podcast – kinesophics

In this lesson we slowly develop circles of the shoulders and hips on one side.

Kicking off our first fall 2011 series with a lesson differentiating the eyes. If you're a seasoned Feldenkrais person, I'm curious what you think about the arm position as I teach it here. Looking back at the lesson in the ATM book, it's ambiguous between starting with the arm long and bending as you turn, and starting with it bent. I'm curious what you think about trying it this way. Discussion at Feldy Notebook: http://feldynotebook.wikispaces.com/Movement+of+the+Eyes+Organizes+the+Movement+of+the+Body You'll also notice that I actually mess up the instructions for eye-head differentiation. Mea culpa. See above outline at Feldy Notebook (or the ATM book itself) for the right variations.

Kicking off our first fall 2011 series with a lesson differentiating the eyes. If you're a seasoned Feldenkrais person, I'm curious what you think about the arm position as I teach it here. Looking back at the lesson in the ATM book, it's ambiguous between starting with the arm long and bending as you turn, and starting with it bent. I'm curious what you think about trying it this way. Discussion at Feldy Notebook: http://feldynotebook.wikispaces.com/Movement+of+the+Eyes+Organizes+the+Movement+of+the+Body You'll also notice that I actually mess up the instructions for eye-head differentiation. Mea culpa. See above outline at Feldy Notebook (or the ATM book itself) for the right variations.

In Body and Mature Behaviour, Moshe writes about the "fixing" of the trunk for the movement of the limbs--not, as we imagine, the general immobility of "core stability," but finely calibrated to the direction of action, and with the least possible sum total of work in the muscles: "The trunk by itself is normally not rigid. It consists of two smaller parts, the almost rigid thorax and the pelvis. Thus, before any significant movement can be made, it as necessary that the thorax and pelvis should be more rigidly connected [so that, as a unit, they will be the heavy part and the action of the muscles joining limbs to trunk will move not the trunk but the limbs]. And the stability of the whole body relative to the ground should be increased in the plane in which work is to be done. Among all the numerous possible configurations of the segments of the body in each case there is a group in which the total amount of pull in all the muscles of the body is the smallest." (p. 54, beginning of Chapter 7) You can think of this lesson as an exploration of that idea.

In Body and Mature Behaviour, Moshe writes about the "fixing" of the trunk for the movement of the limbs--not, as we imagine, the general immobility of "core stability," but finely calibrated to the direction of action, and with the least possible sum total of work in the muscles: "The trunk by itself is normally not rigid. It consists of two smaller parts, the almost rigid thorax and the pelvis. Thus, before any significant movement can be made, it as necessary that the thorax and pelvis should be more rigidly connected [so that, as a unit, they will be the heavy part and the action of the muscles joining limbs to trunk will move not the trunk but the limbs]. And the stability of the whole body relative to the ground should be increased in the plane in which work is to be done. Among all the numerous possible configurations of the segments of the body in each case there is a group in which the total amount of pull in all the muscles of the body is the smallest." (p. 54, beginning of Chapter 7) You can think of this lesson as an exploration of that idea.

The grand finale--a proposal that focuses you on generating movement from the core. In other lessons we roll or transition with the push or pull of our limbs, or at the very least their weight carries us along. Here everything is kept very close to home, and you have no options left but to move from the core and lengthen the spine.

You never know, in life, when you're going to be stuck up against a wall and need to reach into your back pocket. If this function concerns you, this is the lesson for you. On the other hand, you may have more generalized interests, like ungluing your shoulder blades, freeing your neck, or undoing patterns of holding in the abdomen that limit everything else you do. This lesson can help you with those things too.

You never know, in life, when you're going to be stuck up against a wall and need to reach into your back pocket. If this function concerns you, this is the lesson for you. On the other hand, you may have more generalized interests, like ungluing your shoulder blades, freeing your neck, or undoing patterns of holding in the abdomen that limit everything else you do. This lesson can help you with those things too.

When you have to balance on your knees, you really start talking to your hips and spine about what they're up to and whether they're talking to one another. None of that fine adjustment in the feet, the bones of the lower leg, the knee joints to save you.

When you have to balance on your knees, you really start talking to your hips and spine about what they're up to and whether they're talking to one another. None of that fine adjustment in the feet, the bones of the lower leg, the knee joints to save you.

This lesson--a version of the first lesson Moshe taught at San Francisco, and the first lesson in my training--takes the idea of lying flat on the floor and shows you how rounded you really are in that situation. This is the first of four classes that are going to develop some refined control from the core.

This lesson--a version of the first lesson Moshe taught at San Francisco, and the first lesson in my training--takes the idea of lying flat on the floor and shows you how rounded you really are in that situation. This is the first of four classes that are going to develop some refined control from the core.

This lesson is a further exploration of the ideas we started with [[Skewering the spine in the chest]]. I almost don't want to post it--I made several mistakes in teaching it. I'll list them here, and you can adapt around as well as possible while listening to a recording! 1) I talk about the flexing and extending of your right ankle "shifting your whole right side." This is the wrong image. It's still a lesson of "skewering the spine", but from one foot. (It gives quite a different idea to think of shifting one side up, rather than thinking of shifting the whole torso, the spine--but just from the one foot.) 2) When you have your arm overhead, you should spend some time continuing the movement, and looking towards your hand as you push up from your heel so that your knuckles advance on the floor. 3) When you're face down, also do the movement with your arm long overhead, so that the push from your toes advances your arm--and look up towards your hand as you lengthen it. The latter two points will start to connect in some relationship to turning your head, which should help set the stage for the upcoming step of taking your head under the bridge.

This lesson is a further exploration of the ideas we started with [[Skewering the spine in the chest]]. I almost don't want to post it--I made several mistakes in teaching it. I'll list them here, and you can adapt around as well as possible while listening to a recording! 1) I talk about the flexing and extending of your right ankle "shifting your whole right side." This is the wrong image. It's still a lesson of "skewering the spine", but from one foot. (It gives quite a different idea to think of shifting one side up, rather than thinking of shifting the whole torso, the spine--but just from the one foot.) 2) When you have your arm overhead, you should spend some time continuing the movement, and looking towards your hand as you push up from your heel so that your knuckles advance on the floor. 3) When you're face down, also do the movement with your arm long overhead, so that the push from your toes advances your arm--and look up towards your hand as you lengthen it. The latter two points will start to connect in some relationship to turning your head, which should help set the stage for the upcoming step of taking your head under the bridge.

Two days after the 2011 Canadian federal election, we have a deep exploration of the dynamics of tilting and looking left and right. Somehow I missed the obvious point that looking right drives your knees left, and looking left drives your knees back right. All those liberals who voted conservative at the last minute, driven by the rise of the NDP.