Unwinding the Layers: Understanding Myofascial Healing in Pilates

If you've ever left a Pilates session feeling unexpectedly emotional, achy, or deeply fatigued, you're not alone—and you're not doing anything wrong. What you may be experiencing is something known as a myofascial healing crisis. It’s not a setback. In many cases, it’s a sign that your body is doing exactly what it needs to do to heal.

At SOMA Movement Studio, we work intentionally with the body’s fascial system. Using spring tension, breathwork, and carefully sequenced movement, we challenge the fascia to release and reorganize. Pilates, with its spirals, flexions, and multidirectional flow, invites the fascia—and the nervous system that’s woven through it—to adapt and restore. In the process, long-held physical or emotional patterns may surface before they resolve and that temporary turbulence is what we call a healing crisis.

What Is a Myofascial Healing Crisis?

A healing crisis is a temporary intensification of symptoms that occurs as the body processes and lets go of stored tension, stress, or emotion. It might feel like you’re taking two steps back, but it’s often a sign that your system is recalibrating at a deep level.

These responses are not limited to manual myofascial therapy. They can also emerge after a powerful Pilates session—especially one that hydrates the fascia and encourages unfamiliar movement patterns. The body responds not only to what’s physically happening, but to what’s being released underneath.

Fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds and threads through your muscles, bones, and organs. It forms long, continuous lines of tension and support throughout the body. It doesn’t just organize structure; it stores information. Movement habits, protective postures, even emotional patterns can become embedded in this web of tissue.

Modern research in myofascial anatomy and trauma physiology suggests that fascia may hold onto stress and memory in highly specific ways. A gentle spiral of the spine or the softening of a ribcage can tap into more than just muscle—it can access memory. That’s why movement can sometimes trigger unexpected emotions or physical reactions.

Why Pilates Can Trigger a Healing Response

Through slow, breath-led, mindful movement, Pilates challenges deeply held fascial restrictions with three dimensional exercises. It reintroduces movement into dehydrated, compressed, or immobile tissues. It repositions the spine. It alters how the body relates to gravity and support. In short, it gives your body new information—and sometimes that means letting go of the old.

When fascia reorganizes, the release can show up as muscle soreness, fatigue, irritability, tearfulness, vivid dreams, or simply a sense of feeling "off." These are temporary and often a sign that the tissues—and the nervous system—are recalibrating.

How to Support the Process

If you’re in the midst of a healing response, the most important thing to know is that your body is working. This is not failure. It’s progress.

Hydration is key—fascia needs water to flush out metabolic byproducts and return to a healthy, supple state. Gentle movement, like walking or a basic somatic sequence, can help keep things flowing. Rest, reflection, and even journaling can support your emotional system as much as your physical one. If you feel unsettled, reach out. At SOMA, we are here to guide and adapt your practice as needed.

Most healing responses pass within 24 to 48 hours, though deeper shifts can take a few days to settle. It’s rarely a straight line. Just like Pilates itself, healing works in layers. Sometimes the process asks you to revisit old places to release new tension. That’s not regression—it’s refinement.

What makes Pilates so uniquely suited to fascia is that it meets the tissue where it is. With springs instead of heavy weights, breath instead of bracing, and spiraling, three-dimensional movement, it offers the perfect conditions for fascia to hydrate, lengthen, and glide. Over time, this leads to more mobility, less pain, and a greater sense of embodiment.

A healing crisis may feel inconvenient or even uncomfortable, but it’s often a sign of something sacred: your body letting go. At SOMA, we honor that process. We're not here just to tone or stretch—we're here to help you reconnect with the deep intelligence of your own body and support your healing journey, one session at a time.