Long Belly, Long Back, Psoas to Lengthen and Lighten a Leg (Patrons)

Works well as a standalone lesson for experienced Felden-fans. Newer students benefit from doing Long Belly, Strong Back (short or full-length) first. A great companion lesson is Psoas to Improve Walking (Patrons).

Lengthen your abdomen, spine, and legs through specific coordinated engagement of the hip flexors and waist, and discover easier upright posture and lighter, more powerful legs for walking and running. Along the way you'll integrate your scapulas and ribs, and explore new options for your spine and the carriage of your head.

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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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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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.

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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.

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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 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.

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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!

We offer over 50 free lessons, but this one's just for Patrons. You can learn about it in the free lesson notes and comments below. To access the audio, join The FP at the Patron level. Learn more

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Mentioned in the recording but worth repeating: Be kind to yourself! If you’re holding your breath, straining your lower back, or finding any increasing unpleasantness with the movements of this lesson, stop what you’re doing. Use these signals as a prompt for more rests and creativity, and doing less.

When you project your heel with a lengthening leg, it’s not necessary to flex the ankle much, if at all. Just think of lengthening through the heel.

It can be helpful for your learning to reverse lefts and rights on a subsequent listening. You might also experiment with laying your arms loosely up the floor (comfortably wide from your head so they feel restful) as you explore.

In walking before and after the lesson, notice if there’s a change in the subtle movements of your low back and head that accompany your natural gait.

This lesson is found in Patron Treasures, our collection of lessons exclusively for Feldenkrais Project Patron-level donors.

It was recorded in The FP Weekly Pay-What-You-Can Class on November 25, 2025, then edited to improve flow, clarity, and audio quality.

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1 Comments

  1. Sara on December 20, 2025 at 2:17 pm

    Tangible sense of open connection through my hips and legs that made walking after this session feel wonderful. Thank you for the new dive.

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