The Fascial Spine:
From Head to Heart and Hara
In-person with Joanne Avison and Ana Barretxeguren
Practical details
Date: Saturday 14th June 2025
Time: 10.00 – 17.00. (Doors open : 09.30) UK time
Venue: The Millers Way Project, Shepherds Bush, London, UK.
NB. Please note this is an in-person event only. No streaming or recording is available. Places are limited.
Title: The Fascial Spine: from Head to Heart and Hara
With: Joanne Avison and Ana Barretxeguren
INTRODUCTION
Join Joanne Avison and Ana Barretxeguren for this full-day, in-person event diving into an embodied exploration of the fascial spine as the central axis of our inner cosmos.
Spend time with two of the leading UK teachers of living, tensegrity-informed, integrated movement. You will take your personal development and somatic awareness to the next level and deepen your understanding of the logic behind the fascia matrix and its powerful role in self-organisation, with particular emphasis on the spine as a profound source of our energy..
Ana and Joanne will focus on how the embryological formation of the spine (guided by the heart) organises our torso and limbs into being. This provides the foundations of posture and movement and forms our torso first, designing our ability to respond, in motion. What does that mean to us in physical, emotional, and even spiritual terms?
Together we will uncover, through practice, the deep relationships between the head, heart and hara, delving into their subtle yet powerful connections along the spine. Through the lens of the spinal instrument, we will consider movement, breath and meditative practices that can optimise ease of motion, motivation and animate natural biomotional intelligence.
DETAILS
The spine moves and shapes us; shaped by the heart initially. We are the only fully upright creatures on this planet - but why is that so important - what does it mean? How does knowing what it means serve us whatever movement or therapy we teach? During this day we will work with the essential nature of the spinal shape and the essential ways it spirals and springs through its innate chirality. What is that?
The planets are moving through the outer cosmos, contained in a living, vibrant energy field that spirals through space - not dissimilar to the way we have to move through space, responding to the gravity field on our planet, as it travels. We will explore the inner cosmos and the difference it makes to the way we move and relate to our environment, in harmony with the nature of us.
From the head down, from the hara up and centred always around the heart that lies between them, we self-organise the space through which we move and upon which we rely, to take up our space. How do we do that? How can we optimise natural ease of motion, ease of e-motion and enjoy the benefits of our biomotional intelligence - through the way fascia really functions?
Through guided practice, we will uncover the dynamic relationship between these three “command centres", head, heart and hara, experiencing their nuanced dialogues and their exquisite relationships with each other - whether or not we are always aware of them. They serve us, as a team, 24/7 and seven days a week!!
To do this we will include a combination of breath and subtle micro-movements to guide you into a deeper understanding of how to optimise the geometry, or tension-compression forces, upon which our moment-to-moment and movement-to-movement relationship with gravity relies. We call the combination of this fascia-based organisation “fasciategrity” - because it relies entirely on the geometry of our form - the integrity of tension and compression in the fascia; centred in the spine.
Let’s take the practice beyond intellectual understanding, into the realm of experience where we can simply find ourselves moving and breathing with more ease and grace - without thinking about it. We will use a variety of meditative and movement practices to find our resonance and inner body wisdom as a deep resource waiting to be remembered - whatever shape we are in.
We look forward to taking this practical work in fasciategrity to the next, more subtle level with you through the lens of the fascial spine and its deep intelligence.
In Grace and Gratitude,
Joanne and Ana
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THE DAY
You will leave with a deeper understanding of the subtleties of what fasciategrity is and why the living, breathing, moving fascia matrix relies on spirals and chirality. This is reflected in the formation of the spine. We will explore some missing links to optimising movement - whatever your modality or speciality. You will learn valuable techniques and subtle movements to add to what you already do while also understanding why, what, when, and where to use them so your work makes a bigger difference - to everyone you teach or treat.
Joanne and Ana will guide you through the subtleties of fasciategrity and how moving fascia relies on spirals. Some of the explorations will incorporate Ana’s Moving Fascia® Ball, a valuable tool for enhancing awareness through guided micro-movements and breath practice. A ball will be provided for use during the workshop, with an option to purchase it at a discounted rate afterwards. Other options of working without the ball will be covered for use at home if preferred. This collaborative approach allows participants to engage deeply with their own inner awareness while gaining practical strategies for personal and professional application.
- Transform your practice: Learn techniques that bridge theory and embodied movement to enhance your personal development, teaching or clinical work.
- Discover practical tools: Take away clear somatic practices to enhance access to the nuanced subtlety of the fascial spine.
- Deepen your understanding: Gain insights into the spirals and chiral nature of the spine and how they inform movement and awareness.
- Refine your approach: Learn how to sense and respond to individual needs with greater clarity and precision through understanding the underlying logic.
- Expand your perspective: Experience the spine as a dynamic instrument within the body’s inner cosmos, helping you bring fluidity and resilience to your work.
