(after writing this, it looks a lot like a testimonial, so use it if you wish!)

Hi Maia,

I’m delighted to report that the philosophy of practicing FT with abandon throughout the day turns out to apply beautifully to skiing. I was tentative about getting back on the slopes today after very painful recent experiences where I could hardly stand up straight at the end of the day. After my first run today I felt some familiar strain in the low back. While riding the chairlift I felt inspired to see whether I could ski with a narrow stance founder. So…what happened on the next semi-steep bump run blew me away: I started the run in a shallow founder position, and quickly noticed that I not only didn’t feel any low back strain, but I was automatically placed in an aggressive and effective skiing position. And oddly, I felt my old high school racing form return and fluidly nailed the bump run and got strong edge articulation in the high-speed groomer section. Amazing!!

While riding the chair I did a few things that seemed to complement the founder-style skiing, in what amounted to active resting. Letting my poles hang between my closely spaced and parallel-positioned skis, I made side-by-side fists and isometrically pulled my knees together during the ride. At the same time I did decompression breathing. I was careful to not use the backrest of the chair and made sure to keep a nice curvature in the low back while breathing. I also added some good-mornings from that position.

The result was that I felt good each time I got off the lift, and skied strongly and well with little to no pain — and the conditions were bulletproof hard-pack to boot!

It was a joy to discover this, and I’m realizing that FT needs to be as much a part of my daily life as eating well and exercising. Thanks so much for helping me develop this new lifestyle, you’re a great teacher!

Scott