This talk segues directly into a visual demonstration and lesson 2 of the Long Belly, Strong Back workshop.

Click here for both

The difference between lifting/lengthening yourself away from your standing foot rather than simply pressing it into the ground is explored in our Lifting Up and Through lesson and our Grounding for Liftoff course.

The reason why lengthening the abdomen makes it easier to turn (a question I dodged due to time constraints) has to do with how shortening it and flexing the spine has a biological function of protection, getting down, getting smaller, limiting our world of action. Allowing the abdomen to lengthen, by contrast, sends us in the direction of extension and lengthening the spine, enabling freer rotation of the vertebrae and more efficient use of the twisting muscles of our torsos and hips.

The relationship between spinal rotation and length is discussed in a slightly different way in my talk called The Why and How of Growing Taller (6m).

The Long Belly, Strong Back workshop includes

• Lesson 1: Long Belly, Strong Back (Patrons)
• Discussion 1 (this recording)
• Lesson 2: Head Under the Gap (Patrons, 32m)
• Discussion 2 (7m)

All four workshop tracks appear in our Action Heroes Deep Dive.

This workshop was recorded in the global online Feldenkrais Festival on Nov 14, 2024.