Advertise on podcast: The Joanne Avison Podcast

What if true restoration isn’t about rest… but restoring your body’s ability to move, adapt, and perform? In this episode Joanne and Paul explore restoration, the fourth step in their 5-step fascia-focused approach, and share exclusive video demonstrations from their practitioner training - so you may prefer to watch this on the Joanne Avison YouTube channel - although there's still plenty to be gained here! Restoration is about rebuilding your capacity to move well over time. Without it, even strong, capable bodies gradually lose options and become more restricted, often without realising it. Learn how simple but precise movement explorations help restore coordination, improve transitions between positions, and prepare the body for the unpredictable demands of real life, not just controlled environments. This is especially relevant for movement teachers, personal trainers, and therapists who want to move beyond repetition and performance, and instead build long-term resilience, adaptability, and efficiency in the body. If you’d like to explore how this fascia-focused approach can support your own practice or clients, visit https://www.myofascialmagic.com/mmia-programme-info  And don’t forget to tune in next Friday for the final episode in this special mini-series about the 5 R’s of myofascial motion! SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

What if “release” isn’t about relaxing or stretching, but letting go of the patterns that hold you back? In this episode, Joanne Avison and Paul Thornley explore Release as the next step in their fascia-focused approach to movement. This is part of a mini-series on the Five R’s, and includes exclusive video demonstrations from inside their practitioner training, so you can see how this work is applied in real time. So you may prefer to hop on over to the Joanne Avison YouTube channel to watch this one 📺 (Although if you'd prefer to listen you'll still get plenty of goodness here.) Rather than forcing the body to relax or stretching out discomfort, this episode shows how true release comes from recognising and interrupting suboptimal movement patterns, allowing the intelligent body to reorganise itself naturally… You’ll learn: Why “myofascial release” is often misunderstoodHow tension and compensation patterns developWhy forcing release can make things worseHow subtle, precise movement restores ease and resilienceIf you’re working with bodies and want to go deeper into this fascia-focused approach, you can explore the Myofascial Magic in Action programme here: https://www.myofascialmagic.com/mmia-programme-info  SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

Why mechanical thinking breaks movement, and how Recoil restores adaptability, resilience, and real-world function in the body. After such a great reaction to their recent episode about Rebound, Joanne and Paul return with the second instalment in this mini-series exploring the Five R’s of myofascial motion, again sharing exclusive demonstration videos from inside their practitioner training! So you may prefer to hop on over to the Joanne Avison YouTube channel to watch this one 📺 (Although if you'd prefer to listen you'll still get plenty of goodness here.) This time they explore Recoil as a foundational principle for building true body resilience. Moving beyond the idea of the body as a system of levers, they show why traditional, position-based training often fails once movement leaves the controlled environment of the studio. Using practical demonstrations from the Myofascial Magic training programme, they reveal how the body actually organises itself through instability, variability, and counter-rotation. You’ll see how recoil underpins natural gait, how narrow and unstable positions develop deeper coordination, and why strength alone doesn’t guarantee efficient movement. This is a shift from controlling the body to working with its inherent intelligence. This episode is especially relevant for movement teachers and manual therapists looking to bridge the gap between controlled training and real-world application, and to deepen their understanding of fascia-focused, adaptive movement. 🌟  If you’d like to learn more about the Myofascial Magic In Action programme, or book a relaxed, no-pressure chat with Joanne or Paul, visit:  https://www.myofascialmagic.com/mmia-programme-info SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

For the first time ever Joanne and Paul share real movement training clips from inside the Myofascial Magic In Action practitioner course! 🌟 This exclusive episode explores why strength and stability alone actually don’t create efficient movement, and introduces Rebound as the key to moving without strain. Joanne and Paul illustrate this beautifully with visual clips of their Rebound exercises, offering a rare look at how this work is applied in practice with professionals. So you may prefer to hop on over to the Joanne Avison YouTube channel to watch this one! 📺 (Although if you'd prefer to listen you'll still get plenty of goodness here.) It’s an illuminating insight into how small, precise changes can transform the way the body moves and organises itself… They challenge the idea that the body should be trained for rigidity, instead showing how adaptable, responsive movement reduces stress and improves function. Through simple micro-movement explorations using a ball, narrow bases, and low-load positions, they demonstrate how to restore natural spring, improve transitions, and move with greater ease and confidence. If you’d like to find out more about Myofascial Magic, or if you’d like to book a relaxed, no-pressure discovery chat with Joanne or Paul, visit myofascialmagic.com  SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

Why lever mechanics don’t explain human movement. In this episode, Joanne explores the limitations of the biomechanical idea that joints act as simple levers. Drawing on fascia science and anatomical observation, she explains why the human body cannot be accurately understood through linear mechanical models. Many traditional explanations of movement rely on engineering concepts such as levers, pin joints, and mechanical chains. But living bodies are not built like machines! Joanne describes how the architecture of the body is fundamentally non-linear, tubular, and spiral in organisation, shaped by fascia and the dynamics of living tissue rather than rigid mechanical structures. Through insightful and playful reflections on the confusing language often used to describe movement, this conversation invites a deeper look at how we understand human motion. If the body is not built on levers, what does that mean for anatomy, movement practice, and manual therapy? If this subject resonates with you, subscribe to the channel - and do share your reflections in the comments! SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

