Meet Eric Sutz: A Lifelong Music Educator on a Journey of Self-Care Via Motion and Music

With a wealthy background in music, Eric Sutz graduated with a Bachelor of Music from DePaul College in 1980. All through his profession, he has labored as a music director, conductor, arranger, and instructor for over 47 years. He has introduced applications for academics and faculties since 1985 and his e book: “The best way to Play and Educate Fashionable Music Creatively” was first printed in 1986.

Now deeply immersed in self-care by motion and music, Eric’s exploration of posture, alignment, and myofascial launch methods has reworked each his life and the lives of these he teaches.A person at all times looking to maintain his thoughts sharp, Eric considers himself a perpetually pupil of life and far of his information of anatomy and our bodies has been self-taught and a journey of remembering what he already knew.

In regards to the writer: Interview led by Erin Wen, Tune Up Health content material author. Erin works as a Osteopathic Manipulative Therapist (OMT) and motion specialist for over 15 years. She has a background in classical ballet that finally led her to grow to be a yoga and motion teacher. She can also be an authorized Yoga Tune Up® teacher and presently gives a number of remedy modalities together with osteopathic manipulation, pelvic ground and being pregnant help, and motion coaching and workshops.

Erin: How did you come about Jill’s teachings and Tune Up Health?

Eric: Jill actually is one in every of my private heroes. I happened her by the Deal with Whereas You Prepare program she supplied with Kelly Starrett that was really useful by a coach of mine from the Egoscue System. It’s a program developed by Pete Egoscue that focuses on postural alignment. His first e book is named Ache Free. At the moment, it was a forerunner to every thing we predict and find out about ache now. It was data that was forward of its time. With the Egoscue System, you’re looking at somebody’s alignment, they’ll watch you stroll and from there they could discover if one hip is increased or in case your toes flip in or out when you stroll. From that data, they’ll develop a menu of workouts, stretches, and drills that should get your gait to be even. The strategy is utilized by many athletes. So my coach really useful that I look into Kelly Starrett. I noticed this system that was supplied with Jill and purchased it instantly.

I noticed Kelly and Jill do their factor and instantaneously I used to be like “oh my god!”. It made a lot sense to me, it was like one thing I already knew nevertheless it had been dormant in me. It felt like data my physique knew however had forgotten, and it utterly modified my view of self-care. I noticed that every one the years of accidents I had had from athletics and martial arts, and after spending a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} in therapies that I may have handled myself.

I felt like the data supplied by Jill and Kelly was a re-awakening of knowledge that I already knew by some means. Through the years, I grew to become extra observant of individuals and their misalignments and I’ve been in a position to repair folks just by their posture.

Erin: Are you able to share a narrative about the way you helped any person utilizing the information you realized from Tune Up Health?

Eric: One time I used to be on an airplane going to Europe and I had gotten up and was utilizing the Yoga Tune Up® balls on my shoulder when this younger man who was ready for the toilet requested me: “What are you doing?” and I mentioned properly, I’m engaged on my shoulder and he went on to inform me he had had a shoulder downside for years and if what I used to be doing may assist. And certain sufficient, within the span of 6 minutes on a aircraft flying to Europe, I helped this younger man repair his shoulders and he was totally astounded.

Erin: Though you’re not essentially a health instructor, you’re a instructor in your area of music. Do you may have a educating type?

Eric: I’ve been educating for about 47 years. The academics I had rising up for piano, jazz, and classical music had been very ferocious. Once I began educating I used to be extra like that, I suppose extra hardcore and every thing needed to be precisely proper and precisely good. Through the years, I’ve tailored extra of a Zen strategy, like water washing over a rock strategy. I can get stuff completed, and perhaps much more, however doing it in a softer means. Virtually just like the distinction between Taiji versus Karate. I nonetheless have excessive expectations for myself however I don’t maintain these expectations for others. I do prefer to push my college students to develop and be taught.

It’s vital to know that as we age, we’ve got to adapt our practices.
– Eric Sutz

Mobility and Restoration for Musicians

Erin: As your educating type has softened, has your individual follow of martial arts additionally advanced all through the years?

Eric: It’s vital to know that as we age, we’ve got to adapt our practices. While you’re very younger you are able to do extra athletic-like actions, perhaps excessive kicks or flying kicks. After which as you grow old you need to use extra leverage, perhaps be taught higher foot placement; you need to use different ability units. You additionally must be taught the place your limitations are. While you’re younger you’re feeling you are able to do all of it. Hopefully we will put up a great struggle as we age.

Erin: Are you studying one thing new nowadays?

Eric: At all times. I’ve 8 languages happening in several apps. I’m studying French, Spanish, Serbian, Hebrew, Yiddish, German, Italian, and Japanese.

There’s an  App that I take advantage of referred to as Elevate. What I like about it’s that it offers you pace exams in several areas comparable to math, percentages, languages, punctuation, and others. I need to preserve my thoughts and reminiscence sharp. I additionally need to keep bodily and mentally sharp. I prefer to problem myself. I’ve additionally been learning chess for many years. I’m at all times concerned in studying, I like listening to lectures and historical past.

Erin: Do you may have any accidents which have healed with myofascial launch methods?

