Many people find that when they don’t move enough, their body gets stiff. Others might also notice that as they age their mobility decreases. Or some might remember times in their youth when they were much more flexible than they are now. In short, our bodies drastically change as we age. Our muscle composition, bone density, and even our center of gravity can change. As a result of these changes, functional changes have to occur to keep the body moving as it ages.

I think I first heard about fascia about 5 years ago when my step-mom asked me to go to a Yin Yoga class with her. She said that the class was great because you stayed in each asana for extended times so that your fascia could get stretched. I had no idea what she was talking about. Was fascia another one of those yoga terms? I took many biology and anatomy classes in high school and college and yet fascia was never discussed. You don’t find fascia listed as components in biological systems. But you hear it all the time in yoga classes. Why? What exactly is fascia?