A few weeks ago I started noticing a tightness on the outside of my pelvis. I thought I knew exactly what to do—some standing abduction work to tease it out, some TRE, and long-held stretches. I stayed consistent, and it started improving. Victory! I had found a helpful combination of movements to address a problem, even though I had no idea what caused it in the first place—and honestly, I was more interested in finding a way out of this new tightness than anything else.

Then came St. Patrick’s Day.

I never go out for this. holiday, but an old friend was playing music and a group of people were going, so there I was in a bar with live Irish music. My old Irish step-dancing self got excited, and I started doing a few jigs—enthusiastically, if not skillfully.
The next day? I could barely walk.

It turns out that the hopping in Irish step dancing was not what my hip needed. My fascia retracted faster than I could have imagined, and it was far tighter than I could have ever imagined. Surprise! So, I went back to basics: heat, anti-inflammatories, and a visit to my MFR provider. Before my appointment, I dug in to my own self-treatment—gentle movement, rest from extreme exercise, and heat. The session helped tremendously, and soon I was better than I was before my enthusiastic dancing.

The real test came the following Saturday: I went dancing again—this time it was disco, which in my professional opinion is far kinder to the body than irish step, and I was completely fine.
Around the time all of this was happening, I sent out the Spring Special without much explanation, so I wanted to circle back and share the context. What helped me recover was not one single thing, but a combination of things, and that is what I am offering this spring. 

We don’t always need to know the exact source of a problem to start healing. What we need is a way out of pain and back into functionality.

When I was growing up, my dad could fix almost anything. We were lucky—our house had a free handyman. But when something went wrong with the very old cars we always had, we took them to a mechanic. There was no fooling around. He knew his limits, and more importantly, he knew who to call.

I felt confident managing my hip on my own—until I needed another set of hands, and a little assessment.
You have heard me say this before: you don’t have to know how to do it; you just have to know who to call.

This spring, I’m offering sessions that combine fascial release and TRE when appropriate, targeted at-home exercises, and other forms of self-care—including meditation or spiritual mentoring if that part is needed, because sometimes it is. These approaches work together to help you get back on your feet—physically and mentally and spiritually.
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You don’t have to know exactly what’s wrong or which modality is best. That’s my job.
You just have to know who to call. (Or in this case, who to email.)

If you’ve been thinking about booking a session… this might be the time!
I recently attended an advanced Myofascial Release workshop, and I came home with a deeper understanding of the pelvis than ever before.  
Here’s one of the fascinating things I learned: many of us are walking around with a right anterior pelvic tilt and a left posterior pelvic tilt. In simple terms, one side of the pelvis tips forward while the other tips backward.
That means the foundation of the body — the very base we stand on — is twisting in two different directions.
Our bodies are going to compensate for that.
What might that look like?

• A right leg that appears longer
• A right shoulder that hangs lower
• Chronic tightness along the right side of the neck
• One side of the back working overtime to lift and stabilize
• Ongoing hip or SI discomfort
• Persistent shoulder or jaw tension
  
  And more!
  
  

When the pelvis is off, the entire structure above it, and below, reorganizes itself to keep you upright.

Muscles grip. Fascia thickens. One side works harder than the other.
Over time, that compensation becomes your “normal.”
What might be the causes of that asymmetry?

Old injuries. Falls you barely remember. Habitual ways of standing. Carrying babies on one hip, or heavy bags on one shoulder. Driving. Stress patterns. Even the way we cross our legs.

The beautiful thing is this: the body wants balance. When given the right input, it unwinds.

And there is so much good that can come from a consistent yoga asana practice. We truly can change our bodies for the better. If you add to that a TRE practice, you can open the soft tissue and shift the nervous system in dramatic and meaningful ways. 

Sometimes, though, if you have a very old injury — one that has been re-injured over the years — or a structural imbalance that has never really been addressed, the soft tissue is no longer so soft. It has adapted. It has braced. It has organized itself around protection.

In those cases, it often takes consistent re-patterning and, at times, an external nudge — hands-on work that might feel like melting — to remind the tissue of another possibility.

Dr. Bercelli would often say that injuries that occurred in relationship need to be healed in relationship. That’s something we experience when we gather for a yoga class or tremor together in a group. There is something regulating and reparative about not doing it alone.

I never asked him exactly what he meant in strict TRE terms. But when I reflect on the harm that separation on any level causes, it suggests that much of our healing must address that sense of separateness. We heal in connection.
Which is why it matters that you trust and genuinely like your doctor, your therapist (of any kind), your teacher, your partner. Healing happens best in relationships that feel safe.

If you’ve been saying, “I really should come in,” consider this your gentle nudge. Sometimes the neck pain, the shoulder tightness, or the stubborn low back discomfort isn’t where the problem starts — it’s simply where the body is asking for help. And often that help needs to be offered by someone outside of your body and mind.