My "INNER" Experience

It is one week now since I returned from the INNER IDEA conference in Palm Desert CA and I am happy to report that what I learned there is still with me. Beyond attending four days of jammed packed informative sessions, being with other "like-minded" individuals, sharing stories and a room with 2 women who were 15-20 years younger than me, I also learned something about myself. I learned that there is always something new to learn. It never ends and that is the beauty of gaining knowledge.

It's been so long since I have attended a conference, mostly because I had the attitude of "what am I going to learn that I don't already know" which is the most arrogant thought. Well...frankly A LOT! It was my own arrogance that was my biggest barrier, because after 30 years in the fitness business I guess I felt entitled to have it. WRONG. This was very hard to admit to myself and (to now write this publicly), but also very important. It's not that I ever really stopped gaining "exercise" knowledge, it is that I gained it through private avenues, watching you-tube videos, educational DVD's, reading magazine articles, books, and other on-line sources. After attending years of conventions, conferences, workshops, seminars I guess I was done with it and needed to learn via other avenues and gave up attending anything that gathered a bunch of "fitness" people together in one place. Well I am so glad I changed my attitude and attended this years Inner IDEA conference.

What drew me in to go to "inner" verses say the "World" Fitness Convention (held the month before in downtown Los Angeles and much more convenient location) was the AHHHHHHH factor. The Inner IDEA conference was formed 5 years ago in an effort to step away from the traditional IDEA mega conventions that normally generate thousands of attendees who come and spend days attending high energy fitness frenzy sessions and milling around the expo taking in all the latest and greatest gadgetry the fitness industry has to offer. Truth be told it gave me a headache even thinking about. When I first started in fitness these types of industry "get together's" were my adrenaline. Now for me, I can tell you those days are way over. So when I first heard about the Inner IDEA conference (which primarily attracts attendees who are teaching yoga, pilates, meditation, nutrition etc..), I thought "now this is something I could attend" and really enjoy. Not wanting to go alone, I recruited another friend/colleague who recruited a couple of others and we registered. I must say another big incentive was the LA Quinta resort and the 500 person limit to attend.

After the almost 3 hour drive to the desert, I began to experience this feeling of calm and utter joy come over me (mostly because I was on vacation) as we drove onto the gorgeous property of the LA Quinta Resort. We checked in to the hotel with ease and then went to register for the conference. Another breeze....no line, 5 minutes tops and if we wanted to change sessions no hassle, just show up to the session you want and if it's full we were able to just stand and observe. Easy schmeezy... love it. We proceeded to go to the room, unpack, decompress and get ready for the first session, which was Creating Reformer Choreography presented by Nora St John who was fabulous. From that moment on, my creative juices (that were on drip) began to flow. I could feel the cogs in my brain turning and I knew, in order to keep this going I needed to be 100% present the entire time so I didn't miss a thing. I now learned lesson - #1) NOTHING ELSE "OUT THERE" is as important as BEING RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW. Being Present is the gift I gave to myself for the entire weekend. That message was reiterated again at the opening ceremony with beautiful words and music, chanting and an inspiring key note address by Brant Secunda (Huichod Shaman and Healer) and Mark Allen (six-time Ironman Tri-Champion) and authors of Fit Soul Fit Body. I turned to my friend Megan and said "I am not opening my lap-top this whole weekend" as I made a silent vow to myself to step away from the outside world. This for me (and you all know what a FB and email addicted junkie I am) was a HUGE progressive step.

Every session I attended I learned many new things, along with being introduced to many of the finest presenters in the world. Scott Josephson, who is from the Hippocrates Health Institute did two brilliant presentations: Women, Metabolism and the Hormone Highway and Search and Explore popular diets. I don't think I ever laughed so hard, nor had more fun than in Lawrence Biscontini's Bosu:Hard Core Peace Core. Who would ever think you could do mindful yoga, pilates, t'ai chi, chi gong and chants on a bosu and SWEAT?
Lawrence was brilliant, and deserved The INNER award he received at the opening ceremony (especially after taking his Moonlight Meditation class and there being more distractions than ever thought possible) and he still managed to keep the entire class centered and focused. Paul Check's "The Last Four Doctors You will Ever Need" completely threw me for a loop when here I was thinking traditional docs and it was metaphorical. Dr Diet, Dr Quiet, Dr Happiness and Dr Movement, "well being is as simple as 1-2-3-4. How true is that statement? Very... Micheal Kings' reformer sequencing brought new light to putting movement together in a beautiful seamless sequence like a dance. Break it down and Build it up by Michael Fritzke took traditional Pilates movement and broke them down down into teachable pieces we could use for own own classes. I could go on and on but I would be remiss if I did not mention the session that stuck with me the most. That would be the last one I took and ended my weekend on such a glorious high note with . Sue Hitzmanns' MELT on Pilates rocked my world.
Can I say I LOVED IT any louder? This woman was not only an amazing, knowledgeable, dynamic presenter but her passion for wanting to heal everyone in the entire world through her technique came through loud and clear. I was so beyond impressed I decided that when her instructor training comes to Los Angeles I will be the first sign up. I have used everything I had learned from that one session since, and my clients, students and patients just melt (literally). I am Melting over this and cannot wait for more.


