Rick Olderman – The Confluence of Yoga & Physical Therapy

Posted on September 20, 2022 by nativeyoga

Check out the most recent episode of Native Yoga Toddcast with Rick Olderman. You can visit Rick at his website https://rickolderman.com. Enclose is the transcript from an excerpt of our conversation. You can listen to the entire episode for free here.

Todd McLaughlin

Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast. I’m thrilled that you are here and excited to introduce to you Rick Olderman. Rick is a physical therapist, personal trainer and Pilates instructor. He’s authored several books, and he speaks and teaches people in this trade. I’m going to link all of the information in the show notes below, the easiest way to get a hold of them is to find him at rickolderman.com. I’ll put the links in where you can find his series of books that are available. Also, he has trademarked a method called Fixing You, which he has home courses, and basically a bunch of information for us as yogis, bodyworkers and professionals in these fields. So without further ado, let’s go ahead and get started.

I’m really excited and honored to have Rick Olderman here with me today. Rick, how are you?

Rick Olderman

I’m great. Todd. I’m so excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

Thank you. Can you tell me where you’re located?

I’m located in Denver, Colorado.

Nice. How’s the weather there right now?

You know, we had a really hot summer, but surprisingly it is cooling off a little bit. Now it’s only in the 80s. This past week has been unusually cooler considering it is still summer.

That does sound nice. Yeah, very cool. I’m excited to have a chance to talk to you because you have a background in physical therapy, you own and run a clinic and are a personal trainer and a Pilates instructor. You’ve written books and you guest speak. And so one of the things I noticed when reading over your information is that after graduating from physical therapy school, you found that when you got out into the real world that you weren’t fully prepared for dealing with the pain that people experience. So I’m really excited to hear what you’ve learned over your years of work and research. On that note, what is some of the things you learned along the way that helped you to be able to successfully help people with their pain? What differs from your initial protocols to you current approach to pain management the you are utilizing?

Yeah, well, you know, prior to physical therapy school, I had back pain myself. And I thought, oh, I’m gonna go to PT school and get the insider secrets. And, you know, I was that guy who raised his hand. Anytime they asked for a volunteer for a back pain demonstration of some sort, I was just like, okay, fix my back, I am ready to go. But it never happened. And what I learned was that the focus in PT school was on the structures that become damaged, rather than why they become damaged. And so we were taught to treat those structures, rather than treat why they were damaged. And after, as you mentioned, after I graduated, that’s why I was feeling like a complete failure. Anybody who had any kind of chronic issue, you know, I can help sprains and strains. That’s pretty easy, but chronic issues, I was hit or miss. And so and it was because of this and my intuition was that we have everything to do with why we’re having pain. But that’s not how we’re taught in school. We’re just taught to look at the structures that are painful and treat those structures, make pain go away and done. Yet it didn’t work out in the real world. So that’s what led me on this journey. It’s really interesting figuring out the “why’s” behind pain.

And what what were the steps that you used and or took to discover the answer?

Yeah, well, it was very difficult as well you know. I was sunk into a deep depression because of it. Because I really thought this was my calling. And I couldn’t believe that there, there wasn’t a lot more information about the “why’s” in pain. But anyway, I discovered Dr. Shirley Sarmad, who is an instructor out of Washington University in St. Louis. And she is, her whole focus is movement impairments that create pain and how to solve those. And that was a great starting point. And then, along the road, I also uncovered Thomas Meyers’ work with Anatomy Trains, and Dr. Robert Treat’s work with fascia. And then also, lastly, I discovered Thomas Hanna’s work with neurological reflex patterns in the body that contribute to chronic pain. And it turns out that all three of these different researchers, unbeknownst to each other, pointed to the same three patterns of dysfunction that caused almost all back pain. And so what I did was I ended up integrating these and then adding more into it, because none of them really went into the movement habits that were creating these patterns of dysfunction. So that’s what I’ve been teasing out and doing in my clinic and for the last 25 years, and it’s been pretty successful. Yeah.

Wow, that’s amazing. Can you explain those three main characteristics that you saw each of these instructors or practitioners were teaching you?

