Lessons from "Awareness Through Movement"

58m

What Is Good Posture? (Patrons)

Standing, chair-seated, and transitioning between. Experience for yourself Moshe Feldenkrais's three-part answer to his lesson title: 1) Good posture is synonymous with the greatest potential for action. 2) Whether we're standing, sitting, or anywhere in between, in good posture our bones (not our muscles) must continuously counteract gravity, leaving our musculature free for action. 3) Posture improves spontaneously when we eliminate superfluous efforts in the sit-stand-sit transition, as we become more sensitive to the physics and neurology of that function. A 5-minute talk begins the recording. Demonstrations and principles are in the Clarifications and Curiosities tabs.
20m

Talk: What Action Is Good?

This is the only one of the 12 lessons in Moshe Feldenkrais’s seminal book Awareness Through Movement that's a lecture, not a movement lesson. As Nick summarizes and explains it, you’ll learn about continual refinement, “reversible” action, finding ease in strenuous actions, sensing skeletal mechanics and shearing forces, proportional use of musculature, the effects of self-limiting labels, and what Nick calls the “positive snowball effect” of longterm Feldenkrais study.
64m

Some Fundamental Properties of Movement (Patrons)

Lying on the back and later on the front with the limbs in a large letter X shape, learning to lengthen and lift the limbs by organizing from the torso, discovering a pressing foundation, and inhibiting unnecessary shortening and tightening responses related to anticipated difficulty.
66m

Differentiation of Parts and Functions in Breathing (Patrons)

Various positions, about half back-lying. Paradoxical (“seesaw”) breathing experiments designed to help you differentiate the various mechanisms of breathing, and to learn a fuller, more adaptable use of the diaphragm and ALL the ribs and surfaces of the torso.
60m

Coordination of the Flexor Muscles and of the Extensors (Patrons)

Lying on the back, knees bent, one or both feet standing, variations on tilting crossed legs and "triangle" arms/shoulders in order to twist and untwist the torso, learning more awareness, control, and coordination of the major flexors (folding muscles) and extensors (arching muscles).
63m

Differentiation of Pelvic Movements by Means of an Imaginary Clock (Patrons)

Lying on the back, mostly knees bent, feet standing, using the image of a clock painted on the back of the pelvis as a guide for building awareness and refining control of the pelvis, and relating it to movements of the head.
59m

The Carriage of the Head Affects the State of the Musculature (Patrons)

Lying on the belly, knees bent, soles of feet oriented toward the ceiling, learning to tilt the feet to the side in order to integrate the pelvis, the length of the spine, and the ribs and shoulders with various configurations of the head and neck. Also, late in the lesson, discovering the potency of imagined movements.
64m

Perfecting the Self-Image (Patrons)

Seated, back-lying, and eventually transitioning between, all while holding one foot in two hands. This lesson clarifies how our attention and sensory motor imagination can be consciously harnessed to improve our self-image, options, and behavior, since – as Feldenkrais writes – "We act in accordance with our self-image."
54m

Spatial Relationships as a Means to Coordinated Action (Patrons)

Floor-seated, with back-lying rests. Guided asymmetrical attention and imagination tasks are applied to symmetrical movements, powerfully demonstrating your nervous system's ability to change and improve your body, movement, and awareness based simply on what you pay attention to. See the Curiosities tab for a post-lesson discussion.
64m

The Movement of the Eyes Organizes the Movement of the Body (Patrons)

Standing, then mostly side-sitting on the floor, with rests lying on the back. Discovering how improving the smooth tracking of the eyes in various turning motions can improve the whole self.
65m

“Generalize Your Skills” (Patrons)

Front-lying. Become more skillful in everyday and high-performance actions by expanding your perception of the diagonals of the back of your body, with the help of an imaginary ball gradually rolling over you. Begins with a 5-minute talk about principles at work in this lesson.
58m

Thinking and Breathing (Patrons)

Back-lying and seated, improving awareness and use of the whole breathing apparatus by directing attention to specific anatomy while experimenting with "stepped" breathing and different body configurations. Starts with an essential anatomy lesson that cultivates concepts and imagery used throughout the ATM lesson.