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Fascia. The secret of deep forward bends

yoga fascia anatomy

What is Fascia?

Fascia is a connective tissue in our body, that surrounds our internal organs. It's made of bundles of wavy fibers, that can stretch out. When fascia becomes too stiff, or loses stiffness, it can cause clinical problems.

How does fascia influence our postures?

Try the following short exercise to feel, in your own body, how fascia influences our body. It will only take 3 minutes.

1. Bend forward into Padahastasana or Paschimottanasana. See how far you can go, feel the stretch in your legs. Straighten up.

2. Take a tennis ball, or preferably a lacrosse ball*, and massage your feet with it by rolling it underneath each of your feet for about a minute per leg. Feel the pressure of the ball on your feet, let your body weight sink onto the ball to make sure you get a nice deep massage.

3. Bend forward again. How far can you go this time?? Can you feel the difference?

Congratulations! You have felt the effects of FASCIA.

What had happened?

The short exercise above demonstrates the effects of releasing stiffness in the plantar fascia, fascia that is located in the foot. Plantar fascia is a part of the Superficial Back Line - a fascial line that goes from the feet to the head along the back side of your body. The massage you did released tensions in the plantar fascia, allowing the superficial back line to lose some stiffness and stretch out more easily. That is the reason you could bend further.

The wonders of fascia

Knowing how to work with fascia, and with different fascial lines, can contribute a great deal to your stability, strength and flexibility in yoga practice and in everyday life. To learn more about fascia and its effects, join yoga teachers from all around the globe in Yoga, Anatomy & Alignment Course, taught by osteopath and yoga teacher, Oren Dotan.


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About Oren 
yoga and osteopathy

Oren Dotan, D.O, is an experienced osteopath specializing in yoga injuries. Being a dedicated yogi for over 15 years, Oren has lived in yogic communities and treated hundreds of cases of yoga injuries.

 

Throughout the years, he has developed a deep understanding as to why yoga injuries happen and how to prevent them. In this course, he integrates his vast anatomical knowledge with his diverse clinical and yogic experience, passing this precious combination onto yoga teachers who want to take their skills to the next level.

 

Check out this segment from the from the BBC reality show, The Retreat, in which Oren treats patients with various health issues:

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When he is not teaching and practicing yoga, Oren also teaches osteopathy worldwide and at the Israeli Institute of Osteopathy.
 


"Ask any physical practitioner that treats yogis and you will hear the same thing: People get injured in yoga – a lot. As an osteopath who has lived in yogic communities in Thailand and India for the last 8 years, I have treated hundreds of patients that suffered from yoga injuries. It’s very sad to see how experienced yogis and even yoga teachers, don’t know enough about their own bodies to keep themselves safe. I have created Yoga, Anatomy & Alignment Course with a wish to help this change"

                                              - Oren Dotan

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