Is the human skeleton really linear — or is that a fundamental misunderstanding of anatomy? In this episode, Joanne responds to a detailed YouTube comment that raises important questions about fascia, skeletal organisation, and so-called “linear” underlying structure of the bones. What follows is not a disagreement of style, but a clear challenge to biological inaccuracies that are commonly repeated in movement and manual therapy circles. Are bones straight? Is working to soften the tissue an advantage to everyone? And does it always automatically restore function? Drawing on extensive fascia research, laboratory experience, embryology and lived movement experience, Joanne unpacks why the idea of a linear skeleton collapses under scrutiny and why misunderstanding this matters for anyone involved a movement or manual practice, therapy and teaching. This is a grounded exploration of anatomy, not a metaphor or a promotion. A reminder that living bodies are non-linear, adaptive, self-organising and unique. And that humans are not standardised mechanical frames waiting to be corrected. If you care about fascia science, skeletal structure, functional anatomy and embodied awareness, this conversation will sharpen your thinking. It will also, no doubt, invite more questions - which are always welcome. SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

How regulation emerges through sensation, awareness, and relational feedback, not force or control. In this final episode of the five-part series on fascia, embodiment, and practical spirituality, Joanne explores the relationship between fascia and the nervous system, and how inner regulation can arise through lived, embodied experience, rather than necessarily needing to use conscious effort or technique. Drawing on fascia science, somatic awareness, and relational regulation, this conversation looks at how safety, coherence, and resilience are cultivated through sensation, rhythm, and connection. Rather than trying to “manage” the nervous system, the episode invites a subtler understanding of how regulation emerges naturally when awareness is allowed to organise the system from within. This closing episode weaves together the key themes of the series, offering a grounded perspective on inner peace as an embodied process shaped through movement, perception, and relationship, not willpower or control. If this series has resonated, you’re warmly invited to share your reflections. SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

How does the body organise itself into movement, perception and awareness? In this episode, Joanne explores fascia as living geometry — not symbolic or abstract, but the organising architecture of embodied awareness… Building on the previous episode about the energetic body, this conversation looks at sacred geometry as a biological reality rather than a spiritual overlay. Joanne reflects on fascia as a self-organising, responsive field through which structure, sensation and meaning continually arise. From embryology to movement, from breath to healing, fascia reveals a non-linear intelligence that adapts and reorganises when awareness and safety are present — beyond mechanical models of the body. 🌀 Part of the Fascia & Spirituality series This episode is part of a five-part series exploring how fascia shapes perception, emotional experience and inner organisation. If this episode resonates, you’re warmly invited to share your reflections (on YouTube, our socials, or your podcast platform if it supports comments), and subscribe for the next conversation in the series. SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

How fascia connects the energetic body, embodied awareness, and spiritual awakening — explored through lived, sensory experience. In this episode, Joanne explores the energetic body through the living lens of fascia, embodiment, and direct experience. Rather than treating spirituality as something abstract or separate from the body, this conversation invites a grounded understanding of awakening as something sensed, relational, and embodied. The episode reflects on fascia as a responsive field that shapes perception, movement, and inner organisation. From embryology to adult self-awareness, it explores how awareness arises through sensation, rhythm, and relationship, not effort or control. This is episode three in a five-part series exploring fascia and practical spirituality, examining how the body communicates before thought and how subtle awareness can reshape how we inhabit ourselves. This conversation will resonate with those interested in fascia science, somatic practice, embodied spirituality, and approaches to healing rooted in listening rather than technique. New episodes in the series are released weekly. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation! SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

Biomotional intelligence describes how the body senses, adapts and responds before thought or analysis… In this episode, Joanne explores how awareness, fascia and lived experience shape the body’s innate intelligence in everyday life. She looks at biomotional intelligence not as a concept to understand, but as something to practice. Through embodied awareness, presence and subtle listening, the body reveals meaning that cannot be reduced to data, mechanics or emotional labels. Drawing on fascia therapy, somatic practice and contemplative traditions, Joanne reflects on how sensing precedes thinking, and how over-analysis can interrupt the body’s natural capacity to organise, adapt and respond. This episode is part two of a five-part series exploring the relationship between fascia, embodiment and spirituality, created in response to your questions and growing interest in how the body communicates beyond purely mechanical models. This conversation will be especially relevant for those interested in embodied practice, somatic therapy, mindfulness, fascia science and the cultivation of inner awareness. If this episode resonates, you are warmly invited to share your reflections in the comments on Spotify or on the Joanne Avison YouTube channel. Come back for episode three next week! SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

