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Ai Chi is a water exercise and relaxation program that has been created to help aquatic practitioners and students enjoy the water in a flowing yet powerful progression.  Aquatic exercise instructors, personal trainers, and aquatic therapy and rehabilitation practitioners will find the Ai Chi workshop beneficial for them and their clients.  It is an efficient exercise program that increases oxygen and caloric consumption simply with correct form and positioning in the water.  It is a perfect relaxation technique for highly stressed, over-challenged clients, and it is ideal for creating improved range of motion and mobility.  Ai Chi, created by combining Tai-Chi concepts with Shiatsu and Watsu techniques, is performed standing in shoulder depth water using a combination of deep breathing and slow, broad movements of the arms, legs, and torso.  Lecture and Pool.

Using Ai Chi with some Pilate’s concepts this session will apply core stability and fall prevention techniques to develop balance and lumbar stabilization for your clients.  The focus of this Ai Chi class will be on deep, rather than superficial, muscles.  Learn to use the trunk muscles to initiate movement in the extremities.  Balance, mobility and stability all in one program!  Lecture and Pool.

Compare the benefits of Ai Chi for the average healthy adult and modifications to Ai Chi for special situations.  Hear about the Eastern thought behind the movement performance and sequence of Ai Chi. Examine the continuing evolution of Ai Chi with several new ways to make the basic program more effective.  Analyze the body and mind efforts necessary for a positive effect.  Apply teaching techniques including lecturing, music, pacing and flow of a class or workshop.  Examine several different ways to focus your Ai Chi instruction to create new or advanced Ai Chi opportunities for your clients.   Full Day. Lecture and Pool.

Back and hip problems (whether from OA, trauma, surgery, injury, or simply aging or overuse) can be alleviated in the water. Ai Chi is excellent for pain reduction, balance, ROM and re-patterning.  This Ai Chi application will introduce weight bearing hip ROM and stabilization while incorporating balance and coordination.  Spinal rotation, flexion and extension with slow movement will assist in decreasing pain and increasing back mobility.

Research shows that Ai Chi is excellent at many things including mobilizing tissue.  Ai Chi ROM will focus on reducing stiffness of connective tissue in and around muscles.  It’s simple and effective to focus on improving ROM.  Slow movements in warm water, while maintaining alignment, require approximately 25% of the muscular force of identical land-based activity.  This can offset tightness, contractures and spasticity.

This Ai Chi Ne (ne means two in Japanese) experience is designed for those comfortable with working and breathing with others.   This program is excellent for those with balance deficits (older adults, Parkinson’s disease, CP, CVA, etc) and those with poor kinesthetic awareness.  We will with experiment with physical positioning, breathing cadences and techniques, and body awareness.  Precise kinesiology for safety and effectiveness in the Ai Chi Ne partner work is included.

Use this simple technique to improve weight shifting and weight transfer; UE and LE ROM; turning and reaching skills; one-footed balance and bending skills; and balance.  Have your clients learn positioning for ascending stairs, crossing the midline, and putting on shoes by using Ai Chi Ne (pronounced “eye chee knee”).  Opportunities for reducing assists are included.

Answers the most often asked questions about aquatic exercise.  We’ll cover general and relative contraindications, music, water depth and temperature, safety issues, acoustics, heart rates and intensity, and anything you want to discuss.  Lecture.

Come learn the in’s and out’s, the do’s and don’ts, the precautions and contraindications, and what goes where, with aquatic equipment.  Both shallow and deep-water programs and equipment will be reviewed.  This presentation will leave you comfortable using the most popular aquatics products safely, efficiently and effectively.  Lecture and pool.

Back pain and back problems are our number one non-terminal health problem and affect 4 out of 5 adults in this country.  While back problems account for 18 million doctor visits a year approximately 90% of them can be treated at home.  After determining which ones can be treated by a lay instructor, this lecture will cover factors that contribute to back pain; the anatomical function, terms and muscles of the low back and a discussion of treatment through aquatic exercise.  With 80% of the population experiencing back pain at some time, offering back classes must have potential.  The problem is finding the right instructor who can produce a good program.  Your worries are over.  BackHab can be used safely by any instructor.  It can even be used by the client alone.  Try it in the pool after the lecture!

The program focuses on relearning functional movement patterns with carryover to activities of daily living.  Progressions are included to further challenge qualities such as balance, coordination, endurance, trunk stability and gait.  Alignment with neutral spine is re-evaluated with every change in exercise.  Precautions and modifications are included.  The program has proven to be ideal for clients with chronic pain, with shoulder, hip, knee, ankle and back disorders, and with chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, MS, arthritis, asthma, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and older adults and those recovering from strokes.  BackHab can be used in one-on-one rehab and personal training, in groups, and the client can use it independently for post-rehab conditioning.

