🌊 The Art of Micro-Bending: Flow, Fascia, and the Wisdom of Surrender
We live in a world that constantly tells us to hold it together.
Stand tall. Grip harder. Don’t wobble. Don’t fall.
But what if true stability doesn’t come from bracing — but from softening?
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Learning vs. Responsibility
One of the biggest lessons I’ve been anchoring lately is this: learning is not the same as responsibility.
When we learn, we receive.
When we take responsibility, we carry.
During a recent live, I felt that old impulse to carry the weight of someone else’s expectation. But then I remembered: I don’t have to confuse the two. I can learn from the moment, soften my fascia, and stay in flow — without picking up something that isn’t mine.
This is the micro-bend of life.
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The Dance Teacher’s Wisdom
My friend Jojo, when he teaches heels class — where we dance in high heels, which can be extra challenging — always says:
“Micro-bend your knees!”
When we’re up on heels, the natural reflex is to grip, stiffen, and lock the knees so we don’t wobble. But the truth? Locking actually makes us less stable.
That micro-bend creates flow and balance. It keeps you supple, alive, and supported.
My ballet teacher, Loreli, used to remind me of the same thing with my arms: never to over-extend. In ballet, over-extending the elbows looks strong from the outside, but it cuts off energy. When you micro-bend the elbow instead, not only is the line more beautiful — the energy also flows freely.
This is fascia wisdom in motion: over-extension blocks. Micro-bending opens.
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Over-Extension in Life
We’ve all been taught to over-extend:
• Over-extend your schedule.
• Over-extend your giving.
• Over-extend your responsibilities.
It looks like strength on the outside, but it cuts off flow on the inside.
When we leave space — just a little wiggle room, just a micro-bend — everything shifts. Energy returns. Breath returns. Beauty returns.
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Anchored in Mother Earth
Here’s the deeper truth: you don’t need to hold yourself up at all.
Mother Earth is already holding you.
The more you surrender, the more you remember: you are already anchored, loved, and cared for. Your job is not to brace. Your job is to flow.
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Flow Is the Balance
Life isn’t about avoiding contraction or chasing expansion. Both are natural.
The key is not to get stuck — not to freeze in one mode. Flow is the art of balance, breath by breath, moment by moment.
Just as we soften our knees, our elbows, our fascia — we soften in life. We stop over-extending, and we begin to flow.
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✨ Closing Transmission
We are not designed to hold ourselves up by force.
We are designed to flow, to micro-bend, and to be held by the Earth.
The more we soften, the more beauty, ease, and energy return to us.
Much love,
Ikue | Dance & Fascia Oracle™💃💞
From Performance to Presence
When I first took class with the legendary Tyrone Proctor, he said something that changed my life:
“Everything you do in waacking is performance.”
At that time, those words cracked something open in me. They gave me permission to express bigger, to embody character, to step fully into the stage of movement. That teaching carried me through years of exploration, helping me discover new parts of myself through dance.
But fascia has its own wisdom—and it’s been guiding me to a different truth.
Now, I feel a shift.
A deep one.
I no longer need to perform.
I no longer need to project.
I no longer need to prove.
Nothing has to be performance.
The more I release performance, the more natural my movement becomes. The less I try to “show,” the more undeniable my presence is. Instead of forcing expression, I let my fascia flow. Instead of proving, I allow.
And what’s wild? This feels even more magnetic.
I’ve moved from performance → to presence → to truth.
That’s where my dance lives now.
That’s where my fascia breathes.
That’s where I am enough.
Much love,
Ikue | Dance & Fascia Oracle™💃💞
✨ Ikue Ueno | Dance & Fascia Oracle™Choreography Philosophy Statement
I don’t choreograph to prove.
I don’t choreograph to impress.
I choreograph to embody presence.
In my classes and creations, movement isn’t about keeping up — it’s about coming home. I guide dancers to feel their fascia, their rhythm, and their truth. Respect in my work doesn’t come from difficulty for difficulty’s sake. It comes from clarity, resonance, and brilliance woven through each phrase.
Where others teach performance, I teach embodiment.
Where others demand perfection, I invite presence.
Where others push, I dissolve — until movement flows effortlessly.
This is not the hunger game of dance.
This is the golden portal of expression.
I choreograph so dancers don’t just perform steps — they transmit light.
That is my legacy.
