Side-Bending with Listening Hands, Connecting Legs and Head (Patrons)

Side-lying. Using your own soft, listening hands to help integrate your head, hips, and legs with an increased awareness and suppleness of your ribs.

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 5 – Discomfort

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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 – 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 – 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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Some people find more comfort and ease in side-lying side-bending lessons by putting a little soft support under their ribs, like a few folds of a towel, or using a softer mat than usual so their hips and shoulders rest comfortably.

Please improvise freely when you’re invited to place your floor-side hand on your ceiling-side ribs: you’ll need to figure out how to get under your ceiling-side arm, for example. You may also need to roll back a little to make room for your floor-side shoulder.

Side-lying, when prompted to “pull your head away from the ground” note that your head may be resting on your arm or other head support – I don’t mean the ground literally.

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

It can also be found in two Deep Dives: Better Balance and The Pelvic Floor: Less Is More.

“Last week’s class” is mentioned. It was a back-lying, side-bending lesson that resembled Bending Sideways.

Audio was captured during a live Zoom lesson called “Side-Bending with Listening Hands” on October 20, 2020, then edited for flow and clarity. This class was part of our Practicing Lovingkindness themed lessons.

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3 Comments

  1. Joe Reynolds on January 27, 2021 at 4:15 am

    Really enjoyed this one, and spotted some interesting parasitic tension with the listening hands which I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed

    • Joe Reynolds on January 27, 2021 at 4:19 am

      Did Spine Like a Chain, with a Bias next, which seemed closely related (hands on ribs, 2D vs 3D movement)

  2. Ileana Vogelaar on July 7, 2022 at 8:06 pm

    My achy hip and low back felt much better.
    It was interesting how a small heel and front foot move would resonate up to the head.

    Thank you very much.

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