Yoga Research & Neuropathic Pain: Expert Insights with Jennifer Gewandter, PhD, MPH

Today’s episode explores one of our favorite topics, fascia, from a fresh perspective. Host Rachel is joined by David Lesondak, Senior Structural Integrator and Fascia Specialist at UPMC’s Center for Integrative Medicine. David is an author, educator, and fascia specialist whose work focuses on helping people better understand and appreciate the fascial system.

David unpacks what fascia is, why it matters, and what yoga practitioners need to know to support fascial fitness. He explains the importance of feeding our bodies a varied “movement diet”, including pandiculation, hydration through twisting, myofascial release, elastic recoil, skipping and bouncing.

The conversation also explores the need for collaboration between yoga, bodywork, and other treatment modalities, and touches on whether fascia could actually provide a framework through which we experience embodiment.

“Our bodies are meant to do all kinds of things, and so we should be feeding them all kinds of stimulus.” — David Lesondak

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“The real gift, the real secret sauce of understanding fascia is it can lead to a much better understanding of your own body.” — David Lesondak

Show Notes:

Defining fascia: your whole-body connective system [03:04]
Getting “unstuck” – the who, what and why of hands-on fascial intervention [05:40]
Pandiculation for fascial fitness [09:17]
Hydration, twisting, and the “sponge” analogy [11:39]
Myofascial release and why softer is better [17:30]
Elastic recoil, skipping and preparatory counter-movement [21:30]
Building a more varied “movement diet” [27:49]
Collaborative referral networks; a multi-model treatment for fascia [29:24]
What yoga practitioners can learn from The Fascia Connection [33:23]
Fascia as the mechanism for embodiment [37:47]