Dear Liz,

I’ve just avidly been listening to your and Deric’s podcast, and have found it very interesting and comforting! The latter because,as you know, I come from a similar background as Deric concerning extreme exercise, and severe pain as a result from it. Comforting because he has learned through his own experience how to “repair” his body, and then eventually continuing with his passion, this time with a totally new body awareness and understanding. It’s very encouraging for me as I’m formulating my own form of spontaneous Qigong, but also developing strength,aerobic and flexibility activities, simply because I have always enjoyed practising these, but with a totally new approach using sensitivity of how it feels “inside”the body.

That is why I love what Deric says about working from the spine without forcing or straining it, and maintaining its fluidity as well as the core’s , which you have taught us. He is a great example and looks very different from his previous muscle bound self. He has emerged from his pain-riddled body with a wonderful wisdom to help others.

I’m still in the process of emerging from the pain, but with great hope for a freed,supple and fluid body, and an even better ability to help others avoid my mistakes.

You have both given me renewed hope, and I thank you for that!

With love

Nadia

This was a great interview, thank yo Liz and Deric. I’m a fitness coach and postural alignment therapist here in the city of san francisco, and have had a hard time melding my love for strength athletics (olympic weightlifting, kettlebell lifting and throwing) and somatic therapy.

My life was changed when i got into this stuff and i became stronger than i have ever been by re-acquainting myself with my deeper structural self (the best part is, i lifted the best i’ve ever lifted after only lifting twice in 6 months prior to competition!) I only wish there were more people in the strength community that understood these concepts, as the focus still seems to be on training the fast-twitch fibers, increasing the volume and intensity, and punishing the body into gaining results.

Thanks again and i look forward to hearing more from you both,

Charlie Reid

Deric will be teaching a one day workshop Sunday July 25 at his Gym I highly recommend! I am teaching a Psoas In Warm Water workshop the day before Saturday 24 nearby). It is a great combination, preparing the tissue for spine based movement and ultimate Core Strength. Hope you can join us! We are also planning a 2 day workshop together in Santa Monica early 2010.

I will pass on your response to Deric. It will be great fun to have him in on the conversation!

thanks for this and all your podcast on iTunes

Message from Deric:

Charlie, it was great to meet and train with you last weekend. I look forward to sharing all of my active recovery techniques with you at my workshop. Nadia, I’ve sufferred thoracic outlet so severely that I would wake in the night with shooting sensations of pain as if hammers were pounding my thumbs with each pulse/beat, due to the tightness in my neck. It was excrutiating! I no longer am in the symptomatic, non-symptomatic cycle (in my c-spine and the rest of my body) I had come to think was normalcy. We can get past chronic and acute conditions. We can achieve so much more than the band aid of relief offered by so many recuperative modalities. Long term health both locally and systemically are ours to explore when we put together all of the often missing, and neccessary variables to the Get/Stay healthy equation. I will be sharing in my workshop, as much information as I can on how to break the cycles of pain and dysfuction people struggle with. Not only does my neck no longer bother me, but because I maintain a healthy state in that area I have the neural capacity to fire off electical impulses through this tissue to support 500lb bench presses and 800lb squats. Boy, who knows what level of health I might achieve when I stop all this heavy lifting nonsense… never! Thanks for your open ears, and minds. The sky is the limit. Deric

  The foam roll sequence I do every morning.  I learned it from Deric Stockton, powerlifter in Santa Cruz.