We (Megan, Emilee & me) ended on a beautiful note leaving Palm Desert, the 117 degree weather and the most wonderful attendees we befriended (especially Susan & Diane yes you guys!) behind, filled to brim with knowledge, purpose and inspiration. I would say this was the best money and time I have ever spent on an educational conference and I am definately going to attend next year. AND.... my industry colleagues who are reading this...you are all invited to share with me this amazing experience.

Yeah But can they TEACH?

There are a lot of mediocre teachers, some good teachers and very few great teachers. The ability to impart knowledge to another and have the individual take in that information and really learn from it is a gift. It's a gift for the recipient in reaping the benefit of a gifted teachers wisdom. Knowledge is empowerment. Knowledge is growth. Knowledge is priceless. It should not be taken lightly and neither should being a teacher. Teachers come in all forms, some more recognizable than others. Sometimes they stand in front of a room filled with students and sometimes they stand right beside only you. They can come in the form of a highly "degreed" educator, a coach, a parent, a mentor or even a friend. Never underestimate the power of information whether it be verbal or non-verbal and it's influence and never be fooled by bravado and it's lack of substance.

Being "wowed" by someone's ability to perform a skill to perfection, or just perform or even how they look is admirable, however it does not necessarily translate into the ability to be able to properly teach it to someone else. And that's what I mean by "never be fooled by bravado"...yeah but can they teach? It's the trap I see the unsuspecting person fall into time and time again. Think of this...You read a best seller written by a fabulous writer and perhaps what comes to mind is, I want to learn how to write from that person. Just because he/she can perform the art/skill of writing into a best selling book does not necessarily mean they can teach you how to write a best seller. That is not suffice to say that there are exceptions to that, but I believe more often than not it's the other way around. Those who can not necessarily do (to perfection), teach, and actually teach sometimes to perfection. So don't necessarily rule them out, as they may just be the jewel among the sparkly glass.

There are "performers" and then there are "teachers", and one world I know very well is the fitness world. I know I am biased but I can tell you without question my husband Dennis is a top rung swim teacher. He may not be able to "perform" and swim like Michael Phelps but he can sure teach a student to achieve that level if desired. I have witnessed personally him show a scared 2 year old who was so frightened of the water in the beginning of a 30 minute lesson embrace and feel the love of the water by the end of the 30 minutes. Amazing. It is truly a gift. His secret is trust, and building an honest relationship with his students. He's been teaching swimming for almost 30 years to kids from as young as 13 mos to 80+ yrs and he does it with love. He is passionate and compassionate and believes in the benefits of what he teaches. It goes beyond just arms and legs moving in the water arriving at a destination. It is about the journey, his students and the self esteem and confidence he sees grow and develop within and live within long after they get out of the water. He has seen this self belief emerge beginning with the simplest goal of just floating to scuba diving hundreds of feet underneath the ocean water. He makes his students feel safe, curious for more and empowered. He wisely figures out how they learn and then teaches to their ability to "get it".

I've had the pleasure and fortune over the years to have a select few teachers who were great. Unfortunately, I have also had very mediocre teachers and some really bad ones. I remember one teacher I had in college who was so awful, I stopped writing and forgot how much joy it brought me until I asked myself why this idiot had so much power over me to stop me from something I loved to do. "Screw him", I said to myself and I started writing again, albeit many years later but I did and that's all that matters.

I learned a lesson in that and have used it in my own instruction as an educator.

