Reflections from a Workshop with Julie Martin
Further reading and inspiration from the work of Robert Schleip, Thomas W. Myers and Carla Stecco.
I have always been fascinated by how intricately our bodies and minds are intertwined. The more I teach nervous system regulation through Yoga, Qigong & meditation, the more obvious it becomes: the body keeps score, but it also keeps wisdom.
Lately I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of fascia, the connective tissue web that everyone in the movement, yoga, sport & holistic world seems to be talking about. After a workshop with Julie Martin, my curiosity only expanded.
What I learned is this: Fascia is not just the “stuff between stuff.” It’s a sensory, adaptive system that reflects how we live, breathe, move, rest & even think.
And when you understand that, the body suddenly feels a lot less mysterious.
What is Fascia, Really?
Fascia is connective tissue. It forms a continuous, three-dimensional web throughout the entire body — wrapping muscles, surrounding bones, supporting organs, encasing nerves and vessels.
It separates, connects and communicates.
It is largely made of:
- Collagen – gives strength and structure
- Elastin – allows elasticity and recoil
- Ground substance – a hydrated gel-like matrix (rich in water and hyaluronic acid) that allows tissues to glide
Different densities serve different roles:
- Superficial fascia under the skin
- Deep fascia (myofascia) interwoven with muscles
- Tendons and ligaments
- Periosteum around bone
- Visceral fascia supporting the organs
- The pericardium and pleura around heart and lungs
None of it is separate. It is one continuous network.
And here’s what makes it fascinating: fascia is not passive wrapping. It is richly innervated sensory tissue. It communicates constantly with the nervous system.
Which means how you feel effects how you are physically shaped.
Motion Is Lotion — But Not the Way You Think
Fascia is alive and responsive. It remodels based on how you use your body.
For example, gentle, varied movement:
- increases hydration
- keeps layers sliding
- distributes load
- maintains elasticity
Long periods of immobility or repetitive stress though make fascia stiffer and denser.
But what makes fascia happiest of all is movement that’s exploratory and pressure-changing:
- little twists
- reaches
- squishes
- rolls
- breaths.
Healthy fascia also means healthy viscera (organs). The fascial sheets surrounding the organs love gentle compression, traction and breath-induced movement. It’s their version of fresh air.
One of my favourite workshop quotes perfectly captured this idea:
“Less is more — No pain is gain.”
Slow, curious movement changes the conversation between fascia and the nervous system. And that conversation determines whether tissue softens or braces.
Fascia, the Nervous System: A Two-Way Street
Why Self-Regulation Matters
“Listen for the whisper of the body — don’t wait for the scream.”
Here’s where things really clicked for me.
Fascia is packed with sensory receptors. It constantly feeds information into the nervous system – pressure, stretch, tension, temperature, speed, direction. In turn, the nervous system decides whether we are safe or threatened.
This relationship is bi-directional:
- If your nervous system feels calm → fascia softens, glides and communicates clearly.
- If it feels unsafe → fascia tightens, thickens, protects and restricts.
This is why emotional stress becomes physical tension, The body adapts to the story the nervous system believes.
The nervous system then decides: Are we safe? Or do we need protection?
If it perceives threat:
- Jaw tightens
- Breath shortens
- Vision narrows
- Shoulders lift
- Pelvic floor grips
- Digestion slows
If that state becomes chronic, the body adapts around it! This is where anxiety shows up physically. Constipation, haemorrhoids, neck and shoulder pain, shallow breathing, tight hips, frozen shoulders →these are often expressions of prolonged sympathetic activation. When the vagus nerve (a key part of the parasympathetic system) isn’t getting enough space to do its job, digestion and repair suffer.
The body is not broken. It is protecting.
Self-regulation, through breath, touch, movement, awareness, helps the nervous system shift out of threat and into a more parasympathetic (rest, digest & heal), fluid, adaptable state. When the nervous system calms, fascia follows.
Safety in → Softness out. And fascia responds.
Try This: Feel the Web
A Few Experiments to Feel It for Yourself
1. The Foot Awakening
The feet are sensory goldmines. They constantly send information to the brain about balance, terrain and safety.
