The Hip Joints: Moving Proximal Around Distal
Back-lying, knees bent, feet standing, often one leg resting out to the side on a pillow. Learning to move the whole self (proximal) in relationship to a quietly resting limb (distal), often using pelvic clock movements. This reversal of the typical image we have of moving a limb creates a novel learning environment within the self, with benefits for the legs, hips, back, and our overall organization. Sitting on the floor at the beginning and end of the lesson is used to help identify some of the changes that take place.
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What a wonderful lesson! So interesting moving the pelvis in so many directions around the head of the femur. Having one leg totally relaxed helped a lot! One aspect that I added for myself, that I found helpful, was having a smooth belly or even bringing the belly forward in certain positions.
Thank you very much for this lesson!
Stephanie
Great ending to a long walk. Feel a loosening if my hips.
Noticed new ATM the second time around.
Thank you, Nick!
I think this is a terrific ATM. I’ve done it twice now, each time I get something new. Thank you very much, Nick! Blessings, Lauri
Fantastic. Never had a smoother easier pelvic clock- at the end. A keeper
I have been dealing with the impact of double frozen shoulder for over a year now. I have been doing various kinds of Feldenkrais and myofascial release, all of which helped tremendously. However, there was a particular range of motion I could never regain, no matter what I seem to do. Two days after this lesson, something just changed, and a huge chunk of range returned to me. I am almost completely back to normal, and I know if I just keep exploring this beautiful site, I will extend the experience of my body and being beyond what I call “normal.”
Thank you for recommending this lesson. It does indeed help with my unstable left hip and thigh. I will keep this lesson as a favorite.
I have done years and years of awareness through movement lessons including a lot of pelvic clock lessons. This lesson got me to feel the pelvis much more accurately and smoothly than any other. I was also very stiff at the start of lesson and now feeling so much looser, can feel movement of pelvis and shoulder has created a nice integration of all the rest of my body as a nice rolling ball, well oiled, moving so easily.
Thank you Nick!
This was a perfect class for my unbalanced pelvis and back pains. Thank you so much. Will definitely come back to it.
Wonderful lesson!
It allowed me to feel details and differences between my comfortable hip joint and the one “with history” with surprising clarity.
Having the leg supported brought a sensation of safety that allowed me to identify and let go of a lot of involuntary muscle work around the joint I had no idea was happening.
That sensation of feeling the weight of the femurs dangling from the hip joints ridden of all the tensions when standing afterwards is priceless, I’ll definitely have to investigate and play with this lesson some more… new favorite!
Thank you!!
Feels great in my hips now after the class. Thank you. ????
I use Feldenkrais to recover from desk work which I notice stiffens my outward hip mobility, so this is going to be a ‘go-to’ session. Very soothing too.
I thought I ‘knew’ my hip joints through yoga and whatnot. But discovering the hip joint from the inside face – by moving proximal around distal – was utterly novel. And fascinating. It’s a lovely sensation to feel the movement of the femoral head – from the acetabulum’s point of view. I was keenly aware of the difference between each joint, and found out what a parasitic movement is. Going to make this one a regular. Thank you, Nick!
Glad to hear it. It’s a good one for many folks to return to, and one of the lessons I recommend most frequently. Our hip joints are engineering marvels, but so often we’re barely using a fraction of what they can do!
Excellent ! Thanks
My first Feldenkrais lesson was yesterday on your website. My second was today. I am so grateful for the kindness and allowing with this work. You are a wonderful companion to have through the movements. It brought me such great relief and an almost immediate new perspective. I’ve been a massage therapist for 20 years and I can’t believe I didn’t know about ATM! This changes everything. MY BODY feels whole and soaked every second up. I have been in a deep burnout due to grief and life experiences. I’ve been struggling to find movement that doesn’t deplete me in this time of my life- with a lot of shoulds and guilt mixed in. I can actually do this in the evening and morning without feeling like I abused myself. I have been in too much physical pain to do other forms of movement except walking. I am so grateful. It’s the best kind of intelligence- the kind with heart.
Welcome to Feldenkrais! This is so wonderful to read – it’s why our donors and I do what we do, and I look forward to sharing it with some of them in our upcoming quarterly Patrons Zoom! You are hearing loud and clear our message of being kind to yourself. Kindness – along with honest curiosity about your moment-to-moment experience in the lessons – are the two most powerful agents of change and healing in this work.
It’s great that you plan to study so much, just remember to rest whenever you feel the urge to rest: in lessons (you can always pause playback), between lessons, and even from routines of doing lessons regularly. As you change and improve you may find that some days you just want to process, not study more.
Be sure to work through all of our Getting Oriented talks and lessons.