I love practicing and teaching slow styles of yoga, like yin or restorative yoga, where the benefits of Unwinding Fascia In a Body is a target. The field of fascia research is new to us, and we still don’t know more about this mysterious tissue, so let us start exploring what is a body fascia and how we can untangle this network wrapped all over us?
WHAT IS A FASCIA?
A fascia (/ˈfæʃə/, /ˈfæʃiə/; plural fasciae /ˈfæʃɪ.i/; adjective fascial; from Latin: “band”) is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascia
It is like a wrapped tissue that weaves our muscles, bones, organs, nerves, and blood vessels together into a 100% interconnected network that is much more whole than it is separate.
WHERE IS A FASCIA LOCATED?
Fascia is Everywhere Inside of You!
Fascia is a fascinating system is a 3D web of connectivity that surrounds and interpenetrates all of our various “parts.” Our fascial system is technically comprised of all of the soft tissue connective tissue inside of us. This fiber-and-fluid-based system includes what are known as our superficial, deep, and loose fascial layers, as well as our ligaments and tendons.
YOGA AND FASCIA
When we talk about the physical benefits of an asana, we often focus on which muscles are being stretched or strengthened in that particular pose. In fact, our muscles are interwoven by three layers of fascia that they become tendons. Muscle and fascia are so intertwined that a muscle, collectively with its tendons, is often referred to as a myofascial unit instead of simply a muscle.
STRETCHING MUSCLE = STRETCHING FASCIA
In yoga asana practice we are always manipulating both our muscles and our fascia at the same time. There’s not a single pose out there that targets only our muscles or only our fascia. Additionally, our muscles (or myofascial units) never truly operate as individual, isolated muscles, even though we often talk about them behaving that way. Instead of focusing on the separateness of our “parts,” fascia gives us the opportunity to appreciate the reality of our interconnectedness.
Fascia interconnectedness is an alive, tangible representation of the principle of ONENESS within our very own bodies.
A DYNAMIC ORGAN OF COMMUNICATION
In addition to creating our literal interconnectedness, fascia also plays the remarkable role of helping the body to sense itself without using the eyes to see itself from the outside. Fascia is full of innumerable sensory nerve endings that are in constant communication with the brain about the body’s position in space. This ability for the body to use “inner vision” to sense itself is called PROPRIOCEPTION, which is sometimes referred to as our true sixth sense.
Because our fascial system is a major organ of proprioception, the health of our fascia is directly connected to how developed our “inner vision” is.
HOW TO UNTANGLED NOTS IN OUR FASCIA?
Slow synchronized movements or yoga long holds will help. Movement variability and high quality proprioception are some of the most powerful tools we can utilize when it comes to aging gracefully in our bodies. In yoga therapy the most effective techniques can be found in yin, restorative or tensegrity yoga series. The Tensegrity Repair Series opens the layers of the body, assists in healing injuries, and strengthens the core and deep muscles of the body.
KEEP STRECHING FOR YOUR FASCIA HEALTH
At the end, it is synchronized movements with breath that can assist you to stretch your entire body, following a logical anatomical order, to lengthen muscle, increase range of motion, and improve flexibility. Let us stretching our bodies and minds using yoga wisdom to age well.
References:
The post inspired by an article of Jenni Rawlings https://yogainternational.com/profile/88887
The Article found on: https://yogainternational.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascia
YOGA and TRAVEL 