Book Review: Guimberteau - Architecture of Human Living Fascia

Book Review: Architecture of Human Living Fascia

I have recently devoured the new book from Handspring Publishing by Jean-Claude Guimberteau and Colin Armstrong on the Architecture of Human Living Fascia.

Jean-Claude Guimberteau has become famous in the bodywork world because of a number of DVDs starting with Strolling Under the Skin that he released in 2005. These were incredible because he was using an endoscope to film the structures of a living human body whilst the patient was undergoing surgery. These films showed the wonderful and beautiful moving fibrillar network of collagen, elastin and extracellular matrix that is present in all of us.  I, for one, now can not hear the Blue Danube Waltz without thinking of fascia.

This book shares more information about the network of fibres that extends throughout the living human body from the epidermis down into the cells from which we are formed. This book looks at the level of the mesoscopic, which is the scale between the macroscopic (whole body) and the cellular microscopic. This mesoscopic is a level of the body's structure that some people feel has arguably been overlooked in anatomical study.  It is here, with the use of an endoscope during routine surgery, that Guimberteau and Armstrong find and examine the fibrillar network of collagen fibres, the micro-vacuoles that contain the extracellular matrix. Here the authors show how this network surround, permeates and shapes the different structures of the body from the tendons to the bones to the muscles to the organs.  This book is not just very clear about what is being discussed but it shows you  with incredible pictures and videos (more about that later) so you can see what is being discussed with your own eyes.

The authors structure the book in such a way that there is a logical progression from what this structure is, how it develops and adapts to our daily lives, how important this is for our efficient usage, what happens when there is injury and how manual therapy can have an impact. There are wonderfully insightful comments from a number of leading authors, scientist and therapists in response to the information shared in this book.  There is a great section about how the body responds to incisions of surgery, and also the exposure of the moist interior of the body to air. There is a great detailed description of scarring and the creation of interruptions the fibrillar network that reduce its ability to function smoothly.

What really sets this book apart from many of the others looking at the fascia are the sumptuous images and photographs in this book. They are clear and well described so you know what you are looking at (and where in the body) and through a wonderful use of QR codes (those square bar codes you can scan with a smartphone) you can get to watch new videos showing what is being discussed in the book. There is a DVD enclosed as well for when you can't get internet access, or do not have a smart phone.  These videos are locked with a code that you get with your copy of the book, and are well worth getting access to.

Overall I would say that if you like fascia then this book is well worth having. The videos and images really bring the body and fibrillar network to life and show how wonderfully chaotic and logical the whole thing is.  There is so much information packed into this book that I feel it deserves multiple readings (and viewings) to really get to grips with what has been so wonderfully shared.

Book available directly from Handspring Publishing here.

About me:
I am a Bodyworker based in the UK specialising in Myofascial Release and based in London (Clerkenwell and Stanmore). I have successfully completed the UK's first Advanced Clinical Diploma in Myofascial Therapy run by Myofascial Release UK. I have become completely fascinated by the fascia and attended the inaugural British Fascia Symposium. There is more information about me, where I work and the approaches I use on my website RelaxReleaseRenew.co.uk

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On starting a Scaravelli Yoga Course

You may or may not realise that I've just started a Yoga Teacher Training Course, and that this is going to take me until October 2017 to complete.  This week was the first time that my eighteen fellow students and I met,together we've and embarked on this rather wonderful course. 

The first weekend has been quite a challenge in some respects as there have been a lot of administrative discussions to have been had: being introduced to the online resources that will help us through the course; the homework assignments and deadline dates (and fines for late submission); the plagiarism policy; the ethics policy; the group behaviour policy and more.

This was quite daunting and I have felt slightly overwhelmed with the amount of learning I've committed to, and how much additional information I am going to have to digest.  I was thinking that I might have to spend today (my first day off for a number of weeks) getting myself organised as I was feeling a little panicked by it all. 

So on waking up, my plan was to spend time sorting things out, but first to check my social media. I was then taken by the following message that I saw on my facebook timeline from  Doreen Virtue:

The angels want you to know that they are watching over you, and they will guide you step-by-step as you release the old and welcome the new.Focus upon excitement about your new intentions, instead of fear about what may happen.Excitement energy will fuel your motivation and courage to make this important positive change.Hanging onto the old, for fear of what might happen, is not serving anyone. 

I'm not really into "angels" and things like that, but this caught my eye. I then laughed to myself because this is perfectly timed to remind me that I have started worrying over how much work I need to do, will I be able to fit it in with my current workload, and lots of other things that I do not need to let control me.

So with this insight and message, I decided to change my focus and enjoy the fact that:

1. I am embarking on a course that will let me learn more about myself, my body and push myself outside of my comfort zone.
2. I am going to make friends with the wide range of people that are also on the course with me.
3. I am going to learn from some amazing teachers about the wonderful style of yoga that has been inspired by Vanda Scaravelli and Mary Stewart.
4. I am going to have the opportunity to get over some fears and concerns that have had a hold on my life (like not talking clearly and standing up in front of people and telling them what to do)
5. I am going to become a yoga teacher.
6. I am going to enjoy the process and have a great time,
7. This is going to be so much fun.

