Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

The Science of Fascia: How Simple Movements Can Calm Your Mind & Heal Your Body with Jason van Blerk #620

February 4, 2026

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  • Emotions and past experiences may be physically stored within the body's fascia, which is described as a water-based, gel-like organ capable of storing memory. 
  • Fascia responds to movement and frequency; rotational movements combined with specific breathing patterns are proposed as effective methods to 'unwind' the body and release stored tension or emotion, unlike linear stretching. 
  • The body functions as a pressurized system where tension or restrictions in one area (like a scar or an organ) can create compensatory patterns and affect seemingly unrelated parts of the body, including posture and movement. 
  • The feeling of being 'lighter' after performing fascial maneuvers is attributed to the release of heavy, stored emotions within the body's structure. 
  • Fascia is rich with nerve endings (including 40% sympathetic fibers), suggesting it acts as a physical medium for communicating and storing emotional and traumatic experiences. 
  • Self-awareness, cultivated by paying attention to subtle bodily sensations and asymmetries (like differences between the left and right sides), is an empowering tool for navigating life and healing. 

Segments

Body Holding Trauma and Emotions
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(00:00:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Simple movements can lead to the release of extreme trauma, balancing emotions and grounding people.
  • Summary: The speaker describes witnessing people release extreme trauma through physical reactions (screaming, passing out, crying) resulting from an unknown process, which leads to emotional balance and feeling centered.
Fascia’s Role in Emotion
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(00:00:50)
  • Key Takeaway: A huge part of our emotional and psychological experience may be stored literally in the body’s fascia.
  • Summary: Dr. Chatterjee introduces the concept that emotions are held in the body, specifically in fascia, and introduces Jason Van Blerk, co-founder of Human Garage, whose movement practices aim to inspire self-healing.
Human Garage Philosophy
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(00:02:22)
  • Key Takeaway: The goal is to empower people with simple, accessible movements (fascial maneuvers) for self-healing, avoiding lifelong dependence on therapists.
  • Summary: The philosophy of Human Garage is discussed: empowering people to heal themselves using practical, equipment-free movements to calm the mind and body.
Fascia Stores Memory and Emotion
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(00:03:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Fascia, being primarily water, may store memory and emotions, similar to how water takes on the structure of objects near it.
  • Summary: Jason confirms the belief that trauma and emotions are stored in fascia. He cites research on water properties (Veda Austin) suggesting water can hold memory, leading to the hypothesis that fascia, being mostly water, stores bodily memory.
Bodywork Releases Stored Emotions
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(00:04:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Deep releases during bodywork often involve emotional responses like shaking or crying, indicating something beyond standard medical understanding.
  • Summary: Both speakers agree that bodywork often elicits strong emotional releases. Jason notes that specific body areas (like the knee or shoulder) tend to correlate with specific emotional reactions or memories.
Emotion Dictates Posture
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(00:05:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Trauma is an unprocessed emotional event, and emotions physically change posture (e.g., anger causes clenching; sadness causes curling forward).
  • Summary: Jason explains trauma as unprocessed emotion. He details how emotions manifest physically (fists clenching when angry) and how these stored emotions affect posture, noting that touching certain body parts releases corresponding emotions.
Common Postural Imbalances
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(00:06:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Most people exhibit torque patterns, like uneven shoulders or hips, due to stored tension and emotions, not anatomical leg length discrepancies.
  • Summary: Dr. Chatterjee points out common postural issues (uneven shoulders/hips). Jason links these torque patterns to held emotions, citing examples like anger causing tightness in the jaw and groin.
Posture Influences Mood
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(00:08:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Posture and emotion influence each other bidirectionally; changing posture can reprogram emotions, and vice versa.
  • Summary: The discussion confirms that posture and mood work both ways. Standing tall can instantly make one feel more confident, demonstrating the physical body’s ability to influence the mind.
Defining Fascia
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(00:09:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Fascia is not just ‘saran wrap’ connective tissue seen in dead bodies; in living systems, it functions as biohydraulic tubes of water in a gel-like state.
