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The Anti-Gravity Lesson
Back-lying, knees bent. Some modified side-lying. We can’t beat gravity, so let’s get organized to oppose it effortlessly with bones (instead of muscles).
As always, limit the size of the movements to what truly feels pleasant and interesting to you. There’s no value to pushing quickly or hard into the limits of the vertical (up the mat) driving movements that develop.
See also my discussion with a student in the comments below.
This lesson organizes our skeletons for more efficient delivery of gravitational and “anti-gravity” longitudinal forces through the body. It’s fascinating that we can study our upright relationship with gravity so effectively while lying down, perpendicular to it instead of plumb. This works because the longitudinal movements of the lesson produce sensations we can sort through, allowing us to better organize for uprightness, while lying against the firm floor. The level floor actually creates a substitute “plumb line” of gravity.
When our bones relate efficiently for the transfer of gravitational forces through our uprightness, our musculature is free to act and move us throughout the world, rather than stuck resisting gravity. Our growing proprioceptive ability to identify skeletally-efficient uprightness, and avoid unnecessary muscular holding when we stand, is one primary goal and benefit of Feldenkrais study.
To put it another way, Moshe Feldenkrais once said that good posture is when we are doing nothing [with our muscles]. It’s not strictly true, since our musculature is constantly rebalancing us like an upside-down pendulum, but these are light, brief contractions, not the long, powerful, habitual contractions that cause back pain and other discomfort, and trouble so many people about how they stand.
This lesson is found in the collection called Lessons for Standing, Walking, and Running.
Like most of our lessons, this one can be studied out of context, but you may find additional learning value by approaching it in the order of the collection it’s in. It particularly benefits from being studied soon after the lesson Breathing from Head to Heels.
Members and Patrons only. Please login or join the Project to download this lesson’s MP3 file.
Members and Patrons only. Please login or join the Project to view Nick’s comments about sources he used while developing this lesson.
Members and Patrons only. Please login or join the Project to view related lesson titles and links.
- Comfort & Configuration
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As always, limit the size of the movements to what truly feels pleasant and interesting to you. There’s no value to pushing quickly or hard into the limits of the vertical (up the mat) driving movements that develop.
See also my discussion with a student in the comments below.
- Curiosities
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This lesson organizes our skeletons for more efficient delivery of gravitational and “anti-gravity” longitudinal forces through the body. It’s fascinating that we can study our upright relationship with gravity so effectively while lying down, perpendicular to it instead of plumb. This works because the longitudinal movements of the lesson produce sensations we can sort through, allowing us to better organize for uprightness, while lying against the firm floor. The level floor actually creates a substitute “plumb line” of gravity.
When our bones relate efficiently for the transfer of gravitational forces through our uprightness, our musculature is free to act and move us throughout the world, rather than stuck resisting gravity. Our growing proprioceptive ability to identify skeletally-efficient uprightness, and avoid unnecessary muscular holding when we stand, is one primary goal and benefit of Feldenkrais study.
To put it another way, Moshe Feldenkrais once said that good posture is when we are doing nothing [with our muscles]. It’s not strictly true, since our musculature is constantly rebalancing us like an upside-down pendulum, but these are light, brief contractions, not the long, powerful, habitual contractions that cause back pain and other discomfort, and trouble so many people about how they stand.
- Context
-
This lesson is found in the collection called Lessons for Standing, Walking, and Running.
Like most of our lessons, this one can be studied out of context, but you may find additional learning value by approaching it in the order of the collection it’s in. It particularly benefits from being studied soon after the lesson Breathing from Head to Heels.
- Download
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Members and Patrons only. Please login or join the Project to download this lesson’s MP3 file.
- Source
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Members and Patrons only. Please login or join the Project to view Nick’s comments about sources he used while developing this lesson.
- Related Lessons
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Members and Patrons only. Please login or join the Project to view related lesson titles and links.
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5 Comments. Leave new
Enjoyed experiencing the push/pull from a variety of positions! Felt length and lightness.
This was sooo hard for me :O I can’t believe. I am doing feldenkrais for a month 2x, a week and I can’t recognize why was this so hard for me :/ couldn’t relax and do any thing in that position on the side, my hip and side chest were in pain from the floor. Don’t know what I was doing wrong. Should I repeat this lesson until it gets easier for me?
Hello! It’s great that you’ve been studying so often, and not a problem that you’ve bumped into a lesson that is very difficult for you — it happens to everyone, and which particular lessons are very challenging is something each individual discovers over time. When you notice that you can’t relax or get comfortable with a lesson or any part of lesson, it’s best at first to rest in a comfortable position and IMAGINE doing the lesson, or to skip it for now and come back to it later (after revisiting ATMs you enjoy or going on to other new ones). You might also try playing with the difficult movement in bed if the hardness of the floor/mat was part of the problem for that brief sidelying part.
The most important thing either way is not to stay in or push through ANY unpleasant experiences while studying ATM. If you do, your mind and body will be organized for defense instead of learning, and it will be fruitless for improvement. Explore little bits of the difficulty, even if only in your imagination, keeping in mind the three “golden rules” of ATM study: breathe comfortably, don’t push your limits, and interpret the instructions in a spirit of curiosity and creativity (never willpower or “pushing through”). If you can’t move and sense within those boundaries, just rest and imagine!
Let me know if I can help further.
-Nick
I’m confused, is the back and forth movement more like the oscillation from Ruthy Alon’s Blanket roller or is my body supposed to me sliding along the floor towards my heal or foot and away ? So that if there was paint under me there would be big brush strokes ? Or just like a bear rubbing it’s back on a tree?
The movement is vertical, parallel with your spine, movements up and down your mat. I think that means big brush strokes, in your imagery question. No side-to-side rubbing (love the bear image, though!). Please let me know if that clarifies things.