WellBeing – August 2019

I

was born with a hole in my heart.

At two years old I had surgery to

resolve it and, thankfully, I haven’t

experienced a single problem since.

It’s all but a distant memory.

However, since becoming a yoga teacher

I’ve become acutely aware of the tightness

in my shoulders, especially compared to

that of my students. This tendency to curl

into myself has left me constricted and

strong back bends often bring up feelings

of extreme fear and vulnerability.

Over the years, as I’ve enquired into this

restriction, I’ve been flooded with memories

of this childhood experience. Certain

movements, when explored, often come with

a primal surge of emotion, a strong feeling

that I want my mother and a deep sympathy

and sadness for my two-year-old self.

You’ve likely had a similar experience.

It might be hard to explain but you know

something is going on. Perhaps it connects

your body to your mind, creating strong

sensations and emotions when you move

through certain shapes.

There are many theories about what is

going on here. One particular area that is

being examined more deeply within both

Eastern and Western communities is fascia:

the connective tissue that permeates your

entire body. In fact, many researchers of

fascia see this connective tissue as the part

of the body that bridges the gap between

Eastern and Western philosophies, finding

evidence to explain the connection between

the body and the mind.

Introducing fascia

Fascia has become a buzzword within yoga

circles and beyond. Classes focusing on

fascial stretching and releasing are taking

off in Europe and slowly making their way

to other parts of the world.

It’s easy to see why. I recently attended

a “fascial fitness” class at my local gym.

Flowing, oscillating movements and

slow journeys along foam rollers left me

feeling softer, with the sense of more

freedom in my muscles: the perfect

antidote to the more dynamic movements

offered in gym environments and often

now in yoga classes, too.

It doesn’t take an anatomy or physiology

expert to understand that some healing

is going on beneath the surface when

practising movements designed to release

the body’s fascia. This matrix holds your

cells together and is often referred to as

connective tissue (although not all connective

tissue is fascia). A mucus-like substance that

penetrates your entire body, fascia is made

up of fibrous connective tissue that contains

tightly packed bundles of collagen fibres in

a wavy pattern arranged in layers.

Fascia is like the clingwrap beneath the

skin that wraps around all of your organs

and muscles. It fuses, separates, binds and

allows glide between the muscles, organs

and other soft structures of the body. Fascia

is, quite literally, what holds you together. It’s

the biological fabric that connects, separates

and forms the body. Like a big, internal spider

web that penetrates all of you, from the

crown of your head to the tips of your toes,

fascia impacts on more of your physical and

emotional life than you might realise.

Once you’ve experienced the physical and

emotional release that accompanies fascial

work, you’ll be hooked. There’s a subtle shift

in the body and mind; a feeling of letting go.

It’s hard to describe in words but you’ll feel

it deeply on an experiential level. Even if you

haven’t been to a fascia-focused class, you’ve

likely felt it before. The long, slow holds

of Yin Yoga invite the fascia to unwind. Or

maybe you’ve experienced it while receiving

bodywork: there’s a moment when your body

softly shifts from resist to release.

As you begin to understand the ways in

which fascia works, you can mindfully and

consciously engage in activities that support

the health of this connective tissue, leading

to not only a healthier and happier body but

also a healthier, happier mind.

A new understanding

Until recently, we knew very little about

fascia. Overlooked in mainstream medicine

due to the absence of suitable technology,

its impact on our body and mind has been

underestimated. Fascia was considered

less important than the muscles, bones

and organs but recently its role in the body’s

mobility and its contribution to generating

pain has created interest within the Western

medical community.

The fascial network is now recognised

by many experts as a rich sensory organ

system, densely populated with nerve

receptors that respond to stimuli in the

form of pain, proprioception (the sense

of knowing the position of your body in

space, allowing us to move and navigate

environments) and pressure.

David Lesondak, author of Fascia: What

It Is and Why It Matters, explains that “the

most important thing to keep in mind

is that the fascial net is one continuous

structure throughout the body ... The

‘everywhereness’ of fascia also implies

that, indeed, it is all connected.”

Western science now understands that

fascia connects everything in the body. What

this means is that trauma in one area of the

body can have a domino effect on the rest of

the body. This can help us understand the

role of fascia in pain and its treatment.

Eastern medicine, on the other hand, has

been curious about fascia for eons. In Daniel

Keown’s book, The Spark in the Machine:

How the Science of Acupuncture Explains the

Mysteries of Western Medicine, he explains

that the acupuncture channels of the East

are the fascial tubules of the West. According

to Keown, fascia is what channels qi (chi)

energy, keeping everything in order, both

physically and emotionally.

Why it matters

Fascia is fundamental when it comes

to mobility and function because, as

it thickens and becomes tight (due to

sustained movement or lack of movement

in a particular direction, such as sitting or

certain exercises practised over time), it

impacts on the body’s range of movement.

Inflammation causes fascia to tighten

and lose its flexibility and, because fascia

weaves throughout the entire body,

inflammation in one area can contribute

to pain in an entirely different part of the

body. Because the fascia is so connected

throughout the entire body, it also

contributes to the respiratory system and

breathing mechanics.

Arguably the world’s greatest fascia

expert, Dr Robert Schleip is the director

of the Fascia Research Project at the

University of Ulm in Germany. He explains

that lack of movement quickly causes

the fibres of the fascial tissues to lose

elasticity. Think of a sponge: when it’s dry,

it’s easily broken, but when hydrated it

flexes easily. It’s like the difference between

wearing yoga pants made from flimsy

Fascinating fascia

Fascia, your body’s deep connective tissue, holds onto tension that can be released through mindful

movement. Find out how to move through these layers with patience and mindfulness.

Wo rds JESSICA HUMPHRIES

body

FASCIA

36 | wellbeing.com.au