I’ve been in a place of moving through grief these past three days, after hearing that my myofascial release mentor John F. Barnes, PT died. The way he approached treatment of the fascial system was unique to all others. It is authentic and comprehensive. His life’s work has touched at least hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. It gave and still gives hope to those who thought they were beyond hope, and continues to show us there is a way to resolve pain and get back to living a full life without having to go down the path of medication and surgery. I met him in 1996, in two months it would have been 30 years since our paths crossed, and my professional life trajectory was set in motion. I was drawn to taking his MFR I class for two reasons. First, because I liked who he was in the photo I saw of him in a trade publication. He had long hair pulled back in a ponytail. 
He wore an embroidered western style vest and a bolo. His smile was pure, and it twinkled in his eyes. I felt comfortable with him before I even met him. Second, because my sister had just moved to New Orleans where the class was taking place. I could visit her AND take the class, which I had to take to fulfill my quota of continuing education credits for that year. I had NO idea what I was in for. To be honest, what I had learned about fascia and MFR up until that point was fourth hand and vague.I was lucky because I didn’t have a pre-conceived idea of what was to come.
I came in with an open or what’s termed a beginners mind. There were a hundred and fifty people in this class; we were all positioned close together. I found out later this was purposeful, and part of the energetic transmission of his teachings. It was immediately apparent to me that this teacher was unlike any other I’d known. When he began talking about the science behind his work, I started taking copious notes, and I couldn’t keep up. Until he said, there’s no need to take notes, just listen and you’ll get what you need. And, I did, get what I needed. Being in John’s classes was more like being at an event where you feel overtaken by the energetic force of it all. He got his point across much more through his lived presence, and his way of communicating which was simple, yet deeply and profoundly felt. His classes were 80% hands on. His work was taught through the giving and receiving of it. If you never took one of John’s live classes, you have no idea what you missed out on.
My mind was truly blown at my first MFR class. It was opened up to the truth of how vital the fascial system is and its implications for health and wellness for the overall human being. When I performed the techniques I had just learned with partners I didn’t know, the way he was teaching us to do them, I felt what he was talking about. I was like WTF! I can’t believe I am only now hearing about this. I am a kinesthetic and proprioceptive person. It’s how I learn best. The way he taught us to place our hands on our partners, and then wait with them at the barrier, was so radical. It took all the pressure off of me to have to “do” something, and instead showed me what it meant to just be with someone in a way that allowed them to turn on their own inner healer and for the transformation to begin.
The treatment I received by John and his instructors on the last day of the class (I was the very lucky demo at the end of the class) gave me hope. Hope that I had been losing after trying to heal myself of pain for two years with weekly massage, chiropractic care, and traditional physical therapy. Because at the end of the 15 or 20 minutes of that demonstration I had no pain, and felt completely different in my body. My story is not unique. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of health care practitioners who have a similar one. This is what grabbed me by the collar and told me I had to go in this direction.
I found my calling, and I jumped right in taking what I learned and practicing every day while taking all the MFR classes to become an expert. And, in order to truly do the work the way I wanted to, I started my first private practice in NYC where I was living at the time. Concurrently, I was asked by John to assist his classes in 2000. I was thrilled, and I assisted him many times a year for eight years before he asked me to present or teach his classes. This was an unexpected honor that I wasn’t sure I was worthy of at the time. But, who was I to say no, so I once again jumped in and gave it my all. What an adventure! What a true gift and delight it has been to travel all over the country and to Canada to meet bright and eager professionals, and pass along this work to them. And, now I have the privilege of running into people who took their first MFR class with me, and share with me how valuable it has been for their lives and work.
I am only one of John’s thousands of points of light. And, I have now touched hundreds if not thousands of peoples lives through my private practice and teaching with John’s company MFR Seminars. John F. Barnes, PT’s legacy will live on through me and others he has taught. The approach John created and passed on to others was so non-traditional, that many people criticized him. The amount of courage that it took for him to keep going in spite of the backlash had to be immense. He was a trailblazer, and 
science has only begun to catch up. He made a decision early on not to listen to the critics because he knew what he had created was truly helping people.
Those of us who studied with and were mentored by him were so glad he blazed a trail we could follow. He showed us the way to our own courage, and our own power. One of the things I liked best about his approach was the artistry of it. John taught us tools, and principles. He gave us a foundation of understanding that made sense. He told us to follow our intuition in this work. And, showed us how in the classes through his demonstrations, and through our own experience with our partners. After he completed a demo and after we had partnered and practiced, there was time for sharing. The information download that happened in each class was different, and so rich with so much important information. This is why we were encouraged to repeat the classes. Each class was its own book.
John hated being called a Guru. The concept of a guru has negative connotations for sure. But the true meaning of guru is one who leads others from ignorance into knowledge, from darkness into the light, guiding them on the path to self realization. Under this definition John F. Barnes was a guru, he did this better than anyone I’ve ever met. And, at this point, I’ve studied with several other masters of their craft.
Of course, he was also a human being with human faults, just like the rest of us. I didn’t agree with him on everything, and at times I didn’t like the things he said or did. Although this never took away from the respect and gratitude I had for him and his work, one of the last lessons he taught me was how to hold a human being with seemingly contradictory values with love and compassion.
For me, the most valued legacy he left was the community of people he gathered. Being in his classes was like being home for me. It was the first experience I had of true belonging to a group of people who were like me. I’ve made many friends and I have many respected colleagues because of his work. These are people I’ve known for years now, and I could call up and it would feel like yesterday because of this energetic web we’ve all woven with each other. We will march on and weave the web for each other and others who want to join in, and I know it will be luminous and beautiful.
As I come to a close on this writing John, I’m thinking of all the fascial unwindings I experienced on your treatment table in classes and in your clinic. And, the incredible amount of healing through movement, and emotion that I experienced in each one. I’m so grateful for that cellular memory that I can call on whenever I need it. John, how do I say thank you? It seems too small a word to fit all I want to convey within it. You were larger than life here on earth, and now you are everything, everywhere, all at once. I hope to connect with you out there in the akashic field sometime soon.
With so much love, Molly