@northernecknancy6 I had not heard of Gua sha, so I looked that up and see that it is scraping the skin with tools and a bit of pressure. That would be a form of superficial fascial release. Yoga stretches and cupping (suction cups) are also types of fascial release. The difference in MFR, is that it is like kneading bread and the therapist's hands are pushing against the barrier of tightness. Imagine that you are kneading bread dough and you push and instead of rolling over, it feels like rubber and has tension. That is what the therapist feels. They hold the pressure against the barrier until it starts to give and melt. What is happening is that the facsia is unwinding itself. Fascia is like a spider web and can stick to itself and get knotted. It is supposed to move and expand and it changes from a semi solid to a liquid form as it restructures itself. When that happens body fluids are able to return and that will flush out any stored waste products in the tissues. I have seen white patches on my skin held tightly, that then are released and become read when circulation is returned. That doesn't stay very long. When you as a patient are familiar with this, you may be able to feel the fascia change. It starts like a little bit of a tingle and you also feel the pressure start to dissolve. If it is a big problem, it can be a bit painful when you begin, but the therapist can adjust to it. You do not want to be aggressive because that can tear the fascia and just recreate more problems, so it takes patience to just wait for the fascia to unwind. This fascia is everywhere in your body and people develop body wide patterns of tightness. Often my therapist releases the respiratory diaphragm at the base of the ribcage near the pelvis.