Why I’m Bringing Myofascial Release to Santa Fe — And Who It Helps Most
“Some places don’t just look sacred — they feel it in your body.”
TL;DR – The Heart of It:
Myofascial release is a gentle, slow bodywork technique that helps release deep-seated tension held in fascia—your body’s connective tissue network—while supporting nervous system regulation and emotional safety.
This approach is especially helpful for sensitive, trauma-impacted, or burnout-prone individuals who haven’t found relief through traditional massage or quick-fix wellness trends.
Veluna Wellness™ in Santa Fe offers a different kind of healing space—sacred, intuitive, and trauma-informed—where the focus isn’t on fixing, but on deeply listening to what your body is ready to let go of.
Why This Work—And Why Now?
I didn’t choose this work. It called me.
Not in some grand, lightning-strikes-the-altar kind of way—but in quieter, slower pulses. In the way my own body started unraveling the longer I ignored it. In the way clients would break down on my table and whisper, “I don’t know why I’m crying.” In the way something deeper kept tugging at me to listen—not just to muscles and tension, but to the stories under the skin.
I came to myofascial release the way a lot of people come to healing work: by needing it. Not just needing it in a “my back hurts” kind of way. I needed something that could meet the ache beneath the ache. Something that didn’t treat my body like a project. Something that made space for the parts of me that were grieving, guarded, or just tired of holding it all together.
That’s what this work is. And that’s why I’m bringing it to Santa Fe.
Why Santa Fe?
There’s a stillness here that feels sacred—but not performative. A softness that invites truth to surface—not rush to fix it. And an energy I can only describe as settling back into yourself.
I’ve lived in places that looked beautiful but didn’t feel like home. I’ve tried to force healing in environments that only added to my nervous system load. Santa Fe is different. The high desert air, the expansive skies, the rhythm of the land—there’s a kind of somatic permission woven into everything. It’s the first place I’ve felt both held and spacious enough to fully offer this kind of work.
And it’s not just about the place—it’s about the people. There’s a collective frequency here that values depth, intuition, and embodiment. It’s not just another wellness trend hub; it’s a place where healing is lived, not just marketed.
What Is Myofascial Release—And Why Does It Matter?
If you’ve ever walked out of a massage feeling like your knots were gone but the tension somehow stayed… you’re not alone. That was me too. For a long time, I kept thinking I needed someone to dig deeper—like if they just pressed hard enough, the stress would finally dissolve. But most of what we carry isn’t just in the muscles. It’s in the fascia.
Fascia is the body’s connective tissue web—it wraps around your muscles, bones, and organs, holding everything together like a three-dimensional inner skin. But it’s not just structural. Fascia is sensory-rich, fluid-responsive, and deeply intertwined with the nervous system. It’s where the body holds tension patterns, emotional residue, even trauma. And when it’s restricted, it doesn’t just feel tight—it can disrupt your entire sense of ease and safety in your body [1].
Myofascial release is a gentle, sustained technique that works with fascia—not against it. Unlike deep tissue massage, which often uses pressure to manipulate muscle layers, myofascial work invites the fascia to soften and unwind organically. There’s no forcing. No chasing knots. Just sustained, intuitive contact that gives the body time to respond. Think of it like slowly melting ice, not chipping away at a block.
What makes this work different from traditional massage is its pace and intention. It’s nervous-system led, trauma-informed, and collaborative. You’re not a passive recipient—your body’s signals guide the session. Studies show that fascia is rich in sensory nerve endings that play a role in pain perception, proprioception, and emotional regulation [2]. That’s why fascia-focused work can affect how you feel in your body, not just how your body feels.
Fascia doesn’t just store tension. It stores pattern—posture, grief, emotional trauma, even protective mechanisms from years past. Energetically, fascia is believed to bridge the physical and subtle bodies. Whether you view that literally or symbolically, most people can feel the difference this work makes.
How Does Myofascial Release Actually Work in the Body?
Let’s start here: your body is not a machine. It doesn’t respond to pressure. It responds to safety.
At the physical level, myofascial release uses slow, sustained contact to engage the fascia. When fascia is restricted—from injury, stress, surgery, or long-held tension—it becomes less fluid and more adhesive. Holding gently into that restriction allows the body to soften from within. Research by Dr. Robert Schleip and others shows fascia is highly innervated with sensory neurons involved in interoception (internal sensations) and proprioception (body awareness) [3].
