Rachelle Teaches Fascia in France & England

Driving to the north coast of France with author David Lesondak, having coffee on the pebble beaches of Brighton with myofascial movement trainer Gary Carter, and seeing Paris at night from the top of the Eiffel Tower were just a few of the unexpected moments that came during my surprise extended stay in Europe this month. Here’s how it happened…

After already spending ten days in Italy with Nicole studying fascia anatomy during Winter School with Carla Stecco, Caterina Fede, and the great fascia research team at Padua University, I hatched a plan to stay a couple more weeks. The Connect Congress 2025: Fascia in Sports Medicine was happening in Munich, Germany soon, so instead of going home just to get on a plane again a couple weeks later, I tried to figure out a way to stay. Remembering that my good friend and colleague, David Lesondak (fascia therapist and author of Fascia, What It Is, and Why It Matters and Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications), was coming to teach a fascia workshop in France soon, I gave him a call.

One thing led to another, and before you knew it, I was saying goodbye to Nicole in Florence and boarding a plane for Paris to meet up with David and his wife, Coletta.

After visiting the shores of Normandy and the striking medieval abby and islet village of Mont Saint Michel, we arrived at our destination in Caen.

I gave a guest lecture titled “Seeing Fascia” during David’s two-day hands-on Fascial Therapy workshop to a lovely group of physical therapists, sports trainers and manual therapists. 

The organizer of the event, Paul Landon, translated and published the first and second editions of David’s book, Fascia, What It Is, and Why It Matters, into French. He is very enthusiastic to share fascia education with the French speaking world. His exuberance was contagious as he lectured with us side-by-side, simultaneously translating our words as we spoke.

During my presentation, the students were particularly impressed by the vibrancy of the AnatomySCAPES images of fascia — as am I, every time I see them. One woman said seeing anatomy this way evoked a different feeling in her about her body. The richness of the colors and how beautiful they were gave her a sense of herself that was very surprising and emotional. Some others tried to express similar sentiments to me as they tried to find the English words to express what they meant. Where the words failed, I could sense their meaning.

I was touched that they could see what I see when I am in the dissection lab. I see patterns, order, texture, vibrancy, beauty, elegance . . . LIFE! And it was having an impact on these practitioners who help patients with their bodies on a daily basis. It was very rewarding to hear their thoughts. After the workshop, David signed copies of his book, and I too was asked to sign the pages where he writes about FR:IEA and the Fascial Net Plastination Project that I was on the dissection team for and continue to be a part of, serving as the Director of Creative and Administrative Affairs. 

With another week and a half to go before the CONNECT Congress, we headed back to Paris for a few days meeting up with Gary Carter (Natural Bodies Myofascial Movement Trainings, Anatomy Movement Courses and Dissection Labs) and his wife, Sharon, where Phase 2 of my spontaneous Europe stay began. Gary and I have been working together on the Fascial Net Plastination Project since 2018, so we always have a million things to talk about when we get together again! After visiting Notre Dame, Musee d’Orsay Museum, and the Eiffel Tower, we hopped the Eurostar to London. Going under the channel and popping out in England was effortless and wild.

That week, I joined Gary on his teaching schedule in Brighton and Windsor, squeezing in an aerial yoga class and fun coffee dates with Sharon in between. Gary invited me to guest lecture in his year-long Myofascial Movement course and I presented AnatomySCAPES again to its first all-British audience. They were very interested to see the AnatomySCAPES images and loved seeing another view to augment the deep anatomy learning Gary brings to his courses.

After two fabulous weeks, it was time to travel to the next country in my unexpected adventure: Germany. I packed my bags and took the train to Heathrow to fly to Munich for the event that provided the excuse for this excursion. I was ready to meet up with the fascia scientist again and learn the research directly from the researchers! 

Stay tuned…