Andrea Metcalf, NBC 5 Fitness Team The first Wednesday of September I was driving downtown for my weekly fitness segment with NBC Chicago. On the way, I stopped quickly, while the car behind me didn't. The shock and excitement left me with some nagging neck pain and bruised bumper. As luck would have it and two massages later, I was looking into a new form of flexibility training called "Stretch Chi" with Carrie Collins for a news story. Carrie uses a technique called Meridian Flexibility Training. Although there are few practitioners, Dana Torres a 41 year old returning Swim Olympian uses these techniques as part of her dry land training. Carrie worked with me for almost two hours. It was interesting, challenging and insightful. Her passion came from her own neck pain stemming from her career as a concert pianist. Playing long hours in that fixed position takes its toll on the musculature. What happened after I left is what surprised me the most. I sat in my car and moved my head side to side. It felt great. It realigned me like a Feldenkrais experience and although I was certainly fatigued to almost shaking, I felt great. If you have pain or are just interested in trying something new, this is a hit. Sessions typically last about 90 minutes and all moves are performed on the floor. No standing, sitting or running required!
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