When I began my fitness career 29 years ago I started out as an "aerobics" instructor (circa 1981 that is what it was called) because I loved to dance and choreograph and needed to make money. This was before the days of "certification" and everything being so technical, it was just about having fun, sweating and losing weight and of course, wearing leg warmers. We learned quickly about shin splits and the importance of beats in music, it was easy and again just FUN. I performed on a platform to my "fans" and made sure I could outlast everyone who was in my class regardless if my heart was pounding out of my chest and my feet killing me. I had to be better and I had to show it because it was of course all about me. My students were WOWED, kept coming to class as long as I pushed them, made them sweat regardless of how much they hurt or were sore for an entire week. The more pain they were in, the better I thought I was doing my job of kicking their asses (kinda like what Jillian Michaels does now on the biggest loser show except my students were not as large back then).

Fast Forward it's now 2010.

I still see "instructors/trainers" (group or private) still do this except now the audience sees it on TV or You-Tube. I watch an individual perform Yoga moves twisting themselves into knots while reciting something "zen", or a testosterone laden guy (or female) pumping 100lb dumbbells (or a body) over their head or a Pilates instructor doing a succession of very impressive moves on 4 different pieces of equipment upside down. And they are all in enviable amazing shape (OK - I will admit a slight bit of envy of what their body can do and mine cannot...ugh).... But that is not why I am writing about this and it is not about jealousy or envy it's about....CAN THEY TEACH???? Are they even qualified to teach? Can they make it about their client or student and not about them? Yet the public will see this and be enamored and mesmerized and completely taken in and fooled into believing they can be transformed to be just like their "guru" oops instructor.

I love what I do and can honestly say have come a long way since the days of headbands, thong leotards and leg warmers. I've spent time over the past 29 years educating myself (formally and practically) to go well beyond just fitness "training" my students and clients but really educating them about their bodies from the inside out. I have worked very hard to gain their trust and belief in me when I take their body into my hands (so to speak). This is a responsibility I do not take lightly, ever. Even though I have been in this fitness field for 29 yrs their is always something to learn because it is dynamic and ever-changing. I feel I have done my job well when my students have learned something beyond "the classroom" or "studio" and take that knowledge with them integrating it into their everyday lives. I feel honored when I see a client who was hunched over stand up aligned and they tell me their back or hip no longer hurts. I adore hearing how they have become physically stronger carrying that into them becoming mentally, spiritually and emotionally stronger. Regardless if it is in fitness, writing, swimming, math, reading etc... We need to seek out and honor great education in any form. We need to demand it (not just in the formal classroom but everywhere) so this way the performers can just go on and do what they do best, which is "perform" and teachers can do what they do best, impart knowledge and wisdom and "educate".

Until next Sunday...Ciao and I hope you learn something new today from someone...you never know who may teach you something wonderful.

My Letter to President-Elect Obama on my Vision for Health Care

Dear President-Elect Obama,

My BIGGEST concern has always been and still is HealthCare. Simply, the reason being… if you do not have your health in good standing nothing else really matters. Therefore, our system has always been on the wrong side of "Health" Care it should be called "Sick" Care. WE have focused more on the afterthought rather than the forethought and that has been the issue for years and that IS what has gotten us into the trouble we are in now today. The main reason being is, there is not a lot of profit in PREVENTION but a BOATLOAD in curative (and the pharmaceutical, medical & insurance industries), all know this. And so does the FDA I am afraid to say. Ninety percent of the reasons why people flood the medical care system are due to health issues that are completely PREVENTABLE...yet focus and emphasis and reward are not placed on having people pay attention to their own health, it is focused on how do "we" fix the problem after it has already broken (kind of like our economy is today).
We NEED a "HEALTHCARE" policy & system with an EMPHASIS on incentives to get healthy, maintain health and reward those who ARE and DO stay fit and healthy and stay out of the medical care system and not bog it down.

I am a 48 year old health/fitness professional (for 27 years) who has been an advocate of prevention and staying healthy & fit and to lead a life with vitality. The best way to help our broken "Sick Care" system is to stay out of it. Be empowered to take care of your own body because you only have one that your given for a lifetime. No one will care about "your" own body more than YOU.
I have a lot of GREAT ideas to help turn things around and it is NOW that we must begin to change the focus from curative to preventative, if not for me and my generation BUT for my child and the children who are to face this issue in upcoming generations.
Thank you for listening. I would be more than happy to share what I know.
Sincerely,
Laura S. Gideon