THE POWER OF PARTNER STRETCHES
There's something you should understand before you start doing these techniques. First, they require two people:
- A person who needs relief from pain, tightness, tingling, soreness, numbness or aches in the arms, hand, fingers, shoulders, neck, elbow, wrist or upper back. This is the PIC, or Person In Charge. The PIC is the person in pain. You are in charge of your pain. You are its boss. Only you can work it out of your body. Usually, the PIC lies on the floor on a mat while the Coach stands above. For these stretches to work, the PIC must work hard and consciously seek out and remove his or her pain by stretching. That may sound simple-minded, but it is the essence of the entire program.
- A second person who understands how to stretch out connective tissue. (Don't panic, it's easy.) This is the Coach. The Coach is the trainer, the facilitator, the person helping the PIC get out of pain. Typically, the Coach stands above the PIC and uses his or her foot to apply weight at various areas on the PIC's body while the PIC performs a series of stretches. The Coach supplies a steady, reassuring stream of tips, instructions, advice and encouragement. Got it? PIC and Coach. You're a team. The PIC is in charge, The Coach is there to help, encourage, goad, nudge, direct and high-five.
Think of the Rossiter System as a way for anybody to help anybody else out of pain. The techniques teach you how to stretch entire areas of connective tissue. Anybody can learn these techniques with fairly simple training. They are done as a series, not as individual or site-specific stretches. The Rossiter System is an entire system or series of stretching techniques, and that's where its effectiveness lies. Once you learn the techniques, the two of you -- a coworker, friend, spouse, partner, child -- can use them regularly. Think of this as a maintenance program for the human body. Use the Rossiter stretches regularly (and when you feel better, tell your friends). You can choose when to use the stretches, too -- when you need them or as a maintenance program.
|