Much love,
Ikue | Dance & Fascia Oracle™💃💞
Story Time Squat: Why I Squat After Hiking
After hiking the Grouse Grind for an hour and a half, most people would think: “Why squat now?” But for me, squatting is the reset. It softens the puffiness in my calves and ankles, restores circulation, and brings my whole body back into flow.
My History with Squatting
Growing up in Japan, squatting was natural — it was part of daily life. But I was told it would make my legs bow-shaped, and for years I avoided it out of fear. When I moved to Canada, I noticed how much chair culture dominates. People rarely sit on the floor or squat. That’s when I realized: squatting isn’t harmful — it’s healing.
Squat as Medicine
For me, squatting is not just an exercise. It’s a way to:
Release tension from the calves and ankles
Rehydrate fascia and improve circulation
Gently decompress the spine and hips
Reset between movements — whether it’s after dance, hiking, or teaching
I squat between dance classes. I squat after a hike. I squat whenever my body calls for release. What once felt like a “bad habit” has become one of my greatest tools for resetting my system.
The Science of Squatting
Modern research supports what I’ve felt in my body:
Squatting improves blood and lymphatic flow
It strengthens the core, hips, and lower body naturally
It supports digestion by gently massaging the abdominal organs
It helps maintain mobility and joint health as we age
Safety Tip
If you’re new to squatting, remember: when you come back up, do it slowly. Keep your head down and lift your hips first. You might feel a rush of blood and get lightheaded — that’s normal. It’s your body recalibrating.
Watch the Story Time Squat 🎥
I recorded this moment right after finishing the Grouse Grind — dropping my backpack, squatting, and letting my body reset at the top of the mountain. You can watch the video here:
Much love,
Ikue | Dance & Fascia Oracle™💃💞
✨ Not Back to School… Back to Yourself ✨
September is often called back to school season. We see it everywhere — in commercials, routines, and schedules restarting. But what if this time of year wasn’t about rushing back into structure… and instead, about returning back to yourself?
This is Virgo season. The energy right now invites us to self-organize, notice the small details, and bring ourselves back into alignment. But here’s the truth: there is nothing to fix, and nothing to heal. Your body is not broken. Your spirit is not behind. You don’t need to perform for worthiness.
What you really need is a remembering. A coming home.
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🌸 Back to Yourself Means…
• Safety in your body. Learning to feel supported, not pressured.
• Joy in your movement. Allowing your fascia to flow with ease.
• Clarity in your rhythm. Organizing your energy so you feel grounded.
• Liberation in your spirit. Returning to your essence without apology.
This is why I teach Fascial Maneuvers and dance. It’s not about fixing people. It’s about softening, opening, and remembering what the body already knows.
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🌊 My Journey Back to Myself
My own journey began in 2020 with Human Garage and has taken me through years of classes, coaching, and retreats. Since 2022, I’ve been running Human Garage Vancouver Fascial Maneuvers classes weekly — more consistently than anyone in the world.
I’ve embodied this work not just as a coach, but as a dancer and Fascia Oracle™, bringing the wisdom of fascia into movement, teaching, and healing. For me, every class is a sanctuary where people can return to themselves — where the pressure to “get it right” dissolves, and the truth of who we are rises.
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🌸 Affirmations for September
Take these with you as you move through this month:
• I am safe in my body.
• My body moves with me, with ease and joy.
• I am safe to let go.
• My body is for joy.
• My body and I deserve to feel good.
Say them before bed, when you wake up, or while moving in class. Let them guide you back to yourself.
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💃 Join Me This Season
Whether in Vancouver or online, I invite you to move with me. Together we’ll soften the fascia, release pressure, and come home to the body.
📅 Weekly Classes with Ikue
🌊 Curious about my full Human Garage journey?
💞 Ready for 1-on-1 work?
🍀Sign up for my Newsletter HERE.
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✨ September isn’t about “back to school.” It’s about back to yourself.
Come home. Move with ease. Feel safe. Be free.
Much love,
Ikue | Dance & Fascia Oracle™💃💞
History of Human Garage Fascial Maneuvers in Vancouver with Fascia Oracle™ Ikue Ueno
On August 19, 2023, the Human Garage team hosted a free Fascial Maneuvers class at Hastings Mill Park. Nearly 100 people gathered in community to move, breathe, and release together—it was a powerful day of connection and transformation.
My journey with Fascial Maneuvers began in September 2020, when I was first introduced to Human Garage through my friend Brodie Marples, who was a connector for many people in those early days of Human Garage 2.0.
