Body Intelligence – Finding ease for the lower back, 8: the inner massage

This last Micro Pause on the lower back program is a lesson in self compassion. It is also a lesson in giving your self an inner massage, a very practical form of self compassion. Why being kind to yourself matters the most: its all about the nervous system. A common misconception is that muscles become too short and that we need to stretch them out into their full length. Instead, muscles can be contracted or extended, and sometimes they get “stuck” in contraction. Stretching the muscles wont make them longer, what they need is for the nervous system to believe that its safe to extend the muscles. When we do the inner massage, we gently stretch muscles, then release them and in doing so we tell the nervous system that it’s safe to extend the muscles, resulting in greater relaxation.