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Hi. If you have thought about reading this article, then either because you are hoping to hear about all the reasons yoga isn’t so great after all, or because you are hoping to read about the good reasons to prefer yoga to other… what, other ways of exercising? Exercising … the body? The mind? Yoga had something to do with the mind, too, hadn’t it? They say it lowers blood pressure, and calms down the nervous system. So let’s wrap it up by yoga is good exercise for health?

While most ways of exercising the body in our western world do not address the mind really, it is fundamental in Yoga. The word YOGA has its origins in the Sanskrit word “Yuj”, which means “to unite”. The original aim of yoga is to unite the body with the mind, and the person with nature. It is a way of living in peace with oneself and the world that surrounds us; not by rejecting the negative, but by learning to accept and integrate it. The physical practice of Yoga is really only a part of it.

However, in the western world we have come to reduce yoga to the practice of “asanas”, also known as body postures. Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kundalini, Hatha, Yin, Bikram, Flow Yoga are only some of the names we can read on the timetable of different yoga studios. In these classes, we are invited to focus on exercises that engage different parts of our body that is being strengthened and stretched. But that’s not all to yoga… in fact, it’s only a tiny fraction.

Physical postures carried out in a concentrated way while staying connected with the breath and the senses accepting anything that may be felt, will eventually lead you to a place of meditative absorption and bliss. From there, you realize that you are more than just the sum of your pieces, that the story your mind is telling you every day about yourself and the world around you might actually not be true, and you get to look at yourself in a way that is free of your biography and other limiting factors. This is where the magic lies, some may call it spirituality, and it is what makes Fascia Flow® Yoga so special compared to other ways of exercising.

In Fascia Flow® Yoga we work with the connective tissue. For a long time, body and trauma therapists have acknowledged the myofascial tissue as the physical storage of our emotional biography. Anything that has made an impact on us emotionally has left its footmark on our fascia. Trauma and unresolved conflict are encapsulated in that layer of our body and can create a major blockage over time. (Interesting enough, one of the main functions of fascia is force transmission!) When we practice Fascia Flow® Yoga, we release some of the stored information and we may come to remember the situation that caused us pain in the past or simply reactivate the feeling. This is a good thing. It is a chance to let go of it, just by letting it pass through your system from a place of “Hey, I survived this. I know that life went on in spite of it. I can let it go now.”

So even if it is a gentle practice, it is definitely not for cowards. It does ask you to engage, with your body and with your heart. We cannot work deeper layers of our body and expect these layers to stay separate from who we are and what we feel. To practice Fascia Flow® Yoga and only seek for the body to benefit really is like going on an amazing road trip with the handbrake on.

Am I pulling the handbrake?

A way to find out if you are pulling the handbrake is to ask yourself in what ways you are being challenged during the yoga practice. For example, you could be …

• Preferring your comfort zone (I only want to feel happy all the time, I am not willing to feel discomfort.)
• Comparing yourself to others (Why is my yoga buddy able to do this and I can’t?)
• Constantly distracting yourself (My thoughts are more interesting than my breath.)
• Doubting you are worth the effort (The other things I do in a day are more important than to focus on me now.)
• Sticking to false assumptions (I’m too old. / My body is not made for this.)
• Allowing frustration to take up space (Yeah right, teacher, you’ve practiced that for years and now you ask ME to do it!)
• Becoming impatient (I will NEVER be able to do this.)
• Avoiding vulnerability (I don’t want my weaknesses to show.)

If you can identify with any of this, don’t worry. It won’t be able to stop you as long as you keep going. As you stay focused in spite of all the reasons to pull the handbrake, you will notice how you become both, stronger and more vulnerable at the same time. You will naturally start appreciating your journey on a deeper level and stop feeling doubts towards being incapable or inappropriate. Just don’t expect the reasons to disappear by looking at them. Keep going and you’ll leave them behind.

All that you are is ultimately connected, and by practicing Fascia Flow® Yoga you will eventually get access to all that emotional information that may have been locked up in the past. By allowing it to show up, you make sure it does not block your system any longer. You find true freedom from your past.

Yoga rocks!

© Maria Kafritsas 2024

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Are you waiting for a big change, like the end of the pandemic, the love of your life, the partner you’ve been dreaming of, the big inspiration, the next vacation, your dream job or anything else to make you feel better? What if you could get there immediately without yet changing anything in your life? Don't worry, this isn't an article about autosuggestion or another invitation to see through rose-coloured glasses. But you may be interested to know how your body can get things for you done that otherwise seem to depend on external circumstances or are the result of lengthy therapy and coaching.

There are now a number of scientific studies that show that the handling of the body and the biochemistry in the body have a significant influence on the psyche. But can our feelings be changed by our body?

In the US, the so-called Power Posing has spread, which is based on generating feelings of confidence, success and optimism by taking expansive postures that are held for more than 2 minutes. Studies conducted by social psychologist Amy Cuddy at Harvard Business School found that the hormone situation of subjects who were on the verge of a stressful situation had changed significantly before and after power posing. Cortisol levels (=anxiety hormone) were lower after that, and testosterone levels (="winner hormone") were higher – just by taking expansive postures for two minutes. Both the subjects felt more able to go on stage or in their interview after these 2 minutes; they were also perceived by their audience as more present and convincing. 

The knowledge of the connection between body and emotions is also used in professional acting work. This is not about displaying feelings, but about actually activating feelings through the use of certain postures and modes of movement. 

Take the self-test and answer the following two questions using A. or B.:

How do you feel right now? 

1. Optimistic, motivated, confident
2. Pessimistic, rather down, at best okay

Check your posture.

1. Upright and tall, wide and space-engaging, head high
2. Hunched back, shoulders turned inwards, elbows close to your body, head lowered or resting on the hands

Then take the opposite posture for at least 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes: Answer Question 1 again.

