John (JP) Polley reflects on the significance of teaching the first face-to-face education for FitPro in over five years. Live education is well and truly back!
As an educator, the pinnacle of the job is real-life, meaningful connection that feels like you’re making a significant contribution to the lives of those present. You can imagine the fulfilment on 8th May, being in a sold-out room in Covent Garden, sharing the Fascia and Feelings workshop with a group of incredible coaches, all vibing off each other’s energy!
Added to this, it was my first time teaching live in the UK, having lived in Australia since 2009 and having worked across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. And to top it all off, it was the first face-to-face education for FitPro in over five years! The cake is made, the icing is in place and the cherry has been placed on top. If I were to continue the analogy, the cake is laced with loving, warm, kind and expansive feelings, and the cherry turns into anything you want it to be.
Such is the power of human connection. I realise it sounds like I’m getting carried away with the poetry of it all, and I’m not apologising for that. I know there were many of us in that room who left knowing we were different, and better, for having been in each other’s company, let alone having the kind of memories that will always bring a fondness to our hearts when we think of that day.
Let’s go!
OK, OK, I hear you say! Get on with it, Wordsworth! Fair point …
Our day started by covering the basics of myofascial anatomy (myo = muscle, fascia = connective tissue). We used our own bodies to experience this kinaesthetically. I do this almost all the time. I will never try to establish a fact without your body confirming the truth of that fact. It’s also a difficult argument to lose if everyone’s body has just confirmed what I stated. 😊
Once we had the basics, we explored myofascial mobility. I found a few fellow ‘mobility tarts’ like me. I jokingly refer to myself this way, as literally any of the mobility exercises I demonstrate have an effect on me immediately! I’m a total mobility tart! And I wasn’t alone. The power of this approach is in the instantaneous effect of applying the movements along the lines of tissue we learn in the first part of the day. There were a few transformations right there in front of our eyes.
A bite to eat and …
After lunch and a chat, it was time to see what training the myofascial way might look like and feel like. We played around with three-dimensional movement using traditional strength training exercises (squats, pushes, etc.), followed by playing around with the concept of loaded movement, followed by actually playing using balloons! The blinkers came off our rigid protocols to discover and explore guided, safe movement practices, rather than the highly formulated (no criticism intended here) and form-specific traditional approach to exercise.
Then to the floor
A nice discussion and demonstration of the new and complete guide to foam rolling was next on the agenda. We covered all the different ways we can affect the tissues, nervous system and outcomes with rollers, but also the one thing we should all do immediately afterwards to ensure we ‘take the improvement home with us’, rather than it simply being a temporary relief. Best practice has taken a step forward in foam rolling and this group of humans came with me!
Time to get emotional
Finally, we came to the talk that everyone came for – the link between emotions and our bodies. It’s a huge topic, so I had to keep it very narrow and hint at all the other factors connecting into the very real and documented relationship of emotions and motion. The nerve endings of ‘feel’ were discussed and demonstrated, and my constant “can you feel this?” questions throughout the day suddenly had a new, deeper and more impactful meaning, once everyone understood how emotions can affect tissues in exactly the same way as our physical health and movement environments.
Add all the above to lots of cool, insightful questions, some dodgy jokes from me and a lot of warm hugs to say goodbye, and I can honestly say it ranks as one of the very best experiences of my career. Thank you to everyone who joined on the day and, if this sounds like the kind of thing you would like to do, the repeat show is on 4th December 2025, when I fly back here to meet the next open-minded, alternative thought leaders among you!
Face to face is ace, it really is! Peace out! JP
The next face-to-face education workshop: Fascia and Feelings – The fundamentals with JP, takes place on Thursday 4th December in London. More details and booking to follow soon.
