AY531 Continuation

Source

• Alexander Yanai Vol 11
• Reel 34, Track 4, Lesson 1
• Duration of the recording: 34 minutes

Synopsis

• (Returning to AY 526 (on the side, caressing straight legs)): Lie on the side, bottom leg extended at 90 degrees in front and top leg bent behind, stroking the top of the extended bottom leg with the bottom hand; then with the top hand on the floor behind, also slide this hand down in the direction of the feet on the floor. Develop this with opening and closing the legs until you come up to sit opening the legs and sliding the hands down, and lie down again closing the legs, using your arms/elbows as appropriate.
• At a high level this lesson is about discovering your potential for how splits can become easier. [For me it was best explored in bed as I fell asleep]
  • Starting on your side you are to have the bottom leg forward and straight and top leg back and bent. Ultimately finding a way to sit up so gravity can support more potential for spreading your legs. Because the torso needs to participate there needs to be a softening or ease of the thoracic spine area.  He has you keep the head on the floor rolling forward, helping to reduce any engagement of the large muscles.  “no need to lift the head – Leave the head soft at the neck so it will roll on the floor however it wants.” 
  • The hand of the bottom arm wants to slide from thigh to knee while the straight leg –leg moves toward head [ not head to knee.]  Do so many movements that the entire body participates in this stupid movement without any power at all . . . just the movement that is easy to do . . . easy movements. The head [is] on the floor. Do not lift the head from the floor. Move the leg, not just the arm. The leg will come closer to the face. . . even more slowly. He eventually suggests to bring your top arm behind you so your bottom arm can slide toward front foot and left hand to left foot – head still on floor rolling .
  • You repeat moving legs apart and together and on other side
  • He then has you move to sitting with legs split – without biting your tongue but easily

Lesson Outline

• Lie on the right side. Extend the right leg in front at a straight angle to the body. . . Bend the left leg behind. Right hand on top of right thigh, sliding towards knee. Can use left hand to help. The challenge is to ‘not do’ or go really lazily.  Repeat other side
• Return to Right side  — same action at first – then allow left arm to move behind you and explore the floor until the hand can be directed towards left foot while right hand can go to R foot and alternate.  Repeat other side
• Return to Right side  — same action at first  left hand towards left foot and Right to Right – splitting legs apart.  – then rest in position.  Use left shoulder and head and find a way to sit up from this position and return. Repeat other side
• Return to Right side – same position but place your left hand on your left thigh –lift head off the floor so that left hand can become longer. AS you return bring legs closer together  — Help with right elbow and hand.  “And, of course, when you sit like this, you will see that the left leg, by itself, goes farther backward whether you want it to or not. In other words, the legs become wider so you do not need to work hard. By working hard, you can break them.” Repeat other side.

Focus of Moshe’s Teaching

• Although the action seems to be a strong and unusual one, he is particularly insistent on small, gentle, comfortable movements.
• The theme was discovering more potential for doing this impossible task for most of us of doing the splits. He gave more detailed suggestions as the lesson progressed so we could sit up and sense the action of legs moving apart.
  • Personally, when I took the initial instructions to bed with me and worked with it in my sleep  – it became possible!
  • Also – I did this cold. Previous lessons had similar positions of right leg in front, etc but this was definitely different and a nice challenge to be continued and played with #532.
  • I really liked the use of gravity along with softness to ease into the splits.
  • [submitted by Bonnie@feldenkraisinsarasota.com]

Related ATMs

• AY 526
• AY 529
• AY530 Crossing knees to sit. (Page 3607)
• AY532 Continuation to sitting. (Page 3619)
• See Rolling to Sit Theme
• Tag Sliding-hand-on-leg
• Tag Coming-to-sit

Scissoring legs on the floor:

• Amherst 2 – Week 6 – 07/15/81 PM2 Beginning of Scissoring Legs on Floor / Jumping Hurdles
• Amherst 2 – Week 6 – 07/16/81 AM Scissoring legs on floor / Jumping Hurdles
• AY073 Twisting the pelvis relative to the shoulders
• AY075 Twisting the shoulders relative to the pelvis.
• AY474 With the help of the limbs in the air, rolling to get up
• AY475 Midway exercise to the previous one
• AY532 Continuation to sitting

Resources

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