Aaron Alexander, CR, LMT, CPT, has over a decade of success as a manual therapist and movement coach. As the founder of Align Therapy, Aaron helps his clients move from pain into health through an integrated approach to functional movement and self-care. He works with everyone from office workers to Olympic and professional athletes, as well as speaking and teaching nationally and internationally.
Believe it or not, your every movement is teaching your body to adapt. Your everyday life, all your physical activity and inactivity, creates the foundation for your health, or lack thereof. By becoming more aware of this, then controlling the messages you send to your body, you can re-balance it and literally move toward a pain-free, more enjoyable life.
Aaron and Andy talk about everything from how our childhood influences our emotional drive and physical trajectory to Rolfing, why watching yourself in the gym mirror might be a great idea, the importance of head-to-toe alignment, and whether sitting really is the new smoking.
We are the products of what we do every day. That means we have a constant opportunity to move toward or away from health. In this podcast, Aaron will get you started on recognizing and rectifying how your body and mind function through everyday awareness.
Episode Bullets:
- What is the foundation of your Align Therapy Method?—7:32
- How does our self-image affect how we carry ourselves?—14:55
- How did your dad smoking crack set you on this path?—16:50
- What is Rolfing? How is Structural Integration different?—21:26
- Where do you start with a new patient?—28:26
- Explain the statement, “Dysfunction anywhere is dysfunction everywhere.”—31:15
- How can I try this out right now?—36:00
- Why are you such a fan of mirrors in gyms? What if my gym doesn’t have one?—39:50
- How can I gain self-awareness of my movement patterns?—41:12
- Why do I want to be “stacked?”—43:24
- How can I wake my body up from dysfunctional movement patterns?—49:10
- How has better alignment improved your life?—52:20
- Explain the relationship between body alignment and communication.—56:44
- Where did you discover that your body was broken? How did fixing that change your life?—1:01:00
- What do you think about, “Sitting is the new smoking?”—1:06:10
Enjoy!
P.S. If you only have five minutes, listen at 31:15 when Aaron explains how everything we do and think is connected. Find out exactly what he means and how you can use that information to improve your health and well-being, starting right now.
BIG THANKS to Aaron Alexander! If you enjoyed this podcast, click here to thank him on Twitter.
Episode Resources:
Aaron’s website—AlignTherapy.com
Dr. James Levine—Sitting Is the New Smoking
The Align Therapy Youtube Channel
Rolfing
Connect with Aaron and Align Therapy:
Align Therapy’s Facebook page
Aaron Alexander on Instagram
Aaron Alexander on Twitter
If you enjoyed this podcast, here are some others to check out:
Mark England — The Surprising Tool You Already Have to Change Your Life
Val Voboril — How to Succeed at Motherhood, Happiness, and CrossFit
Connect with Andy to offer feedback or ask a question:
podcast@wholelifechallenge.com
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
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Andy is a certified CHEK Practitioner and holistic lifestyle coach. He holds a spectrum of certifications from CrossFit and is also a Vivobarefoot certified running coach. He has trained as a Zen buddhist and graduated with a Master’s degree in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica.
Andy founded CrossFit LA one of the first and most successful CrossFit training centers in the world and the first to be featured in national media. He is the co-founder of the Whole Life Challenge, Inc, currently its president, and is also a consultant and life/business coach. Andy lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Julia, and son, Dashel.
