MOVING AS ONE: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO NON-DUAL ANATOMY

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MOVING AS ONE:

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO NON-DUAL ANATOMY

FASCINATING FASCIA: BRIDGING YOGA AND SCIENCE

It’s truly captivating to recognize that the last three decades have ushered in a

new era of exploration in Physiological and Biological research, harmoniously

aligning with the core tenets of non-dualism central to the yogic tradition. A

groundbreaking revelation in this arena is the unveiling of Fascia—an omni-

present, gel-like collagenous substance that has been evolving alongside each cell

within our bodies since the inception of our initial cellular division. Essentially,

it serves as the encompassing framework, the canvas upon which our cells are

suspended and nurtured. You could say fascia is Shiva, and the myriad of mus-

cles and bones that interact through it are Shakti. Like the Yogic tradition de-

scribes, our work is through Shakti to arrive at Shiva— we work with our muscles

and bones, yet when we work with them holistically we begin to interact with the

underlying substratum that unites them, our connective tissue.

MUSCLE TEAMS

First and foremost, we direct our focus towards the existence of connective tissue

amidst ‘muscle teams,’ a pivotal factor in harmonizing holistic movement. An

illustrative example is the “posterior chain,” a term that Physical Therapists

have long employed to characterize the interwoven network of muscles along the

backside of our body. Consider the hamstrings: their tightness can reverberate

upwards to impact the lower back and downwards to influence the calf and sole

of the foot. These muscles indeed possess unique origins and insertions, yet they

also function as cooperative units spanning the body, collaboratively executing

all-encompassing actions such as forward and backward bending, twisting,

lifting, squatting, and more.

SENSORY RICH SUPER HIGHWAY

The second facet of our exploration into fascia within this training pertains

to its neurological capacity to foster inner perception. As aptly described by a

John Hopkins Medicine article, “Fascia is a thin casing of connective tissue that

surrounds and cradles every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber, and muscle.

It goes beyond providing internal structure; fascia houses nerves that render it

nearly as sensitive as skin.” (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/well-

ness-and-prevention/muscle-pain-it-may-actually-be-your-fascia) This all-encom-

passing connective tissue not only serves as a mechanical scaffold bridging every

cell in our body, facilitating nutrient delivery and waste removal, but also func-

tions as a neurological conduit, enabling our body to sense its internal condition

and make necessary adjustments. This connective tissue houses all the sensory

neurons within your body—essentially, the sensory inputs your nervous system

relies on to organize and guide your actions. Consequently, your connective tissue

stands as the most sensorially enriched tissue in your body, surpassing even your

eyes—enabling you to shut your eyes while keeping your most significant sensory

receptor wide open.

Thomas Meyers’ research. Even within your local gym, the influence of fascial

exploration is likely evident—from the innovative use of barbells in “Landmine

exercises,” encouraging individuals to lift, push, and pull weights from various

angles and degrees to foster holistic engagement, to activities like ropes, box

jumps, spiraling Ax cuts, and more. Functional movement that harmonizes with

the “fascial lines” has become the new norm in athletic training and recovery.

Fascial research has shone a spotlight on incorporating larger, more all-encom-

passing movements like running, jumping, and throwing, as well as multidimen-

sional “crawling” motions such as bear walks and Lizard crawls. This holistic

approach isn’t exclusive to high-performance athletes; it’s equally informing the

practices of Physical Therapists and functional movement experts across the

globe. While the idea of holistic movement isn’t novel, the research now firmly

substantiates what the yogic tradition has espoused for millennia—our asana

and movement practices should embody the essence of “effortless effort.” This

translates to engaging in work without the sensation of it being overly localized.

Our movement practice should have the capacity to endure without inducing

tension, implying that the entire body should share the load, rather than isolating

specific muscles like the biceps or the lower back.

