Gratitude is one of the most amazing feelings in life, and right now, my heart is brimming with it, so I wanted to take a few minutes to express my immense gratitude to the staff and crew of Island Fitness on Bainbridge Island for having me over to talk about the power of Counterstrain.
I have a soft spot for Island Fitness since it was Michael and Alexa Rosenthal—the current owners—who introduced me to Counterstrain Master Tim Hodges, and also welcomed me and my new, then, practice in a part time office; two events that certainly changed my career and my life. I have great memories of my time there, interacting with the staff, the trainers, and their members, and of starting to develop a solid reputation as Counterstrain therapist.
It was also at that point that the personal training department was transitioning to the Orthokinetics program as the core of their education, no small task since the rigorous program demands significant hours of education on biomechanics, and hands-on training. While the demands of my growing practice required me to move to a full-time office, I always kept in touch both as a friend and as a member.
It’s been a thrill seeing the trainers use their Orthokinetics expertise to help folks regain their physical abilities; and it was by fate or coincidence, that the director of the personal training program, Gavin DeWitt, and I realized how Orthokinetics and Counterstrain were so complimentary to each other.
This is the second time I’ve been invited to share my experience as a Counterstrain Therapist, and, let me tell you, I’m always humbled by the reception I get. I think it’ll make more sense if I can illustrate this. Island Fitness features a monthly guest speaker and we’re given an hour to share our field of expertise. Now, those of you know who know me well; know that when it comes to certain topics—like strength training, scuba diving, salsa dancing, philosophy, or Counterstrain—one hour is only the warm up.
As much as tried to keep my presentation running on cue, some of the questions sparked tangents that were worth exploring, and added to the total time. This would not seem like a big deal—except that the majority of the attendees stayed, even though they could’ve well left as soon as my time expired. Those who left apologized profusely as they had appointments to take care of, but wanted to continue the conversation with questions of their own. Those who stayed until the end … man! They fired up some amazing questions, the type that enriched my understanding of what I do and my personal philosophy.
So, thank you, guys. You gave me of your time. Money returns, possessions return, but not time—and you were generous to me with your time. To say that I had an incredible time is not enough and I’m thrilled that I’ve been invited to present again this year. You have my word that I’ll make it even better, and in the meantime, if you have any questions, topics, or concerns that you’d like me to address, please send me a private message.
And finally, congratulations to you on your learning and professional development journey. All the folks I’ve sent down your way to continue their healing journey have been happy with the results. So thank you.
That’s all for today, friends. I wish you an amazing day, and also a joyful, energized, and pain-free life.