Yeah. So, you know, Dr. Solomon’s work is known as a classic physical therapy where, you know, we analyze movement. We look at tight or weak muscles associated with that movement impairment. And then we fix those tight or weak muscles, and also change a little bit about how they’re moving. Because movement also creates tight or weak muscles, it works both ways. Right? Tight or weak muscles cause movement impairments and moving impairments cause tight or weak muscles. So you have to fix both of those things. And so that’s what her focus was. But I learned that I realized that while my outcomes became much better, they were limited. And so I started looking, you know, further away and thinking, hey, you know, there’s got to be something else here. And that’s when I discovered Thomas Myers, because we had been taught about fascia, but we hadn’t been taught in depth about fascia. And that’s when I discovered his Anatomy Trains. He teaches the fact that we have these super highways of fascia that run through a body. And they, we have a back line that runs from the head to the bottom of the foot. Same with a lateral line down the side, we have a spiral line, we have a front line of fascia. And all of these lines can be dissected as one contiguous piece of tissue from the body. So they’re all, you know, very connected. And fascia is connective tissue. But it’s also highly nervous innervated to as well. So then, after I read his book, I realized, oh, he helped me understand how things further away from pain could be along that line of fascia that I would need to address in order to solve pain, kind of like a spider web, you know, you can hit a little twinge, you know, a little piece of webbing further away from the center. But the spider in the center still feels that little twinge. And that’s the way it is in the body, too. Then I started treating things further away from the sources from where the pain was being experienced, and I had better outcomes. But then I also ran into these certain people that seemed to have a battery that was charging their bodies to create tension in these patterns of dysfunction that I was uncovering, and that’s what I learned about Dr. Thomas Hanna’s work. Again he identified the same three patterns of dysfunction. And his focus was on decreasing the neurological tension that’s been that’s charging these patterns of dysfunction. So combining all three of these, I was just like, boom, that’s when I really saw the miracles happening in my clinic.

I highly recommend listening to the full podcast discussion. You won’t want to miss the rest of Rick’s story. Remember you can listen to the full episode for free here. https://nativeyogacenter.buzzsprout.com/950785/11318741-rick-olderman-the-confluence-of-yoga-and-physical-therapy

Thanks for reading this blog post from this podcast episode. Check out:
Native Yoga Teacher Training – In Studio and Livestream – for info delivered to your email click this link here: https://info.nativeyogacenter.com/native-yoga-teacher-training-2023/

https://info.nativeyogacenter.com/native-yoga-teacher-training-2023/

New Student Livestream Special ~ Try 2 Weeks of Free Unlimited Livestream Yoga Classes at Native Yoga Center. Sign into the classes you would like to take and you will receive an email 30 minutes prior to join on Zoom. The class is recorded and uploaded to nativeyogaonline.com ~ Click Here to join.

New Student FREE 30 Minute Yoga Meet & Greet ~ Are you new to Native Yoga Center and have questions that you would like us to address? Whether you are coming to In Studio, Livestream or Online Recorded Classes we offer a one time complimentary 30 minute zoom meeting to answer any questions you may have. Schedule a time that is convenient for you. Click Here

Native Yoga website: nativeyogacenter.com
Online Yoga Class Library: nativeyogaonline.com
Thai Massage info: palmbeachthaimassage.com
Native Yoga Blog: toddasanayoga.com
Instagram: @nativeyoga
YouTube channel: Native Yoga Center

Listen to the podcast here here at Podcast website: Native Yoga Toddcast

Please email special requests and feedback to info@nativeyogacenter.com
Please share this episode with your friends, rate & review and join us next time.

Day 29 – No Shave Yoga event – #yogabeardsunite – Reflections of the Way I Used to Be

Posted on November 30, 2015 by nativeyoga

Day 29 – No Shave Yoga event – #yogabeardsunite – Reflections of the Way I Used to Be
One thing that is fun about participating in No Shave November is that it reminds me of my carefree ways back in the days. We can still be “carefree” and show we do care.
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise as much awareness about men’s health and money for those in need by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Day 25 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Prana Wind

Posted on November 25, 2015 by nativeyoga

Day 25 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Prana Wind
In yoga culture, prana is the word that describes the energy that is associated with air. Prana often refers to the relationship between our breath and our personal sense of vitality. Vayu, the lord of the wind, is considered the primal force that generates life and can be harnessed through our breath. Today in South Florida the wind is “cranking!” The wind has the ability to stir our emotions and can breath some life back into our senses. Sometimes people feel unsettled by the wind, however it is possible to harness that anxious sensation and turn it into zest for life and renewed vigor. If it is windy where you are, go outside and stir your prana a bit by enjoying the wind.