Does fascia store emotional experience - or is there something more nuanced at play? Drawing on somatic healing, bodywork therapy and fascia science, Joanne looks at how our perceptions and emotional landscape influence our body’s tissue over time. But rather than framing fascia as something that simply “stores trauma,” she invites a more nuanced view of this incredible tissue as a dynamic, responsive field reflecting how we live, the way we move and what we feel. You’ll also hear how embodiment practice and cultivating aware presence can lead to subtle yet powerful shifts in body organisation — offering pathways for healing, integration, and change. 🌀 This is the first in a new five-part series exploring the potent links between fascia, embodiment, and spirituality — created in response to your messages, questions, and growing interest in how the body adapts, remembers and responds beyond purely mechanical models. It will be especially relevant for bodyworkers, movement teachers, therapists and anyone interested in embodied healing, holistic health and integrative bodywork. 👉 Coming next: How the body communicates before thought. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation! SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

Gnosis, presence and embodied awareness explored through fascia, somatic practice and living intelligence. In this episode, Joanne reflects on gnosis as a form of knowing that is lived rather than intellectual. Through embodied awareness, breath and presence, she explores how the body reveals an innate intelligence that cannot be reduced to data or analysis. Drawing on fascia therapy, somatic practice and spiritual traditions, this conversation invites a gentle slowing down and a return to inner listening. It is a contemplative exploration for those interested in mindfulness, embodiment practices, fascia and spiritual awareness. SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

Joanne is joined by clinical anatomist John Sharkey to unpack why stretching, fascia and strength are so often misunderstood in modern fitness, rehabilitation and movement training. Together they examine how misread science can lead to harmful assumptions about flexibility, myofascial release and long-term tissue health. The conversation centres on a widely discussed research paper on long-duration static stretching and strength. Joanne and John carefully clarify what the study does and does not show, exploring why increases in muscle girth do not automatically equate to functional strength, and how neural adaptation, fluid shifts and injury repair are often mistaken for true training effects. They discuss fascia science, biomechanics, functional movement and therapeutic exercise through a clinical lens, highlighting the dangers of extrapolating extreme laboratory conditions into everyday practice. This episode challenges common flexibility myths and reframes stretching as a question of physiology, neurology and context, not force or endurance. This conversation will be especially relevant for movement teachers, physiotherapists, manual therapists, trainers and anyone interested in fascia training, mobility exercises and therapeutic movement. It offers a grounded, nuanced perspective on how the body adapts and why better questions matter when interpreting research. The paper discussed is ‘Influence of Long-Lasting Static Stretching on Maximal Strength, Muscle Thickness and Flexibility’, 2022. If this episode sparks questions or reflections, we invite you to share them in the comments on our YouTube channel, where we love hearing from you and we always respond. SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

In this reflective festive episode, I explore fascia, wholeness and the magic of awareness through lived experience, embodiment and deep listening. As interest in fascia, consciousness and embodied practice continues to grow, I invite you to look beyond data and analysis and return to the body as an already whole, living system. Drawing on more than thirty years of work in anatomy, embryology, manual therapy and movement education, I reflect on fascia as the medium through which awareness is expressed. Rather than seeing the body as a collection of parts to be fixed or optimised, this episode speaks to fascia as the connective field through which sensation, perception and meaning arise.  This exploration weaves together moments from my own life, reflections on modern measurement and technology, and a deeper inquiry into what it means to be embodied and aware. From embryonic development and cellular continuity to breath, sound and subtle movement, I explore how awareness is not something we need to acquire, but something we can learn to notice and trust again. This episode is an invitation to slow down, sense more clearly and reconnect with the quiet intelligence that is already present within your living body.  I hope you get a few moments to reflect and enjoy being you during the festive season, and as we greet the New Year. SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

In this episode, Joanne and Paul explore why prehab, not rehab, is the missing foundation in modern fitness, functional training, mobility and long-term movement health. If longevity matters to you, how you move now matters more than how hard you train. They unpack why so many people get injured while exercising, how fascia training and mobility work are often misunderstood, and why the body adapts to the shapes and stresses we repeat over time. From gym culture and sports conditioning to rehabilitation exercises and therapeutic movement, this conversation questions whether current training models truly support resilience, adaptability and whole-body intelligence. The discussion moves into somatic movement, micro movement medicine and the living fascial matrix. Joanne and Paul explore why linear thinking in training creates shear, restriction and injury, and why the human body is not built on mechanical levers but on continuous, responsive tissue. Drawing on decades of experience across physical therapy, rehabilitation, martial arts and movement education, they show how subtle, intelligent movement restores function far more effectively than force or repetition. This episode is especially relevant for movement teachers, physiotherapists, personal trainers, coaches and anyone interested in functional fitness, therapeutic exercise and longevity. It offers a clear reframe of prehab as an ongoing relationship with the body, not something reserved for injury prevention alone. If you want to learn how this approach can transform your professional practice or your own movement for life, explore the Myofascial Magic In Action courses here:  www.myofascialmagic.com SIGN UP TO THE JOANNE AVISON NEWSLETTER Simply scroll down to ‘Join Our Collective’ and pop in your details. We DON’T spam and we DO respect privacy! FOLLOWING ON YOUTUBE? Do join us! Start here MORE: My website - https://www.joanneavison.com/ My course - https://myofascialmagic.com/ My book:  - https://amzn.to/3zF3SAS Instagram -  joanneavison FREE ONLINE WEBINAR: Free Webinar - https://myofascialmagic.com/webinar-registration Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman