“I first came to Fritha’s quiet space two months following knee replacement surgery. While my knee was healing well, my hips, back and arm were in chronic, and then acute pain. I could not sleep and barely walk. I understood that this was the result of almost two years post-trauma to the knee. As an active senior used to pushing through minor pains, I was deeply concerned that this might be permanent. When I voiced this to Fritha, she simply said “let’s see!” Slowly, with slight movements, she taught me how to name and then move my body, helping me to counteract default positions I had fallen into. Over only a few sessions, I could walk with little pain. Over the following weeks, she relieved painful areas that I had grown used to. Fritha is highly trained, but it is more than her training that is curative. Her attention to the body is complete. Barely 5 months post-surgery I am hiking 2-3 miles without any pain at all…I feel as I did as a much younger woman. Thank you, Fritha.”
– Janet Nelson

“Fritha brings experience, skillful practice, and compassion to the experience of the Feldenkrais Method. My sessions were followed by relief from chronic pain pathways established from a response to life events including multiple surgeries due to a car accident. The re-education of posture and its influence on my nervous system through observations, guidance, and instructions in the framework of the Feldenkrais Method, alongside the skillful application by Fritha improved my self-awareness and ability to self-correct patterns for the benefit of moving more efficiently, more fluidly and less painfully. I am now able to better enjoy the activities of my daily life which in my 60th year include hiking, weight training, and hobbies such as cooking and reading which previously were impaired by neck pain, and now are not. Thank you, Fritha. You have accumulated, synthesized and applied a wealth of knowledge to share with your clients and I am grateful for this opportunity.”
– S.D.

“I think one of the single greatest benefits I received in working with Fritha was the experiential knowledge that problems that I thought were fixed were actually quite fluid. Due to a back surgery in childhood I had lived all of my adult life not aware of how my body was moving and how some of the ways it was trying to protect itself was actually causing more pain. Fritha’s gentle and compassionate approach allowed me to begin to trust her in the process in order to reestablish a connection with my body and how it moves. Over time this has diminished much of the pain that I initially sought out her services for. I highly recommend Fritha and Feldenkrais as a way of forming a deeper connection with your body, as well as working through chronic pain patterns and allowing new ways of movement to form.”
– Mary Lutkus

“I would recommend Fritha Pengelly to help with any stiffness or body aches and pains. She really tunes in and the Feldenkrais approach is gentle and effective. I was able to get over foot and leg pain and back to walking.”
LR

“In 18 months, sharp pain in my hip had reduced my exercise to nil and increased my waist to new widths.  My doctor said it was arthritis, and I should get used to it and just take more Omega-3 oils.  I wasn’t sure about Feldenkrais, but I was confident in Fritha.  In the first session, Fritha watched me step forward; lightly moved my hip joint just a bit without any pain; and gave me 3 tips to think about as I walk.  Simple! The next morning, the pain was gone.  During the second session she explained with confidence what she had done and why.  My weight was now properly aligned.  I just needed to apply those 3 slight changes long enough for them to become habit.  Now – 3 months later, I have a spring in my step; and I look forward to exercising  on a stationary bike, in the pool, walking up sand dunes, or climbing the stairs. Thanks, Fritha!”
– Alison M. Jones, Director of No Water No Life

“I have experienced Fritha as both a movement teacher and a hands-on practitioner of Feldenkrais and have enjoyed and benefited from both. With joint and disc issues, I was looking for a strengthening movement class that was safe enough for me. As a teacher, Fritha offers a grounded and warm presence and clear, thoughtful instructions. Her classes start out with gentle, mindful movements and build to more vigorous movement. The wonderful progression she uses allows me to find ease and effortlessness even as the movement sequences get more physically demanding. The magic of Feldenkrais for me is dropping under the muscular-skeletal effort and finding a place in my nervous system that is calm, quiet and easeful to move from. This is really important for me to build strength in a safe and healthy way. I have had only a couple of hands-on sessions with Fritha, but she brings all her teaching skills and more to her hands-on work. She observes carefully and mindfully. I arrived at one session very bound up in my neck and back, feeling stiff and immobile. After each gentle intervention I felt my breath deepen spontaneously and flow return to my body. After an hour of gentle and subtle hands-on work, my joints and muscles were able to unwind and have more ease and flow. I would recommend her classes and hands-on work to anyone who wants to feel more connected to themselves in a loving and easeful way.”
– Lucy H.