Spine and Chest Side-Bending, Lengthening Limbs

Recorded live in a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) class, the lesson below is copyright Nick Strauss-Klein, for personal use only. All our audio lessons are ad-free and 100% donor-supported.

Before you begin read this for practical tips and your responsibilities, and check out Comfort & Configuration below. Click the other lesson note tabs if you’re curious.

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Framed by standing explorations of how we shift weight onto one foot, this mostly back-lying lesson (often one or both knees bent) is designed to free the torso and improve awareness, suppleness, and integration of lateral movements of the spine and chest in walking. Includes explorations of sensing and initiating movement from the spine.

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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!

Study tip: Many instructions are repeated. If you get a little lost, rest and listen. You’ll often find your way. If you need it, use the 10 seconds back button.

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!

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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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.

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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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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Comfort & Configuration
Clarifications
Curiosities
Context
Download
Source
Related Lessons

You’ll need your regular floor or mat setup for an Awareness Through Movement lesson, but this lesson begins in standing. Please have a chair nearby so that you can touch the back of it for balance if you need to, as described in the recording.

After listening, we’d love your feedback! Please consider replying to the specific question from Nick, below.

The movements in standing, described at the beginning and end of the lesson, are all in the frontal plane, meaning you move your hips and shift your weight sideways without turning your body. This is true even when I say something potentially misleading near the very beginning: “a slow small swing to the left.” I don’t mean to turn.

As always, “up” and “down” refer to you in your present orientation (even when lying down), so, when you’re asked to “lay your arm upward on the floor” or “sweep your arm up your mat, around overhead,” it means it will be on the floor, or travel along the floor in the direction of your head, like a child making a snow angel. Down the mat is toward your feet.

Late in the lesson, as you’re invited to slide your hand down your mat in search of your foot, if you find your hand easily reaching your foot you may simply slide past it.

Regarding the minute of discussion at the beginning, studies have shown that while we’re standing, at least 90% of our nervous system’s work is related to standing. Our brains (and habits) are wisely focused on us not falling over! This is the reason I mention that “our habits are more malleable when we’re not maintaining our balance.”

I used a classic Moshe Feldenkrais phrasing: “parasitic efforts.” By this he means the unintended efforts in an action which are unnecessary to it. When we become more aware of them we can learn to let them go, and act more efficiently, effectively, and pleasantly.

This lesson is found in our Miscellaneous Lessons collection. Like most of our lessons, it can be studied out of context. See the comments below for more context.

It also appears in two Deep Dive courses: Better Balance and Walking from Your Spine.

The week after this recording was made our class went on to incorporate ideas from this lesson into Walking with Your Sternum (Patrons-only), which is also in that second Deep Dive.

Members and Patrons. Please login or join the Project to download this lesson’s MP3 file.

Members and Patrons. Please login or join the Project to view Nick’s comments about sources he used while developing this lesson.

Members and Patrons. Please login or join the Project to view links and comments about related lessons.

Comfort & Configuration: You’ll need your regular floor or mat setup for an Awareness Through Movement lesson, but this lesson begins in standing. Please have a chair nearby so that you can touch the back of it for balance if you need to, as described in the recording.

After listening, we’d love your feedback! Please consider replying to the specific question from Nick, below.
Clarifications: The movements in standing, described at the beginning and end of the lesson, are all in the frontal plane, meaning you move your hips and shift your weight sideways without turning your body. This is true even when I say something potentially misleading near the very beginning: “a slow small swing to the left.” I don’t mean to turn.

As always, “up” and “down” refer to you in your present orientation (even when lying down), so, when you’re asked to “lay your arm upward on the floor” or “sweep your arm up your mat, around overhead,” it means it will be on the floor, or travel along the floor in the direction of your head, like a child making a snow angel. Down the mat is toward your feet.

Late in the lesson, as you’re invited to slide your hand down your mat in search of your foot, if you find your hand easily reaching your foot you may simply slide past it.
Curiosities: Regarding the minute of discussion at the beginning, studies have shown that while we’re standing, at least 90% of our nervous system’s work is related to standing. Our brains (and habits) are wisely focused on us not falling over! This is the reason I mention that “our habits are more malleable when we’re not maintaining our balance.”

I used a classic Moshe Feldenkrais phrasing: “parasitic efforts.” By this he means the unintended efforts in an action which are unnecessary to it. When we become more aware of them we can learn to let them go, and act more efficiently, effectively, and pleasantly.
Context: This lesson is found in our Miscellaneous Lessons collection. Like most of our lessons, it can be studied out of context. See the comments below for more context.

It also appears in two Deep Dive courses: Better Balance and Walking from Your Spine.

The week after this recording was made our class went on to incorporate ideas from this lesson into Walking with Your Sternum (Patrons-only), which is also in that second Deep Dive.
Download: Members and Patrons. Please login or join the Project to download this lesson’s MP3 file.
Source: Members and Patrons. Please login or join the Project to view Nick’s comments about sources he used while developing this lesson.
Related Lessons: Members and Patrons. Please login or join the Project to view links and comments about related lessons.