Fascial Maneuvers were born in Vancouver during the summer of 2020, on the beaches of Kitsilano near the home of Lululemon founder Chip Wilson. Co-created by Gary, Cynthia, and Jason, the practice began as outdoor community classes where people came together to move, release, and heal. The gatherings grew quickly, but with no indoor studio at the time, the community embraced the open air—meeting under the sky, by the ocean—until winter arrived and movement shifted online.
In September 2020, I finally attended my first class with Gary in Lions Bay, at the Human Garage Retreat Center that had just opened. From the first moment, something inside me said:
“I need to do this. I want to learn this. I’m going to become a coach.”
At the time, Human Garage was still in its early phase with Fascial Maneuvers. The first Human Garage App was released in December 2020, and the very first Coaching Program was held in January 2021 in Lions Bay. Because of my commitments, I couldn’t attend that first in-person immersion. But by April 2021, I was ready — and I entered the coaching program.
Interestingly, I was the only one who applied that round, so my coaching was held privately online. Instead of just learning the 10 basic maneuvers, the team realized that as a dancer I already embodied the movement — so my coaching became a deeper dive into the emotional and healing side of fascia. It was more like counseling than instruction, and it confirmed something important: once fascia opens, emotions release. That experience helped inspire the team to create what became the LifeStyleArtist program, equipping people with tools for emotional release and integration.
Since that time, I have grown and evolved alongside the Human Garage team and contributed in many ways — hosting calls, mentoring coaches, and supporting the expansion of the movement. I am forever grateful for this journey and for the countless people I have met along the way.
I have also had the honor of opening for Human Garage trauma release events three times — two in Vancouver, and once at the very first Trauma Release Tour kickoff in Austin, Texas in 2024. These experiences deepened my path as both a facilitator and a community anchor.
From 2020 to 2022, Vancouver classes were mostly held outdoors in Kitsilano during the warmer months. We tried different parks, but eventually settled at Hastings Mill Park, where many of our gatherings were held. When winter arrived, we always had to pause or go back online, as we couldn’t yet afford a permanent indoor space.
After Human Garage hosted their first retreats in October 2021 and November 2022 in Cancun, Mexico, the leadership shifted. Gary and the team moved to Cancun to join Aisha at the Akasha Sanctuary. At that moment, Gary entrusted me to lead the Vancouver classes.
That’s when everything changed. In November 2022, we finally secured an indoor home at the Capoeira Ache Brasil Academy on East Broadway — and Vancouver Fascial Maneuvers became a consistent, in-person community.
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Vancouver Today
Since then, I have been hosting Fascial Maneuvers in Vancouver twice a week (at some points, even four times a week) — and it’s now been almost three years of consistent presence.
This class is more than weekly movement. It is:
• A community — students who show up month after month, building trust and connection.
• A sanctuary — where fascia, body, and soul soften, recalibrate, and realign.
• A legacy of consistency — three years of showing up together through seasons and transformations.
• A living portal — every class is unique, yet each one opens a high-vibration field where truth and movement meet.
From long-time regulars to brand new students, everyone leaves quieter, lighter, and more connected to themselves. This is not just a class — it is the living pulse of a movement that has been growing with me since 2020. 🌊💎✨
I am here to liberate myself and inspire others to liberate themselves through movement and fascia.
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Join Weekly In-Person Human Garage Vancouver Fascial Maneuvers Classes with Ikue Ueno
📍 Location: Capoeira Ache Brasil Academy — 341 E Broadway, Vancouver, BC 🇨🇦
🗓️ Thursdays: 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
🗓️ Sundays: 10:00 a.m. – Noon
💳 Cost: FREE (by donation)*
(*Please register in advance.)
✨ Human Garage supplements are also available on site.
👉 Click here to register and join us.
Everyone is welcome in this sanctuary of movement and fascia.
Much love,
Ikue | Dance & Fascia Oracle™ 💃💞
Movement as a Path to Liberation
Movement is more than steps. It’s more than technique, precision, or performance. For me, movement is a path to liberation—a sacred way to return home to the body, dissolve stored tension, and reconnect with the freedom we were all born to embody.
Your Body Remembers
Every client I work with—whether in a dance class or a Fascial Maneuvers session—arrives carrying stories, patterns, and history within their fascia. The fascia is more than connective tissue; it’s the body’s memory bank. Every emotion, restriction, and survival response is recorded there.
When we move with intention, we awaken this inner intelligence. We reconnect—not just with the body, but with the truth it holds.