Eric: Sure, I developed Dupuytren’s contracture (set off finger) most likely as a consequence from utilizing the pc extra throughout Covid occasions . It grew to become very aggressive and painful. It affected my entire hand a lot that I’d put on a brace throughout the night time in order that my finger would keep straight. Throughout that point, I primarily centered on myofascial launch methods for ache reduction for my hand and forearm. I did it A LOT and it helped tremendously. Even an orthopaedic surgeon I had was impressed by the results from the rollouts.

Music Instructor Wellness Routine

Erin: How does TUF help your private practices?

Eric: The instruments that I’ve realized from Jill have had a large impact in my life. I’m doing one thing with the information I’ve realized on a virtually each day foundation – I really feel being educated about anatomy, muscle, and fascia is simply so invaluable and vital. Whilst we converse now I’ve a pair of Yoga Tune Up balls underneath my thigh!

For points which might be mushy tissue associated, which is what most individuals have, whether or not it’s again, neck, shoulder, knee ache or stiffness; these issues are ubiquitous in our society due to the kind of society and sedentary way of life that many have. Due to these causes, this can be very vital to pay attention to our our bodies and take a crack at it, to know that you must take a look at your self-care instruments. You’ll save your self an unlimited quantity of time and cash. You might be placing extra of the accountability in your individual fingers and know that these instruments can empower you to deal with your self.

That’s the reason I really feel that the abilities that Jill teaches together with others which have a lot information comparable to Tom Myers and Kelly Starrett are so invaluable.

Erin: How do you suppose your physique advantages from the myofascial launch methods?

Eric: What I really feel is that the varied rolling methods comparable to a contract & chill out, stripping, or shearing assist me discover set off factors and acupuncture factors that could be needing some consideration. Even when I’m sitting, I’ll use them underneath my toes to chill out and deal with any points which may come up from sitting for too lengthy.

Erin: What’s your go-to rollout/train?

Eric: The one that’s most likely my favourite that I’ve gotten a whole lot of return on is any form of scrubbing alongside my lats to my subscapularis; I simply discover it so useful.  I really like any work alongside my scalene and trapezius muscular tissues. Kelly Starrett and Jill would most likely say the identical factor, that you will need to take into consideration the physique in programs. So perhaps if there’s a whole lot of stiffness across the shoulder blade, it isn’t solely working that space however perhaps you must go to your rhomboids and your thoracic backbone to handle the difficulty.

When I’ve associates asking me to assist them with a particular a part of their physique, I usually prescribe them a rollout that could be farther from the realm they’re complaining about and though they won’t suppose it’s linked, after they do it, they understand the way it usually alleviates ache the place they had been complaining about initially. I don’t inform them an excessive amount of as a result of I would like them to expertise it themselves.

Erin: How do you assist folks in your group with the information that you’ve about self-care?

Eric: When I’m working with each academics and college students, it’s really fairly simple. I like to teach folks on how you can help their bodily our bodies by consciousness, rollouts to launch stress, and training about anatomy. I train folks how you can transfer mindfully and really feel potential knots on account of gathered stress.

Erin: What are your high self-care ideas?

Eric: I feel it is vitally vital to get sufficient relaxation. I feel it’s essential to not get connected to social media. I couldn’t advocate that sufficient. I feel it’s essential to take care of a nutritious diet and a wholesome weight. You will need to perceive that as you age, you could preserve your muscular tissues. I feel strolling and performing some form of cardio is vital. Any motion routine that you simply like and revel in can also be essential, whether or not it’s yoga, Pilates, martial arts or Jill’s lessons. And a few kind of power coaching is a should. There isn’t any different means round it, if you wish to preserve a wholesome physique, you must follow power coaching.

Erin: How do you cope with your individual stress?

Eric: The most effective methods is to maintain all of the information out. It’s not that I’m encouraging folks to be willfully ignorant however we’ve got to attempt to stay second to second, your each day as finest you possibly can and  keep away from as a lot of the chatter, the background noise as a lot as potential. I’m a giant believer in mindfulness meditations. I’ve been doing mindfulness meditation for many years. I benefit from the teachings of  Sadguru Deepak Chopra.

There’s an app that I like loads that is named “calm”. I take advantage of it practically on a regular basis. Fairly often, one of many first issues I do within the morning is I observe one in every of these meditations. I attempt to preserve my thoughts clear and centered. I attempt to get up my finest self, hopefully.

Erin: Are you able to give me 3 sources of data that make you who you might be at this time?

Eric: Properly, I’d say on the whole, you will need to find out about historical past. The extra educated you might be, the extra you possibly can put in context what you see. As a result of historical past does repeat itself. I hearken to lectures, watch documentaries which might be associated to all kinds of historical past.

When it comes to philosophers, I’ve at all times been into stoic philosophy. I discover it helpful in each day dwelling as a result of it’s not like you might be dwelling in an ashram indifferent from society however you might be really dwelling on this planet and having to cope with each day life. I like to recommend it loads.

Third, I’d say an important is self-knowledge, no matter that embodies, whether or not it’s bodily or mentally. Asking your self why you behave the way in which you behave? What makes you’re feeling good? What triggers you? Looking for sincere, actual solutions. As I grow old, I’ve realized that it’s much less vital to consider objectives and it’s actually in regards to the journey on how you can get there. The journey and the pathway is far more vital than the vacation spot.

Erin: How will we make the world a greater place?

Eric: I’d say to do every thing potential to raise the veil of ignorance. I feel ignorance is the best supply of evil. The extra ignorant persons are, the much less information they’ve, and the better it’s for awful issues to occur.