Matthew Nelson is a movement wizard. His dance is his passion and he shares it with such gentleness and intelligence. I highly recommend any of his events as well as seeing him in his private practice for all things involving how to be in a moving body. He has helped me learn where I am and how I work in space and time. Life is a dance and I am so glad to have Matthew on my team!

—Chrystalina Sowell, Sound Healer and Massage Therapist

Matthew makes me feel seen, heard, valued, and accepted.  From this foundation of trust, and using his intuitive Somatic Ideation process, I have grown into a deeper understanding of myself, and a deeper connection between body, mind, and spirit.  Through his gentle and insightful guidance, I have grown personally by leaps and bounds, and have discovered skills and tools that are helpful to me in my everyday life.  Matthew’s deep and broad knowledge of the body makes him uniquely equipped to lead clients down paths of personal inquiry, welcoming the participation of the client’s whole self each step of the way.

—Hannah Ruth Brothers, Dance artist and Massage Therapist

Matthew is a joy to work with. He has a very skilled eye for seeing where your body could move more freely, and an excellent guiding touch and clearly communicates what movements he is asking you to try. I have years of movement experience and have worked with lots of types of practitioners to feel more comfortable and strong in my body, and Matthew is one of my favorites. Highly recommended.

—Sarah Campbell, Corrective Exercise Specialist

A workshop with Matthew is like wiggling through wonderland, unlocking secret dimensions in the kinesphere.  In the two sessions I participated in with him I expanded the edges of my consciousness by somatic means in a process which he calls somatic ideation.  In my experience of this phenomenon I found that new and novel manipulations of my body opened me up to different angles by which to cognize the nuances, minuted problems, riddles, elements, principles, and stuff of life.  In a world of play in a medium of movement, Matthew creates a space that catalyzes self-expression and facilitates articulation of creative individuality in a language forged on the fly.  Catharsis is revelations in a workshop with Matthew.

—Ross Westerman

Matthew has an amazing ability to analyze my body’s movement and identify the joints and muscles that need attention to restore alignment and laxation. His hands on bodywork is combined with movement, and the result is I walk out feeling great every time. If you’re into taking care of your body, and want peak mobility, I highly recommend letting Matthew help you out.

—Darin Lightning, Contractor and Artist, Boise

Matthew Nelson is a movement wizard. His dance is his passion and he shares it with such gentleness and intelligence. I highly recommend any of his events as well as seeing him in his private practice for all things involving how to be in a moving body. He has helped me learn where I am and how I work in space and time. Life is a dance and I am so glad to have Matthew on my team!

—Chrystalina Sunshine, Musician and Bodyworker, Boise

Dancing with Matthew always makes my heart sing and pushes me to look at deep swells of information stored inside of me about the reality I am creating and the community I am in relationship with. Love it! Recommend it!

—Charlotte Dietz, Yoga Instructor, Boise

I have scoliosis and have suffered from lower back pain for years.  I made several attempts to feel better with physical therapy to no avail.  Then 3 months ago, I started Pilates with Matthew Nelson, and I now feel better than ever!  I literally feel taller every time I leave an appointment and have been able to do some pretty heavy duty gardening with no back pain for the first time in years!

—Mary Jane Fields, Boise, ID

Working with Matthew has been essential to start anything else and not hurt myself.

Matthew’s services were recommended to me by a physical therapist after I was struggling to get my core strength back after 2 pregnancies (one C-Section birth). Over the course of a few months we worked on preparing my hyper-mobile self to begin again. Working with Matthew was essential to build a new core strength foundation where I could begin other activities and exercise without injuring myself. I was really impressed with Matthew’s knowledge and found him to be so attuned to the needs of the physical self. Thanks!

—Dana V- Boise, Idaho

As a 45 year old man with two prior back surgeries from 2009 and 2011 who was having another go round with chronic back and sciatic pain that had been ongoing for a few months (radiculopathy), I’d tried a lot of conservative options and was losing hope.  Through Matt’s extensive anatomic knowledge and understanding of subtle body movements, he taught me how to release my own fascia and have a much more active and empowered role in my own healing.  Our twice per week hourly sessions were filled with interesting mechanical activities, exercises, and movement routines that I could keep using at home.  I give Matt and his compassionate heart my highest recommendation, his movement coaching made a big difference in my quality of life, and I’m again able to work and sit for long periods without pain.  

—Michael Boise, Idaho

My desk job has been destroying my body. I came to Matthew Nelson in so much pain. I couldn’t sit. I couldn’t really lay down or sleep comfortably. Matthew’s gentle body work did wonders for me. He doesn’t have the car mechanic view of the body that most massage therapists or moderately trained professionals have. It’s a full-body approach using knowledge he has gleaned from years as a dance professor, bodywork consultant, teacher, therapist and movement guru. I had been trying to solve my problems on my own by pressing into my points of pain. Matthew showed me that it was more systemic. He could trace the pain in my hips to other parts of — my side, my leg, my back, my neck. And then, using gentle maneuvers, he worked through them with me. Such joy! The relief was almost immediate, though I see now that I’ll have to do more to address the wear on my body from this kind of work. I’m inspired, and thankful!

—Emily Grosvenor, Author and Magazine Editor

I have been dealing with increasing chronic pain and decreasing movement for several years.  I had come to believe that my pain and decreased range of motion were just what I had to accept as I aged.  Then I met Matthew.
I worked with Matthew for an hour when didn’t have any of his equipment (reformer, etc.).  In that short time, he gave me several exercises to do to open up my tight and restricted joints and to begin to move more fluidly.  My husband, observing me walk after the session was surprised to see that I was walking freely, not tight and bent slightly forward as I had been doing for several years.

