Evidence that the “We are One” Stuff isn’t just Woo-woo, after all.

Absolutely chuffed, honoured and surprised that my local uber yoga studio, South Boston Yoga, chose the Well-Heeled Guru, i.e. not your typical yogi, to host Tom Myers, Founder of Kinesis, Inc whilst* he presented his Anatomy Trains workshops over this Columbus Day Weekend.

Since I was working on personal growth this weekend, care of The Landmark Education, I was bummed that I was unable to attend his program…as this definitely has correlation to my new love and interest in yoga styles that focus on alignment—Anusara and Iyengar Yoga.

A casual conversation would have been the preferred course of action, however, I may have come across as an AT groupie drilling the poor bloke, who probably just wanted a cup of coffee and the Sunday morning newspapers. Fortunately, he graciously juggled first meeting etiquette, light saber battles with my kids and feeding a two-family sleepover solo, as my husband is OOT [Out Of Town]…all while giving me an AT quickie.

So here’s what I surmised from my Anatomy Trains 101 “interview.”

Every part of the body is connected by a single muscle system, i.e. the fascia, which weaves not just around but also in, out and through all muscles, organs, bones, etc. The fascia is a fluid, glue-like substance that connects every component to another via Anatomy Trains and this explains occurrences such as the benefits of a foot massage being felt in other parts of the body. This has application for deeper learning and instruction for holistic service providers, such as yoga, pilates, fitness instructors, and I can’t wait for it to be applied to the world of physical therapy and beyond…

Another interesting concept is that when a fluid is shaken by a certain frequency, it has the capacity to become a solid. In other words, when a body suffers a trauma, be it emotional or physical, the body’s internal hum is literally shaken up and the fascia’s glue-like substance can become solid: in layman’s yoga language, we get stiff or have knots.

Mr. Myers will be back to present more workshops in Boston—yay—and of course I’ll keep you posted. Maybe by that time, I’ll have done some more research and hopefully my eager, teach-me disposition will have subsided. Or perhaps I could have taken a lesson out of my own book (no publicist yet) and breathed. Maybe two, ’cause I heard that he’s not a big fan of high heels, so I may have been anxious to get my perspective across to inspire more folks to roll out mats, (preferably Plank mats, but any mat will do). Our goals are the same, I just join the dots in a different way. Anyway, a seed has been planted, some of you know how much I like seed planters, nurturers and bloomers.

Tom Myers’ research focus at Anatomy Trains has huge impact on this realm of science, medicine and wellbeing, especially if one is inclined or innovative enough to dig deeper. However, my favorite take away is scientific evidence that the, “we are all one, union” stuff is not so “Woo Woo” after all. I’m looking forward to hearing and seeing more of this evidence: as much as I’m an advocate of the benefits of yoga, when the hardcore yogis go easy on the “Woo Woo,” it’s far easier to holler an enthusiastic “Woo Hoo!” for yoga…

~ WHG, an expert in all things, shoes and heels and fitting yoga into a busy lifestyle.

* I thought I’d seen The Oatmeal illustrate the grammatical difference between “whilst” & “while,” or was it another ironic grammatically-detailed blogger?

Doreen Hing, AKA The Well-Heeled Guru, is a repenting Elitist Fashionista & Serial Upgrader whose heart delights in the beauty of well designed & mindful products & services. She believes that conscious consumerism has the power to shift perspectives and to enhance and move forward societies’ lifestyles. The WHG recently dropped the “Elitist” and prefers to share the how-to, where & why’s of a Fashionista & Serial Upgrader lifestyle: hence Plank, her luxury yoga lifestyle brand. Her voice is contemporary with an unapologetic Brit irony and her discoveries, Plank AAPPs, (Awareness+Application=Plank’s Perspective) result in very real, almost incredulous, tangible & immediate benefits, which could possibly help others too…