The impetus for “The Next 25 Years” is pure passion.

Passion for something that so drastically changed my life that I want to share it with everyone in the world!

THE INJURY
Eight years ago I was struggling to fully recover from the aftermath of 3 knee surgeries. I had just undergone an anterior cruciate ligament knee reconstruction and three weeks post-surgery, while walking down my stairs, my left kneecap decided to spontaneously break in half. The pain was excruciating. The sound was audible. Needless to say, the next year was to be a challenging one. Little did I know that this little mishap would actually be a gift that would transform the rest of my life.

THE REHAB THAT WASN’T WORKING
While rehabilitating from the surgeries I contemplated my future. I was at the beginning stages of research towards a Masters degree in the Health Sciences. I had just recently discovered a knack for teaching complex subject matter and I was inspired to pursue academia. While I was setting up my “future”, all my attempts to get back to full physical function were being thwarted. I did all the “correct” exercises that I would teach others in their rehab programs: I stretched intelligently, gained strength, was fully mobile and aesthetically symmetrical – all the stuff that is sought post-surgery. But, the keystones embraced by basic physical rehabilitation weren’t working. I was becoming more inflexible and uncomfortable, less motivated and frustrated. Movement was no longer a pleasure. In appearance my physique was my best ever, but the act of moving this well toned body was like hauling a ton of bricks.

A HUMBLE PHYSIOTHERAPIST IN THIRROUL
My physical therapist at the time was stumped. He referred me on to another physical therapist trained in something I had never heard of, The Feldenkrais Method.

This first encounter with The Feldenkrais Method was in 2001 and it provided the key that unlocked the door to the mysteries and miseries of rehabilitation gone awry. As I sit and write these words, the year is 2009, and now I know that the method that may sound like some new age mysterious cult is actually not so mysterious after all.

A BEAUTIFUL NEW FRIENSHIP
Now, I am trained as a Feldenkrais Practitioner and my journey since coming into a paradigm of self-awareness taught through movement and impossibilities turned elegant have expanded and challenged all knowledge that I’ve learned. It has catapulted me into a career that is remarkable.

During my first year of practice, it became very apparent that Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais’ style of writing was incredibly challenging for most people to grasp. Much of his teachings, rich in theory and beautiful innovation could take weeks, months and even years to fully understand. Very little had been produced that extolled the virtues and complexities of the method in a way that could be easily accessible by the general public.

C'MON THERE’S GOT TO BE MORE?!
It astounded me, and even caused a healthy dose of rage, that close to 25 years after his death that very little had been written or produced that introduced the foundations, principles and applications of The Feldenkrais Method. Many works had been written that would take pieces of themes and principles of the work, to set the stage for various contextual applications, but nothing that could take it all and weave it together with a variety of real life case studies of the work coming to life, and most importantly HOW.

AM I NUTS?
In my 33-year old naivety an urge to tackle such a project was teasing me. Could media and visual tools simmered together with documentation of the past 25 years of practice brought out by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais’ original students and their students be wanted? Perhaps it was desperately needed? There was everything to gain, but unlike the saying, ‘and nothing to lose’, there was much to lose.

To have the work of one man’s lifelong dedication and hard work become lost in the abyss of mind-body modalities turned trendy or simply dead, due to misinterpretation, poor press, ego, dilution or all of the above, was a little unsettling. Knowing that his genius, so simple yet forward thinking, could potentially change the way human beings care for themselves and their world – well, it seemed that there was something to lose.

So, hundred’s of emails, hours of phone conversations, thousand’s of keystrokes, and countless ounces of espresso later, here I am.

This is how “The Next 25 Years” came to be.

-Irene Gutteridge – July 2009