|
Dear Stretch to Win Family,
Broadly speaking, flexibility may be defined as the successful adaptability of a person, family, institution, or society to circumstances both in and out of their control. While that statement may be interpreted in many different ways for a multitude of reasons, we will focus on the practitioner of medicine, health, wellness, and fitness and their patients and clients. In this pandemic, the world population has relied heavily on essential healthcare providers to save those whose lives were threatened with Covid and we salute them for the heroes they are.
Others like our students - certified practitioners of Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST) - are not only helping those who are now long haulers still battling the long term effects of Covid, but also their families, friends, and essential health care workers who themselves are suffering from the stress of lockdown and caring for others. We also salute our brave and caring students who are using FST to help all those in need get through these unprecedented times.
Stretch to Win is officially recognized by organizations like NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) who has put us on retainer as their subject matter expert in flexibility and stretching. We are honored to not only hold that title but also the responsibility and accountability that comes with it. We recognize that the body, mind, and spirit of people must all be addressed beyond just stretching in order for complete healing, recovery, and optimal performance to occur. And we along with our passionate, dedicated students are taking our creation called FST to help heal the world.
This issue starts out with a truly inspiring and heartwarming story of our Level 3 FST graduate, Sophia Murphy from Nashville, Tennessee. A challenging client condition forced Sophia to do much research, contact us and trust her intuition to be successful. This and future stories like this will be in a new series called #FSTheals.
Next, there’s a warm and fuzzy story from Lindsay, a massage therapist from New York, whose dog passed away right before she trained with us at a Level 2 workshop. Then while at Level 3 last December, she found a stray in the middle of traffic who is now her new furry baby!
Personally, we have dug deep down into our hearts to find meaning in the events of last year when we had to postpone all workshops and close our Institute for 6 months. Due to Covid surges, we decided to stay closed until this coming March. Beyond trying to figure out how we will survive, we drew even closer in our love for each other resulting in a newfound focus on what is important to us, our students, and their clients going forward.
So we included a video chat between Chris and his teacher Deng Ming-Dao. For those of you who don’t know, Deng Ming-Dao is a highly accomplished author and teacher of all things Tao, and we love the integration of ancient non-sectarian wisdom that can still help us in contemporary times. In their chat called “Music that Stirs the Soul”, Chris and Ming-Dao compare their own experiences and perspectives about the pandemic to what they are doing now to move forward with a life that enriches the spirit.
In staying current with prioritizing health and our immune system, we present a video interview with Sanjeev (Jeevers) Javia on Sleep. Jeevers is a nutrition formulator and founder of PRōZE maker of CBD formulations. He has worked with Phil Mickelson, many other top athletes, and top sports medicine physicians to develop CBD and whole hemp plant-based natural products to boost performance, sleep better and protect the immune system.
Ann Frederick has NEVER slept better until she started using NODZZZ, a full spectrum hemp product. We did this extremely informative and comprehensive video interview in the middle of last year’s pandemic and it is even more relevant today as Covid surges yet again. Not wanting ANYONE to miss out on this vital, life-saving information on how quality sleep keeps your immune system functioning optimally, we have provided it for you if you missed it, want to see it again, or share it with someone in need.
Lastly, for those who didn’t know, we posted FREE videos of a 1-hour group stretch class called LifeStretch®, a 10-minute program called Core 4 on the Floor™, and a 5-minute stretch to relieve prolonged sitting done right at your desk. Go to the bottom of this newsletter in Announcements to find links to our YouTube channel and enjoy our fun and flowing stretch programs!
We hope you enjoy our newsletter and that you and your loved ones stay healthy, happy, and inspired going forward in 2021!
Love,
Ann and Chris Frederick
Founders of Stretch to Win®
Creators of Fascia Stretch Therapy™
|
|
#FSTheals
We dedicate our new series #FSTheals to all the FST practitioners who have brought healing and hope to people around the globe even as the pandemic rages. To their clients, we thank you for sharing your stories so that others may be inspired to try FST for themselves or refer their loved ones in need.
Sophia Murphy from Nashville, Tennessee completed Level 1 FST training in September 2019. One year later, she had her own full-time FST business. Finishing her Level 3 and Sports Specific FST training in December 2020, she presented a case study that we felt should be shared with you in the video below.