Try this:
- Walk around. Notice sensations.
- Fold forward — feel the backs of your legs.
- Massage one foot: between toes, arch, heel, ankle.
- Fold again. Compare.
- Walk. Notice how your whole body feels different.
You didn’t stretch your legs, but you changed sensory input.
When the nervous system feels supported, the body lets go.
“The body learns through softness. Slow isn’t lazy-it’s intelligent.”
2. Side Body Fascial Massage (With a Towel)
Roll up a soft towel (no wider than your upper arm).
- Lie on your left side, left arm stretched overhead so your head can rest on it.
- Place the towel under your armpit.
- Gently rock side to side six times.
- Move the towel to mid-ribs → repeat.
- Then lower ribs → repeat.
It doesn’t need to be hard. It needs to be felt.
This gentle compression hydrates tissue, stimulates sensory receptors and invites the nervous system to down-regulate.
It’s subtle. And powerful. It’s not about forcing pressure. It’s about waking up sensory pathways, hydrating tissue, and letting your nervous system realise: “Oh right, we can soften here.”
3. “Flirt with the Posture”
In a lizard pose, explore circular hip movements. Roll over the back knee. Shift weight. Explore.
This is not “flopping around.”
This is conscious exploration — what fascia loves most.
“Flirt with the posture-don’t commit too quickly.”
Fascia loves variability. Joints love movement diversity. The nervous system loves choice. Rigid things break. Elastic things bounce back.
Stress, Fascia & the Jaw
The jaw is one of the first places to tense under stress. Through fascial chains, jaw tension can travel down the neck, ribs, diaphragm and pelvis, all contributing to:
- headaches
- pelvic floor tension
- constipation
- haemorrhoids
- neck pain
- upper back stiffness
- shallow breathing
One tiny moment of muscular clenching can ripple through the entire web.
So next time you feel overwhelmed (& something I remind myself to do often) is:
- Unclench your jaw.
- Let your tongue soften.
- Exhale slowly.
See what happens in your shoulders, your belly.
Small shifts can ripple through the entire fascial web.
Long Holds & Stretching Smarter
Long passive holds aren’t “bad,” but they can push you into stress if:
- you clench
- hold your breath
- wait for it to be over
- or override discomfort with willpower
That’s the sympathetic nervous system (stress response) talking. Not relaxation!
The trick is to pause, not endure:
- Notice what’s happening
- Breathe
- Adjust
- Wiggle
- Move in and out gently
Endorphins, released by your body after a super-intense stretch or work out might feel good, but they aren’t the same as healing or safety. They’re simply the body’s “we survived that” reward.
If you love Yin Yoga, thats great, just stay aware.
Pause rather than push ● Move rather than freeze ● Explore rather than endure.
And please, no ego Yoga!
If you cannot hear an internal “yes,” it’s not your posture today.
Pandiculation — A Fancy Word for Something Your Body Already Knows
Pandiculation is the natural stretch-yawn-expand-contract movement we do when we wake up. It:
- resets the nervous system
- hydrates fascia
- brings awareness back into the body
- reminds your brain of full movement potential
Do it daily, by stretching widely, opening the chest, rolling through the spine & do it often.
Your fascia will thank you.
Aging & Fascia — The Good News
Fascia tends to lose hydration and elasticity as we age but, it remains adaptable throughout life. Strength training, mobility, varied movement and self-regulation all help stimulate collagen production and maintain elasticity.
Not through force, but think conscious movement, with consistency, curiosity & listening (for those whispers).
The Heart of It All ❤︎
Fascia may be one of the great bridges between anatomy and emotion. Science is still evolving, but lived experience tells us something important:
The body is always talking.
Yoga taught me this.
Asana teaches us to listen.
The mind can be loud and dramatic. The body whispers.
Your job, my job, is to get curious enough to hear the whisper before it becomes a scream.
Move often.
Move gently.
Self-regulate as lovingly as you can.
And remember: No pain is gain!
Elastic things bounce back.
And you, my friend, are built to bounce ☺︎
Get Curious. 