AY513 Reptiles

Source

• Alexander Yanai Vol 11 (501-550)
• Reel 33, Track 3, Lesson 4
  
• Duration: 38 minutes

Synopsis

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Lesson Outline

1. Lie on your stomach.

• • Turn your pelvis so that your right leg bends on the floor…your right knee.
  • Now do the other leg; turn your pelvis so that your left leg bends on the floor…your left knee.
  • Turn your head with the movement and alternate sides.
  • Make the movement faster, more simply, more easily.
  • REST

2. Place your head on your hands comfortably.

• • Try to bend both knees at the same time…straight in the middle…slowly.
  • Your pelvis lifts from the floor.
  • Your legs are completely together as you bend and draw your knees as your lift your behind.
  • REST on your back.

3. Lie on your stomach as before; place both hands on either side of the head, slightly ahead of you.

• • Lift the head and shoulders and pull your body to the hands.
  • Lift the hands, extending them forward on the floor.
  • Again, pull your body to the hands; “crawling” forward with lifting the behind.
  • Do this several times.
  • Notice that your pelvis lifts a bit and you help a bit with the legs.
  • Turn your head to the other side and crawl back to where you started.
  • Now help with both feet.
  • Push with (the pads) of your toes and pull with the arms, extending your feet behind you.
  • REST on your back.

4. Sit in some manner and place your hands forward.

• • Begin pulling the body forward to your hands while sitting.
  • Both knees are bent on the floor.
  • Drag the body toward the hands a number of times.
  • If the right knee was in front of the left, change over and try it with the left knee in front.
  • Explore all sorts of movement like this.
  • LEAVE it, stand up and notice your walking now.

5. Lie on your stomach and again try to crawl pulling the body and legs on the floor, bending the knees underneath the body.
6. Now try to crawl on the floor moving the right arm and right leg forward, the left arm and left leg forward…like a lizard with the head remaining in the middle.

• • REST

7. Stand on the hands and knees (all fours) and try to do the same thing.

• • Try to lift the right arm and right leg at the same time and touch them to the floor at the same time.
  • Now try to lift the left arm and left leg at the same time and touch them to the floor at the same time.
  • Crawl forward by advancing one side and then the other.
  • Notice that the timing is not exact, as you begin to separate the arm from the knee and the opposite arm and knee.
  • REST

8. Try to crawl on the floor now.

• • Alternate moving the right arm, then left leg, left arm and right leg.
  • (It is something like walking).
  • Continue several times paying attention to timing…like a dance.
  • Pay attention to the connection between arms and legs.
  • Bring the right foot and left hand to the floor at the same time.
  • (Notice the slight lag between the arm and the leg).
  • Now try the “older” movement of moving the arms first (together) and then the knees.
  • Place both arms forward.
  • Drag both knees to the arms.
  • Continue like this.
  • Try it with the knees spread.
  • The knees come on either side of the hands.
  • Now drag the knees so that they come forward between the hands.

9. Stand up; try walking and notice the connection between arms and legs while walking.

Focus of the teaching

• Feldenkrais lectures during RESTs on the phylogeny of walking and the progressive stages of development from reptilian-like to familiar alternation of arm and opposite leg.

Related ATMs

• AY501. Introduction to walking. (Page 3411)
• AY502. Walking and crawling. (Page 3419)
• AY503. Hopping and arms. (Page 3427)
• AY504. Continuation and return. (Page 3435)
• AY505. Continuation. (Page 3443)
• AY510. Knees – righting. (Page 3475)
• AY512. Fish swimming. (Page 3487)

• Tag Fast-movements
• Tag Crawling
• Tag On-hands-and-knees
• Tag Lecture
• Tag Gait

 

Reptiles:

• Amherst 2 – Week 7 – 07/21/81 PM1 Demonstration and Discussion—Crawling like a Baby / Baby Crawls on Back (Includes Baby Learning to Lift its Head)
• AY502 Walking and crawling
• AY512 Fish swimming
• Berkeley 1973 – 3. Extension 6/19 AM

Drawing knees under stomach, prone:

• AY294 On the stomach, to lean on the palms of the hands and twist the shoulders
• AY445 Back and neck
• AY516 Arms and legs spread

 

Resources

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Share Your Insights (ideas, principles, strategies, experiences, …)

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• This lesson begins by exploring forward and backward crawling on the floor using arms together and legs together. It then explores the pairing of arm and leg on the same sides and finally reciprocal or alternate progression of a single arm with the opposite leg in walking.  (R. Renz)

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