Mind-Body Studio | Saturdays (see below for specific dates) | 2:00pm-4:30 p.m.
What is Feldenkrais?
The Feldenkrais Method® is based on principles of physics, biomechanics, and how the human nervous system adapts and develops. Specific exercises teach the body better ways to move, resulting in better posture, improved flexibility and balance, less pain, decreased stress, and an overall improved quality of life. This approach is highly complementary to any fitness program and is usually appropriate for all levels, ages, and abilities.
What should I bring/wear?
Please wear layers of clothing that you can move in. We will supply the mats, blankets, bolsters, and a demo skeleton. Peggy will be handouts and some “homework” materials.
When are the Workshops?
Improving Balance the Natural Way
- Saturday, November 5th | 2:00pm – 4:30pm
- Many factors can affect balance – injury, posture, age, or habit. Regardless of your physical condition, however, it is possible to improve your sense of stability and feel more “balanced” in your body. Using simple exercises, connect to your body’s natural ability to balance itself as you move with increased ease, grace, and flow. Get tips for applying what you’ve learned so you can access the freedom of better balance in a variety of activities.
Breathe Easy: Relax and Refresh for the Holidaze
- Saturday, December 3rd | 2:00pm – 4:30pm
- Take a breath and listen to your body. Enhance your enjoyment of life this season by reconnecting to your innate ability to feel relaxed and at ease in your body. Using gentle movements and breathing techniques, experience how your body can be an anchor during times of stress. Learn ways to apply these simple body-based practices to relax and refresh yourself at any time of day, whenever you need to.
Who is the instructor?
- Peggy Protz has studied and taught a wide range of movement and exercise techniques. She holds a BFA in dance, was a Pilates instructor for 15 years, trained in yoga and massage, and has been a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner since 2001. Using the Feldenkrais Method, in addition to aspects of dance, pilates, and other modalities, Peggy helps people discover more pain free and comfortable ways of being in their body.
Is there a fee?
- Yes. The fee for each workshop is $40 for members, and $60 for guests of SAC.
What if I can’t make it?
- Then you can attend Peggy’s weekly Feldenkrais Class at the SAC, complimentary with your SAC membership! It’s in the Mind/Body studio, 9:15-10:15 every Friday. Drop in anytime!
For more information or to sign up, please contact Peggy Protz at peggy@peggyprotz.com or Danielle Zack at dzack@sacdt.com
More about the Feldenkrais Method:
(Better Movement for a Better Life Feldenkrais Method® changes how you live in your body)
Tired of a nagging sore neck, stiff hips, or a painful back? The Feldenkrais Method is a specialized approach that uses movement to improve physical comfort and enhance ease in living. Exploratory exercises are designed to improve flexibility, posture, and balance, leading to increased energy, faster recovery from injuries, and heightened athletic potential.
But what is it and how does it work? Developed by Israeli physicist and judo black belt Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), the Method was first introduced in the United States in the early 1970s. Using principles of physics, biomechanics, experiential learning, and human development, it’s purpose is to awaken the body’s natural ability to move with efficiency, grace, and comfort…
To read more – (click here)
—— by Peggy Protz
Feldenkrais, November News & Events, October News & Events, September News & Events
age, flexible posture, habit, injury, posture, relax
With Peggy Protz, Feldenkrais® Practitioner
The Secret To Pain Free Knees
Saturday, May 14th | 2:00pm – 4:30pm
Significantly reduce knee pain by improving function in other parts of your body. Regardless of injury, surgery, or arthritis, specific “whole body” exercises will help you bend, twist, and walk without knee pain, and without further damage to your knees. Experience having pain free and flexible knees that won’t interfere with your quality of life.
About the Instructor:
Peggy Protz has studied and taught a wide range of movement and exercise techniques. She holds a BFA in dance, was a Pilates instructor for 15 years, trained in yoga and massage, and has been a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner since 2001. Using the Feldenkrais Method, in addition to aspects of dance, pilates, and other modalities, Peggy helps people discover more pain free and comfortable ways of being in their body.
For more information or to sign up, please contact Peggy at peggy@peggyprotz.com or Danielle Zack at dzack@sacdt.com.
Better Movement for a Better Life
Feldenkrais Method® changes how you live in your body
Tired of a nagging sore neck, stiff hips, or a painful back? The Feldenkrais Method is an innovative approach that offers a way out of physical discomfort. Exploratory exercises are designed to improve flexibility, posture, and balance, leading to increased physical comfort, faster recovery from injuries, and enhanced athletic potential.
But what is it and how does it work? Developed by Israeli physicist and judo black belt Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), the Method was first introduced in the United States in the early 1970s. Using principles of physics, biomechanics, experiential learning, and human development, it’s purpose is to awaken the body’s natural ability to move with efficiency, grace, and comfort. The exercises, though often quite simple, have a profound effect on the way a person experiences their movement and their body. Through these experiences comes a clearer understanding of what a better way of moving actually feels like. This allows positive changes to take place on deeper and more permanent levels. Muscle aches and body pains become less of a problem as the person discovers a way of moving that is more free and less stressing to their whole system. And since being able to move better in any context is foundational, this technique can be applied to virtually any activity; sports and fitness routines, yard work, sitting at a desk, walking, running, dancing, playing a musical instrument, or any movement required for basic everyday life.
Peggy Protz, Feldenkrais practitioner, will be offering a series of three workshops starting in March at the SAC. Peggy has worked with many types of clients, from teenagers to senior citizens, to golfers, cyclists, and kayakers, to people with injuries. “It’s great for people who are struggling with injuries. They may have stopped doing things because of the injury,” she says. “I’ve worked in a lot of fitness environments, and many people simply deal with neck or back pain and just kind of assume that’s part of working out. But what if they could actually do their fitness routine without having discomfort both during it and afterward?”
