The fascinating fascia

Part 1 – what is it?    

According to New Scientist Magazine May issue ‘Your fascia is the site of biological activity that explains the links between lifestyle and health’.      It can almost be considered our second skin because it’s a sensory organ that extends everywhere throughout our body and it holds us together.

It was in my early yoga days that I realised my body ease, or rather the feeling in my body, bones and muscles, felt very different.    Simple everyday exercise, like walking, jogging, going to the gym was great for a while.   It improved fitness and cardiac health, but there was something about yoga that created another level of ease in the body.    

 I was finding everything from back tension, sense of calm, my reactiveness and focus all improved with yoga.    

What was it doing for me?   The simple act of stretch?   The slow movement?   The working into the nervous system?   

It was, and of course still is, a combination of them all.  

I’m still fascinated with it.      As I’ve continued my journey, I’ve looked deeper into the fascia.    Otherwise known as connective tissue, it’s that matrix of guey, gluey, fluid filled netting like material that moves with us as we move our bones and muscles.    It’s the bandage like fibrous white netting that connects every muscle to every bone and tendon.   It’s absolutely everywhere and the new findings that are emerging about the fascia is what makes yoga and its range of poses and breath work quite life changing.    

Trouble is, it’s been a long-overlooked body tissue.   Scientists over past years, when studying cadavers, have focussed their attention into the muscles while cutting away the ‘excess connective tissue’ as it got in the way of very important muscle, bone and tendon study.      This excess connective tissue that was previously ignored, is our fascia.    But only recently, studies, articles, reports and journal entries are starting to emerge that expose amazing facts about this tissue.  

As these studies are emerging, there is still disagreement on what it actually is.     It comes under the umbrella of connective tissue, but it includes collagen fibres, protein, elastin, goopy fluid that surrounds it all, as well as fat cells.

So imagine this….  

In simplest terms, it’s like a soft, nerve filled cling film that starts directly under the skin but goes deep down into bones, muscles, tendons and then extends deeper still into the body cavity to hug organs.    This tissue is rich in nerves that sense pressure, pain, proprioception, temperature and movement.   It’s no wonder, with the specific stretches, twists and reaching of various yoga moves, that the fascia moves along with it, creating that release the body needs on a daily basis.   To maintain health, it’s critical this fluid throughout the fascia, remains pliable so that our body moves the ways it’s supposed to.    When we stop moving, parts of our fascia can harden. This leads to pain and restriction of body movement.

Studies are showing that specific movement can keep the fascia healthy while affecting heart health, digestion, functional movement and respiratory health.

Join me for part 2 of this blog series – The mechanics of the fascia and how to get the best from it with movement. 

Want to check out my online classes?

Simply head to the virtual yoga studio section of this website or click on https://www.annenoonan.com.au/virtual-yoga. There’s a free class to try.