Freeing Your Breath and Spine: the full-length edit (Patrons)

Various positions, first half back-lying. Experiments with the verticality and 360 possibilities of the breath mechanism, leading it toward greater freedom and adaptability. Along the way, imaging and prompting a more supple, supportive spine. Uses what the Feldenkrais community calls “paradoxical breathing.”
TIMESTAMPS:
• 0:00 Lesson: Freeing Your Breath and Spine
• 37:00 Discussion: effects of coughing, and the problem with breathing any "right" way
• 39:00 Additional ATM explorations

Average Challenge   back-lying  front-lying 

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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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  • Comfort & Configuration
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Move gently, mildly, and comfortably when asked to increase the pressure inside your abdomen by driving your breath volume downward.

In the second half of the lesson there are belly-lying and hands-and-knees configurations. Comfort first! Adaptations are discussed.

For hands and knees, it may be helpful to have an extra towel, mat, or blanket nearby to fold up for additional softness under your knees. You may at any time stand on your fists if your wrists struggle with the position. Rest in another position as frequently as you like.

If hands-and-knees is not possible for you, rest on your back with your knees bent and imagine the movements as they are described.

Back-lying, as you begin to “float your head into the air” with your interlaced fingers behind your head, the position is much like a sit-up, but the effort and range are far, far less.

Belly-lying, as you “wag your tail,” your bottom, belly, thighs, and heels are all invited to roll (I say “toss”) from side to side.

We typically habitually use only a fraction of the options we have for breathing. One of the goals of studying the breath with the Feldenkrais Method is to free ourselves from habits and cultivate a more flexible, adaptive breath. Ideally our breathing is changing moment to moment always, in response to many factors: oxygen needs, position, movement, speech, our emotional landscape, etc.

This audio recording is found in Patrons Monthly, our growing collection of new lessons (one or more added every month) for Feldenkrais Project Patron-level donors.

It also appears in our Breathing with Vitality Deep Dive.

The first part of this lesson is available to all as Getting Oriented Lesson 7: Freeing Your Breath and Spine. Please share!

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1 Comments

  1. Lorraine on November 11, 2020 at 2:07 pm

    This was a great exploration of what is for me a very familiar lesson. It produced change and more understanding even though I kept falling into a sense of familiarity. Thank you for shaking up my complacency with small differences and the invitation to be observant!

    Reply

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