Are you hooked on the drug of symmetry?

So many bodyworkers, yoga practitioners, Pilates teachers, dancers, and students have been taught that the goal is symmetry—that the body should be even, balanced, perfectly aligned.

But watch a baby.

They don’t lie there in pristine alignment. One leg bends, the other extends. They twist, shift, explore. There’s nothing symmetrical about how they organize themselves—and yet, everything about it is intelligent.

And still… many of us (myself included, earlier in my career) have worshipped at the altar of symmetry. We’ve chased it as the solution for pain, for better movement, for improved performance. I’ve taught courses, written a book, and created programs focused on correcting core misalignments—and I stand by that work.

But it’s not the whole story.

Over time, I’ve come to see “misalignment” through a different lens:
as the body’s wisdom—its way of creating the adaptations and limitations it needs in order to function.

Take Usain Bolt.

Have you ever worked on the quadratus lumborum and felt like you were only scratching the surface…?
The QL is one of those muscles that seems straightforward—until you try to access the deeper fibers that are actually driving a client’s pain or restriction.

A More Effective Way to Work the QL

In this video, I demonstrate the Running Man technique.

With your client in side-lying, they move their top leg through flexion and extension while you maintain contact with the QL.

This creates:

• Dynamic access to deeper fibers
• Exposure to different fiber angles
• Less need for excessive pressure
• More responsive, effective tissue work

Instead of forcing your way in…
you’re letting movement reveal the muscle.

As you watch, pay attention to:

• Hand placement
• Timing with the client’s movement
• How subtle adjustments change what you feel

Why This Works

When the client moves, the QL fibers lengthen and shorten—allowing you to feel and treat layers that are otherwise difficult to...

Why this stretch works

This supine stretch targets the spinal erectors , the rotatores , the gluteus maximus , and the hamstrings . It feels restorative for clients, integrates smoothly into a Swedish massage, and is especially effective when used near the end of supine work. The movement combines spinal flexion, rotation, and thigh flexion to create a broad, safe stretch across the low back and posterior chain.
Indications and precautions
• Good for: clients with mild to moderate lower back tightness, tight glutes, or hamstrings.
• Avoid or modify if: client has acute low back pain, recent spinal surgery, severe sciatica, or unstable hips.
• Communicate: always check with the client about comfort, ask them to tell you if they feel nerve pain, sharp pain, or anything unusual.
Setup and client positioning
Have the client lie supine with their legs extended. I like to do this toward the end of supine work, when the body is already warmed up and ready for a deeper, longer-hold stretch.
Step-by-...

Positional Release for a Short Iliopsoas: Simple Thumb Test and a Two-Minute Reset
Overview

A quick screening and a short positional release can change how a tight or shortened iliopsoas behaves. The approach is simple, reproducible, and effective: use a thumb-length test to identify the side that needs work, then place the muscle in a shortened position from both ends and hold for about two minutes. That brief hold calms the muscle spindles, reduces the stretch reflex, and often produces immediate improvement before deeper work.

How to Screen: the Thumb-Length Test

This is an accessible test you can use in clinic. Ask the client to bring both arms overhead and place the hands in a prayer position. Check that the heels of the hands sit on the same plane, then apply a gentle, not forceful, upward pull to give a light traction through the neck and torso.
Observe the thumbs. One thumb will often appear shorter. That apparent shortening commonly corresponds to a shortened iliopsoas on...

Recently, one of my students asked me to write about working with the piriformis. She had several clients experiencing piriformis syndrome and was getting frustrated with inconsistent results.

Piriformis syndrome—sometimes called piriformis dysfunction—goes by many names and is often misunderstood. I want to bring more clarity to this topic and share a broader, more effective way of looking at it.

If you’ve ever experienced it yourself, or if you treat clients with piriformis syndrome or sciatica, you know how intense it can be. It’s deeply painful and often creates wide-ranging referred pain. That’s why understanding this muscle in isolation isn’t enough—we need to see the full ecosystem.

