Sanctuary Massage and Sauna

Diaphragm and Breath : We start here…
“Respiration is our most important movement pattern and the most dysfunctional.” Dr. Karel Lewit

In healthy inhalation the dome shaped diaphragm contracts and descends, drawing air into the lungs as abdominal wall expands outwards. Expanding the lower ribs.
On exhalation it’s simply let’s go- diaphragm rises again and the ribs recoil as air leaves with no muscular effort.

It’s necessary to check in with our breathing patterns as the diaphragm works with the abdominal wall, pelvic floor, and deep spinal stabilizers to regulate intra-abdominal pressure.

What does that mean? I liken it to a girdle that protects the spine during lifting, twisting, reaching, walking and running.

When the diaphragm under performs the body turns to the scalenes, SCM, Upper Traps, Levator Scapula and Pec Minor for help. They become over burdened & hypertonic.
Apical breathing / Upper Chest breathing: ( Most Common Breathing pattern )

Inhalation overburdens the upper cross muscles mentioned above, and little to no lateral expansion into lower ribs.
Overtime, this unhealthy breathing pattern causes these upper cross muscles to become tender and hypertonic.
Which then leads to neck tightness, jaw tension, headaches, and feeling wound up.
It’s worth noting that the phrenic nerve ( arising from C3 - C5 ) innervates the diaphragm.
Chronic neck tension and disordered breathing often occur together.

Paradoxical breathing:

On inhalation instead of the abdominal wall expanding outward as the diaphragm descends the reverse happens. On inhalation the abdominal wall pulls inwards and pushes outward on the exhale.
This can be present during times of high stress, chronic abdominal bracing, or rib fixation.
Pay attention to rigid lower ribs and improper coordination between diaphragm-rib-and ab wall.

Breath-Holding:
Fairly common pattern.
Stressed much? Either emotionally or physically challenged throughout the day can cause us to raise global muscle tone and reinforces guarding.
Over a length of time, this breath pattern can keep the nervous system wound tight.

When you see me at your next session we will begin with some MAT diaphragmatic techniques.

Picture courtesy of Erik Dalton and his most recent article in Massage & Body Work / October 2026

Exorcise is important!

Our Monday walk to go check out all the new murals popping up in DT Superior.

Post workout-post sauna, refreshing muscle gel: Chill Out ✨

Used throughout my treatments to soothe overworked and tired muscles.


Post-Activity Cool-Down Ritual:

After a workout, hike, or long day on your feet, apply the cooling gel generously to legs, feet, shoulders, and lower back.
Massage firmly into the skin, allowing the spearmint, lemongrass, and white camphor essential oils to create a wave of cooling comfort.
For an intensified experience, refrigerate the gel beforehand and apply to damp skin straight out of the shower.
Leave on and let the aloe vera and glycerin hydrate the skin as the cooling sensation gradually fades, leaving you feeling refreshed and recharged.

“Experimental connective-tissue work summarized in the literature links low β-estradiol with more collagen I and less collagen III and elastic fiber, a matrix pattern associated with reduced elasticity and greater rigidity. Higher-hormone states showed the reverse pattern in those experiments.
Pain and “tightness”: A stiffer or less-gliding matrix may mechanically sensitize fascial nociceptors, so the experience can be pain, pulling, or muscle tightness—not necessarily a large measurable shortening of the fascia itself. Aging independently shifts connective tissue toward thicker, collagen-I–dominant matrix and poorer gliding, making menopause and aging difficult to separate.”

https://elicit.com/agent/a1d14b9c-ab02-4053-8302-ede525b9b127

https://www.ejh.it/index.php/ejh/article/view/2710

Wishing for more research!

elicit.com

Fascia as a regulatory system in health and disease Neurology and connective tissue are intimately interdependent systems and are critical in regulating many of the body’s systems. Unlocking their multifaceted relationship can transform clinical understanding of the mechanisms involved in ...

https://youtube.com/shorts/jzhDhRs3PrM?is=8YfPMXOSSdXxz8wr

7 Warm-Ups for Pickleball Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Interesting!

“So what are manual therapists really doing?
So after all of this analysis, are we any closer to understanding what manual therapist are actually doing when they carry out their work? Can we answer two of Greg’s key questions, which are “by what means can your hands actually mold, shape or cause some change in fascia?” and “why can’t they do this in muscle, which is the far more responsive tissue to stress?”

“Well, as detailed above, we can see that Schleip proposes a model in which manual therapy or fascial manipulation involves stimulating intra-fascial mechanoreceptors, which then causes changes in the afferent input to the central nervous system, which in turn causes an reduction in the level of muscle activation of specific groups of motor units.”

So the answer to Greg’s two questions in the Schleip model would be that the hands are stimulating specific mechanoreceptors in the fascia, that cause afferent feedback to the brain, which then signals the muscles to release. The effect does not occur in muscle in the same way because the receptors are of different kinds in each tissue.”

“Of course, there remains a great deal of work to be done to understand the limitations and benefits of this model but it certainly helps to address many of the issues that Greg raised with the idea of the fascia being physically altered.”

Fascial NeuroBiology: An explanation for possible manual therapy treatment effects « Below is a guest post from Chris Beardsley in response to a recent post of mine that questioned the possibility of any manual intervention (this includes foam rolling) influencing the physical properties of fascia. It is also questioned how relevant is to pain and dysfunction.