But your nervous system is listening, too. It’s always scanning for safety or threat. Fast movements, abrupt pressure, or even a clinical energy can feel intrusive to a body that has lived through trauma. Myofascial release offers something else: stillness, patience, consent. It tells your system, "We’re not rushing. You get to decide when to let go."
Fascia holds more than tension. It holds stories. Over time, the body shapes itself around stress—clenched jaws, guarded bellies, shallow breath. When fascia begins to release, your body can start to repattern itself. Not just physically, but emotionally. It’s not about breaking knots. It’s about melting armor.
The experience varies. For some, it’s immediate—a deep breath, a wave of calm. For others, it’s more subtle, unfolding hours or days later. Sometimes there are tears. Sometimes a memory. Sometimes just a strange but welcome sense of finally feeling here.
“Fascia isn’t just tissue. It’s memory. Emotion. Pattern. And it can change.”
Who Benefits Most From This Kind of Bodywork?
If you’ve ever felt like massage helps briefly but never really shifts anything, you’re not alone. Myofascial release supports people who are ready for deeper change.
You might benefit most if:
You have chronic tension or pain that doesn’t respond to typical treatment. Your body isn’t malfunctioning. It’s protecting you. Myofascial release creates the conditions for safety so your body can finally let go.
You’re highly sensitive, intuitive, or neurodivergent and feel overwhelmed by traditional massage. You don’t need more pressure. You need more space.
You’re in burnout, grief, or emotional shutdown. This work doesn’t demand anything of you. It meets you where you are.
You’re tired of quick fixes and want something real. You’re not looking for a spa day. You’re looking for reconnection.
You feel like you’re carrying something unspoken. You may not have words for what you’re holding. Your body doesn’t need them.
This work isn’t about being “broken enough” to deserve care. It’s about being attuned enough to know you deserve something gentler.
What Makes My Approach Different?
Veluna Wellness isn’t a high-volume practice. It’s not a spa. It’s not a place to disappear for an hour. It’s a sacred, intentional space for nervous system-led, trauma-informed healing.
My approach is rooted in:
Consent and co-regulation: I’m not here to fix you. I’m here to support what your body already knows how to do.
Sensory and ritual elements: You might choose a grounding stone or essential oil. The lights are low. The pace is slow. Your session is shaped by the energy you bring in.
Attunement: I don’t follow scripts. I follow you. The silence, the stillness, the subtleties—they matter.
This is not deep tissue. It’s not sports massage. It’s not about results you can measure with a ruler. It’s about what shifts inside when you finally feel safe enough to soften.
“Safety doesn’t always look clinical. Sometimes, it looks like candlelight and quiet.”
Is This the Right Work for You?
You don’t need to be in crisis to need this. Maybe you’re holding it all together on the outside, but inside your body is whispering: Enough.
Ask yourself:
Do I feel like I’m carrying tension I can’t name?
Have I tried everything and still feel disconnected?
Do I crave stillness that lets me feel again?
If even one of those resonates, this may be the work your body has been waiting for.
What Happens in a Veluna Session?
Sessions are slow, quiet, and shaped by you. We begin with a check-in and intention setting. No rush. No scripts. Just presence.
On the table, touch is slow and sustained. Often there’s no oil. Sometimes there are tears. Sometimes deep breath. Sometimes nothing visible—and yet something changes. I may integrate aromatherapy, crystals, guided breath, or intuitive energy work if aligned.
Every session ends with space for integration. You’ll sit up slowly, reorient gently, and take a moment before returning to the world.
This isn’t about zoning out. It’s about arriving.
How Do I Start?
Veluna Wellness is currently offering limited sessions in Santa Fe. If you feel drawn to this work, I invite you to join the waitlist at velunawellness.com or email me directly at selene@velunawellness.com.
There’s no pressure. Just a quiet invitation when sessions open.
A New Way to Heal
Veluna isn’t here to disrupt wellness. It’s here to remember it.
To return to a kind of healing that is slow, embodied, and real. To offer care that honors nervous system rhythm, not hustle culture pace. To create space for those who are tired of being told to push through.
You don’t need to be more resilient. You need to be more met.
That’s what I’m here for.
References
Langevin, H. M., & Sherman, K. J. (2007). Pathophysiological model for chronic low back pain integrating connective tissue and nervous system mechanisms. Medical Hypotheses, 68(1), 74-80.
Schleip, R., Findley, T. W., Chaitow, L., & Huijing, P. (2012). Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body. Churchill Livingstone.
Schleip, R., Jäger, H., & Klingler, W. (2012). What is ‘fascia’? A review of different nomenclatures. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 16(4), 496–502.
