Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72343
THE FELDENKRAIS METHOD The Feldenkrais Method is simple and yet complex at the same time. In fact, says Feldenkrais practitioner Al Wadleigh of Longmont, Colorado, explaining what Feldenkrais is in 30 seconds "is one of the hardest questions for me to answer. "For one person, I may talk about how it might help them recover from a recent injury, for another it may be about improving their balance, and for another it may be about improving their game." But in reality, Wadleigh says, "that is just skimming the surface of what the method does." In his book The Elusive Obvious (Meta Publications, 1981), Feldenkrais writes about simple, fundamental notions and actions of daily life that through habit become elusive, out of conscious awareness. We develop attitudes and ways of being that may limit our self-concept and experience. In Feldenkrais lessons, we have the opportunity to notice how we move and how we approach tasks. In becoming aware of and refining the quality of these movements, we also develop a broader repertoire of physical, mental, and emotional activity. Perceptions can change. We become more present, and we move about and interact with the world differently. Wadleigh's personal experience illustrates some of the breadth of the Feldenkrais Method. Wadleigh himself has explored Feldenkrais since the 1980s, as a student and publisher, and in the last eight years as a practitioner. He encountered the method when he was practicing Neurolinguistic Programming and had the opportunity to trade services with a Feldenkrais practitioner. "Afterward, I felt different for three weeks—I stood differently, I walked differently, and I felt different. It was a remarkable experience." Yet, it wasn't until years later, when he found himself saddled with back spasms and breathing problems, that he sought individual Feldenkrais lessons with practitioner Jack Heggie in Boulder, Colorado. In fact, many only come to the method when they are in physical pain and haven't found relief from other approaches, and they may, like Wadleigh, experience broader effects. As a young person, Wadleigh says, "I had a lot of anxiety, was dyslexic, didn't fit in socially. I was physically uncoordinated, not good at athletics—I was really a mess. I grew up with a lot of anxiety that really showed up in my body." Over time his posture became harder against the powerful muscles in the front that become habitually contracted, and so that contributed to my back pain and difficulty." Because of his movement practice and related insights, Wadleigh now has a different relationship with anxiety. "Most of the historical anxiety I used to feel is gone," he says. "It used to be all mixed up with present-day anxiety, which made it hard to deal with. I have learned to use my present-day anxiety as a calibration tool. It alerts me to things I need to pay attention to. It helps me manage my projects and priorities." While he previously would freeze when he became anxious, he can now take action. That path of anxiety, stooped, and by his 30s he developed back pain and breathing problems. During his work with Heggie, Wadleigh found that he stood more upright, had less pain, moved more easily, and even had to adjust the mirrors and seat in his truck to accommodate his new body organization. He also began to get relief from his anxiety, which helped him to function better in daily life. "Moshe Feldenkrais," Wadleigh says, "talked about a body pattern of anxiety—shortening of the flexors in front, shoulders rounded forward, neck sticking out to adapt to that, all putting a lot of stress on the back. The back muscles have to work releasing those patterns, continues on today. For Wadleigh, anxiety is now information and a source of motivation. He can use it as fuel, so to speak, to accomplish things. He attributes the shifts in his body and anxiety levels to neuromuscular changes in which old habits have let go over time. "The old things in the past that were holding on so tightly have let go." 64 massage & bodywork november/december 2011