“Generalize Your Skills” (Patrons)

This lesson is #11 in Moshe Feldenkrais’s ATM book, where it’s awkwardly titled Becoming Aware of Parts of Which We Are Not Conscious with the Help of Those of Which We Are Conscious

Front-lying. Become more skillful in everyday and high-performance actions by expanding your perception of the diagonals of the back of your body, with the help of an imaginary ball gradually rolling over you. Begins with a 5-minute talk about principles at work in this lesson.

More Challenging  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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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!

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Tip 4 – Padding

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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 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 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 – 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.

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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

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  • Comfort & Configuration
  • Clarifications
  • Curiosities
  • Context
  • Related Lessons
  • Source

This lesson is recommended for Felden-fans who are able to rest comfortably in front-lying, and the recording begins with some ideas for props you might find useful.

If you struggle with front-lying, perhaps try first The Power of Prone. It’s our best “intro” for folks not yet at ease in this configuration.

To the best of your ability the imaginary metal ball always rolls smoothly and gradually. If you have the sense that it rolls off you, gets stuck, or your imagination gets fuzzy, simply place the ball somewhere on your body where you can more clearly conjure its perceived location and weight, then continue.

There’s an interesting post-lesson discussion with the students who were present. We talk about diagonals, movements of the eyes, adapting the lesson and listening to yourself, scoliosis and asymmetries, and more.

Patrons: for the full event recording, or to jump to the discussion, click here (audio and video options).

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 was recorded during our Patrons Quarterly video call on April 14, 2022, but we recommend studying from the audio version above since it’s been edited for better sound quality, flow, and clarity.

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. Members and Patrons can access more information on other sources I used, and changes I made.

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6 Comments

  1. Ileana Vogelaar on May 26, 2022 at 4:57 pm

    Advanced awareness lesson.

    I had to have my ball roll in a wooden open tunnel Ball was wooden too..So I ca feel more the trajectory.

    Too bad my week hammy cramped badly on the last version. Old dehydrated body..

    Thank you Nick, for this great lesson.

    Reply
  2. Tara Mahapatra on June 7, 2022 at 9:11 am

    This lesson is very very interesting- the most challenging lesson for me so far, and the most surprising and rewarding.

    It took some practice to imagine the ball- it seemed more difficult than normally. An uncharted territory back there. The hint with the finger pressing first for every new line was helpful, then the ball could follow. The caterpillar-image was also very helpful. Unable to grasp it at first, it seemed like a miracle, when suddenly these subtle moves for helping the ball roll produced a wave-sensation flowing through the entire body – very pleasant. Lying on the back again, it felt like a new kind of spacious, thick, active, alive, and conscious back – a stable base. Walking after the lesson I could still feel the waves, moving upwards and downwards along the diagonals from the center point. Fascinating. I’m looking forward to repeating this lesson.

    Thank you, Nick, for preparing these unusual lessons from Moshe’s book for us.

    Reply
    • Nick Strauss-Klein on June 9, 2022 at 3:37 pm

      Thanks for your detailed description. I think it’s good for others to hear about the challenge and the rewards. It is a demanding lesson but I really resonate with a lot of what you experience. I hope you and many others experience this one many times!

      Reply
  3. Jody Dixon on April 3, 2023 at 11:46 am

    Absolutely amazing lesson.

    Reply
  4. Anna Lovenjoy on September 20, 2024 at 10:09 am

    I loved this lesson. I could feel the fingers pressing into me and imagining the touch was so real. And the image of the chrome ball bearing, so heavy and smooth, rolling over me was very soothing. I could feel it so clearly. It was interesting how some parts of the body were almost blank spots as I rolled over them. The hardest part for me was imagining the connection of the line between the shoulder blade and butt. Perhaps because it isn’t in line with the lines of the arm and leg and it is also a bit bumpy. But when I took the time to really picture those areas I could bring them into awareness. Doing the rocking motion reminded me of a couple of pilates floor exercises. I also felt resonance when you mentioned that we generally have a better picture of our fronts than our backs. So true! However, because I have experienced scoliosis for many years of my life, and I tend to notice pain spots vs comfortable spots, that experience has really honed my skill of having a felt sense of my back–but I am only familiar with the parts that were generally experiencing pain. I find that there needs to be some sort of stimulation for my attention to be drawn to and explore an area.

    Reply
  5. Siobhan Hannah on September 21, 2024 at 9:23 am

    Quite challenging for me .- I fell asleep and then became confused about the direction of my head when moving the ball from left arm to right leg. The second diagonal was easier for me.
    When I stood up at the end , while walking, I felt both diagonals on the back to be curved. . The ones on the front felt straighter . I feel better front to back balance now though. I’m less tipped forward . 🙏

    Reply

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