Thank you Sophia for kindly sharing your amazing journey of personal and professional transformation. And for inspiring us with a client story that demonstrates the importance of trusting one’s heart with intuition and faith.
P.S. if you post any stories of FST that have healed the body-mind-spirit of a client, we encourage you to use #FSTheals along with a link to our website www.stretchtowin.com to help inspire others to find you or your FST Family in our Directory of practitioners.
Video time points:
- 0 to 09:00: personal story
- 9:10 to 11:30 effects of pandemic on her and clients who needed it for pain but also mental-spiritual and needing to be therapeutically touched; used our down regulation videos
- 11:30 to 19:50 : client story (multiple strokes after neck adjustment); fell 16 ft at construction site (fracture wrist and ribs); medical history stroke x 9 yrs from c/spine adjustment; severe tightness and spasms
- 19:50 to 20:35 : Sophia thinks she “killed her client”, he finally responds that he “pooped 6 times”
- 20:35 to 22:2 : “just working on neck increased straight leg raise to 70 degrees from 5 degrees” and more tips on client care when hitting plateaus in treatment.
- 22:24 to 26:58 : stimulating Vagus nerve; how wife impacted client’s FST session
- 26:59 to end : using new Level 3 and Sports Specific techniques on client; how the Titanic stretch helped client; Ann and Chris weigh in on this client and summarize treatment strategy.
“Frederick” the Dog
Enjoy this heartwarming story from Lindsay Kriegbaum, Level 3 FST
“When I joked about taking home the stray dog I found in Phoenix... and then I actually did. No collar, no chip, and no owners claimed him while on hold at Animal Control. They put him up for adoption and now he’s mine!
We laid Shadow to rest the day before I left for my level 2 certification and now I’m leaving level 3 with a new best friend and taking a piece of my favorite place home with me.
Everyone meet Frederick! Named after Ann and Chris Frederick, the founders of FST and the two people who completely changed my life. They love their new grandbaby and Freddy and I can’t wait to go back and visit!”
-Lindsay’s Facebook post 12/15/20
|
Follow the Music that Stirs Your Soul
In this video chat, Chris Frederick and his teacher of the Tao author Deng Ming-Dao cover a lot of ‘territory’ comparing their own experiences and perspectives about the pandemic to what they are thinking about and doing now to move forward with a life that sustains, enriches and inspires the soul.
Video time points:
- 00:00 Creativity: how does one negotiate one’s naturally creative approach with the compromises expected of you from your parents, employer, teacher, etc.?
- Example of the artist: should I work this way because it will sell or work my way because it is how I need to express myself; this is discouraged in school; our society discourages pure creative expression
- Using play as a means of self-discovery and even ground-breaking research, e.g. ‘knowledge play’
- Quantity and sales are considered superior to pure artistic expression; science always looking for funding so scientists must go there instead of where their passion may be
- 08:07 applied science yes, but creativity may save us from Covid
- 11:35 “Guns, Germs and Steel” book – diseases that killed indigenous people and how that made the conquerors feel superior; going forward, we cannot have ‘free enterprise’ without accountability
- 12:55 relevance today > trusted institutions crumbling with exposes > how do we grow as individuals without these institutions with light instead of darkness
- 16:53 when there’s misfortune we need to seek the error within ourselves; pandemic is a time of introspection; will we affirm right, wrong and truth?
- 17:48 misinformation and pretense of right and wrong; how can we agree?
- 19:27 every moment of the pandemic is a decision
- 20:24 “we allow force and popularity, celebrity and numbers to overrule what’s right or wrong”
- 23:48 catastrophes we can analyze and understand (and learn from)
- 24:03 “the music stirred my soul” – Chris speaks on what now is most important to him to survive and thrive during these conflicting and trying times.
- 25:22 mental illness caused by denial of the soul’s expression
- 27:33 Chris chats about what activities he’s doing that currently ‘stirs his soul’ on a daily basis
- 29:29 everyone has a soul and every soul is good but some souls have been so twisted, obscured and buried…
- 30:06 do we in some way obscure or bury the souls of our children?
- 37:22 Chris chats about working with people of light in FST workshops
|
