The Feldenkrais Method (FM) is a transformative approach to movement and self-improvement that uses the scientific principles of neuroplasticity.
Alex Greene
Alex developed an interest in the connection between the body and mind when he began his formal Zen training in Honolulu, Hawai’i in 2000. A college student at the time studying physics and philosophy, he had an important encounter with Tenshin Tanouye Rotaishi, one of the pre-eminent Zen masters of the 20th Century in which Tanouye Rotaishi advised, “the meaning of life can be found entirely within the refinement of breath and posture.”
More about Alex
Alex took this simple, but profound, statement to heart and pursued Zen meditation, traditional martial arts, and chanting practice rigorously as a means to discover what Tanouye Rotaishi called shin-ki-roku itchi –mind, body, spirit (breath) in oneness.
After a 3-year monastic stay of intensive practice and ordination as a Zen priest, Alex joined his father, Hakuun Gordon Greene Roshi in establishing a rural Zen training facility in Spring Green, Wisconsin in 2006.
In 2010 Alex met Everett Ogawa, a master bodyworker also trained in Zen by Tanouye Rotaishi and trained in bodywork by William ‘Dub’ Leigh, the founder of Zen Bodytherapy.
Feeling an instant connection with Everett, and deeply impressed by his warm presence and grounded embodiment, Alex entered a new phase of mind-body-spirit education with a serious study of bodywork with Everett and its connection to Zen training. Alex found that bodywork was a “missing ingredient” in expanding and deepening his Zen practice as well as opening up whole new dimensions of his emotional life and personality.
By 2012 Alex moved into full-time bodywork practice in Madison, WI with the founding of Red Beard Bodywork and Structural Integration (our original name). To complement the Structural Integration training from Everett, Alex also studied and certified in Myofascial Release, Zero Balancing, and Visceral Manipulation in order to develop a very comprehensive understanding of the systems of the body.
During this time, he also became increasingly aware of the connection between hands-on bodywork and psycho-emotional trauma connected to the body and became interested in what he calls the “neurobiological revolution” of the last 20-30 years led by pioneers like Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), David Berceli (TRE), Stephen Porges (Polyvagal Theory), and Bessel van der Kolk.
This led Alex to become trained and certified in TRE –Tension & Trauma Release, Somatic Experiencing, Safe & Sound Protocol, NARM – NeuroAffective Relational Model, and Internal Family Systems to develop a complete toolkit of somatic and nervous system-oriented approaches to help overcome trauma and promote psycho-emotional and spiritual growth and well-being.
Now based in Boulder, Colorado with his wife, Vanessa, and daughter Lily, Alex maintains a full practice and is the administrative lead for Red Beard Somatic Therapy. Along with Ellen McKenzie, he also teaches in our TRE – Tension & Trauma Release Certification Program.
Still with deep roots in his Zen practice, Alex has also founded a new school of bodywork called Zen Integration Bodywork based on his synthesis of Zen and bodywork training and is teaching his first cohort of students in that work in Madison, Wisconsin.
Alex loves to work with men and women of all ages, cultures, trauma histories, gender identities, sexual orientations, spiritual backgrounds, professions, and geographies. He has discovered for himself that the body and nervous system is a powerful gateway for deepening the connection between one’s Self, purpose, and psycho-emotional-spiritual growth and he looks forward to beginning that journey with you.
Alex's Specialty
1
Bodywork
- Founder of Zen Integration Bodywork
- Certified Practitioner of Integral Bodywork® Structural Integration from Everett Ogawa in Chicago
- Certified Practitioner of Zen Bodytherapy® Structural Integration from Audrey Nakamura in Honolulu
- Trained in the John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach® with John Barnes and others
- Trained in Visceral Manipulation with the Barral Institute
- Graduate of the East West Healing Arts Institute in Madison, WI – focus on eastern and western integrated approaches to therapeutic bodywork
2
Nervous System/trauma Therapy
- Internal Family Systems Practitioner - trained with Cece Sykes of the IFS Institute and Derek Scott of IFS Canada
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) following a 3-year Professional Training developed by Dr. Peter Levine
- Trained in NARM NeuroAffective Relational Model for developmental trauma with Larry Heller and others
- Trained in DARe - Dynamic Attachment Repatterning Experience with Diane Poole Heller and Alicen Halquist
- Trained in Brainspotting with Susan Pinco and Deborah Antinori
- Certified as a Safe and Sound Protocol® Provider - a listening therapy based on the polyvagal theory
- Global Certified Provider of TRE® Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises
- TRE® Certification Trainer
- Sexual Trauma Training with Ariel Giarretto
3
Movement/Somatic Education
- 4-year Kelowna Feldenkrais Teacher Training with Julie Peck and others
- 1 year of the Feldenkrais Training Academy in Seattle, WA with Jeff Haller and others
4
Coaching
- Completed the Presence-Based® Coaching curriculum with Doug Silsbee and others
- Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
5
Energy Medicine
- Certified in Zero Balancing®, completing a mentorship program with David Laden
- Completed a 2 year training in energy medicine with Paul Ditscheitt, Madison WI
6
Zen
- Faculty and former Board Member for the Institute for Zen Leadership
- Instructor and former Board Member for Chosei Zen
- 3 year monastic Zen training at the Chozen-ji Zen Dojo in Honolulu. Ordained as a Zen priest in 2008
7
EDUCATION
- Bachelor’s degree in East Asian Philosophy from the University of Hawaii
Services Offered by Alex
DARe (Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning Experience), by Diane Poole Heller, helps therapists develop skills to foster secure Attachment Patterns, improving adult relationships.
Brainspotting™ (BSP) treats stress, anxiety, and depression naturally, enhancing performance and creativity by accessing deep brain regions for change.
Zen Integration Bodywork uses touch, movement awareness, breath, and attention to vital energy (kiai) to help a person achieve mind, body, and nervous system integration.
The Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) is a non-invasive auditory intervention enhancing neural pathways and regulatory functions in the brain by stimulating middle ear muscles.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) coaching seeks to explore how your various parts are organized and create greater harmony and balance within the internal system.
TRE® is a simple technique that uses exercises to release stress or tension from the body that accumulate from every day circumstances of life.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) resolves trauma and stress through conversation and body awareness, tracking nervous system rhythms.
What Alex's Clients Say
Here you will find heartfelt stories and genuine feedback from our clients. These personal accounts highlight the profound impact of our holistic approach on their physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
I’m very happy to report that my whole sense of orientation, safety, and regulation has been deeply improving day by day. (Better sleep, better digestion, more moments of liveliness and joy) I recently was on a trip and was absolutely amazed that the flights, airport, & public transit time didn’t send me into a panic. I felt regulated, noticed some triggers arising, and believe I even felt a sense completion of a pattern in my nervous system.
He works with both confidence and curiosity, and has a special ability to hold space for his clients free from judgement and expectation. As a result of this work I now inhabit my body in new ways.
As a licensed therapeutic bodyworker myself, I choose Alex as my bodywork therapist. It is the focus, self-authenticity, and centered presence that Alex brings to his work that truly makes him a gifted healer.
Eleven months ago, at the age of 22, I had a spinal repair of my L5-S1 vertebrae. This was the last resort to continuing back issues from the age of 10. I am currently pain free and have not felt this good in a very long time. If bodywork is desired, then Alex is the person to see.
By the end of the tenth session, I could hardly believe the transformation that took place over time. Only by looking back to session one can I truly appreciate how far I’ve come. The changes were incremental, and minuscule at times, but that’s how lasting change eventuates.