Agile Hips, Knees, and Feet
Back-lying, knees bent, feet standing, exploring connections between the joints of the legs, and clarifying their relationship with the abdominal muscles, pelvis, back, breath, and head. Improving leg function by developing some movements into rapid action.
64m
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Hi Nick…I love love love Feldenkrais since discovering it earlier this year and I am enjoying all the great classes on this website and really appreciate you giving them to us!
This particular class I find very challenging in one area and that is rubbing the feet on the floor in circles and then the pivoting them from side to side…
the feeling that comes up for me when I get to this part is kind of indescribable… I feel awful ..lol… not sure of a better word? I have to rub my face whilst doing the feet rubbing….to calm myself down…
basically it’s the same feeling I get when I see blood or operations on eyeballs! ?… like intense nerve strain? If that makes sense? It does make me aware that I probably need this class more than any other…
Do you know what I mean Nick? Do I make sense? I would love feedback
Thank you ?
Hi Lesley,
It’s so interesting what some lessons can churn up in us. You do make sense! You sound curious and unafraid, which is a great place to be, but perhaps there’s room to do even less, to go even lighter, smaller, and quieter, if you explore these variations again soon? It can also be valuable to remember that we’re not trying to “succeed” at lessons, but rather to use them as opportunities to learn about ourselves. Sometimes we discover things that are intense, or even scary, and nothing needs to be repeatedly addressed directly, or even in the present. It may be valuable to return to this lesson (if you wish) much later, rather than diving in again soon. Follow your instinct and curiosity, and be loving to yourself as you choose! Feel free to reply again if you need to discuss more.
Thanks Nick.. as soon as I read what you wrote I ‘got it’.
. i try too hard, strain and rush in everything I do ..that’s why Feldenkrais has been life changing for me … this lesson was a great reminder and I got immediate physical proof
… I will give it a miss for now and when I return to it I will go eeeeven sloooower ?
Thanks, Nick, for this complex but clear lesson. I particularly valued it for improving organisation of the lower abdomen – liked the repeated reminders that it’s not about tightening abdo muscles. I’m full of warmth and vitality in this important area now, which is great. It is an excellent practice for martial arts and qigong where organisation here is a prerequisite for awareness of the lower dantian energy centre. Really helpful so I’ll be coming back to it!
Love this one thank you so-o-o much!
Thanks Nick
When I first did this lesson I didn’t “get” it. As I have been doing your other lessons, I have become better able to “let go”. This letting go is all about trust. Holding on is about fear to to let go (Obviously). I cried this time… tears that have needed to be shed. Tears that could not be shed because I have been afraid to let go. A very cathartic experience. Does this make sense?
It does to me, Pam. i had a reaction to a recent lesson that i found ‘hard’ (on a physical plane) but afterwards i found myself plunged into such old patterns of doom and gloom…. held somewhere on some visceral level. And definitely triggered. i know it is almost a year ago, but you asked if it made sense and no one answered… No-one does, apart from Nick, but you have to click that window below if you want to read a response that might have come. I hope you are well and still practising Feldenkrais…
Thanks for continuing the conversation. We only recently (Sept 2021) implemented the opt-in checkbox that commenters can click to receive emails when others reply. Previously they just had to look at the page to know if someone responded. I hope for more and more listeners replying directly to each other, not just me!
Thank you. I haven’t yet completed this intriguing and revealing lesson. It was making my brain itch in so many different places !???? I look forward to revisiting.
Glad you like the lesson, and it’s great that you stopped for now – it can be hard to listen to those internal messages of “enough,” but everyone should!
Thank you Moshe and thank you Nick for what you bring to this work!
Thanks for your reply , Sue, I look forward to doing the rest , my abdoman is very tight but, bloaded at the same time, so this comment gives me more hope, I been doing other movements that seem to help a little,too.
No Sue,it didn’t help what i hoped.dd
This again and by calf cramped.
I was hoping to lay on my side, my cocyx bone gets sore, I didn’t find any connection s with that.
Only with the knee and the heel and some with the toes and get.
I was making the connection with my shoulder and hip, it’s interesting with the foot..
Have post tibial tendon dysfunction and severe arthritis in my ankle caused by a ruptured tendon 20 years ago. . Have done ATM for 30years. Have been doing your feet and ankle lessons and feel some comfort. Am wearing orthotics , a soft brace, and supportive shoes. Do you think it’s a good idea to have my foot so constrained. My foot is flat. Feel like I have a Feldenkrais body but because of the pain, am getting joint soreness. Am 89.. Thanks
It’s very hard to advise from afar. First: safety is paramount, so don’t do anything that risks your balance or stability, and please consult with your doctor about any changes you might experiment with. Always have something or someone nearby to hold onto if you don’t normally explore other options for your feet. Within these constraints (safety and doctor’s permission), it sounds like perhaps you could do brief experiments with different footwear, or seeing how things feel without the brace or without the orthotics, at least on a soft carpet or on a soft natural surface like a lawn. It’s quite possible that along with your “Feldenkrais body” you will find more options for your feet when they are less constrained. You’re just looking to change the situation a little bit, then see how you feel and function in a safe environment. Disclaimer: this is not medical advice, and these are brief experiments, to be tried once in a while as suits your comfort and curiosity. It would be a fading in to new options if they are safe and effective as you discover them, no sudden changes. If you don’t like how something feels, don’t do it.
Hi Pat in a somatic practice,
i did one for Shin splints,twisted pelvis, uneven leg lengths and many others might help , too. i have been doing along with Feldy and AT to for other whole body healing.
Powerful lesson…has relieved my knees which were extremely hurting me…..many thanks.
I looooved this lesson —very well designed, very sophisticated but powerful —it is a brilliant follow on to a class I did last week (included circles with big toe and little toe and middle toe) with middle aged athletes with lots of old injuries and pain.
Thank you —-I love your approach, I love the way you direct the awareness —just loved it
What a fascinating lesson Nick and such an interesting exploration. Really helpful for my very flat feet. Shades of ‘Bones For Life’ and Pom Pomming but not whilst weight bearing. Thank you for your superb teaching.
WoW! remarkable–started this with knee pain (ongoing on+off) and now none:>
(split this over 2 nights; was a little worried it might make it ‘harder’ the 2nd night-but lo+ behold–just the opposite–
challenging but effective
–like to try to keep the effects going–so to do ‘portions’ of this daily,or…?
Great! Always helpful to improvise little bits of helpful lessons from memory in the days and weeks that follow, re-listen to lessons that are particularly helpful from time to time, and of course to chase down Related Lessons.