How do we end up where we are? What happens in life that, suddenly, we realize that things need to change?
It happened to me one day, years ago, when I looked at myself and realized I couldn't go on the way I was, that something had to change, and that it was me.
I heaved myself out of my chair and walked into the living room where my husband sat, watching TV. He looked at me, surprised, because I was wearing only black cotton underpants and a black bra. They were the closest things I had to a bathing suit at the time. I handed the camera to him and said, "I need you to take some pictures of me." He did as I asked. In the midst of my despair, self-disgust and loathing, I turned front, back, and side as he took photos documenting how far I had let myself go. I was 225 pounds, out of shape and demoralized, and yet something inside was nudging me to turn things around. Something inside me was determined to find a better way of living.
I joined a gym and a weight loss program. Over the next year-and-a-half I exercised nearly every day, kept a food log, and checked in weekly at the weight loss meeting. It was tough at times, but I believed that I could do it, and knew that I had to do it.
Eighteen months later, I had lost 80 pounds and committed to exercise as a lifestyle. My chronic back pain and sciatica had resolved, and my heart was light with joy inside my healthy body.
A big part of my success on this journey came from the learning and support I received from my personal trainer, and an idea began to form in my mind. I had turned my life around, and it felt good. Maybe I could help others do the same! Maybe I could lead by my example and with my expertise to help others learn to take control of their health and their lives. That was when I decided to earn the first of many health and fitness certifications, and I became a certified personal trainer.
Not too long after that I discovered I had "degenerative disc disease" and "degenerative joint disease." I was only forty! Unfortunately, due to my prior obesity and poor posture, the discs between my spinal vertebrae had become compressed and worn thin, and this caused excessive wear-and-tear of my spinal vertebrae. It was shocking news. I would have to change everything I was doing or my discs and spine would continue to degenerate and I would be physically old before my time.
That was when I discovered Pilates. At first, it was just another certification to add to my ever-growing list of qualifications. I soon found that it was a system of exercise that I could do even with my degenerated spine. I fell in love. So much so that twenty years later I am an Educator for Balanced Body® Pilates, an international Pilates education company. I am also on the Advisory Board for Santa Rosa Junior College, CA Pilates Certificate program.
As I was developing a reputation as a teacher who helped people, I continued working with those who had spinal pathologies and other joint issues, or were healing from injuries or surgeries. Working with these clients, I began to see a need for a more hands-on approach for some of them. At the suggestion of a colleague, I began to explore manual therapy.
I looked at various manual therapy training options, and the one that resonated was Hendrickson Method® Orthopedic Manual Therapy. When I compared the methodology to other leading, cutting-edge manual therapy techniques, I noticed that Dr. Hendrickson had combined three distinct yet complementary methods into one approach. One of the sayings I live by is "if you only have a hammer every problem looks like a nail." I've always liked having a well-stocked toolbox, and Hendrickson Method® was a toolbox of orthopedic manual therapy skills. One of the great things about learning new therapies is that the students practice on each other, and get to experience the therapy they are studying. By the end of my first Hendrickson Method® module, I had gained relief from pain through the treatments I received during the practice sessions. I thought it was a miracle! I had suffered for so long with debilitating pain, and to experience such profound relief after just a few treatments was extraordinary. I knew I was, again, on to something special.
The most recent step on my path as a therapist was to organize two decades of teaching and practice and submit my certification application to the International Association of Yoga Therapists. I was honored with certification as a C-IAYT Yoga Therapist based on the decades of work I had documented with people of all shapes and sizes, with all kinds of spinal and joint issues.
I am happy that I have been able to find a path to help people, through many years of experience and a lot of hard work. I feel lucky that I get to do what I love, helping people and making a difference in their lives. Every day is a gift, and a new opportunity to “be good, be kind, be compassionate” – Swami Sivananda.
Now that I am entering the “last third” of my life, I have worked to document the methods that have helped so many people with spine and joint issues, so this information can help many more people, including instructors and the people they work with. I'm here to educate and empower people, teachers and students alike, to learn to live a full, pain-free life, and do it safely and effectively.
This is the motivation behind my book, Safe Movement for All Spines – a Guide to Spinal Anatomy and How to Work with 21 Spine and Hip Conditions. The book is not just a book. It is the culmination of my life’s work. I have a big vision for the book that includes video clips of the exercises and activities of daily living described in its pages. These are housed on a website of the same name.
My vision includes teaching other teachers to carry on this work, and this I am doing via an advanced training course for all kinds of teachers; fitness, personal trainers, yoga and Pilates instructors.
My vision includes medical providers who will recommend the book to their patients, and to fitness professionals they may refer to.
I hope that Safe Movement for All Spines empowers the next generation of teachers, and that it helps to bridge the gap between medical and allied health and fitness professionals.
Most of all, I hope it helps people who live with spinal, sacral, and hip issues and want to live full, happy lives by freeing themselves from pain and potential infirmity. I hope that by providing clear explanations of what is recommended and what is not, for each condition in the book, people will be empowered to move safely and well.
So this book is my stone, thrown in the pond of life, and my wish is for the ripple effect to help as many people as possible.
Peace and Joy to you
Gwen
September 17, 2022
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