No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Day 21 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – The Event

Posted on November 21, 2015 by nativeyoga

Day 21 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – The Event
We have seen an increase of support, enthusiasm and donations over the past few days for which we would like to extend our appreciation. If you are in South Florida come and join us for The No Shave Yoga Event at Native Yoga Center on Sunday, November 22nd at 12pm-1pm. We are offering a Native Yoga class that is donation based of which 100% of the proceeds will benefit no-shave.org. Everyone who attends will be entered in our raffle of which we have several gifts being given away. We would like to thank the team at Lululemon for donating some gift cards. High Point Paddle for donating an adventure paddle tour for 2. Raw Juce is going to bring free organic juice for everyone post practice. Native Yoga Center will also be giving away class gift certificates. If you would like to donate prior to arrival you can do so on our Eventbrite page. Those that live outside our area can donate to our Yoga Beards Unite team page. You can also just show up and donate at the the door. Everyone is welcome, male, female, old, young, flexible and stiff. Together we can make a difference!
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey
Special thank you to @lululemon @highpointpaddle @rawjuce @no_shave_november

Day 17 – No Shave Yoga Event – Bhakti

Posted on November 18, 2015 by nativeyoga

A little Bhakti a day can keep the doctor away!

Follow these amazing Yogis this November for the No Shave Yoga Event @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey #yogabeardsunite

Help us raise awareness about men’s health and donate to https://www.no-shave.org/ or join our Fund Raising Team called Yoga Beards Unite at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite

Day 16 – No Shave Yoga Event – Get Moving

Posted on November 17, 2015 by nativeyoga

Inspire others to get moving.

Around half (53.8%) of American men meet the federal guidelines for physical activity.

Only half of the male population are pushing their physical ability! Get up and get moving.

these amazing Yogis this November for the No Shave Yoga Event @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey #yogabeardsunite

Help us raise awareness about men’s health and donate to https://www.no-shave.org/ or join our Fund Raising Team called Yoga Beards Unite at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite

Day 9 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Yoga for Others

Posted on November 9, 2015 by nativeyoga

Day 9 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Yoga for Others
The progression of yoga practice leads to compassion. It is wonderful that we can move into a healthy lifestyle and feel amazing. It is not enough to only achieve this for ourselves. Yoga leads us toward wanting to help others that are in need. So the the big question that comes up sometimes in yoga circles is, how can an individual practicing postural yoga be possibly benefitting all of humanity? Isn’t the endeavor of cultivating personal strength and flexibility often overexercised and used as fulfillment of our own ego desire? Often times it is. Yet I do hold the faith and belief that we can direct our own achievements on and off the mat toward benefitting those in need.
When we really look deeply into how we can help others, coming up with a good answer is challenging. What we often see is that we can only help by just being as positive and calm ourselves so as to reduce the amount of negative emotion and vibes that we throw out at others. In essence truly the only thing we can do is relax and breath and let this grand universe unfold. I like to think though that not only can we work on ourselves, we can also generate goodwill toward others. During this month we encourage you to do the same thing. Go one step beyond your normal routine. Give of yourself to others. Share your enthusiasm for live. Donate some money to help those that are in need. Take some time for yourself to cultivate a positive mood and outlook. Just point your focus toward engendering some compassion and let the rest unfold. Just let it grow! 🙂
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite ~ Ascending the Mountain with David Miliotis

Posted on November 9, 2015 by nativeyoga

Day 8 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite ~ Ascending the Mountain with David Miliotis
Today David Miliotis taught a workshop at Native Yoga called Ascending the Mountain. In essence we took a detailed exploration of back bending by practicing some of the asana of the Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Yoga combined with sanskrit mantra recitation and pranayama practice.

David presents the application of breath, movement and visual attention in a way that you feel like you are not just practicing some random sequence of movement. He encourages you to bring every ounce of your attention into the precision of total awareness. Yet at the same time it felt very fluid and it helped to shake off some of the apprehension that appears when the body struggles with the challenge of the practice. I feel that I noticed how much my mind gets in the way of staying present and that somehow through the practice session I was able to chip away at that agitation and replace it with focussed care.

