AY043 Lifting the pelvis on standing feet

Source

• Alexander Yanai Vol 1 AY43
• Reel 4, Track 1, Lesson 1

Synopsis

• Coordinating the lifting of pelvis and head towards coming to sit.
• Experimenting with different strategies for lifting the pelvis while supine. Organizing the legs, head and spine to support movement of the pelvis

Lesson Outline

1. Sitting with crossed legs, first lift one foot towards the body with hand under heel, then the other foot, softening head and torso to bring foot closer.
2. Supine, stand feet. Interlace hands behind head and lift and lower head, noticing movement of vertebrae.
   • Lift head again, and keeping head lifted, lift and lower pelvis.
3. Feet standing, cross R leg over L, lift and lower pelvis.
   • Add lifting hands towards ceiling and pulling L hand to R with R hand, then R hand to L with L hand.
   • Notice effect on shoulders, and on balance with pelvis lifted – “Listen to your back and hear the path of movement”.
4. Feet standing, cross L leg over R, lift pelvis, notice path of movement. Lift hands towards ceiling and pull R hand to L with L hand, then L hand to R with R hand.
5. Keep legs as above, interlace hands non-habitually behind head, lift head, lift and lower pelvis.
   • Notice how vertebrae return to the floor with head lifted.
6. Stand L foot, R leg long. Lift and lower pelvis.
   • “You want the movement to be diagonal…You want movement in your lower lumbar vertebrae, that area where most people have no movement, those disks are often damaged because they lack the ability to move symmetrically”
7. Change sides – R foot standing. L leg long, lift and lower pelvis.
8. Stand both feet, see how lifting pelvis is now.
   • Lift head, lift pelvis, see how this is now.
9. Stand both feet, raise R leg towards ceiling, raise pelvis:
   • Move R leg like pendulum across from L to R and back.
   • Move R leg like pendulum towards head and then towards feet.
   • “Your hip must move your leg. Your right hip moves up and pushes your leg.  Try to move your right hip so it goes up and down…The majority of you are moving your right leg without any movement in your hip.  That means there isn’t any movement in your spine.”
10. Change sides – L leg raised toward ceiling, raise pelvis, move L and R and up and down.
11. Feet standing, lift and lower pelvis.
    • Hands behind head, lift and lower head in concert with pelvis to create ‘swing’ movement – head up, pelvis down, pelvis up, head goes down.
    • “Let the point of leaning against the floor travel up and down.”
12. Feet standing, lift pelvis, use hands on hips to translate pelvis L and R, keeping pelvis level.
13. Feet standing, lift pelvis, use hands to lift first R hip 5 times, then L hip 5 times.
14. Feet standing, raise pelvis and see how it raises now.

Focus of teaching

• Relationship of spinal movement to pelvis.

Focus of Moshe’s Teaching

• Diagonal differentiation of lower back/shoulders
• Differentiation of hip joint/pelvis
• Connection head/pelvis

Related ATMs

• Tag Lifting-feet-with-hands-sitting
• Tag Abdominal-muscles
• Tag Lower-back-and-pelvis
• Tag Lifting-head-supine
• Tag Lifting-pelvis

Translating the pelvis, supine:

• AY038 Head and back (distinctions in turns)
• AY230 Self hug the arms rolling the upper and lower girdle, on the back and abdomen
• AY547 Distinguishing movement lying on the back
• SF3 – Day 11/B – 29 June 1977 – Spinal chain resumed

Translation of the pelvis:

• Amherst 1 – Week 3 – 06/26/80 – Stability experience
• Amherst 2 – Week 7 – 07/21/81 AM Supine Rotating Around Feet, Pelvis and Neck / Baby Crawls on Back
• AY038 Head and back (distinctions in turns)
• AY203 Gluing in the lungs, #3
• AY547 Distinguishing movement lying on the back
• MM09 Head Through the Gate
• SF3 – Day 11/B – 29 June 1977 – Spinal chain resumed

Resources

• Alfons doing  a quick overview

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

• Experience: after the lesson I feel super limber in my lower back, hip joints, I am much more relaxed on the floor on my buttocks
• Experience: I feel the connection when I push against the floor with e.g. my left leg, I can feel the pressure on my right shoulder, how it is distributed throughout my body, that I can lift my left shoulder more easily than the right one, because it is free
• I’ve seen an interesting video from FP Charlie Murdoch on youtube, where he shows an exercise to help fix the “Lower Crossed Syndrom”. This exercise contains some elements of this lesson AY43. – travelsheep Jun 5, 2012

Disclaimer: This site is for sharing information about Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® lessons. The information included on this site is for educational purposes only. Nothing on Feldy Notebook should be construed as an attempt to offer medical advice or treatment.
All contributions to this website are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License. Do not add any copyrighted information to this website. Feldy Notebook is sponsored by Kinetic Inquiry.