AY380 Pillows and swings

Source

• Alexander Yanai Vol 8 #380
• Reel 25, Track 1, Lesson 1
• Duration of the recording: 41 minutes

Synopsis

1-3 sentences.

Lesson Outline

1. Roll onto your R side and make yourself comfortable. Bend your knees, with your 2 knees and 2 feet on top of each other.
2. Bring attention to the pads at the bottom of your L foot. Trace around the L heel with awareness. Then use your fingers and trace around the heel, then upthe side of the outside of the foot, from the little toe and back down. Rest.
3. With an imaginary paintbrush, paint around each toe. Then touch with your fingers. Rest.
4. With your mind’s eye, trace the 5 pillows and see if it’s easier now that you’ve touched them.
5. With your mind’s eye, make a circle around the heel, down the outside of the foot, circling each toe, then around the ball and back to the outside of the foot to trace down the other side of the pillow. You’re making a sketch– tracing the outer edge of all pillows and the inside of the arch.
6. Lie on your back and compare the feeling of the two feet. Does it travel up your leg into the back? Do you feel it globally or just locally?
7. Roll again onto the same side. Take the left leg out in front of you and bring it down again. Swing it. Can you sense the pillows on the foot as you move the leg like this?
8. Take the leg in front and hold it there. Bend and straighten just the ankle. When you need to rest, put it down. Then return to holding it front of you. Do the action just with the ankle, not the toes. Rest.
9. Put the leg in front and bend the ankle. Close your eyes. What is the angle of the bend of the ankle? What are the toes doing? Open your eyes to see if what you felt is what you see. Can the toes be quiet?
10. Now bring the toes into it. Which way did you choose? Put the leg down and rest.
11. Now do the opposite direction with your toes and ankle.
12. Bend and straighten the ankle without the toes. Make two movements with the eyes open, two with them closed.
13. Bring attention to the pillows again. Trace that circle on the bottom of the foot.
14. Keep circling with your awareness, and lift and lower the leg at the same time.
15. Keep circling with your awareness, lift the leg, straighten it, then bend and replace on top of the other leg. Rest on your back.
16. On your side, swing the leg in front and behind (bend knee a little). Track where the foot is in space. Now take it behind, then to starting point, then back again and begin to trace pillows.
17. Hold the Leg behind you and bend and straighten the ankle there. Notice what’s happening with the toes.
18. Again, this time with the toes.
19. Again, this time with the toes in the opposite pattern. LONGER REST ON BACK.
20. On side, circle the pillows again. Follow the length of the heel to the small toe. What is the thickness of each pillow? What is the shape of the arch? Continue to circle foot, and lift leg and put it down a few times (non-ambitiously). Up and down. Then take the leg behind you and return it.
21. Take the leg behind you and bend and straighten the ankle. Rest on your back. Sense the length of the two sides. Is there a general effect? Through the sides of the face and two eyes?
22. On your right side, swing the leg forward and back. Rest on back again. Roll to side and stand. Notice the contact of one foot and the other. Walk a little. Walk backwards. Do the two legs start to feel more similar as you walk?

Focus of Moshe’s Teaching

Related ATMs

• AY381 Pillows right and left (Page 2605)
• AY382 Continuation (Page 2613)
• AY383 With holding the knee (Page 2621)
• AY392 Continuation with holding the knee (Page 2677)
• AY393 Continuation (Page 2683)
• AY394 Continuation (Page 2689)
• AY395 End before the continuation (Page 2695)
• Tag Imagining
• Tag unilateral
• Tag Pendulum-movement-leg-sidelying
• Tag Lecture

Swinging the legs, sidelying:

• AY351 Swinging the legs on the side
• AY381 Pillows right and left
• AY382 Continuation
• AY383 With holding the knee
• AY392 Continuation with holding the knee
• AY393 Continuation
• AY394 Continuation
• AY395 End before the continuation
• AY419 Arm to the ceiling and movements of the thigh and head

• AY136 Looking at the back while sitting
• AY381 Pillows right and left

Resources

• The lesson includes a short lecture about the article: Held, Richard. Plasticity in sensory-motor systems. Scientific American, 1965, 213, 89-94.

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

• Add your thoughts about the lesson here.
• Please sign your comments
• Differing viewpoints are welcome and desired!
• I’m teaching this lesson for the first time in a workshop focused on walking. I’m offering another lesson also, Hand to Heel. So we’ll be playing with walking from POV of torso and arms, and POV of feet and legs. – angela.sparklehouse Jul 12, 2012

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