Let’s start with the role of the piriformis then we’ll go around the corner to the psoas:

Piriformis acts as an external rotator of the hip and, in certain positions, becomes an internal rotator. It is extremely sensitive to anything happening around the sacroiliac (SI) joint because it attaches ...

Let’s be honest—it’s the worst when a client  doesn’t show up.
Your time matters, and when someone ghosts your table, it feels downright disrespectful.

Do you smile and let it go? Do you charge them for the missed session?
Here’s the truth: enforcing your cancellation policy isn’t mean—it’s boundaries with love.

When we don’t enforce it, we’re teaching clients that our time (and energy) is optional.
When we do, we’re modeling what healthy professional respect looks like.

So, what’s the real move here?
First—make sure you have a clear, written cancellation policy. (You do have one, right? No? Okay, friend—it’s officially time to put one in place!)
Second—communicate it upfront, not after a no-show. That way, you’re not having an awkward “money conversation,” you’re simply following the agreement you both already made.

Boundaries = respect.
For your time. For your craft. For you.

For the first offense, you might decide to waive your policy as a gesture of good-will, but for repeat ...

The Obstinate Pec Minor (PMI) can produce a hailstorm of problems throughout the body especially in the shoulders, arm, neck and respiration. Working with it effectively goes a long way in helping you help your clients with neck and shoulder issues, breathing restrictions and even wrist and elbow pain. If the iliopsoas is the hidden prankster of low back pain (Travell and Simons), the PMI is the hidden trickster of the shoulder girdle.  

 Imagine three long fingers extending on an inferior and medial diagonal path from the coracoid process to ribs 3-5 (attachments have been found on ribs 2 and 6 on some folks). This multitasking stabilizer connects the shoulder girdle (scapula and clavicle) to the thorax. The PMI seems to glory in pulling the coracoid process towards the ribs (whether it needs it or not) causing a profusion of myofascial and bio-mechanical distortions. PMI drags the glenohumeral (GH) joint with it as it pulls the coracoid process towards the ribs. 

If you found this ...

The infraspinatus and teres minor may not always get the spotlight, but they’re the unsung heroes of the rotator cuff!

These two little muscles do an amazing job keeping your shoulder stable. In fact, they’re the only external rotators of the shoulder joint, which means they work extra hard to balance out the stronger internal rotators like the pec major, lats, teres major, anterior deltoid, and subscapularis.

When working with these muscles, a great technique to try is called "goading." This just means using strokes from the outside (lateral) to the inside (medial) to help them shorten and become more contractible.

PS- Instead of creating more strength in the internal rotators encourage your clients to do some simple exercises which strengthen the posterior thoracic and scapular stabilizers

If you found this look at the infraspinatus/teres minor helpful, remember that it’s only one piece of the shoulder puzzle. True shoulder function depends on how the entire shoulder complex work...

Subscap can be a tricky muscle to palpate and is an essential skill to have in treating shoulders. Watch the video and learn a fool-proof way of finding it!

If you found this look at the subscapularis helpful, remember that it’s only one piece of the shoulder puzzle. True shoulder function depends on how the entire shoulder complex works together.

In my Rotator Cuff Mastery course, I teach massage therapists and bodyworkers how to assess and treat the rotator cuff, scapular stabilizers, and surrounding muscles so you can create real, lasting results for your clients.

Explore the Rotator Cuff Mastery Course

As bodyworkers we all treat people in pain and most of the time successfully. But what if your client has had pain for more than 3-6 months and is not responding to your or any other treatments?

It’s possible that it’s neuroplastic pain (also known as neural circuit pain, central sensitization, TMS (tension myoneural syndrome)

Neuroplastic pain results from the brain misinterpreting safe messages from the body as if they were dangerous. In other words, neuroplastic pain is a false alarm. Though the pain can be addressed through various practices, this does not imply that the pain is imaginary. The pain is REAL!

“The relationship between pain and the state of the tissues becomes weaker as pain persists”  Dr. Lorimer Moseley

In other words the longer the pain persists the higher the chance it’s being caused by the brain and nervous system. Without the brain there is no pain.

Neuroplastic pain is caused by a brain/nervous system which has gotten stuck in sympathetic arousal – fight, ...