I first met Curtis in my salsa class. I was teaching the beginner levels and he was a student. He hired me to help him refine some of his basic techniques. At that time I had just finished my training course in biomechanics (called Anatomy in Motion). Fresh off the course, Curtis knew something was different about me and he was curious about it. He told me ‘I don’t want to learn salsa with you anymore. I want to learn whatever ‘that’ is’ referring to my newfound skillset.

So we got started.

I begin each intake with a thorough injury history. After about 30 minutes of Curtis telling me how he’d pretty much injured every part of his body, I said ‘well let’s assume it’s everything and start from there’. Not only was Curtis’s body a stockpile of injuries, his work life was stressful and out of alignment with what he wanted for himself professionally. He had been through a lot of childhood traumas. Curtis was (and is) very active with a physically demanding job and a passion for dancing, rock climbing and kettlebells. He is also very openminded, driven to improve himself and has big dreams about making an impact to the world. He was the perfect person to work with and was an ideal guineapig for my new skills.

We got started by assessing his posture and movement patterns. His intake sessions revealed that there were a long list of movement compensations his body had come up with to help him get him from A to B. He was getting the movements done but he felt very trapped in his body’s compensations, which was spilling out into how he was showing up in day-to-day interactions. And, to his dismay, how he was perceived by people when he walked into a room.

Over the course of about 6 months we peeled back layers of patterns. We began with his biggest issue which was the injuries he had from impacts along the whole right side of his body from a dramatic construction site fall. I helped him rediscover the movements that were missing because his nervous system had locked down the whole right side of his body after his injury. Take away a bunch of movement from half the body and we are sure to notice. We worked on getting his knee to straighten well, his torso to bend to the side, his feet to make solid arches, his shoulderblades to glide.

The most profound changes brought back memories he had forgotten about for years. When we had cleared away enough patterns to work on his hip flexors, he had an emotional recounting of a break up he’d completely forgotten about. The body stores memories. But more on that later.

After a solid 6 months of working together Curtis and I had many hours of opportunities to talk about the changes he was noticing in his life. One session he told me about his plans to leave construction and start his own coaching company. I watched Curtis go off to a life-changing mastermind course in Calgary with the confidence he says he never would have found without Anatomy in Motion.

Today Curtis’s life looks completely different. He has an enriching life of friends and housemates that align with his core beliefs. A burgeoning coaching business where he can help people live their highest potential. And he has the toolkit to keep his body in excellent working order without relying on me.

Curtis continues to come and see me for touch up sessions here and there. As my skill set grows he is the first in line to try out my new techniques. He is so passionate about Anatomy in Motion that he’s sent me more referrals than anyone else. If you’d like to hear Curtis’s story you can watch his testimonial video here.