When my teen son interviewed me for a college assignment back in January, he asked about my favorite part of the work I do as a stretching instructor. Some of my responses to that question were:
“…I love witnessing or hearing about the progress of clients I work with. For instance, one client significantly increased her bone density by attending classes on a regular basis. Her doctor confirmed that her bone density tests scored far higher than when she was not exercising. Another client who had two hip-replacement surgeries greatly improved his mobility and balance from our sessions together, and he also said he felt far less stressed at work when dealing with responsibilities at the busy company he owns and manages. I have also worked with a stroke client who has enhanced his movement and range of motion from our one-on-one sessions. He is calling for more sessions, so I will be working with him again soon…”
Since that interview, I have returned to working with Fr. Laurence Wells, the client who is steadily recovering from a stroke. This past Friday’s session with him reminded me about the answer above I had given to my son. In fact, I am still through-the-roof excited about a huge breakthrough Fr. Wells had at our most recent session. It was the first time in his transformational stroke-recovery journey that he got down on the floor to do seated and supine exercises on an exercise mat. Prior to that, the exercises we had been exploring to increase flexibility, strength, and relaxation had been done seated in a chair, or standing. Friday was different, however! Very different! And, boy oh boy, did my client handle maneuvering to the floor, working out on the mat, and getting back up to the couch like a CHAMP!!
“I’m a problem-solver,” he informed me as we strategized just the right moves to safely accomplish his descent to the floor and later ascent to the couch.
To think that Fr. Wells had initially been paralyzed on his left side as a result of an embolic stroke a couple years ago is hard to believe. However, the work of Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, Florida — and God, of course — got him going again. Then, I was given the blessing of entering the picture to assist with his at-home stretching therapy.
Headed Toward the Floor
I had recently mentioned to Fr. Wells’ wife, Olga Wells, that I could see the time fast-approaching when her husband would progress to stretching on the floor, but little did I know it would happen a short week after I shared that thought. I mean, I really
only had been visualizing it and believing it could truly happen sooner than later. Yet, I thought that next step still needed more time to take off.
But, when I showed up for our session on Friday, one of the first things Fr. Wells asked me was if we would be heading to the floor to stretch that day. He spoke with confidence about taking this leap, and his body language confirmed his words as he sat on the couch at an angle that implied lowering to the floor would be the next logical step.
“Are you ready to do that TODAY?” I asked with surprise. “I had been thinking we’d do that in the near future,” I continued, “but if you want to just go for it today, we most certainly can.”
Fr. Wells thought for a split second and replied, “Let’s just go for it!”
“Okay, let’s do it! I’m loving your sense of adventure,” I stated with a huge smile.
No Turning Back
Suddenly, I could feel my heart rate increasing. A surge of excitement took over as I darted out to my car to gather the exercise mats. This was going to be a huge step.
Soon enough, the mats were set up on the floor and we were working through our strategy of getting Fr. Wells down to meet the mat. As supportive props, the couch would be on one side of him and a large foot stool on the other. I demonstrated the lowering-to-the floor process, and then Fr. Wells followed while tweaking his body as needed along the way. Before long, he arrived at his new workout destination and sat in awe of being there.
“Everything feels very different down here,” he said while basking in the feeling of this new positioning of his body, enjoying a place he hadn’t sat in years.
Some natural shifting took place as he moved a leg here, an arm there, etc. Although I was beyond excited, I thank God I was clear enough to realize that I needed to just let Fr. Wells linger for a bit. I could see the benefits of him simply taking time to explore this new territory, his way, before moving on with specific instructions.
Guided Alignment
The first and very important element I detected was Fr. Wells’ spine steadily wanting to round as he sat. To correct that, I put the foot stool against his back and a small table behind that to prevent the stool from sliding too much on th
e wooden floor. The stool would slightly move away from his back, and I would continue to push it closer to him. Before long, Fr. Wells was holding an upright spine all on his own.
A similar process (sans the foot stool) happened with getting his left leg, the weaker leg, to straighten. Then, some mobility exercises loosened up his spine and quickly helped bring his hands closer to his feet as he reached forward. Improved alignment was happening at the snap of a finger it seemed. Fr. Wells’ body was beautifully aligning and lengthening right before our eyes. The proof was in the stretch!
And if that seated work wasn’t enough, we decided he would visit more of the mat and further expand his new world of “therapy,” as he refers to it. So, from seated to supine position Fr. Wells went. Life couldn’t get any more sweeter than it was in that moment.
“I feel like I’m in Heaven teaching stretch,” I squealed.
Twisting and Stretching
I guided Fr. Wells through a supine twist, a yummy-feeling exercise for releasing the lower back while stretching muscles along the spine. He moved his bent knees to the right and to the left. At times, his head was turned away from his knees to keep both shoulders on the floor as he held the twist. (The top hip can also get a good stretch in this position, especially if you straighten the legs and extend them out to the side.) In the process, a calm swept over Fr. Wells like a dove.
“The more relaxed you get, the deeper you’ll be able to stretch,” I reiterated as I watched that relax-and-stretch-deeper process work like a charm.
About the stretches that produced a stronger sensation, Fr. Wells stated, as he often does:
“I’m so grateful for ANY thing I am now able to feel in my body, because I remember when I couldn’t feel at all.”
Move More
May God continue to bless feeling and healing for Fr. Wells and all those who are fighting to regain strength, mobility and flexibility each and every day. May these troopers be the much needed reminder for us to never take movement for granted, because many who cannot freely and fully move want nothing more than to do precisely that, while many who can and should move more, simply don’t.
Movement is a surely a precious gift from our Creator, so let’s pledge to unwrap this gift carefully and move through each layer wisely!