The analogy of Ascending the Mountain feels very apropos for this type of work. Symbolically speaking the mountain we are all ascending is an internal adventure that requires diligence and consistency. I remember the first time I went on a relatively serious mountain climbing expedition with some friends in Northern California. They were all very experienced and I was a novice, being from Florida and all, and I went into not even realizing how demanding it was going to be physically and mentally. What a humbling experience to say the least. When we finally reached the top the view was so spectacular and the senses seemed so clean and clear that the sense of accomplishment overrode the pain my body was feeling from carrying a way to heavy pack high up into thin air. What came as an even greater shock was that coming down seemed more challenging than going up. I came away from that experience thoroughly transformed and quite a bit more careful about agreeing to go mountain climbing without proper preparation.

Deep back bending is very much a similar experience. Proper preparation is absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of the practitioner. Through serious work, attention toward the goal, and persistent application over a long period of time we gradually make our way toward the vista of feeling freedom in our body and mind. Like the old adage says, its about the journey, not the destination.

As we make our way into the second week of the No Shave Yoga Event it is important not to loose focus on our goal. Our goal is to help raise awareness about our plight, to help inspire a greater sense of health in the community. An additional application of this goal is to help raise funds for those suffering through cancer now. Please help us achieve our goal and donate today.

No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Day 7 – No Shave Yoga Event – Yoga with David Miliotis

Posted on November 7, 2015 by nativeyoga

Yoga with David Miliotis

This weekend Native Yoga is hosting Ashtanga Yogi, David Miliotis, for a series of workshops and practice sessions. David is originally from coastal Los Angeles and he now resides in Orange County, California. He flew here for a return visit to Native Yoga Center and we feel really lucky to have him here.

I originally met David in Mysore, India practicing at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Center in 2004. I was set up next to him one morning and I was so inspired by his practice that I immediately afterward introduced myself to him. I learned then that he was living in Santa Barbara and that he was teaching Mysore practice there. I remember thinking that he seemed really down to earth and I appreciated the time he took to speak with me.

Fast forward 10 years and a friend in South Florida reintroduced us and we invited him to come and teach here at Native last year. It was such a treat to have his perspective and skill at our studio that we are honored to have him return this weekend.
During last nights class he took us through the Primary Series in a really fun and engaging manner. One thing that is obvious when practicing with David is that he has cultivated an impeccable connection with breath, bandha and drishti. He has the ability to verbally communicate the elements of internal anatomy in a practical fashion which produces a deep sense of connection between the breath and the perception of the mind. He also has a great ability to connect with the students and give pointers for all levels to help the engagement process. I really enjoyed the practice immensely.

Today we return for a session at 12-3pm titled Setting the Foundation: Breathing, Bandhas & the Niyamas and tomorrow, Sunday at 12-3pm for a workshop called Ascending the Mountain: Backbends from Primary into Intermediate.
David is a member of our team #yogabeardsunite and we are working together to raise money for https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite during the month of November. Get inspiration from David by checking out website at http://www.ashtangayogaorangecounty.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AshtangaYogaOC/?fref=ts. 

How has Yoga Improved your Health?

Posted on November 6, 2015 by nativeyoga

Day 6 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – How has Yoga Improved your Health?
During this month we are focussing on men’s health. No Shave November is in large part about raising our awareness about health in general with emphasis on early detection of cancer. The money we are raising is with the intention of helping in the research process. In the case of the donations that go to St. Jude Children’s Hospital the support helps children with cancer and to also support the family members taking care of the children. In general the idea is to help those that are in need of it.
Often yoga is perceived as a practice that can help to improve one’s health. The benefits associated with hatha(postural awareness) yoga exercise are numerous. Pranayama(breathing practice) is incredible for strengthening the nervous system and meditation has untold positive effect on our overall health and well being.
How has yoga helped your health? When I reflect on how yoga has helped me I don’t know where to begin. I often feel that the practice of yoga, beyond improving health, has helped my understand of what health is and to see the integration of all the aspects of my being into a unified whole. By opening our perspective to the possibilities of the health we can experience through yoga practice, I feel that practice itself becomes the definition of health. No matter where we are in our state of being, whether we feel healthy or not, yoga can help us to come to terms with reality. Cultivating clear perception can help us make the most of the given situation we find ourselves in. Moment by moment we take steps forward toward peace, health and wellness by cultivating acceptance.
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Native Yoga Blog

Ashtanga Yoga & Meditations

Tag Archives: health