“Beard Pull” Pecking, with Chanukia (Patrons)

Prerequisite: Chanukia, the Candle Holder Lesson introduces an image of action that is used in this lesson.

Back-lying, exploring pecking movements to create ease, clarity, and better carriage of the head, neck, shoulders, and spine. Uses the playful image of having a chin beard that an imaginary friend gently pulls toward the ceiling. Movements from the Chanukia lesson are used to develop possibilities.

Before you begin read this for practical tips and your responsibilities, and check out Comfort & Configuration below.

Recorded live in a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) class, this lesson is copyright Nick Strauss-Klein, for personal use only.

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Study tip: Wear loose, comfortable clothes that are warm enough for quiet movement. Remove or avoid anything restrictive like belts or glasses.

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Tip – Complete the Movement

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Tip 4 – Padding

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Tip 3 – Head Support

Study tip: It helps to have a large bath towel nearby when you start a lesson. You can fold it differently for comfortable head support in any configuration.

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It’s helpful to use the minimum head support you need for comfort, and as always it should be smooth so your head is free to move.

Breathe fully and pleasantly throughout the lesson, and observe carefully the instructions to remain comfortable in the pecking movements. It’s truly never necessary to lift your head from the ground, even though it’s invited at times.

If you still struggle to find comfortable ways to explore, try Relaxing Your Neck and Jaw (38 min), then return to this “Beard Pull” lesson.

Near the beginning it’s indicated that you can let your mouth open a little as you do the pecking movement, and that if it’s safe you may actually lift your head a tiny bit when your imaginary friend “pulls your beard”. If these movements are comfortable either or both are welcome throughout all of the lesson’s pecking movements.

Note that actually lifting your head off the floor is only recommended if/when it feels good and interesting.

This lesson is found in Patron Treasures, our collection of lessons exclusively for Feldenkrais Project Patron-level donors.

It also appears in our Jaw, Neck, and Shoulders Deep Dive course.

It works well on its own but it was followed the next week by Arms Like a Skeleton, Integrating the Neck, Jaw, and Eyes (Patrons).

It was recorded on November 30, 2021.

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4 Comments

  1. Terri Morgan on June 25, 2022 at 6:50 am

    Thanks Nick, love that see saw feeling of the spine ????

  2. shan shnookal on July 5, 2022 at 3:00 am

    Another fabulous lesson, Nick! I felt all sorts of interesting and unaccustomed connections in head, belly, hips, neck, lower back…

    • shan shnookal on July 8, 2022 at 3:05 am

      A few days later, i still feel my joints have been oiled! And i’m enjoying new (“better”!?) relationships between my belly/abdomen, pelvis and lower back.

  3. Richard Fancy on July 9, 2022 at 5:50 pm

    This is the third time I did this one. It’s made me very pleasurably aware of the movement through my spine of my pelvis as I breathe. I’m going to do the dynamic core lengthening the spine next; another way of organizing pelvis and spine with breath.

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