Nisarga

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Another breakthrough with ad hoc Feldenkrais Method

Those following this blog for long know that I have been learning the Feldenkrais Method on my own (and not too well) from videos found online and books and training videos purchased on the internet. Basically, this being such an experiential knowledge, simply watching or words are not really “enough”, but in the absence of a practitioner within reach, and with my belief in the Method, I am doing what I can.

So, after a long plateau, during which, I lost motivation, etc. I ended up taking a break. Then I began again a few days ago. The first day or so was… okay… nothing really happened, but three days ago, something suddenly clicked for Nisarga with how he uses his back (or rather how he didn’t use his back, but could). That session exploded into possibilities.

Difficult to put into words, but the end result is that Nisarga is now much more happy about holding and banging toys, which he had lost when he regressed. He has also started applying his knee to the floor to help his creeping. He requires lesser assistance in sitting up, and is able to maintain his sitting much better than before. His back is more relaxed and the curve in his spine doesn’t show as much.

I suppose all this would have happened much earlier in the hands of a skilled practitioner, since for me it is an awkward process of remembering movement possibilities I had noted in videos, seeing how any of them might fit what we are doing, innovating based on them, being sensitive to Nisarga’s body and mind… many things at once… I am not skilled enough yet for it all to just instinctively happen, as it does for those with more experience, but I guess it is far superior to not having known about the method at all.

He just figured out that his back could do more than he was using it for, and it kind of flowed from there. Very optimistic. Watching videos and reading a lot again, so that I can use this breakthrough and we can figure out more ways the body has potential…

This is also good on another level, because I was getting a lot of flak for discontinuing his Physiotherapy on my own initiative, because it wasn’t helping and he seemed to be getting stiffer from all the demands of applying strength to achieve something that was basically movement. It was also making his scoliosis more pronounced (not that any of the doctors noticed that or agreed when I pointed it out until the recent doctor from Vile Parle), which I found worrying. The doctor had prescribed braces, but to me it made more sense to get rid of the tenseness than to prevent it from showing as a distortion.

In any case, with over 6 months of physio, he hadn’t really achieved any particular milestone – he still wasn’t sitting or crawling, creeping erratically… and any progress from one session was not lasting unless repeated constantly. That isn’t learning. But to me, as a mother with a “non-performing” child, it had become about defending a decision made with considerable thinking, observing and soul searching in the face of those who insisted on the proper procedure being followed, recommended training being given, etc.

*Sigh* it always seems to be a fight between responsive choices and choices deemed right by the world.

Anyway, he is creeping far more fluidly than the physiotherapy allowed him, his scoliosis is relaxing again, and I can SHOW the difference to skeptics – which definitely helps.

Anat Baniel method of Feldenkrais in India

Okay, this is what I have been up to these days. Nisarga’s development still seems behind schedule and the attitude of his pediatrician is wait and see. That seems fine, since he isn’t ill or unhappy, but I was getting concerned about his lack of movements.

A lot of research online led me to discover the Feldenkrais method and then the Anat baniel method for children.What I liked was the attitude of sensitivity to the child’s comfort and the focus on creating learning experiences rather than training or therapy. I was eager to have this for Nisarga, but there aren’t any practitioners in India. Not to be stopped, I have turned my considerable aptitude for learning toward this and learned through reading and teaching materials purchased online.

I tried to understand the principles and used the abundant videos on YouTube to see example after example of them in action and started applying these learnings to assist Nisarga. It started showing results almost immediately. I felt encouraged and worked further, helping Nisarga to roll over and gain neck control.

Then, I became complacent, till I realized that he is now 8 months old and still not sitting or crawling, and have been working with him gain for the last few days. Again, I am encouraged to see that within four days he learned to hold his back straighter, sits with very little support, uses two hands to play with toys and as of today, has started crawling – all of which he was not able till four days ago.

What began as a disappointment over lack of access to practitioners is leading to me becoming a practitioner!I am not a certified practitioner, but I would be happy to work with other children who need help with motor development. I am not promising any competence and of course, if, unlike me, you can fly abroad and get those experts to work with your child, its best. But if that is not possible for you, I dare say that this may be worth a shot. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t harm for sure. But if it does… the changes in Nisarga in the last four days are miraculous.

Of course, in an ideal world, I will be able to afford to fly abroad to learn when Nisarga is older. Or, there may be other practitioners who begin working in Mumbai…