  • Summary: Jason explains fascia, contrasting the traditional view (fibrous tissue seen in meat) with the living system view: biohydraulic tubes of water in a gel state that transmit electricity, store memory, and react to movement/emotion.
Fascia as Intelligent Organ
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(00:11:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Fascia is considered the most intelligent organ, responding to frequency (bioacoustic) and conducting electricity, which explains why structural adjustments often revert if fascia isn’t addressed.
  • Summary: Fascia is described as bioacoustic and having its own brain. If fascia becomes restricted (solidified/calcified from inactivity), it locks the body into tight positions, causing temporary fixes (like chiropractic adjustments) to fail.
Rotational Movement vs. Linear Stretching
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(00:12:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Traditional rolling/massaging forces fascia to submit; fascia, being water-based, responds better to rotational movements combined with breathing.
  • Summary: Jason contrasts painful, linear methods of working on fascia with the Human Garage approach: using counter-rotation combined with breathing, as the body is fundamentally a rotational system.
Natural Rotation in Movement
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(00:14:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Humans are designed for rotational movement (walking/running), but modern flat surfaces inhibit this natural counter-rotation, leading to inefficiency.
  • Summary: The speakers discuss how walking on flat surfaces prevents the natural rotation of the foot, which cascades up the kinetic chain. Natural movement in nature involves efficient counter-rotation.
Nature, Fractals, and Stress
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(00:16:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Nature’s fractal shapes lower cortisol, contrasting with the linear, man-made environments that restrict the body’s natural rotational needs.
  • Summary: The connection between nature (fractals) and reduced stress (cortisol) is noted. Man-made linear surfaces are unnatural compared to the rotational patterns found in nature.
Simple Body Composition
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(00:17:09)
  • Key Takeaway: The body can be simply understood as 70-75% water, 20-25% sand (minerals/structure), and bacteria/viruses.
  • Summary: Jason offers a simple formula for the body’s composition: water, sand, and microbes. He connects this to cymatics, noting that vibrating water and sand creates the geometric shapes seen in nature.
Sound, Vibration, and Memory
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(00:18:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Sound/music vibrates the water and sand in our cells, changing their structure to match the frequency, which can instantly trigger old emotional memories.
  • Summary: The speakers link sound frequency to cellular vibration, explaining how hearing a familiar song can instantly transport someone back to the emotional state of a past event (like a breakup).
Empowerment Over Understanding
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(00:20:45)
  • Key Takeaway: The goal is not to fully understand the body’s internal workings, but to know which ‘buttons’ (movements/inputs) to push to create desired feelings.
  • Summary: Jason uses the analogy of a child using an iPad: knowing the inputs to get the desired output (feeling better) is more empowering than understanding the molecular mechanics.
Observation Precedes Science
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(00:22:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Effective practices often start with observation and results (like athletic training or meditation) before the scientific method catches up to explain why they work.
  • Summary: Dr. Chatterjee praises Jason for prioritizing results over needing immediate peer-reviewed evidence, comparing it to how running science validated long-held coaching knowledge.
The Power of Collective Belief
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(00:30:09)
  • Key Takeaway: When a collective belief in the effectiveness of a practice is established, the results become faster and more effective than when belief must be built individually.
  • Summary: Jason recounts an event where initial one-on-one belief-building was slow, but subsequent sessions were instant because the group witnessed positive results, highlighting the power of collective belief (placebo/nocebo).
Fascia and Failed Manipulations
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(00:33:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Manipulations often don’t hold because the underlying restricted fascia drives the structure back to its current pattern; the root cause (tension lines) must be addressed.
  • Summary: Jason explains that bones ‘float’ within the body, held by fascia. If fascia is restricted (like a crumpled shirt), temporary realignment won’t hold because the restriction remains.
Mapping Tension Lines
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(00:35:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Tension patterns can be mapped across the body; for example, lower back pain often originates from tension in the bladder (opposite side).
