This might be you - in a straitjacket made up of your very own fascia?

Did you know fascia gets drier and denser with trauma, age and sedentary life style?

"What we lived through is living in us." - Rupi Kaur

Aging and trauma are inevitable—but feeling stiff, restricted, and in pain doesn’t have to be.

This begins with unlearning the understanding of the human body into individual muscles and organs, but a holistic system existing in the context of fascia.

photo credit: Jean Francois Brabant

Traditional yoga has one goal: strengthen and prepare the body for Samadhi and Kundalini Awakening. For 10+ years I have been a dedicated practitioner of this style of yoga, emphasizing the discipline through mindful repetition and committed practice.

But one day, when I found myself overwhelmed by nervous system dysregulation, dealing with a whole lot of issues as a diasporic woman of colour in the west, I realized I needed something more.

Something that placed less emphasis on repetition, discipline, and rigid forms.

Something that would help me tap into the innate healing capacity of my body, and trusting this body as an embodiment of the story of my life and the imprints of my trauma, both big and small.

And then it comes to having students telling me that they came to yoga because they "felt stiff".

But Why Do We Feel Stiff?

Most people come to yoga because they feel stiff—but have you ever wondered what actually limits your range of motion (ROM)?

Studies show that ROM is influenced by several factors:

1. Muscle & Fascia – ~41% (the biggest piece of the puzzle!)

• Muscle tightness: Overactive, shortened muscles restrict movement.
• Fascial restrictions: Stiff, dehydrated fascia creates resistance, making movement feel stuck.

2. Joint Structure (Bone & Cartilage) – ~10-15%

• Your bones and cartilage create natural limitations—some movements just aren’t in your anatomy.

3. Tendons & Ligaments – ~10%

• Ligaments (bone-to-bone) and tendons (muscle-to-bone) provide stability but can also limit flexibility.

4. Skin – ~2%

• Scar tissue and thickened skin can restrict movement.

5. Nervous System & Stretch Reflex – ~35%

• Our nervous system can tighten up our body to prevent perceived injury.

What Yoga Cannot Change?

Your Joint Structure Is Set – No matter how much yoga you do, your anatomy is your anatomy. The shape of your bones and joints won’t change with stretching.

Tendons & Ligaments Can’t Be Stretched – Unlike muscles, these connective tissues have minimal elasticity. Best we can is to strengthen the muscles around them to improve support and stability.

So What Are You Missing?

Here’s the kicker—around 30% of what we call "muscle" is actually fascia. That means if you’re only focusing on muscle stretching (like in "Yang" yoga or most workout modalities), you’re missing a huge part of the equation. That's probably why you're seeing limited progress with your exercise routine, and lower mobility with age and injuries.

What Can You Do?

💡 The game-changer: Fascia Fitness

Fascia Training - Keeping our fascial web hydrated and supple means better movement, fewer restrictions, and less stiffness

Nervous System Regulation - Tight muscles aren’t always short—sometimes, they’re locked in tension because your nervous system is in fight-or-flight mode.

Are You Sure?

DEFINITELY! Fascia is the context of our movements. We do not have muscles in fascial bags. We have ONE BIG MUSCLE in hundreds of fascial bags.

• Sedentary lifestyle, injuries and aging can put us in a straitjacket made up of very own dried up, denser fascia. 
• This not only limits the range of motion, restricts the circulation of essential fluids, nutrients and cellular signals, but also compromises the effectiveness of your yoga practice, other exercise modalities and therapy.
• Fascia has tensile strength of >2000 pounds per square inch, which means it can definitely exert pressure on structures and result in chronic pain.