Join the Fascia Hub membership today and enjoy between £30-£55 off your event ticket while getting access to our extensive information and video resource. Minimum commitment three months @ £15/per month.
The Millers Way Project, Shepherds Bush, London, UK.
NB. Please note this is an in-person event only. No streaming or recording is available. Places are limited.
AGENDA
9.30: Doors open, welcome drink
10.00-13.00: Morning session with a 20-minute break
We will begin with an introduction to the fascial spine through practical presentation, discussion, and movement exploration. This allows time to really grasp the core of this teaching day which Ana and Joanne want to fully convey to you. Their intention is to leave you with a profound experience of the fascial spine, rather than simply additional concepts and ideas - you will bring them to life, together.
13.00-14.00: Lunch
14.00-16.30: Afternoon session with a 20-minute break
In the afternoon, the work will transition into subtler practices, connecting the head, heart, and hara through movement and meditation. Joanne and Ana will guide participants through experiential practices that harmonise the body’s inner and outer awareness.
16.30-17.00: Completion; the day will conclude with time for integration and reflection.
PRESENTERS
Dr Joanne Avison is an author, advanced Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist and Structural Integration practitioner/teacher, with a doctorate degree in Spiritual Science. Joanne is passionate about the New Science of Body Architecture; the geometry of form and consciousness in animated beings. Her work includes writing “Yoga: Fascia, Anatomy and Movement” (2nd edition, Handspring, 2021). As a leading authority in fascia and tensegrity in 21st Century living anatomy, Joanne is currently writing the book of the course (with Paul Thornley) Myofascial Magic in Action. Co-author of Fasciategrity in Motion, with John Sharkey, these dynamic and practical programmes simplify how fascia and tensegrity integrate to make sense of natural movement patterns and practices for all movement professionals and manual practitioners of any discipline or style. Joanne’s presentations weave the missing practical links between fascial anatomy and human health and performance that can be integrated for all practitioners to make a bigger difference to themselves and their clients. www.joanneavison.com
Ana Barretxeguren is a movement educator and myofascial release practitioner and the creator of Moving Fascia®, a somatic movement method that has helped hundreds restore ease and minimise pain through fluid movement.
Moving Fascia® originated as a fascial anatomy course, arising from Ana’s clinical
experience as a movement and manual therapist combined with her work in the
dissection lab. The result was the creation of Moving Fascia®; a relatable approach
that prioritises nervous system regulation and blends somatics with fascia through
movement, embodiment, self-massage and breath practices.
Ana holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Anatomical Sciences from the University of
Edinburgh, has taught embodied anatomy to movement teachers for more than a
decade and lectures on fascia internationally, including at the British Fascia Symposium. Her own personal experience of living with catamenial pneumothorax, a rare condition of repetitive lung collapses, has led her to a continuous commitment to the exploration of fascia, both professionally and personally, focusing on the visceral space and its connections to breath and movement.
Join the Fascia Hub membership today and enjoy between £30-£55 off your event ticket while getting access to our extensive information and video resource. Minimum commitment three months @ £15/per month.
The Millers Way Project, Shepherds Bush, London, UK.
NB. Please note this is an in-person event only. No streaming or recording is available. Places are limited.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Props provided: During the day, Ana will be using the Moving Fascia® SOFT ball, and each participant will receive a Moving Fascia® ball bundle to use during the day. A discounted purchase option will be available after the event. Alternative props to use at home will be suggested for those who prefer not to purchase the ball.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
Indoor shoes or socks must be worn; please change on arrival and leave outdoor shoes in the lobby on racks provided.
A light blanket, and comfortable layered clothing. Yoga mats provided but feel free to bring your own if preferred.
A notebook and pen.
CATERING
Light refreshments will be provided during breaks. Please bring a bottle of water.
Lunch: There are many eating places locally, or bring a packed lunch to eat in the small tea room area (only water permitted in the main workshop area, thank you). Please note that we are unable to provide a fridge for your food.
SPECIAL DISCOUNT ON MOVING FASCIA® BALLS
If you would like to purchase and keep your own personal Moving Fascia® ball, we are delighted to offer you, on the day, a 25% discount on the standard price. Link here
The Moving Fascia® ball is specially designed with a softly textured surface to enhance proprioceptive and interoceptive awareness. Its air-filled, adjustable density meets the body with the optimal level of support, minimising the guarding response associated with cycles of pain and aiding recovery post-injury and in chronic pain conditions.
The Moving Fascia Ball has a very specific design and purpose, unlike popular soft exercise balls, which may also be used.
LOCATION
Millers Way Project, Shepherds Bush, London. For full location, access etc click here.
Join the Fascia Hub membership today and enjoy between £30-£55 off your event ticket while getting access to our extensive information and video resource. Minimum commitment three months @ £15/per month.
The Millers Way Project, Shepherds Bush, London, UK.
NB. Please note this is an in-person event only. No streaming or recording is available. Places are limited.