  • Summary: Jason details how tension lines connect seemingly unrelated areas, such as the opposite side of the body (e.g., frozen shoulder linked to the armpit restriction).
Fascial Lines and Connection
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(00:37:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Changing pressure in one area (like the stomach or hip) can immediately influence a distant area (like the foot) due to interconnected fascial lines.
  • Summary: Dr. Chatterjee describes feeling a change in his foot after work was done on his hip/stomach, illustrating the body’s interconnected, pressurized system across three zones (head, torso, legs).
Body as a Pressurized System
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(00:39:01)
  • Key Takeaway: The body is a pressurized system where internal pressure must equalize with external pressure; movement balances these pressure systems.
  • Summary: The body is compared to a balloon where internal and external pressure interact (like ears popping on a plane). Foot size differences and arm swing mechanics are cited as examples of pressure balancing.
Diaphragm, Pelvic Floor, and Flow
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(00:42:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Sitting compresses the diaphragm and pelvic floor, restricting flow, which can lead to digestive issues, brain fog, and even mental symptoms due to the brain-intestine connection.
  • Summary: Sitting restricts flow between the diaphragm and pelvic floor, impacting digestion. Since the brain and intestines look similar anatomically, digestive issues can cause mental fog/racing thoughts.
Mission: Self-Healing Tools
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(00:43:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Human Garage closed its clinic because they realized simply removing pain without teaching self-healing tools led people back to chronic issues.
  • Summary: Jason explains their mission to inspire a billion people to heal themselves. They closed their clinic because treating pain without lifestyle change was unsustainable and didn’t create lasting impact.
Elite Athletes’ Optimized Bodies
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(00:45:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Elite athletes have bodies highly optimized (and often restricted) for specific patterns; changing these patterns requires careful integration to avoid disrupting performance.
  • Summary: Elite athletes’ bodies are highly trained machines optimized for their sport, creating specific tension lines. Work on them focuses on balancing pressure and managing stress/perception rather than major reprogramming.
Stress Limits Perception
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(00:46:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Stress reduces perception to a ‘fight or flight’ binary, limiting options; releasing stress allows the body to see multiple choices again.
  • Summary: When out of stress, athletes (and everyone) see more options. In high stress, the body only sees one option, leading to poor decisions. Fascial work aims to reduce this stress state.
Scars and Compensations
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(00:48:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Scars tie down fascia, causing compensatory tightness on the opposite side of the body (e.g., an appendectomy scar causing right glute tightness).
  • Summary: Jason explains that scars restrict fascia, causing the opposite side of the body to tighten in compensation. He suggests stretching skin over scars to unwind the fascia.
Fascia and Skin Stretching
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(00:49:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Stretching the skin works the fascia underneath; wrinkles result from dehydration and constriction, while stretching skin creates space.
  • Summary: Stretching the skin is an access point to fascia. Wrinkles are caused by constriction, whereas pulling the skin creates space in the ‘bag’ holding everything.
Lifestyle and Maneuvers
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(00:50:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Optimal well-being requires both daily fascial maneuvers and a natural lifestyle (nature, sun, movement) to maintain cellular voltage.
  • Summary: Jason emphasizes that his results come from daily maneuvers combined with natural lifestyle choices. He discusses cellular voltage (Dr. Tennant), noting that grounding (bare feet) restores healthy voltage.
Fascial Maneuvers and Self-Care
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(00:53:50)
  • Key Takeaway: The maneuvers involve crossing sides and self-hugging, which are primal, self-soothing positions that reconnect people to their bodies.
  • Summary: Dr. Chatterjee notes the self-hugging aspect of the maneuvers, linking them to the primal fetal position, which helps people reconnect with their bodies and reduces disconnection caused by living in their heads.
Releasing Heavy Emotions
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(01:02:29)
  • Key Takeaway: People feel lighter after maneuvers because emotions, which are heavy, are moved and released from the body, even if the person isn’t consciously aware of the emotional shift.
  • Summary: Jason theorizes that the feeling of lightness after the movements is due to the release of heavy emotions, which are moved through the body via rotation and breath.