Dance and Fascial Maneuvers: Two Portals, One Purpose
My work bridges two worlds—dance and fascial liberation—but both lead to the same place: freedom.
In my dance classes, movement becomes an act of self-expression, a release of what’s been held back, and a reclamation of the body’s natural rhythm.
In Fascial Maneuvers sessions, we soften patterns stored deep in the tissue, unwind stress responses, and allow the fascia to breathe and flow again.
Two modalities, one mission: to guide you back to the freedom encoded in your fascia.
Why Liberation Matters
When tension dissolves, truth awakens.
When the body remembers safety, the soul remembers its power.
This is why I do what I do—not to “fix” you, but to guide you back to the freedom that has always been yours.
Join Me
Whether through dance or Fascial Maneuvers, I invite you into this journey:
to move, to release, to remember.
Ready to reclaim your freedom?
✨ Book a session | Join a class
Much love,
Ikue | Dance & Fascia Oracle™💃💞
The day when I got stung by a bee 🐝
Right at the center of the bottom of my left foot.
It happened mid-class, while I was teaching @fascialmaneuvers outside—life swirling, sounds everywhere. A sudden sharp pain, a jolt to the system. For a moment, my body tried to protect itself.
Tension. Guarding. That instinctual defense.
But I was teaching. Holding the field. So I stayed present.
I breathed, stayed soft, and removed the stinger gently. I put an essential oil on it. And I continued.
Then later, we moved into the anti-gravity Fascial maneuver. When I did a full squat, I felt the stretch exactly in that spot—the center of my foot where I’d been stung. And in that moment, I felt something shift.
My fascia released.
The sting began to soften. The pain… dissolved.
Like the venom had been seen and the body whispered,
“Thank you. You heard me.”
✨ When I acknowledged and thanked the pain, it dissipated.
I didn’t walk away with wounds. I walked away with wisdom.
✨ My Divine Feminine got activated.
Everything happens for a reason.
And I trust my fascia.
She speaks to me—and I listen.
Ikue 💃💞
I Feel, Therefore I Flow: Abundance in the Waters of Cancer Season
🌊 I Feel, Therefore I Flow: Abundance in the Waters of Cancer Season
✨ The more I flow, the better everything falls into place.
✨ The more I relax into feeling, the more magnetic I become.
✨ The more I flow, the better everything falls into place.
✨ The more I relax into feeling, the more magnetic I become.
The Sun is now at 2° Cancer.
This is the Grandmaster degree of “I feel.”
Not weak. Not chaotic.
Powerful. Navigational. Sacred.
In Cancer season, we remember:
🌀 Emotions are not distractions. They are directions.
🌀 Sensitivity is not a flaw. It’s a frequency.
When you feel fully, you no longer chase abundance.
You become the current.
You become the magnet.
You become the truth.
Today, I invite you to slow down.
Not because you’re behind, but because your soul wants to catch up to the moment.
Breathe.
Soften.
Let the water of feeling guide you.
This is how we receive more.
This is how we live in abundance.
Not by force—but by flow.
Let it be felt. Let it be known. Let it be received.
With love,
Ikue
Fascia Oracle | Frequency Holder
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Restrictions Are Blessings In Disguise?!
I developed this theory: "Temporary restrictions create contrasts and different pathways to explore and expand our body and our life."
During my facial maneuver training, I learned that when you pin the fascia, it cannot move, while everything else must adapt around it. By pinning the skin, the densest part of the fascia, your body starts to adjust to the new pattern and pressure changes, creating new pathways or variations. As a result, you alleviate tension and restrictions, finding ease and release.
I connected this theory with my freestyle dance training. Although there are countless ways to dance freestyle, dancers sometimes impose rules or conditions, such as "now you can only move your right arm and dance." When given restrictions or conditions, we discover different ways to move, resulting in vast and interesting variations. This is when creativity emerges.
Another example is organizing an event where a headline act is stuck in traffic and cannot arrive on time. You are forced to adapt and consider alternatives, perhaps asking someone to perform last minute, which may create a new opportunity.
My point is that any change, contrast, restriction, challenge, or crisis can create opportunities for exploration and expansion. From this theory, I conclude that temporary restrictions and conditions compel us to adapt and explore new pathways. Change is a constant in life, and a positive attitude involves adapting and trusting that good things will emerge from change. There is nothing to fear because contrasts are actually blessings in disguise!