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13 Comments. Leave new

Nick Strauss-Klein
June 20, 2019 4:43 pm

This lesson is an alternate teaching of an older Feldenkrais Project lesson called Bending Sideways, from our Freeing the Spine, Chest, Shoulders, and Neck collection. I’m considering replacing the older one with this one, if listeners like it. I’d love your feedback about which version of this lesson you prefer!

Reply
Julie
June 27, 2019 3:31 pm

Nick: In response to your comment above, I haven’t made my way to the Bending Sideways lesson but I really like this one. I clearly sensed the connection between my hip bones and cervical spine (which is arthritic) and found it easier to turn my neck more fully left and right after the lesson by using more of my spine and skeleton. This has great implications for merging left while driving a car. In fact, I’m practicing in my chair right now: “Shorten my left hip, push on my right heel, twist from my right hip, slide the rib basket and shoulder blades.” Thank you!

Reply
ren renren
July 11, 2019 9:36 am

I don’t exactly remember all the parts of the other version, but i really liked the standing intro and ending of the lesson.

Reply
- Nick Strauss-Klein
  July 15, 2019 1:03 pm
  
  Great. The other one has a different version of the standing frame for the lying down lesson. If you try it sometime, let me know how you like it!
  
  Reply
Sue D
September 18, 2019 1:54 am

Hi Nick, I am delighted with this lesson and am enjoying bending sideways too. So both are good for me! I had been having trouble with side bending in the side lying position, my side ribs don’t like being called into action to support but they’re getting the idea now. I wonder if you have a lesson leading into side to side rolling which builds on these lessons? Thanks very much for your excellent project.

Reply
- Nick Strauss-Klein
  September 18, 2019 10:11 am
  
  Glad to hear you’re enjoying the Feldenkrais Project! Members and Patrons can see Related Lessons, in the blue tabs above, which has lessons directly related to your question. Please consider joining the Project!
  
  There’s also some nice inclusion of side-lying, limbs-calling-on-ribs, in Connecting Shoulders and Hips, Parts 1 & 2, in our Learning the Limbs, from the Center collection.
  
  Thanks to your comment I’ve added these lessons to our to our Related Lessons tab. Your question has improved this study resource!
  
  Reply
Mila
July 11, 2020 11:52 pm

Nick, I haven’t done the Bending Sideways lesson, but will do that to compare and leave feedback. Some comments on this lesson: 1) I loved visualizing the bend initiated by one side of the spine, and moving from there. I’ve never thought of/experienced bending that way, and I think it added fluidity to my movement. 2) I had a lot of difficulty understanding the instructions while standing, both before and after the lesson. Still, it was a wonderful lesson, I did it to ease my back after a spell of gardening, and it sure brought relief and ease. Thank you, Nick.

Reply
Lorraine
October 4, 2020 5:26 pm

I did both lessons in two days. I did bending sideways first and then this lesson.
I had done lessons similar to the Bending Sideways before but still found it challenging. I made many changes during this lesson and found it really made me aware of what I was doing in walking.
Later the same day I did about half of this , Spine Bending lesson. I finished it the next morning. When I began the second half of the lesson I began in standing and tested shifting my weight from one foot to the other. The movement had become really clear and without effort, either physically or in my thinking.
I really got great benefits from both and would like access to both. They complemented each other very well.

Reply
- Nick Strauss-Klein
  October 5, 2020 10:57 am
  
  Thanks for this feedback! I’ve received a few similar emails but I’m glad for your public comment so others can see. I’ll be keeping both lessons, and recommending them together!
  
  Reply
  - Lorraine
    October 5, 2020 3:16 pm
    
    This is a great way to present two wonderful lessons.
    
    Reply
Muriel Soriano
March 22, 2021 4:36 pm

That was great Nick! my “central body” feels so much freer to move and breath! thank you!

Reply
Jean-Pierre J Dagenais
October 15, 2022 9:25 am

I have been doing Feldenkrais lessons for about a year, with very good results.
Is it advisable to do strength exercises, such as lifting weights, or is it preferable to abstain from such activities when following a Feldenkrais program.

Reply
- Nick Strauss-Klein
  October 16, 2022 10:11 am
  
  Just be sure to put a few hours between your ATM studies and weight lifting, both before and after the ATM. This allows you to be sensitive enough to maximize benefits of ATM study (heavier efforts make us less sensitive). Strength training, while paying attention with a focus on the “how” of the movement (just like in ATM lessons) is great if it works for you, especially free weights or moving your own bodyweight: pushups, pull-ups, TRX kinds of things. I’m not a fan of machines for strength training. They decide your mechanics for you, and there’s not enough variability in the repetitions.
  
  Reply