Arms Like a Skeleton, with a Bias
Back-lying. This quiet, simple presentation of a classic Feldenkrais lesson becomes the background for a potent exploration: how does seeking and sensing our natural spinal bias – and resting our attention with it or away from it – affect how we move, feel, and function? Recorded near the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown, this lesson starts with a four-minute talk about embodied equanimity, and the particular "rabbit hole" of learning we'll be heading down together.
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Thank you moved into pleasure with my present self. Enjoying your lessons.
I liked the lesson a lot. The pacing met my systems requirements nicely. And I also was very intrigued by the wording and several times surprised by the unintrusive and friendly invitations to take care of myself. I especially enjoyed working with the bias along the sides of the spine. Very interesting! I moved much more precise, slower and I had more sense of my spine and it’s continuous length while moving shoulder and hip.
After getting up, standing + walking was very smooth, my back softer all the way down into my hipjoints. My vision softer and more peripheral and colors seemed more intense. Thank you!
This has been my go-to lesson in recovery from ‘mouse shoulder’ (computer related strain). I find that each time I practice it (many times now), different aspects and qualities of the (excellent) guidance are revealed. In other words it continues to inform my movement in fresh and interesting ways. Not all instructors are so skillful with language in conveying the profound simplicity and ease of Feldenkrias. Thank you for making this freely available.
This lesson was a revelation to me.
I have a number of injuries along the spine and my bias and awareness changes somewhat along the length of my spine. I am going to do it again, focusing my awareness on the places where my awareness goes fuzzy.
Hi Lorraine. I find this one very helpful also, in that my muscles in my back really relax. I have a spinal compression fractures in the thoracic area. And osteoporosis and bursitis of my hips. Getting rid of tension helps tremendously. Mobility is very difficult. But in time I feel that can improve. I hope you are well and continuing with Feldenkrais. ❤️
What a beautiful lesson – it makes me feel grounded.
Beautiful lesson. Thank you. May I ask : around the end, after the variation where one shoulder moves along the floor downwards while the side of the pelvis moves towards the shoulder upwards, we come back to something experienced on the first part of the lesson : legs bent, alternatively lifting one side (hip and shoulder with arm vertical) and the other.
Is it on purpose that you don’t mention the possibility to include the previous variation to this movement ? I mean, it’s so nice to feel, while lifting one side, that the shoulder and hip can go towards each other. It’s quite funny : the side that is lifting can at the same time gives the sensation that it’s falling towards the floor : in other words the middle of the spine lifts carrying behind/ or pulling the shoulder and the hip.
I noticed, you don’t mention again the variation on the plan of the floor. Is it deliberate ?
Thank you again for this superb guidance.
Best,
Elise (from France)
That’s a really lovely question. It sounds like you’re making the connections that I was looking to imply, but I may not have been as explicit as you wished, since my goal is to show how thinking of one side of the spine gathering slightly, vs the other, can change so much how the arms move. But the direct connection you improvised is great! It’s a way of making the lesson your own, which is in the end the larger point: the recordings are like playground environments; how you play in them is up to you!
Please go ahead and write back if that isn’t a satisfying answer.
Thank you for answering so fully.
I’m writing back for the pleasure and not because your answer was not “satisfying” !
Maybe it actually doesn’t need to be explicit and it is enough to do this variation on the plan of the floor to understand that you can combine the two directions afterwards (ceiling floor and up down). Just to share another nice feeling : the moment you say, when one arm lengthens that the other elbow can be loose, it really can be a magic moment where everything knows what it has to do (including the head).
And yes, about your main intention to show how putting your intention (and attention) on one side of the spine gathering vs the other could change so much how the arms move : I’m sure that’s true and it must be fascinating when it happens. For me, it was not yet such a strong difference. I will go again to visit this experience to see if I feel it more. You mention Sheryl Field : was it for this lesson that she made you realize this ?
Thank you again.
I love your conversation with Elise. It made me curious to go back to this lesson looking for new sensations after all these positive changes in my body since May.
It’s definitely subtle, but our primary spinal bias is an organizing element in all actions. Sheryl Field didn’t specifically teach it to me in the context of this lesson, but it can be integrated into any lesson.
Wow, it’s amazing how beautiful lessons can become even more beautiful!