Clenching the fists and then letting go is a wonderful therapy to reduce tension. At first, it might not seem like much is happening. But underneath the surface, fascia throughout the entire body is at work.

When the fists clench, the tissues in the hands tighten. Meanwhile, the fascia in the hands is connected to the fascia in the arms which spreads out all over the body in many different bands and patterns. Like I mentioned in my other entry, I don’t know all the different fascial trains laid out by Tom Myers. But what I do know is that the extreme tightness in the fists, creates a sort of ripple effect of tightening and shifting throughout the body.

For one, this clenching seems as if this helps to shift and release tension in other parts of the body. Then, when the clenching subsides, and the fists opening up, an opening takes place. The tigther one can go, the more open one can go. The fascia is like a rubber band, and once the fists are clenched extremely tight, the fascia within them, and throughout the body must rebound into a more elestic state.

I’m sure there are other ways to explain the fist clenching phenomena. I’m sure it has to do with activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Perhaps it’s true that the nervous system is at play too, and operates in a similar way to the fascia, tightening into a high stress state (sympathetic) and then loosening into a relaxed state (parasympathetic).

There is also the practice of gagging yourself (not to the point of throwing up, but of activating your gag reflex) that is also supposed to put the body into a parasympathetic state. And I know, from experience, when this happens, all of the abdominal muscles clench, and subsequently must release.

Perhaps the question of whether these relaxation techniques have to do with the fascia or the nervous system isn’t that important. Perhaps there is a deeper inquiry we must explore, into the balance between the states of loose and tight themselves, light and dark, yang and yin – these states of mind and being that are perpetually at play, and have us in the throw of their game.