You may have come across the term if you’re into yoga, particularly yin, but surprisingly fascia continues to be relatively unknown.

We spoke to Ashley Black to find out what it’s all about and why it’s important:

What is fascia?

Fascia is connective tissue; a communicative system of fluids found in every part of our bodies.

What does it do?

Due to lack of research and study, the full extent of the fascia’s uses and benefits remains relatively unknown. Some believe it’s the root of all disease at a cellular level and others believe it’s pseudo-science, though it’s widely accepted to play an important role in our flexibility, blood flow, skin texture and overall wellness.

What can you do to ensure it stays healthy?

Keeping the heart fit, staying hydrated, ensuring sufficient electrolytes, stretching and a balanced diet are all the current theories on how to keep fascia healthy — basically, as it’s made up of cells, it benefits from anything that is good for cells.

What happens when it’s unhealthy?

It can have wide-ranging effects, including lack of flexibility, blood flow, skin texture and overall wellness.

Given that it’s pretty important, it isn’t that widely-known — why is that?

There is currently no money being spent researching or taking care of fascia, which means it’s still not in mainstream knowledge.