Asheville Movement Center is a place where healing, learning and movement meet. Ongoing classes in The Feldenkrais Method®, Nia, Authentic Movement(See definitions in Profile), and workshops ranging from theater to dreamwork make this the premier spot in Western North Carolina for Somatic Education. Whether you are recovering from an injury, are looking to improve performance in sports or the arts, or wish to maintain vitality as you age, Asheville Movement Center has the class and the schedule to help you reach your highest potential. Private Feldenkrais Sessions are also available.

Also visit http://www.ashevillemovementcenter.com

Lavinia Plonka, GCFP and Director of Asheville Movement Center has spent a lifetime in movement education. Her 25 year career in theater included 8 years with the Guggenheim, many international tours and an Emmy nomination. She has 15 years of experience teaching the Feldenkrais Method® and many of her students have gone on to Feldenkrais careers as well. Besides teaching internationally, she is the author of What Are You Afraid Of? A Body/Mind Guide to Courageous Living, now in its second printing and translated into five languages. Her upcoming book, Walking Your Talk: Body Language as the Key To Personal Power, will be published by Tarcher/Penguin in early 2007.

Imagine being so aware that even as you reach for a cup of coffee, you sense the muscles in your back supporting your hand, the quality of each finger's touch as it wraps around the cup, the momentary intake of breath as you carefully lift it to your lips, the fluttering of your eyelids as you sip….the human organism has the potential to experience this peak awareness, not just during moments of heightened danger or demand, but every moment. By developing this ability, you move more effectively, listen more carefully, make fewer mistakes, injure yourself less, and enrich your life as well as the lives of others around you. Whether you have limitations due to injury, or are at the peak of your performance, you can improve, grow and enjoy your life more fully.

Ongoing Classes

Mondays:11:00 AM Authentic Movement, 1:00 PM Feldenkrais, 2:05 PM Nia

Wednesdays: 5:15 PM Authentic Movement, 7:00 PM Feldenkrais

Thursdays: 4:00 PM Nia

Fridays: 9:30 AM Feldenkrais

Private Feldenkrais lessons by appointment

For Workshops, prices and teacher details: http://www.ashevillemovementcenter.com

Moshe Feldenkrais was a scientist, athlete and martial artist. Combining early childhood learning, neuroscience and movement studies, he developed this method in order to regain mobility after several injuries. His ingenious, sophisticated movement sequences are done in a relaxed atmosphere, usually lying down. The group classes are called Awareness Through Movement® lessons. Private lessons, called Functional Integration® lessons are customized to the individual student. These lessons can benefit anyone - from top performers to those recovering from debilitating injuries and illness. Certified practitioners study for 4 years in an accredited Feldenkrais Professiona Training Program. More info:http://www.laviniaplonka.com/feldenkrais.html

Nia (Neuromuscular Integrative Action) is a high-powered, energizing, yet gentle approach to whole body fitness and wellness, blending movements and concepts from dance, martial arts, and body integrative therapies. Using body awareness, breath, sound, and music, Nia creates a fun, expressive exercise experience for the mind, body, and spiritAll ages, abilities,and experience welcome. more info: http://www.nia-nia.com

Authentic Movement is a self-directed therapeutic form that uses movement to open awareness toward unconscious material, making it conscious. It is an approach to self-study that celebrates seeing and being seen in the context of a mover and a witness. The form allows the union of body and psyche by inviting the inner processes that are alive and calling for attention. A growing compassion for the self and others is ignited in this enlivening form.http://www.awakengaia.com

Lavinia is a popular workshop leader, blending the Feldenkrais Method with theater, art, writing, contemporary research in an exciting, totally original fashion. From church groups to Esalen, Lavinia's workshops are provocative and a wonderful introduction to Awareness Through Movement. Sample topics include: The Great Adventure: Myth and Metaphor Through Movement, Walking Your Talk: Body Language as the Key to Personal Power. She has produced two CDs which are for sale online. Lavinia writes extensively on health and philosophy - links to her writing, products and workshops are at http://www.laviniaplonka.com