I have spoken about fascia before in posts about the Bowen Technique. It is something that plays such a huge part in the health of the human being yet it is grossly overlooked in anatomy.

Fascia is an integrated system within, it interacts and interweaves with every part of the body from bones, muscles, nerves, blood and even the brain. It is made of connective tissue, mainly collagen which can dehydrate from diet, lifestyle, exercise and stress and it has the ability to communicate with the body to reset and heal through the body’s own piezoelectric current.

I believe that when treating any ailment in the body ‘less’ is definitely ‘more’. Pummeling away and pounding the body, for me, is not great for long term relief. For the individual that needs an instant fix of relief then yes, this type of therapy will suit but what about when it recurs that tension felt in the neck, shoulder and back?

Sports injuries are another area where less is more, especially where the Bowen Technique is concerned. Dehydrated fascia is like standing on wet sand and not lifting the foot to let moisture in, exercising daily with harsh cardio can dehydrate fascia to this level.

I love to demonstrate using cornflour and water when I explain about fascia to students and patient/clients. A mixture of cornflour and water will stay in liquid form but if you was to push your finger through the mixture fast and hard it would solidify, the mixture is known as a ‘suspension’ very much like fascia, neither a solid or a liquid. On compression the moisture molecules line up and create a solid tensing the fibers, same as the connective tissue in the body when compression is applied but when the movement is slow and gentle with little or no compression the molecules and fibers relax allowing for penetration to the deeper levels.

Within my treatments, The Bowen Technique and The Spinal Code I see with the feeling touch, I intuitively feel for areas of compression that may link to the physical, emotional or mental weaknesses. We are not separate from the mental, emotional or physical. Each one interacts with one another and lays down ‘Implicit Tissue Memory’.

Tips for hydrating fascia:

• Obviously drinking water, include Energetix ‘Rehydration’ 15 drops in a litre of water. This is only available through practitioners (me being one of them)
• Coll-Force and Repair + are products I recommend to all my patients/clients be it for skin or for Bowen. Fascia is collagen and Rejuvenated Collagen Shots have 10,000mg of marine collagen as well as B vitamins and Acai berry, a super anti oxidant. They do not contain any nasty sugars or artificial colors or flavorings that others on the market contain. Their H30 Night Repair is also a great way to hydrate.
• Exercise – now I am not meaning spin classes four times a week or running etc, this is great a couple of times a week but doing it every day dehydrates fascia. Gentle swimming, walking or even better Pilates is ideal.
• Stretching, when we sleep or if we are in the same position for lengths of time, goo or mucus (very similar to an Aloe Vera plant – when you break the plant the strings of Aloe are visible) is created in between the sheets of fascia causing stiffness and over time this can harden fascia causing restriction of movement and pain, a good example of this is when you wake from sleep and feel stiff and achy or sitting at the computer for a long time neck and shoulder ache. Give yourself regular breaks and stretch, when you do stretch it pushes out the goo in between the layers of fascia and dissolves.
• Bowen! Bowen! Bowen! I can not recommend The Bowen Technique enough. For general aches and pains, musculoskeletal issues, back pain, stress etc, Bowen is the one technique that can give relief and overall fascia health!