The Movement of the Eyes Organizes the Movement of the Body (Patrons)

Standing, then mostly side-sitting on the floor, with rests lying on the back. Discovering how improving the smooth tracking of the eyes in various turning motions can improve the whole self.

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.

Tip 2 – Social Sharing

Project tip: Try the social buttons below. Please help us to achieve our vision: spreading the life-changing benefits of Feldenkrais study as widely as possible!

Browser/device size and audio player

Tech tip: On mobile or tablet? Once you start playing the audio, your device’s native playback controls should work well.

Tip 4 – Padding

Study tip: Comfort first! Carpeted floors usually work well, but it’s great to have an extra mat or blanket nearby in case you need a softer surface in some configurations.

Tip – Technical Difficulties

Tech tip: If you have any trouble with the audio player, reboot your browser. That solves most issues. If not, please contact Nick.

Tip – skip a lesson

Study tip: If you can’t find a comfortable way to do the initial movements or configuration of a lesson, it’s ok to skip it for now and go on to another lesson.

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.

Tip – Rewinding

Study tip: Many instructions are repeated. If you get a little lost, rest and listen. You’ll often find your way. Or use the rewind button on the page or your mobile device.

Tip – Complete the Movement

Study tip: Complete one movement before beginning the next. You’ll improve faster if there’s enough time between movements that you feel fully at rest.

Tip – Comments

Project tip: Leave a lesson comment below! It’s a great way to give feedback or ask a question, and it helps google find us so we can achieve The Feldenkrais Project’s vision!

Tip – Pause the recording

Study tip: If you’re really enjoying a movement and want to explore longer, or you just need a break for a while, pause the recording!

Tip – Directions are Relative

Study tip: Directions are always relative to your body. For example, if you’re lying on your back “up” is toward your head, and “forward” is toward the ceiling.

Tip – Lesson names

What’s in a lesson title? Lessons are about an hour unless a shorter duration is shown in the title. Thanks to our donors they’re freely offered unless marked “Patrons” – those are how we thank our Patron-level donors.

Tip – What’s New

Community tip: See what Nick and other Felden-fans are interested in right now. Check out What’s New at the bottom of our homepage for recent blog posts and listener comments.

Tip – what to wear

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

Tip 5 – Discomfort

Study tip: If a configuration or movement causes any increase in discomfort, or you feel you just don’t want to do it, don’t! Make it smaller and slower, adapt it, or rest and imagine.

Tip – LESSS is more

LESSS is more: Light, Easy, Small, Slow, & Smooth movements will ease pains and improve your underlying neuromuscular habits faster than any other kind of movement, no matter who you are or what your training is!

Tip 1 – Interrupted?

Study tip: Interrupted or don’t have enough time? You can return to the lesson later today or tomorrow. Read how best to continue your learning on our FAQ page.

We offer over 50 free lessons, but this one's just for our Patron-level donors. You can learn about it in the free lesson notes and comments below, but to access the audio you’ll need to join The FP as a Patron. Learn more

If you are a Patron, please log in:

“Side-sitting” is described at the very beginning, and again around 12:00. If you can’t get comfortable in side-sitting try Secrets of the Seated Twist first.

Here’s a photo, which also includes the position of the arms most often used in the lesson:Dead Bird photo

  • This would be called side-sitting to the left because my knees are to the left, and my feet are to the right. The outside of my left foot is resting on the floor, and the sole of my left foot is positioned as if standing on the bottom of my right thigh (a place also described in the lesson as the top of my right knee). My left hand is helping support me, and my right hand is dangling loosely in front of my eyes, at the height of my horizon. This is the first seated home position of the lesson, though you may choose its exact opposite (simply reverse all these rights and lefts)–whichever is more comfortable.
  • Yoga blocks are discussed as something you can sit on to make it easier for your hips and pelvis, or put under your support hand if need. A few inches of folded bath towel works too. You could also lean on your fist at any time instead of your palm.
  • If necessary it is also possible to do all the seated portions of this lesson sitting near the front of a firm, level chair, with the knees and feet comfortably wide apart, tipping the knees to the side you are turning to, and shifting the weight onto that side’s sitbone while you twist in that direction.

Working toward smoother, more level movements of the eyes across the horizon is the essential ingredient in this lesson, even if at times a lot of cues are needed to describe other body movements. The more you keep the sensation and movement of your eyes in the forefront of your attention (perhaps easier on subsequent listenings once you know all the movements) the more potent this lesson will become at improving the organization of your whole body.

Once you’re standing and turning again at the end, remember what you noticed at the beginning and compare: exactly which parts of you change direction first? Do you reverse direction more as a whole, or more from your eyes, than before?

This lesson is sometimes called “Dead Bird” in the Feldenkrais Practitioner community because of the shape of the arm and dangling hand, although recently many practitioners are moving away from this unpleasant image.

This lesson is one of 12 in Moshe Feldenkrais’s 1972 book Awareness Through Movement. The Feldenkrais Project has a collection of lessons from this source.

It also appears in our Illusion of Isolation Deep Dive.

It was taught in the context of a Feldenkrais Fundamentals class which was designed to be a practical study of Moshe’s Awareness Through Movement book. Study tips for the book are here, along with info about where to get it.

Members and Patrons. Learn more or login:

While taught in my own words, this lesson comes directly from Moshe Feldenkrais’s 1972 book Awareness Through Movement.

Got a question for Nick, or a thought about this lesson?

Use the comments section below! Public comments build our community and help search engines find us.

horizontal-squiggle

5 Comments

  1. Rodolfo Torres on August 29, 2018 at 5:37 am

    Hi Nick,

    I first did this lesson back in 2002 when I recorded it on cassette straight from the book. Probably have not done it since 2005. Your pacing was very enjoyable. I remember the lesson somewhat differently. Are they abridged in any way?

    • Nick Strauss-Klein on August 29, 2018 at 8:27 am

      Hello! It’s been a few years since I recorded and listened to this one, but my intention with these lessons from Moshe’s ATM book has been to stay as close to the written lesson as possible, even as I put things in my own words. At this point the lessons I have left to add to this collection are the ones that will require a little more creativity! So I’m pretty certain this version is close to the source, though I do recall some ambiguity in Moshe’s instructions about differentiation of the eyes. I chose to play with that step late in the lesson in supine, to hedge my bets a little. If you happen to compare directly, comment again and let us all know! -Nick

  2. Cinma on March 21, 2019 at 3:12 pm

    I have only just come to Feldenkrais.
    During a retreat that I attended Feldenkrais was run each morning.
    I found them amazing….Having MS I felt a huge benefit in my movement.
    I just now did this session and now I will do it regularly because by the end of it my balance and movement was so much better.
    I’m a convert.
    Thank you

  3. Matthew Lanzi on July 24, 2020 at 1:28 pm

    Definitely one of my favorite lessons. It may seem our eyes are working and our body is what gets stuck when really it’s the other way around.

    Is there a lesson that works with the eyes in more of an up and down manner? Also what lesson would you recommend for improving the side sitting configuration?

    • Nick Strauss-Klein on July 26, 2020 at 12:51 pm

      [2023 Update: Basic Folding and Arching (Patrons) is a more direct exploration of your question (up/down eyes).]

      I believe that the first half of More Precise Hips and Spine includes movements like this, at least for the skull, jaw, and tongue – maybe the eyes too (it’s been a long time since I’ve done it). Either way it will help with the eyes up and down question.

      Regarding getting more comfortable in side-sitting, I’ve added info to the Related Notes tab on this lesson, above! Thanks to your comment I’ve added another cross-reference for donors there.

Leave a Comment