Source
- AY Volume 7
- Reel 21, Track 1, Lesson 3
- Duration: 48 minutes
Synopsis
- This imagination-based lesson uses the visualization of a rolling ball to develop clear sensory awareness and discover lines of connection between distant body parts, progressing from single limb awareness to integrating arm and leg movements through minimal physical action.
Lesson Outline
- Sections 1-2: Lying prone with legs extended and hands beside head, imagine a heavy ball or pressure point on your right heel. Roll this imaginary ball point by point up your leg, first to the knee, then to the pelvis, distinguishing which points are clearest and which are unclear. Return to unclear points to enhance awareness.
- Sections 3-4: Remaining prone, shift attention to the left hand. Imagine a heavy ball balancing on the back of your hand, finding the middle point where it would rest. Roll the imaginary ball from fingers to wrist, then to elbow, and finally to the shoulder blade, noting where the line becomes unclear.
- Sections 5-6: Connect the previous explorations by imagining the ball rolling from foot to hand. Lift the right foot slightly to allow the ball to roll over the buttock to the pelvis. Then lift the left arm minimally while imagining the ball rolling from shoulder to pelvis. Finally, lift both limbs slightly while allowing the imagined ball to roll continuously between heel and hand.
Focus of the teaching
- Dr. Feldenkrais emphasizes that awareness means knowing what you are feeling, and that feeling becomes clearer in the direction of natural correct development. He notes that the clearest points are those that work nicely, that the person thinks are okay. As he states, “You will see that what I call awareness – that you know what you are feeling – that feeling becomes clearer and goes in the direction of the natural correct development without disturbance.”
- Final Notes: This lesson demonstrates sophisticated use of imagination as a learning tool, employing the technique of mental rehearsal to enhance sensory awareness without requiring significant physical movement. The emphasis on finding clear versus unclear points provides a unique way to identify areas needing attention.
Related ATMs
- See AY 304, 305 and Lesson 11 in Awareness Through Movement
- AY306 The line of stress in the stomach and the chest. (Page 2101)
- AY307 The line of effort in lying on the back. (Page 2109)
- Esalen Workshop (1972) 46 – Imagination and Action to Complete the Back Self Image (recordings)
- Feldenkrais, Moshé – Awareness Through Movement Basic Series – 10. Generalize Your Skills
- Tag Diagonals
- Tag Imagining
- Tag Lecture
The line of a ball that rolls:
- ATM 11 Becoming Aware of Parts of Which We Are Not Conscious
- AY112 A plane dividing the body
- AY305 The line of effort in the back in lifting
- AY306 The line of stress in the stomach and the chest
- AY307 The line of effort in lying on the back
Gastrocnemius:
- Amherst 1 – Week 2 – 06/19/80 PM1 – Lying on Stomach, Movements of Legs, Eyes and Head
- AY282 Basis of hopping, continuation [2]
- AY292 Basic Movements of the Toes
- AY409 Lean on the knee and get up
- AY416 Protruding the abdomen
Resources
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