Spatial Relationships as a Means to Coordinated Action (Patrons)

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See the Curiosities tab for a fascinating post-lesson video/audio discussion. Don’t miss it – it’s one of my all-time favorite chats with ATM students. There’s so much rich discussion of what the method is, what we’re doing when we study, and more.

Floor-seated, with back-lying rests. Can be altered to chair-seated. Guided asymmetrical attention and imagination tasks are applied to symmetrical movements, leading to a powerful demonstration of your neuroplastic ability to change and improve perception and action based simply on what you pay attention to. Includes broader discussion of individuated vs. in-common patterns of human action.

Average Challenge   floor-sitting  chair-sitting 

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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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Study tip: Comfort first! Carpeted floors usually work well, but it’s great to have an extra mat or blanket nearby in case you need a softer surface in some configurations.

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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.

Tip 3 – Head Support

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Tip – Complete the Movement

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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.

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  • Comfort & Configuration
  • Clarifications
  • Curiosities
  • Context
  • Related Lessons
  • Source

The movements of this lesson are intended to be done in a particular position: floor-seated, knees apart (legs crossed or otherwise), supporting yourself in part with your hands behind you on the floor. Many or all of the lesson’s rests may be done lying down on your back.

Alterations: If floor-sitting or leaning on your hands is difficult, you could do this lesson seated toward the front of a simple, level, non-rolling chair. During the movement explorations it is important that your postural muscles are engaged: if you’re in a chair, please sit upright. Don’t lean back in the chair unless you’re resting. Or better yet for the rests: you could lie down on a bed if the transition from chair to floor is difficult.

The nose circles are clockwise until you hear a change. Each change of direction is made explicit, so if you’re not sure which way to go just use the most recent direction you remember.

This is a perfect lesson for reversing all the lefts and rights (and clockwise and counterclockwise circles) on a subsequent listening, on another day. Take your time and pause or rewind the recording as needed to clarify your intentions.

There’s a wonderful post-lesson discussion available to Patrons, recorded immediately after this audio was recorded, that unpacks the purpose and effects of this lesson. Participants wanted me to make sure others would hear it!

Patrons only. Login above for access to this Zoom discussion replay.

The full Moshe Feldenkrais quote I discussed at different times in the lesson and afterwards with participants:

You will now learn that conscious attention to the spatial relationships between moving limbs makes movement coordinated and flowing, and attentive systematic scanning of a part of the body can relax superfluous muscular tension there. Mechanical action does not teach us anything and will not improve ability. Common movements carried out in a different way most often indicate poor coordination, not superior individual ability. In fact, as movement improves it will approximate more closely than the usual movement carried out by most people.

Finally, for more reflections on spatialized attention, check out this Little Dip.

This lesson is one of 12 in Moshe Feldenkrais’s 1972 book Awareness Through Movement. The Feldenkrais Project has a collection of lessons from this source. It also has a great study context in our Little Dip called On Attention: Feldenkrais, Spatial Self-Imaging, and Open Focus.

It was recorded during our quarterly Patrons video call on January 27, 2022. We recommend studying from this audio version which has been edited for better sound quality, flow, and clarity.

Patrons can also view the unedited Zoom event recording here.

Members and Patrons. Learn more or login:

While taught in my own words, this lesson comes directly from Moshe Feldenkrais’s 1972 book Awareness Through Movement. Logged in donors can access more information on other sources I used, and changes I made:

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Got a question for Nick, or a thought about this lesson?

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6 Comments

  1. Nick Strauss-Klein on March 11, 2022 at 9:55 am

    Don’t miss the after-lesson discussion with Patrons who were present! It’s linked in the Curiosities tab.

    There are also some interesting written comments from Patrons who were on the Zoom. See them here.

    But please make your own comments below, right here on this permanent audio lesson page.

    Reply
  2. Lorraine on March 13, 2022 at 12:34 am

    Wow! And I thought learning to play drums was a challenge to my attention!

    Reply
    • Nick Strauss-Klein on March 14, 2022 at 3:47 pm

      I experience attention overload many times when I do this lesson. I have to rest from even imagining the movements sometimes! It’s remarkable how difficult some attentional tasks are. It also helps explain why they are so impactful for our nervous system and learning.

      Reply
  3. Lorraine on March 16, 2022 at 3:25 pm

    Difficult but so worth it

    Reply
  4. Hanneke De Witte on September 7, 2024 at 10:01 am

    Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever before needed tot take as many breaks as I did here. Very challenging.

    Reply
  5. Anna Lovenjoy on September 11, 2024 at 11:47 pm

    The painting on the head while circling the nose was the hardest part for me. I found that I fuzzed out quite a bit–especially on the horizontal lines and had a hard time with attention. I like the challenge of having attention in different places at the same time, and going to new and novel places on the face after doing the same places time and time again. It is all great somatic practice!

    Reply

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