Side Clock: Hips (42m, Patrons)

Side-lying. Uses the image of a clock face on your mat to explore precise movement coordination, developing freedom and skill in the hips, lower back, chest, and more, with nudges toward improvisation. This lesson can be studied on its own, but you may enjoy the learning challenge of, over a couple of days, exploring Side Clock: Shoulders (and Intro to Hip) first, then experimenting with your own improvisations as recommended in that lesson, THEN going on to this lesson.

Average Challenge   side-lying 

42m
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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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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 – Complete the Movement

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Tip – LESSS is more

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Tip 4 – Padding

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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 was presented in a standalone live class, but for more context – or if you find it difficult to stay comfortable – try Side Clock: Shoulders (and Intro to Hip) first.

When you’re encouraged to roll your hips backward while lying on your side, it’s not intended that you actively lift the top knee away from the bottom knee. It may lift a little if it does so passively, not with efforts of the leg muscles.

Around ten minutes into the lesson when you’re lying on your right side and you’re asked to “reach down with your left hand and hook the front of your left knee,” your palm rests simply on the left side of the left knee. The fingers reach around the front, below the kneecap.

In the spirit of offering learning options and encouraging your ATM improvisation skills, this lesson purposely uses quite different variations for the two sides. You can create your own additional variations, too! On subsequent listenings you may enjoy any or all of these possibilities:

  • Reverse lefts and rights when I say which side to lie on
  • Try the other side first when I give the choice
  • Pause the recording and play with remembered variations from the other side (for example the “hand-on-the-knee / hand-between-the-knees” can be explored on the other side)
  • Experiments that are entirely your own

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

It also appears in our Pelvic Clock “Primer”.

It was recorded during the Patrons Year in Review + ATM Zoom Event on January 7, 2021. Patrons can view the update and after-lesson discussion here.

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1 Comments

  1. Michael Keenan on January 30, 2021 at 5:25 pm

    My clock curves at 3 & 9, like a Pringle chip…something fun to play with! Thank you.

    Reply

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