tip of the day

Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked.
~ Yoga Sutras

Yoga and the Fascia

Fascia….the stuff that holds us together. We are amazing, awesome, electro-magnetic beings! And there are many aspects
to the awesome human form that I could write about, but for now, I would like to bring your awareness to the Fascia. 
The fascia, that holds information and has it’s own intelligence. We need to consciously include the awareness of our fascia in our
yoga practice….through appropriate Yin (restorative) or Yang (dynamic) poses. 

One of the many things we all have in common is we are all made of fascia. We are wrapped in and held together with the stuff. Muscles, 
nerve fibers, other fibers, and organs are all interconnected with each other through the fascia. 

In Yoga we are always creating new space internally, physically and energetically. The fascia helps us to do this as it can provide elasticity 
so to give the bones and organs enough space to move and function better. We are also looking through our breath and postures for stability and groundedness. The fascia will help give us stability through holding the different tissues together, as well as  transport prana through the energy channels of the body. Prana being “life force”.  

We all want to be lean, toned, flexible, strong, balanced, calm and healthy. So, having a balanced yoga practice of our yin and yang is important. The Restorative (yin) practice will enhance your awareness of coming into the body. Allowing you to feel the more subtle sensations and energies that you may not notice in a  dynamic practice. Restorative practice is all about slowing down and being more meditative. It is in this slow, quiet, practice that we target the fascia through stimulating vital energy to flow through the it.   Holding a restorative pose for about 20 breaths or os, we give the fascia a chance to let go. eg The butterfly pose.(Bhadakonasana)… allows the muscles to relax….then the fascia receives a healthy stress, and can become more elastic and stronger. Opening the hip joints in a very deep way and in turn create more flexibility and stability. This then becomes very healing, and deeply nurturing for the whole organism, you!   Healing the physical, mental and emotional bodies. 
Our dynamic (yang) practice will create heat in the body, strengthening, lengthening and toning the muscles and will then have many positive
consequences as a result, for eg, it will help one’s digestion and ability to metabolise, not only our food but in the way we digest information and the world around us. This practice also has a wonderful way of relaxing the mind and deepening our awareness to the breath.  Although our restorative and dynamic are very different types of practise’s they compliment each other for sure. bringing more healthy balance into our lives. We can then 
become more of the ‘more’……as we get in touch with our true divine nature and allow our awesome energy to flow through and express itself through our surface bodies. Mental, physical, emotional, and intuitive. 

We are living in a crazy, aggressive, materialistic, fast world……take care to bring your awareness into your mind’s eye. Many people are working out, many times a week….. without much awareness of the contraction that is taking place in the body, as muscles shorten and our work out only enhances the armour and yang energy creating more imbalance instead of cultivating a more peaceful way of being. We need to slow down! And connect to our inner sanctuary, the stillness within to allow our fascia to let go and help us become more spacious……Connect with the fascia, experiencing healthy organs, expansive breath and free flowing energy with balanced emotions….Our outer world, reality, merely reflects our inner world. 

I really hope this inspires you to be more aware in your yoga practice and if you do not have a practice…start….don’t wait….now is the time….now is your only forever!

Love,

Vya Freeman