Source
- Alexander Yanai Vol 6 (251-300)
- Reel 20, Track 4, Lesson 3 (According to the german edition this source does not exist. Track 4 ends with Lesson 2. On Reel 20 no Lesson with this title was found.)
Synopsis
- AY 299 explores the integration of paradoxical breathing with whole-body movement and balance, progressing from supine through kneeling to standing positions. The lesson develops the ability to maintain specific breathing patterns while performing increasingly complex movements, culminating in single-leg balance with head movements.
Lesson Outline
- Sections 1-2: Begin supine with feet standing, placing fingers under the belly button. Push the stomach out while exhaling to lift the fingers. Add variations with chin movements, knees together/apart, and feet forward/back while maintaining the breathing pattern. Explore how small movements of elbows, chest, face, and eyes affect breathing tension.
- Section 3: Roll to standing while keeping hands on stomach. Sway like a tree in the wind, forward/backward and side to side. Progress to shifting weight between feet until one foot lifts, maintaining the established breathing pattern.
- Section 4: Come to kneeling with fingers pointing backward. Continue the tree-like swaying, pivoting at the knees. Add variations of weight shifts between knees, shoulder rotations, and lifting one leg to balance on a single knee.
- Section 7: Return to supine and practice transitioning to standing while maintaining the breathing pattern and hand position on the stomach.
- Section 8: In half-kneeling (one foot forward), place one hand under belly button and other on head. Pull head to side while maintaining breathing awareness. Alternate sides and experiment with different hand positions and knee configurations.
- Sections 9-12: In standing, progress through increasingly complex balance challenges: shifting weight to single leg, adding head movements, looking in various directions, and coordinating arm movements with leg lifts. Conclude with head turning while alternately lifting heels.
Focus of the teaching
- Dr. Feldenkrais emphasizes that this is “training of the ability and not of the will.” He warns against forcing movements despite discomfort, stating “whoever behaves like this must suffer in his body his whole life.” He notes that the movements “go directly to the brain, not to the muscles,” highlighting the lesson’s focus on neural organization rather than muscular effort.
Related ATMs
- Theme Breathing
- Tag Shifting-weight-standing
- Tag Lifting-heel
- Tag In-standing
- Tag Standing-on-one-leg
- Tag Standing
Tanden, Hara, Dantian:
- AY351 Swinging the legs on the side
- AY352 Twist like in a -0 -with differentiation
- AY359 Tanden with bending the knees
- AY460 Separation in lying with Saika
- SF2 – Week 06 – 20 July 1976: Five Winds Kata continued
- SF2 – Week 09 – 09 August 1976: Rolling Like a Baby
- SF2 – Week 09 – 10 August 1976: Five Winds Kata, continued from Weeks 6-7
- Tanden, Hara, Dantian
Resources
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