection and safety, a profoundly healing experience, particularly for individuals feeling isolated or overwhelmed. In today’s world, touch is one of the most overlooked yet essential human needs. 🫂

Massage and bodywork uniquely address both the physical and psychological dimensions of chronic mental health conditions in a single session.

It is a powerful, evidence-based approach to healing and managing depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges—often underestimated yet profoundly effective.

~Sarga Bodywork

11/27/2024

11/21/2024

10/15/2024

And may I add…a good massage can help you as well.

10/12/2024

10/15@2:30, 10/22@12:45, 10/25@1:30.
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02/11/2024

Client recommendations and referrals are so encouraging to me and motivation to keep doing this work that I love.