Top 10 takeaways from VOILA Seminar
Before I delve into this post I want to first explain what Voila is. This description is taken from their website Voila Method “VOILA Method of Structural Joint Balancing is new innovative way of helping the body in healing itself! We Assess, Correct and SYNC the Whole Body by creating Symmetry of the Cranial and Skeletal Keystones of Structure through Joint Balancing Movements to create Dynamic Kinesthetic Stability, eliminate PAIN and dysfunctions while Restoring the Body’s ability to achieve optimal performance.” Sounds pretty impressive don’t you think? Well having taken the first course and experiencing it first hand I can honestly say it is very impressive. So much so I felt compelled to share my top 10 takeaways from this past weekend.
Structure dictates function. Although I have heard this expression before and use much of this concept in my training and injury rehabilitation, the Voila Method has shown me even more so how true this concept is. If a structure is off-balance than the function is off balance. Correct the balance of the structures and function improves.
The Body Follows The Head, We have used this belief in all of our teachings of movements whether athletic, exercise or day to day activities the head (brain) is the master computer. Unfortunately, most treatment modalities for health and injury rehabilitation never focus on correcting the head. Not necessarily the brain, but the numerous bones and joints in the skull. What I learned this weekend is that you cannot truly correct an imbalance issue until you correct the head.
The body has numerous “Diaphragms” and “Keystones”. In this course we focused on 4 of these. When these are synced correctly the body functions optimally. When they are not synced correctly dysfunction and pain occurs. So what is a “Keystone”? According to the Voila Website, “A keystone is a point of strength in the structure and/or the central supporting element of a structure.” So in other words a very important point that allows the body to balance and function optimally.
The bones of the skull are not fused solid but actual move. This was truly fascinating and goes against much of what is known or previously researched. However, I have witnessed and experienced how small gently pressures can fix misalignment’s and correct dysfunction.
The area you feel pain is not always the cause. Although I have seen this time and time again over the course of my career it still fascinates me how one area completely on the opposite or farthest part of the body can cause pain somewhere else. For example, my right shoulder has been messed up for quite sometime. As we were testing it my range of motion was very limited and I had a lot of discomfort. Joel performed a series of tests over my body and discovered the main cause was my left big toe. He then proceeded to perform the corrections and not only did my toe pain improve but I regained full range of motion in my shoulder with little to no pain. I saw this happen over and over again with other seminar participants all weekend. We call these WTF moments because it seems impossible. This is just one example of how the body is a machine of integral parts. If one part is off balance the rest of the machine is off balance.
Incredibly brilliant minds and teachers. Having been in this industry for 24 years now and having trained under some of the worlds most elite coaches, it never ceases to amaze me how many brilliant minds and incredible teachers that are still out there. People like Joel Crandell (the creator of the Voila Technique) continue to push the boundaries of the evolution of health and fitness.These people are developing and testing absolutely genius ideas and techniques that were previously thought to be impossible or simply “Bullshit” but proving they are valid.
How far behind the medical, therapy and rehabilitation industries really are. As far as these industries have come, it amazes me how far behind they still are. So much about the human body, disease and dysfunction is known and yes we have come a long way but have yet to scratch the surface on disease prevention and treatment. Now I can get into a long diatribe about the many reasons (Food industry, medical industries, insurance industries, academic industries, fitness industry etc. etc.) but that is for a whole other post. The point is we need to be more open minded and willing to think outside the box. We need to be more receptive to new and differing opinions and beliefs, rather than beng so close minded, structured and dogmatic. Far too many lives and qualtiy of lives are negatively effected by the path we are on now.
The body is an even more incredible machine then I previously thought. The human body is one of the most amazing machines ever created. Think about the abuse we put ourselves though day in and day out and how adaptive it can be. To once again witness and learn that if we do the correct balances with our body systems the body has an incredible and innate ability to heal itself far beyond what was once thought possible.
Surround yourself with like minded people. For all of my career, i have always looked for ways to become the best at what I do. To reach the level I am at I used to try to attend at least one seminar a month on top of reading, pod casts, audio books etc. Unfortunately, in order to start my own business because of time and financial reasons I had to back off of attending so many seminars. This was a big mistake. The best way to continue to prosper and grow as a business and a human being is to surround yourself with like minded people. The energy and inspiration this provides will elevate you to levels you cannot reach on your own. A big shout out to my fellow seminar attendees. You are all a great group of people.
Be confident in yourself. Whether you are learning something new or doing something you have done for years it is not uncommon to have lack of confidence at times. We have an incredible ability to make excuses and come up with all of the reasons why we cannot do something rather why we CAN do it. This negative habit is a great way to keep us from accomplishing our goals. Joel shared a great mantra with us that I would like to share with you. Unfortunately, I cannot remember who originally said it as I didn’t write it down but none the less, here it is. “I am consistently confident in myself, at all times and in all situations” This is a great mantra to recite daily to reinforce our self confidence and push past whatever is holding us back.
So there you have it. As you may have guessed the seminar was awesome and I learned a ton. I am looking forward to applying what I have learned to help my clients, family and myself live healthier and better lives. It is amazing what a weekend of learning about an area you are passionate about can do. My recommendation to you is find something your passionate about and get out there and learn as much as you can. It will not only improve your quality of life , but the quality of life of all of those you touch on a day to day basis.