Even more important, or at least as important, was the openness that I felt in my head and heart afterward.  For a long time, I thought I was being careful, shielding my body from more pain.  I did not realize until after that was gone, or reduced, how much that was affecting my mental outlook and my openness to those around me.

I do not live in Boise, but I will be traveling several hours to schedule intensive work with Matthew in the next month or two. 

If I lived in Boise, I’d be a regular – he’s an amazing practitioner!  I highly recommend his bodywork to help you achieve your full potential!

—Cheryl M.

Matthew blends movement training with massage therapy with competence and skill. His teaching experience as well as expertise as a dancer and choreographer complements his knowledge of the body making him an excellent practitioner.

—Jill Thompson, PT, Owner PT180

Matthew Nelson is a brilliant body worker and educator! I’ve had the good fortune to work with him for several years now, and he has helped me celebrate and monitor my body moving through time.  His knowledge of Pilates, Feldenkreis, and Yoga, empirical expertise as a dancer, plus profound hands-on teaching skills, made each of our sessions truly illuminating. Insightful and patient, he is remarkably articulate about unconscious, ingrained  movement patterns, and always demonstrates ways to improve physical functioning. As a  professional musician, I particularly value his help in analyzing/improving my piano technique.

—Patrick Lindley

Matthew Nelson is a master of moving and observing movement. I feel blown away by the subtlety he can see and feel during our sessions together. I love how he takes what he sees in my movement habits and patterns and turns it into a wonderful session of healing touch, guided movement re-education and deep release. I feel he is so effective at this due to his impeccable communication skills which motivate me to feel and try new things while he is working on me. I feel totally heard and comfortable in his presence. Sessions with Matt are a joy and very transformative.

—Torrey Trover, Certified Rolfer, Certified Yoga Instructor

Arthritis has been prominent in my life. I have had both hips and both knees replaced as well as my back fused. After surgery and PT, I would retreat back to my normal routine of cardio and weight lifting at my gym. I now know that what I really needed after my physical therapy was complete was the Pilates, Bodywork and Somatic Awareness that I am now receiving from Matt. 

He fully evaluated my restrictions created by my artificial joints, created a program that is breaking up more scar tissue and allowing me to stand and walk with confidence and proper posture. I gave up my weight lifting classes because I have a shoulder that has some arthritis, but with Matt I am positive I will be able to keep it pain-free. He also worked on my neck, also a bit of arthritis, and it is now pain-free. I go to my sessions with him, understanding we will work hard to increase my flexibility and balance, and allow me to continue my long walks and to play with my grandsons for years to come.

—Arlene Radasky, Author of The Fox and Grandmother

As someone who partakes in resistance training and has more mass than I’m naturally supposed to I had many limitations when it came to my mobility. Working with Matthew has completely unlocked my shoulders, and given more mobility, flexibility, and range of motion then I ever could have imagined. If that was all I got from working with Matthew I would have been super pleased with just that, BUT learning how to ‘yield’, surrender, and trust that I am supported by the ‘earth’ at all times has truly been a life changing learning, that I will continue to carry with me for years to come. I am super grateful for Matthew’s amazing blended styles of modalities and look forward to working with him more in the future!

—Seth Kaufmann-Yoga teacher and personal trainer

Working with Matthew for these six weeks has been deeply transformational. I have a history of chronic pain, fatigue, and near-constant tension in my body for the last 20 years. I’ve practiced yoga and received a great deal of holistic and allopathic healing for much of that time, but I still always felt that I was trapped in the pain of my body. The Physical Freedom Method is aptly named because it effectively shifts the lens through which we understand and perceive the body, and in so doing, allows us to be active participants in every single thing the body does. The way Matthew presents biotensegrity and the application of living systems theory to our own constantly embodied experience was a revelation. To experience a revelation which both empowered and simplified my relationship with my body is the breakthrough I have been asking for for so long, and the structure of the 6 week course has given me cumulative tools for integrating these lessons and blessings into my daily lived experience. I am so deeply grateful to Matthew for the support and guidance he has provided, and the incredible curiosity and openness with which he teaches.

—Ganga Devi Braun

I just completed level 1 of Physical Freedom Method.  As a Contact Improv teacher, I look forward to incorporating this work into my classes and workshops as it provides foundational tools for helping people inhabit their bodies with awareness.   

Physical Freedom Method offers a foundation for us to experience our bodies as integrated systems, helping us access the innate, inherent wisdom that our physical bodies can teach us about our emotions and our minds.

—Autumn Turley  

 I left the moment session feeling expanded and balanced. You gracefully communicated with the group while we were in motion seamlessly guiding us from one idea of expression to the next, while allowing time and space to internalize the movement. I feel the visual aid used at the beginning of the class was fun and beneficial, reminding us of how much movement we have in the earth suits we call bodies. 
I felt connected to you and the group throughout the exercises even though my eyes were closed much of the time and I was not in contact with any other bodies. Your audible cues were effective at guiding the class. The expanding and contracting, lifting and sinking cues were useful ways to feel and find ourself reviewing for me where I are stretched to thin or areas where I have much to give in  the moment. I enjoyed the readings you shared as well complementing the movement, adding another dimension to the experience. The overall experience for me was uplifting and energizing. I was a little sore the next day from the ground massage, but am pleased to have participated in the experience with you. and the group. 
Thank you for your time, and we’ll see you again.

—Eli Don