The Fascial System – a Physiological Foundation!

By now it’s no longer a surprise… it is worthwhile to integrate fascia training and fascia treatment meaningfully and effectively into everyday life and sports activities. The only question is how?

THE BIG FASCIA BOOK (published June 2025) addresses this topic. Based on the current state of research, the book not only looks deeply into the biology of the system, but also offers 230 pages of practical transfer: 400 photos, many more exercise descriptions, and over 80 QR-code-supported videos can be found within the 450 pages on fascia training.

Reviews like this speak from the readers:

“‘The Big Fascia Book’ by Gunda is by far one of the best books I have read on the topic of fascia. It combines current knowledge with incredible practical relevance – perfect for trainers, therapists, and anyone who wants to delve deeper into the topic of fascia. I find the clear explanations, the many vivid images, and above all the exercises that can be directly integrated into daily life or professional practice particularly well done. The QR codes linking to the videos are extremely helpful – you can see the movements directly and perform them correctly. Gunda writes with great passion for the topic and at the same time with professional depth – you can feel how much experience and know-how went into this book. For me it has become a real ‘must-have’ – absolutely recommended!”

The Big Fascia Book describes the Fascia-in-Motion training system, which is based on 5 pillars:

• Fascial Flow
• Fascial Stretch
• Fascial Elasticity
• Fascial Power
• Fascial Sense

It is about nourishment, health, well-being, freedom from pain, permeability, mobility, strength, tension, posture, elasticity, body awareness, … There is so much potential in this system.

The company TOGU has been working with the author for over 25 years and naturally developed the perfect tools for this training system.

The favorite for the training pillar “Fascial Sense”, with the treatment goals: pain relief, tension reduction, body awareness, nourishment, is the trilogy: Actiball® Relax. These small balls, available in varying firmness levels with an optimal (non-sticky) surface, are ideal for addressing small pain points in the body, releasing tension, and leading the tissue toward permeability and pain relief.

Some examples are presented here:

Exercise Example 1:

Massage of the Sacrum

This flat bone (often referred to as the “sacred bone”), which connects the pelvis to the spine, has many sensory receptors, including pain receptors. Most of us are familiar with the occasionally occurring unpleasant pain in the lower back. With targeted pressure massage, we can effectively influence the relaxation of the back fascia and thus reduce pain.

How it’s done: Lie on your back, place your feet on the floor, position your pelvis on the Actiball® Relax size L, and massage the region of the sacrum, including the sacroiliac joints (SIJ), in varied ways. After the massage, take a moment to rest and sense the effect. Noticeable, pleasant relief usually appears immediately.

Exercise Example 2:

Relief for the Sciatic Nerve

“My sciatic nerve is pinched,” is something we often hear from patients. Indeed, this fairly large nerve can be compressed by tense muscles and fascia, causing unpleasant pain. After medical or physiotherapeutic diagnosis, this phenomenon is often referred to as piriformis syndrome. Here too, the small balls can work wonders.

How it’s done: Place the Actiball® Relax (size M) under one side of the gluteal area; ideally so that the sit bone is positioned directly on the ball. Then circle the sit bone with the ball several times. Afterwards, roll the ball from the sit bone diagonally upward toward the iliac crest, and back along a parallel line. Slowly repeat this linear rolling several times. If you find an area that feels particularly tense or painful, stay on that point a bit longer and allow the tissue to “melt.” After a pause to sense and reflect on the change in tissue tension, treat the other side.

⇒ The tissue releases, tension decreases, nourishment increases, pressure on the nerve is reduced, and the path out of pain becomes clear!

Exercise Example 3:

Massage for the Masseter

It is the strongest of our muscles: the jaw muscle, the masseter. It is constantly active, has hardly any breaks, and must sometimes generate considerable force. This has consequences! It becomes tense and often develops asymmetries in its workload. The result may be headaches, grinding, or neck problems. But beyond that, the fascial system teaches us to think globally. Over-tensioned or dysregulated jaw muscles can be the cause of deep lower back pain, pelvic obliquity, or incorrect foot loading. It is worthwhile to include this muscle in a relaxation program.

How it’s done: Lie on your stomach, place your forearms on the floor for support, lift your head and turn it to the side. Place the Actiball® Relax (size S) under one side of the jaw. First massage gently and with variation, then find a prominent pressure point and allow it to “melt.” Slowly open and close your mouth several times. After a pause to sense and reflect on the change in tissue tension, repeat on the other side.

All these massage techniques and more can also be found as videos stored in “The Big Fascia Book.”

About the Author

Dr. Gunda Slomka – biologist, sports scientist, and sports therapist. Lecturer in sports sciences, international speaker and instructor. Expert on the myofascial system. Applied science is her mission – transferring scientific findings into practice. At the GS education trainer academy, she teaches the biological and physiological foundations of the body and integrates this knowledge into her training concepts. Gunda develops preventive training concepts with therapeutic value, writes professional books, produces CDs, training DVDs, and on-demand courses. In Hanover, she runs her sports-therapy-oriented personal training practice.

gundaslomka@gmx.de
www.gunda-slomka.de

Book Ordering

https://gunda-slomka.de/produkte/#buecher