So there are likely to be ups and downs in the time ahead, but I need to remember that this will ultimately be fun. I also need to remember that when things get tough that the thing to do is to get on my mat and do some yoga, talk to friends and remember it will all work out right in the end.

I just need to keep everything in perspective.

Stanmore Fridays and my yoga course (2015 - 2017)

I'm a course junkie, I admit it.  Next up is becoming a Yoga Teacher.

At the beginning of October 2015 I'm finishing the Advanced Clinical Diploma in Myofascial Release run by Myofascial Release UK  This has been something I'm working on for three years, with a lot of research and coursework this year and I'll be sharing the information about myofascial release and the fascia in general will be coming very shortly. Two weeks later I'm starting a two year course in Teaching Scaravelli Yoga with the LYTTG.

The Yoga Teacher Training course runs once per month on a Friday and Saturday from October 2015 until October 2017. The Friday will, unfortunately,  clash with my clinic at Stanmore Chiropractic Clinic. So my clients in Stanmore don't miss out, I have arranged that I will be running a replacement clinic for Myofascial Release, Sports Massage, Reiki etc, on a Tuesday afternoon (1:30pm - 7pm).

The list of affected Fridays and the replacement Tuesdays are below, but the clinic have all the dates and can help you book in for a treatment.

Call 0289548311 to book your appointment.

Friday's I'm not working (10am-7pm)	Replacement Tuesday (1:30pm - 7pm)
2015
16th October	13th October
20th November	17th November
11th December	8th December
2016
15th January	12th January
19th February	16th February
11th March	8th March
15th April	12th April
13th May	10th May
10th June	7th June
8th July	5th July
16th September	13th September
14th October	11th October
11th November	8th November
9th December	6th December
2017
13th January	10th January
10th February	7th February
10th March	7th March
8th April	5th April
12th May	9th May
9th June	6th June
14th July	11th July
15 Septemberr	12th September
13th October	10th October

Reiki and Relaxation: An explanation

Reiki and Relaxation

An Explanation of why and how it works!

What Reiki has become best known for, and most spoken about is its ability to provide deep

relaxation naturally, and without any side effects, impairments or contraindications. While most know Reiki to do this, few understand how Reiki achieves it, and fewer still have language to explain it.  This is because today Reiki is most commonly spoken about within the scope and context of spirituality and/or mediation. The problem with this however is that when you speak or teach Reiki within the context of spirituality or mediation, the practice of Reiki becomes a mystery, and when we accept and promote that, we continue to keep what was once known and understood about Reiki lost. The way then to regain the lost knowledge of Reiki, so that it can be used to better the lives of humans everywhere is to speak about, and teach Reiki for what it is, a form of Energy Medicine.

Everything starts and ends as energy. As such, the human form is made up of more than the physical body it also has a corresponding energy system. The most commonly known of the human energy systems is the aura, or as referred to by science as the bio-field. As people interact with the world they are a part of, they cannot help but be influenced by the many energies they come into contact with daily. As a result of our daily interactions, each of us will accumulate a sort of energy debris within our energy system. This debris, which often becomes stuck in our own energy field, creates imbalance. Simple imbalances within the energy field create the experience we commonly call tension. Our minds then, which have no choice but to respond to this tension, will create explanations for why we feel tense or out of balance. Reiki helps by naturally restoring balance where imbalance has occurred. In doing this, Reiki, in a sense resets our energy system. Relaxation then comes as a result of this rebalancing, and this rebalancing occurs both within the aura and in physical body.

When our bodies are in a state of relative balance, we can relax naturally and on demand. When our bodies are in a state of imbalance, we require outside influences to help us relax. This form of artificial relaxation comes in many forms including food, drink, recreational and prescription drugs, sex, excessive exercise, and many other known forms, which may simulate a sense of relaxation, but comes at a price to the individual as it only compounds the state of imbalance by introducing more imbalance that the individual has to find ways to compensate for.

For this reason, natural relaxation will always be preferable to the human form than artificial relaxation, for one is working within the natural ebb and flow of our biology and energy while the other is working against it. One of the easiest and most effective ways to relax naturally, and with little effort or time, is through a self-care regime that includes giving yourself Reiki, even if it is for only 10-15 minutes each day. Additionally the benefits of using Reiki is cumulative meaning the more you use it the more responsive your energy system becomes to it and so greater ease is found and the toll daily tension takes on you in your life becomes naturally less and easier to manage.

If you are attuned to Reiki, you can start right now by placing a cupped Reiki hand anywhere on your body. I suggest starting where you hand naturally wants to be placed. If you are not attuned to channel Reiki energy yourself, you have options: You can become attuned by receiving a Reiki attunement from a Reiki Master Teacher, or you can receive regular Reiki treatments from a local Reiki professional in your area.

You can read more on understanding Reiki as a form of Energy Medicine, in Understanding Reiki: FromSelf-Care to Energy Medicine by Chyna Honey.

Written 18th January 2015 by Chyna Honey, Reiki Master and Author