Yoga in Fascia® (part one)

A soft caress, skin-to-skin contact, warmth, hearts coming together... What am I talking about? Yoga in Fascia, of course: yoga with your baby in a wrap.

What could be more beautiful, after practising yoga in pregnancy, than continuing yoga together with your baby, skin to skin? Yoga in Fascia was in fact created to join the time of pregnancy with that of postpartum. To introduce all new mothers to the art of babywearing so they can practise together, heart to heart.

First of all, I feel I should introduce myself: I am Martina Matarese, I live in the province of Pisa, I have taught Hatha Yoga and pregnancy yoga since 2008, and I entered the wonderful world of Yoga in Fascia in 2019.

I discovered it by chance (although, to be honest, I don't really believe in chance): I was looking for a course to deepen my knowledge of pregnancy or postpartum yoga, and I found it. In fact, I finally found the link that connects these two unforgettable moments. That is how I met Micaela over the phone and later Stefania, my teachers who, together with other instructors, trained me and literally carried me into this magical world of Yoga in Fascia.

The training was extremely important to me and truly opened my eyes to all the potential of this practice, so necessary and beneficial.

Indeed, once a baby has finally been born and a mother has been born too (with all the joys, but also the fears and difficulties that can be met during pregnancy or birth), a wonderful meeting between them that helps them find a moment of union needs a practice that eases communication between them, 'verbal and not'.

A mother who should do nothing more than have the right conditions and tools to listen to her own needs and those of her baby, and let go... recognizing herself in gentle movements of opening and cuddling, but also of gathering in: it almost seems like a magical dance, unique of its kind, so intimate and natural.

The art of carrying has been learned since ancient times and is widespread all over the world; the technological revolution, that is, the birth of supports for carrying one's children, dates back 50 years.

The invention of these supports would have lengthened gestation and therefore lengthened and improved the chances of human young reaching maturity of the skull and the body.

With the arrival of agriculture and settled life, the ways of carrying children changed to increase their chances of survival. (Quoted from T. Taylor – University of Bradford – The Artificial Ape)

In every country or area of the world, a specific type of carrier became most widespread, better able than others to meet particular needs: a hot or cold climate, the kinds of work mothers did, and cultural or traditional carrying positions.

Climate obviously had a strong influence on the types of carriers used, in terms of materials (the fabric, its thickness), the baby's position, and finally the very inclination to carry children, with what we might call “sociocultural” implications.

Bibliography and references: M. Placentino, V. Contessi, Yoga nel post parto, yoga in fascia, Overture ed.; www.babywearingitalia.it

Martina Matarese, Yoga in Fascia teacher (Instagram: @yogamartina)