Feeling Lighter by Releasing Emotions
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(01:02:10)
  • Key Takeaway: People feel physically lighter after movements because they are releasing heavy, stored emotions.
  • Summary: Discussion on why people feel lighter without weight loss, attributing it to the release of emotions which are described as heavy, like sadness weighing on the shoulders.
Trauma and Stuck Experiences
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(01:03:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Trauma causes problems in the present because the past experience is ‘stuck’ and not allowed to pass through the body.
  • Summary: Exploring the idea that maneuvers help move through stuck experiences, referencing Michael Singer, and questioning why past trauma still affects the present if the event is no longer occurring.
Fascia as the Body’s Meta-System
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(01:05:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Fascia is a complex system rich in nerve endings, potentially acting as the body’s communication network.
  • Summary: Reviewing scientific research on fascia, citing Dr. Helene Langevin and Jill Miller, highlighting its role as the ‘meta-system’ and its high concentration of sensory neurons related to the stress system.
Fascial Lines vs. Acupuncture Meridians
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(01:07:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Fascial lines share similarities with traditional Chinese medicine meridian lines, suggesting a common pathway for energy/flow.
  • Summary: Comparing fascial lines to acupuncture meridians and introducing the ‘fascial coffee’ routine, a two-minute self-massage sequence based on directional flow.
Importance of Daily Body Awareness
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(01:09:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Daily, intentional time spent feeling and moving the body is crucial for staying connected, contrasting with modern disconnected routines.
  • Summary: Dr. Chatterjee emphasizes incorporating movement like fascial maneuvers into the morning routine to feel calmer and more grounded, encouraging listeners to test the difference themselves.
Body as an Intelligent System
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(01:11:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Through practice, the body becomes the most intelligent system for navigating life, sensing external emotional states like a tuning fork.
  • Summary: Jason describes his journey from ignoring body signals as an athlete to relying on physical sensations to understand others’ emotions, emphasizing self-awareness as an empowering tool.
Unlearning Societal Programming
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(01:14:11)
  • Key Takeaway: We unlearn being in tune with ourselves as we age due to societal programming; we must return to a childlike state of self-awareness.
  • Summary: Discussion on how children are naturally in tune until age seven, and how adults must retrain their body language and sensory perception through practice and trusted feedback.
Fear, Stress, and Athletic Injury
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(01:16:31)
  • Key Takeaway: The hyper-vigilance and fear state from a stressful childhood directly contributed to Jason’s physical injuries as an athlete.
  • Summary: Jason details his traumatic upbringing in South Africa, linking the resulting fear and suppressed anger to the specific areas of his body that sustained injuries during his soccer career.
Following Passion Over Societal Path
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(01:20:02)
  • Key Takeaway: It is vital to try many things early in life to find what truly lights you up, rather than committing to a single path based on societal pressure.
  • Summary: Jason explains abandoning his planned physiotherapy career in 2019 after realizing his misery, choosing faith in his inner voice, which led him to Human Garage.
Human Garage Mission and Empowerment
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(01:23:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The goal of Human Garage is to provide tools so people no longer rely on others for their physical health, shifting the mission from ’empower’ to ‘inspire’.
  • Summary: Details on co-founding Human Garage, the initial six months of free sharing, and the shift to ‘inspire’ to model the behavior they teach, funded by ‘pay what feels right’ contributions.
Changing the World by Changing Self
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(01:30:23)
  • Key Takeaway: External situations mirror internal states; changing oneself is the only way to change the world around you.
  • Summary: Jason emphasizes self-reflection over blaming others, noting that when he changed his internal state, the people and situations around him also shifted.
Starting Self-Awareness Practice
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(01:34:20)
  • Key Takeaway: A quick way to start connecting with the body is by closing the eyes and placing hands on the heart to feel the heartbeat.
  • Summary: Jason advises disconnected listeners to tune into their heart rate as a powerful, immediate way to become more self-aware and mindful of internal stress.