This course is fun.  It’s also full of exercise ideas for varied functional issues our clients have.  Functional training continues to be a training buzzword and for good reason. Functional movement patterning is critical to healing clients and keeping them injury free.

We’ll offer a sample circuit with each station representing a functional skill (gross motor, fine motor, reaching and turning skills, balance/core, pain amelioration, agility, posture, etc) and a variety of regressions/progressions of several exercises to assist with that function.  There will be several options at each functional station.  Exercise suggestions will include posterior chain, fascial line training, leveraging instability and building a base, CET (Corrective Exercise Training), LMT (Loaded Movement Training), Suspension Training, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), the Heavy Concept, transverse plane/rotation, games, the new trend of variable squats, and SMW (Slow Motion Walking).  Exercises will include seated, standing and horizontal examples.  Progressions and regressions of exercises will be reviewed.  Equipment use or non-use will be explained

This course includes a pool experience of Watsu, Bad Ragaz, PNF, Ai Chi , Halliwick, Unpredictable Command Technique, Ai Chi Ne, Burdenko Method, AquaStretch and other aquatic protocols and how to learn more about each.  Different organizations, individuals, events, and protocols are covered during the resource segment of the presentation.  Therapists working with specific populations will know where to access information regarding that population group. Included is a review of the aquatics industry as a whole: The evolution of the industry from a small market segment to a successful, sought after practice. Lecture and pool.

Need some direction and new ideas for promoting your programs?  We’ll quickly review three basic concepts and then get down to innovative ideas to help your programs grow and prosper.  Lecture.

Strategic planning let’s us prepare for new ventures and events by giving us an idea of what to expect, what we should avoid, what obstacles we’ll need to hurdle, and how to do it all well.  Painless Strategic Planning will simplify the process and make it practical and applicable.  This workshop will take you through an uncomplicated summary of your business situation and a short goal writing session.  It’ll end with a strategic plan to achieve those goals whether they’re for a successful event or a new venture.  You will profit from having a complete plan and timeline of all the projects needed to achieve your written goals.  You’ll go back to work knowing what needs to be done, by when, and by whom.    Lecture.

This presentation applies modifications, special precautions, format, general programming, intensity, indications and contraindications for the Older Adult and other Special Populations. Cardiorespiratory workouts, balance and coordination drills, vital capacity work, flexibility and agility training are all included.  Lecture.  Pool optional.

Using a fire she survived as a backdrop, Ruth takes you on a spellbinding and entertaining journey.  Her vivid story is amusing and lively but also thought-provoking.  The compelling lessons learned while she fled from the fire will awaken your spirit, make you feel good, and help you recognize opportunity.  Motivating, dramatic and humorous, this presentation will leave you remembering how to succeed with your personal relationships, your business, your health, and your life.

What Does It Take To Get Good Water?  Based on Masaru Emoto’s findings, this presentation is not only about pool water, but the water in our bodies, the water in lakes, streams and oceans, the water we bathe and shower in, and the water we drink. So, what does it take to get good water?  The research with water crystals shows that it’s not only chemicals – it could be words used around the water, music and photos.  Really!  The research offered in this presentation will show you the effect of things beyond chemicals on your pool water.

As you know, we don’t stop learning from people when they’re not physically around anymore – patients, friends, spouses … but I think, mostly parents.  Our Mom died Sept of 2007 and I spent much of 2008 learning WAY more from her.  I don’t mean things she told me, like “put your left hand on your lap while you’re eating” or how to fold a napkin when setting the dinner table.  What I learned was about what she did and how she lived, not what she said.  I’m going to share a couple of lessons that she taught me.  My hope is that they help you in your work and in your life.  This seems, superficially, like it’s about Mom – it’s not.  It’s about you.  Think about yourself while I tell you these stories.  Mom’s name was Pearl.  As you know wise words are often called pearls SO I named this talk Pearls … for Mom and for her wisdom.

Sisu. Not an English word but soon you’ll be practicing sisu. Do you want to move forward in your career, branch into a new aspect, or move into a totally new career?  Do you want to improve your financial situation?  Do you want to improve relationships or knowledge?  Sisu will help you drive forward, accept challenges and overcome difficulties. It will also give you a new focus on taking care of the most important person in your life – you.

How do we stay motivated, keep our staff motivated, and keep our clients motivated?  What can we do?  Create new energy using the Prunes, Carrots, and Ripples prescription.  Join Ruth for a great presentation and learn how to implement motivational techniques without taking any time out of your day.  It’s great and it works.