Myofascial Magic in Action: A Movement Practitionerâ s Guide to How the Body Really Moves (Understanding Fascia)

Joanne Avison is an international teacher of applied structural anatomy for movement and manual practitioners in a variety of fields. She is a professional Structural Integration practitioner, member of IASI (International Association of Structural Integrators) and certified teacher (KMI, Anatomy Trains 1998-2005: Tom Myers' school) and Director of the Art of Contemporary Yoga Teacher Training, London, UK. The school registration (2006 onwards) qualified as an RYS-500, with Yoga Alliance (US), European Yoga Alliance and Indian Federation of Yoga. As an advanced Yoga Practitioner and Certified Yoga Therapist, C-IAYT (Certified by International Association of Yoga Therapists), Joanne appreciates the art, craft and science of yoga and body architecture. Her Master's degree in Spiritual Sciences has deepened her understanding of yoga and the philosophy behind it, that relates closely to how the physical body integrates and animates form. For Joanne the study of philosophy and anatomy are not necessarily separate, which is a unique approach to integrated practice.

Joanne is also trained in Craniosacral Therapy, continuously working in ART (Autoimmune Response Testing) and FSM (Frequency Specific Microcurrent) to further her studies in complementary health and complementary medicine. She is also a graduate of the CMED Institute, USA. After over 20 years of manual and movement practice, she appreciates deeply the resonance field(s) the body animates as a living form.

As a member of the Biotensegrity Interest Group (BIG), Joanne is fascinated by the application of biotensegrity principles to the understanding of the human blueprint and natural structural organisation in motion. Her writing and workshops are devoted to making this emerging context for human movement applicable and clearly understood. "It makes sense of how we make sense of our world, literally and symbolically."
"BioTensegrity is an emerging context for what I refer to as 'biomotional integrity'. That is - how we move the way we do. Understanding the fascia and the fabric of our form is relatively meaningless, without the architectural organisation of that fabric, explaining how it permits movement and indeed manages the movement forces we move (that move us). We are formed under tension; pre-stressed or pre-stiffened - but what does that mean to us as movement teachers or manual therapists? What are the implications of tensional forces through the matrix of our living, animated form? The fascia is a force transmission system. Biotensegrity offers a very compelling paradigm that makes sense of its many structures and functions and multifaceted assets. It also transforms our understanding of connection and resonance; with ourselves and others."

Karen Kirkness MFA, MSc, E-RYT 500, is an artist and yoga anatomy investigator holding two masters degrees, one in fine art and the other a master of science in human anatomy. Karen's drawing and conceptual work revolve around body culture and somaesthetics.


American by birth and now based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Karen founded her own yoga studio, Meadowlark Yoga, in 2005. Karen started practicing yoga while studying arts & sciences for her bachelor's degree at the University of Central Florida, in 1999. She studied Ashtanga yoga with the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore in 2003 and continues researching the power of inter-lineage yoga through daily personal practice.


Karen is fascinated with how art and architecture inform science. She is passionate about play, flexible working hours, and the adaptation of not-for-profit social enterprise. After over 15 years of yoga practice, Karen spent a year in the dissection lab learning about human anatomy at the University of Edinburgh. Her fascination with subtle body concepts comes together with art and anatomy to make her workshops fun, informative, and inspiring.


Karen guest-teaches workshops and trainings internationally, including the trainings at her home studio, and the 40 Hour Cadaveric Anatomy for Yoga course in partnership with the University of Edinburgh. She served as yoga presenter on the Neuro Yoga panel exploring the relationship between conventional neuroscience and yoga practice as part of several science festivals in Scotland. She is a member of the Anatomical Society and has presented in recent years at the International Symposium of Clinical and Applied Anatomists (ISCAA).


Get in touch with Karen's work through her website karenkirkness.com.