In a Feldenkrais class or workshop, Peggy verbally leads students through movements in various positions, coaching everyone to work at their own pace and making modifications when needed. “You get so much more out of your body when you’re in tune with it,” says Peggy.
Copyright © 2016 Peggy Protz
For more information about the Feldenkrais Method, watch this introductory video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_i5QuIqcQo&feature=youtu.be
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Mind-Body Studio | SAC Members $40, Guests $60
For more information about upcoming Feldenkrais workshops at the SAC, contact our Pilates Director Danielle Zack at dzack@sacdt.com.
April News & Events, Feldenkrais, March Events 2016, May News & Events
Feldenkrais, Peggy Protz
By Peggy Protz, Feldenkrais® Practitioner
Neck pain really can be a pain in the neck. Especially if the pain affects your ability to move easily and comfortably. Ask anyone who has experienced a whiplash, a pinched nerve, or a bad tension headache. Pain caused by these conditions will often restrict the natural, free movement of the head, creating an experience of life that is limiting. A real pain in the neck!
The pain can easily spiral downward into more discomfort. As you try to keep your head still to avoid pain, muscles in the neck, shoulders, and upper back begin to tighten up. This is understandable, as your body intelligently wants to protect you from further injury. The increased muscle tension, however, can actually cause more discomfort. One way to disrupt this cycle is to begin moving in a gentle way.
Try this experiment… Sit on the edge of a chair that has a firm, flat surface. Have your feet flat on the floor about hip width apart and your thighs parallel to the floor. Rest your hands comfortably on your thighs. Gently turn your head a little to the right and to the left, keeping the movement in a range that is easy and not painful. Observe how far you turn by taking note of what you see in the room around you.
Next, keeping your head in the center, slowly look downward, lowering your chin to your chest. Allow your chest to sink, relax your shoulders, and think that you are bending your whole back backwards, creating a “C” shape from the top of your head to your tailbone. This position may feel like slouching.
Now reverse the movement. Slowly lift your chin off your chest, looking straight ahead as you straighten your back. Push your chest forward and gently pull your shoulders back. Think that the top of your head is being pulled upward toward the ceiling, causing you to sit taller on your seat.
Repeat the motion: lowering your head as you bend your back, lifting your head as you straighten your back. See if you can feel the pressure of your hips rolling back and forth on the chair; leaning back on your tail bone, then forward on your sit bones.
Begin to coordinate your breathing with the movement. Exhale as you look down, relaxing the chest. Inhale as you lift your head, expanding the chest. Allow your whole body to relax into the motion.
After you’ve done the exercise five or six times, stop and rest with your eyes closed, noticing the feeling in your shoulders, back, and neck. Open your eyes and turn your head again, like you did at the start. See if it feels easier or if you can turn a little further. Notice if you see more of the room around you.
This is an exercise I often share with my students and is something you can do anytime to relieve tension. The back and forth movement or your spine sort of “resets” your nervous system, allowing your body to relax and learn a new way moving, without you having to think about it. With gentle practice, the better way becomes the natural way, and perhaps that pain in the neck won’t have to be such a pain in the neck!
For more guidance on how to reduce neck and shoulder pain, join Peggy for the “Pain Free Neck and Shoulders” Feldenkrais workshop, Saturday February 7, 2 – 4:30pm in the Mind Body Studio
Feldenkrais
bad tension, headache, muscles, neck pain, Pain, Peggy Protz, shoulder, upper back
By Peggy Protz, Feldenkrais® Method of Somatic Education
Developed by Israeli physicist and judo black belt Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), the Method was first introduced in the United States in the early 1970s. Using principles of physics, biomechanics, experiential learning, and human development, it’s purpose is to awaken the body’s natural ability to move with efficiency, grace, and comfort. The exercises, though incredibly simple, have a profound effect on the way a person experiences their movement and their body. Through these experiences comes a clearer understanding of what a better way of moving actually feels like. This allows positive changes to take place on deeper and more permanent levels. Familiar muscle aches and body pains become less of a problem as the person discovers a way of moving that is more free and less stressing to their whole system. Since this better way of being in one’s body is foundational, it can be applied to virtually any activity; various sports and fitness routines, yard work, sitting at a desk, walking, running, dancing, playing a musical instrument, or any movement required for basic everyday life.
Most anyone who would like to move better will benefit from participating in Feldenkrais. Professional or recreational athletes, anyone who has been injured or suffers from chronic pain, office workers who would like to sit or stand more comfortably, and people with movement challenges such as MS, stroke, or Parkinson’s.
Peggy Protz, Feldenkrais practitioner, will be offering a series of three workshops this fall at the SAC. Peggy has worked with many types of clients, from teenagers to senior citizens, to golfers, cyclists, and kayakers, to people with injuries. “It’s great for people who are struggling with injuries. They may have stopped doing things because of the injury,” she says. “I’ve worked in a lot of fitness environments, and many people simply deal with neck or back pain, and just kind of assume that’s part of working out. But what if they could actually do their fitness routine without having discomfort both during it and afterward?”
In a Feldenkrais class or workshop, Peggy verbally leads students through movements in various positions, coaching everyone to work at their own pace and making modifications when needed. “You get so much more out of your body when you’re in tune with it,” says Peggy.
For more information about the Feldenkrais Method, watch this introductory video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_i5QuIqcQo&feature=youtu.be
Feldenkrais, Health News, Pilates
cyclists, Feldenkrais practitioner, golfers, kayakers, Moshe Feldenkrais, MS, or Parkinson's, Peggy Protz, stroke