... Amazing, isn't it?  

What has just worked so quickly on the mood, also does on a deeper level. If we have been running around hunched over and with closed bodies to the outside world for years, this will have an impact on the way we feel in the world, within our environment, even in our lives. If we manage to change posture in a lasting way, for example via the transformation of our myofascial tissue, if we manage to convert fascial adhesions and muscle shortening into a healthy, painless and movement-friendly state, then we have the chance to change perspectives and generate more positive emotions without effort. Our life changes as our body returns to its optimal form.

© Maria Kafritsas 2021

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Never before have we spent so much time at home. Never before have we avoided visiting friends and public spaces to this degree. Covid-19 has changed our lives and will, unluckily, continue to do so. And mobility restrictions imposed by governments are only a small portion of the inconvenience caused. 

Unlike other illnesses like the common flu, those who got infected by SARS-CoV-2 and have recovered from it, oftentimes keep on suffering from the damage COVID-19 has left on their bodies. Significant numbers of recovering patients experience on-going fascia related pain and restricted painful motion. (Sharkey 2021, p. 1) This is due to what they call “long-COVID” or “post-COVID syndrome”. 

Beyond manual therapy, science suggests fascia focused movement interventions for alleviating and managing ’post-COVID syndrome’: 

“Fascia focused therapeutic interventions are shown to reduce pain and support a re-establishment of function while providing safe, effective and appropriate non-invasive therapy.”¹

Who wants, after successfully recovering from COVID-19 to have to live with post-COVID? 

Research has shown that just two workouts per week are enough to demonstrably restructure our myofascial tissue within 3 months. The result: movements become smoother, pain disappears, body awareness and well-being increase significantly.

Fascia Flow® Yoga offers open classes of 50 minutes online in different languages every week. To the open classes

You also have the option of booking individual appointments. To the booking calendar

If you prefer to train on your own, our video offer is the best way to do it. To the video offer

In the end, what we all desire is the quality of life before the pandemic started. May we succeed in gaining it back. 

What people say about us:

“I love the classes. I suffer from chronic pain in the cervical spine. But after every class, I feel just great. This is so wonderful.” - Pepi G. (from Spain)

“The videos have been a great support for my recovery. I do them regularly and feel even better now than I did before COVID.” – Bettina F. (from Germany)

“The lockdown was really bad. I gained 4 kg and got completely rusty. A few weeks ago I started doing the videos (what a difference they make) and now I´ve booked my first one-on-one lesson with Maria. I feel better every day.” – Henry W. (from Australia)

“The exercises are amazing. I do 2-3 of them every day and feel very different despite lockdown and home office.” – Konstantin G. (from Greece)

___________________

¹ Sharkey J., Fascia Focused Manual Therapy Interventions – Proposed Treatment for Post-COVID Syndrome, Integrative Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021, Volume 8, 339

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Are you receiving ideas for New Year's resolutions everywhere on the net these days? About healthy eating, more exercise, weight loss, the usual?

Really, don't we all know the healthy things we should make a habit of, and the ones we should better leave in the old year...? But why do we find it so difficult to leave our comfort zone – even when we don't feel so comfortable in it?

Creatures of habit 

The answer is that our entire mind-body system is designed to save energy, and this is done most effectively by maintaining the status quo (for the time being), so we continue to run in the usual tracks and avoid constantly exposing ourselves to new things. We are - biologically speaking – creatures of habit. 

The role of the subconscious

The subconscious memorizes everything that has made a big emotional impression on us (keyword: traumas), but also what we have repeated often enough (keyword: comfort zone). When the memory is triggered, we react automatically without having to make a new decision. Subconsciously. And so it becomes unnecessary to concentrate on how to brush our teeth, cook coffee, drive a car, or keep the balance on our bikes. After extensive repetition, everyday things hardly ever require us more than a minimum of concentration. It is different with new actions, though, especially when they seem exotic to us or are associated with some kind of renunciation. For example, if we have been eating meat for years and one day decide to be a vegetarian or vegan. Or if we want to get used to giving up our beloved evening beer or sweets. Or if we want to get up an hour earlier in the morning to meditate or exercise. Anything that takes something familiar away from us will stress our subconscious. It is as if it was sounding the alarm about the new, extra-ordinary situation. 

The Role of Everyday Life

And as soon as the usual challenges of everyday life appear on the scene, like time pressure, deadlines, the pressure to perform and to function, etc. then the new habits don’t stand a real chance... Who likes to torment themselves voluntarily, when everyday life is already hard enough?

The Key

To adopt a new habit without tormenting yourself, there is only one way: Start feeling well and do it now. - Yes, but this is where I want to get! - I know. It’s only: Your subconscious will stand in the way with all the tricks of the trade. If, on the other hand, you can feed it with the message that everything is fine, you have a real chance to adopt new habits with ease.

And how do I do this?

Take a piece of paper and make a list of all the things that make you feel well - listening to beautiful music, dancing, taking a warm bath, practicing Fascia Flow Yoga, dedicating yourself to a hobby, whatever it is that destresses you. Do any of these things as often as possible, but at least once a day.

The advantage of Fascia Flow Yoga

Fascia Flow Yoga has the advantage over other yoga styles that it spares you possible frustration, especially since it is not oriented towards the fulfillment of a difficult form, but on a special technique that teaches the body to complete toning stretch exercises while keeping a state of relaxation. With the result that personal well-being grows deeper with each exercise. A really good training for the subconscious. The well-being achieved in 1 hour of Fascia Flow Yoga lasts 1-3 days. On this basis, it gets easy to adapt new habits for a healthier lifestyle. The aim is the way.