Importantly, this comprehensive approach extends beyond the confines of physi-

cality. Just as the yogic tradition has conveyed for ages, this form of work evolves

into a surrender that transcends the physical realm, leading to an experience of

the infinite.That is, we don’t just move more consciously because it will win us

a medal, we move more consciously, more holistically, so we can experience our

true nature through the practice of moving.

ISOLATION INJURES, INTEGRATION HEALS

When you isolate a muscle from its team, such as stretching the hamstrings

alone in a flat back forward fold, you build imbalances that eventually lead to

injury, like the epidemic of hamstring tendontitis that is happening across yoga

studios in the county right now. The answer isn’t to stop stretching our ham-

strings, to live in fear of injury, but rather is to learn how to use our entire back

line of musculature holistically, which is our lesson on forward folds.

Similarly, back bending can lead to a pinch in your discs if done in isolation, like

just reaching for your heels in Ustransa, camel pose. But when you learn how to

eccentrically lengthen and strengthen your entire front line team through func-

tional holistic movement, that same posture can be the very pose that saves your

back. We also saw this in our previous section, where isolated external hip rotation can

lead to labral tears leading to hip replacements, but when done with buoyant

support, those same postures can repair your hips. Integration, rather than isola-

tion, is an intuitive process as it is the way we moved originally as infants— but

it takes time to reveal this intuition from behind the veil of our everyday pat-

terns, and that’s where the training comes in. This is time devoted to simply peel-

ing away the unconscious movement that keeps us locked in patterns of discomfort, in order to reveal holistic intuitive full body movements that naturally reveal the

natural state of Health (‘Sat’ in Sanskrit, pure being) that is our True Nature.

SEEKING A DIRECT EXPERIENCE

The role of anatomy in this training transcends mere intellectual pursuits; it aims

to illuminate the innate rhythms and motions of your body as it gracefully nav-

igates through space. These revelations, in turn, become the conduits for stilling

your thoughts and redirecting your focus inwards. While we engage with the study

of anatomy through the mind, its true purpose extends beyond filling our mental

piggy banks—it is designed to infuse our postures and internal contemplation with a

profound, immediate richness.

Patanjali eloquently captures this essence in the opening chapter of the Yoga Sutras:

“Through self-enquiry the practitioner gains insight, but eventually all mental logic must come

to an end in bliss. Following that is the comprehension that all is the Self (yoga)” (1.17).

Self-inquiry, such as the exploration of anatomy, represents a pivotal stride along the

journey—a step that is undoubtedly essential, yet not the ultimate destination. The

true culmination lies in experiencing our state of being during the practice of yoga,

an encounter that necessitates stilling the mind.

Similarly, Swami Muktananda likened meditation to a bird with two wings—effort

and grace. In anatomy we need anatomy to comprehend the body’s intricacies, but

we also must surrender and allow our direct experience to inform our understanding,

and that’s grace. When these forces of effort and grace seamlessly unite, we ascend to

new heights. This, in essence, is the purpose of anatomy in this training: to empower

you to soar—to navigate the realms of yoga with profound understanding alongside

an equally profound personal experience.

SUMMARY & REFLECTION

In the last three decades, the exploration of fascia, a gel-like substance surrounding

literally every cell of our bodies, has revolutionized physiological and biological

research, while also aligning with non-dualism principles in yoga. This discovery

highlights fascia’s dual role as a scaffold interconnecting cells and tissues, and as a

neural-rich conduit for transmitting information, with implications for understand-

ing muscles as cooperative units and for fostering inner perception. Fascia has also

influenced movement practices across various disciplines, including athletics and

yoga, promoting holistic, interconnected movements and reflecting the non-dualistic

philosophy that emphasizes unity and interconnectedness.

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Considering the profound relationship between the research on fascia and

the principles of non-dualism in yoga, how might this holistic understand-

ing of interconnectedness influence your personal approach to movement

and well-being? Reflect on any shifts in your perceptions or practices stem-

ming from this revelation— or ways that these revelations have already

become a part of your movement practice.