Your body doesn’t always need to be worked deeply in order to relax or decrease pain. In fact, the majority of pain causing nerves are in the superficial layers of the skin (called dermatomes). Deeper muscles often don’t have the same volume of nerves the skin has.

When foam rolling, stretching, using a ball or performing any kind self care, try to hold off on going for the deep dig right out of the gates by beginning lightly at the surface. Working on the skin and layers just beneath it can desensitize the major contributors to pain. As your perception shifts and breath expands you can go deeper, sifting through the tissues and refining the sensations you experience through your body.

If an area is too painful to work on without holding your breath or gritting your teeth, try backing out. Find the edge of the painful sensation and work the perimeter until the adjacent areas begin to ease. With time and patience your body will let you into those deeply held areas.

When we continually work too deep too soon, we may be by-passing and crushing the area that needs attention in order to unlock the area we intend to get to. If you find yourself always having to work on the same areas because they don’t seem to be changing, lighten up a bit. It is actually better if you can start lighter. When you have to back off, your body may have tightened up enough that it won’t let you back in for a while. In that case, take a break and come back to it with a lighter approach tomorrow.

Self-care takes patience and attention. Your body has many many layers. Treat it kindly rather than an inconvenience and it will guide you to the places you most need to release.