Theme Extensor Lesson

Description of the theme:

Many lessons may work primarily with the extensors or with actions of extending: this lesson theme is the set of lessons in which you lie face-down, typically with hands one on top of the other under your forehead or cheek, and you lift your head with your arm, and lift same or opposite side legs. Both legs may be long; one may be bent up alongside you; or one or both may be bent at the knee so the feet face the ceiling.

Extensor lessons on Feldy Notebook:

• 25 Lessons from Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation – Lesson 5
• Amherst 1 – Week 1 – 06/11/80 PM1 – Extensor lesson (part 1)
• Amherst 1 – Week 1 – 06/11/80 PM2 – Extensor lesson (part 2)
• Amherst 1 – Week 4 – 07/03/80 Diagonal pressing
• Amherst 2 – Week 4 – 06/30/81 PM Preparation for Headstand: Turn the Head
• Amherst 2 – Week 4 – 07/01/81 AM1 Prone Worm Movements / Worm on Stomach (includes On the Back to Release Extensors; The Bow, Imagining Knee to Elbow, Worm on Back, Rock on Head, and Hands Under Knees)
• Amherst 2 – Week 5 – 07/06/81 PM2 Arching Back to Bridge / Bridge on Head, Holding Ankles and Sitting Bridge
• Amherst 2 – Week 5 – 07/07/81 Bridging on Back and Walking on Shoulders
• Amherst 2 – Week 5 – 07/08/81 AM1 Bridging on back and walking on shoulders (cont.)
• Amherst 2 – Week 5 – 07/08/81 AM2 Bridging on back and walking on shoulders (cont.)
• Amherst 2 – Week 5 – 07/09/81 Preparation for Headstand / Semi-bridge on back, hold ankles
• Amherst 2 – Week 6 – 07/15/81 AM2 Bridging on Right Side / Side Wave (Under Gate) (Continuation)
• Amherst 2 – Week 6 – 07/16/81 PM2 Walking on your stomach (includes hopping on buttocks)
• Amherst 2 – Week 7 – 07/23/81 AM2 Prone-Raising and Moving Pelvis and Heels / Pelvis Orbits Around Foot (Included—Prone-Rocking the Body on the Stomach / Arc on Stomach)
• Amherst 2 – Week 9 – 08/03/81 PM1 Weight Shifting to Dancing
• ATMEC05 Did You Ever Stand Better
• AY002 Seeing the heels
• AY007 Seeing the heels while lying on the stomach
• AY031 Lifting in thought, on the stomach
• AY042 Lifting the head and knee
• AY057 Lifting the head on all fours
• AY058 Transferring support while on the stomach
• AY069 On the stomach; twisting while lifting elbows
• AY076 Slow lifting; on the stomach
• AY087 Lifting the head and legs while twisting
• AY099 Lifting the elbows with a loose hand
• AY105 On the stomach; basic lifting of body parts
• AY106 The knee bent on the abdomen
• AY123 On the knees; diagonal see-saw
• AY134 Rolling in a bridge with the hands on the ankles
• AY137 Twisting the back and pelvis with the elbows and legs
• AY139 Touching the floor with the hands, #1
• AY184 Lying on the feet 2
• AY216 Lifting the hands at the head in a “V”
• AY222 On the abdomen, a hand lifting the head
• AY227 Swinging bent legs to strengthen K ferm or Lengthening the erecting muscles (The extensors)
• AY246 General coordination
• AY279 Lifting up on the hands
• AY301 Twisting the back, lifting the head, shoulders, and limbs
• AY305 The line of effort in the back in lifting
• AY326 Sitting – Lying
• AY353 Wiggle the knees
• AY368 Lifting the head by extending the arms
• AY370 Lifting the head
• AY379 Lengthening on the stomach and back
• AY397 Lifting up on the hands
• AY398 Continuation
• AY437 Touching the heels in standing
• AY445 Back and neck
• AY449 Bending in standing
• AY473 On the stomach training the back
• AY525 Lifting head and eyes
• AY542.2 Baby rolls (not in IFF edition)
• AY549 On stomach lifting pubic bone
• Berkeley 1973 – 3. Extension 6/19 AM
• E02 – Lifting Head, Legs, Arms (Stransky Notes)
• E24 – On stomach, bumping knees (Stransky Notes)
• Jack Heggie – Running with the Whole Body – Chapter 3: Connections in the Back
• LT27 Extensor variation
• LT28 Advanced extensor
• LT30 Heels to head
• MG77 #02 – Lifting head on back and stomach – basic flexion and extension
• MG77 #05 – Prone, lifting the head and arm in various combinations with one knee up to the side
• MG78 #07 – Lifting head with arm on belly with various positions of the legs
• Rotterdam 1976 – Tape 2 – #2 – Extensor Lesson
• Rotterdam 1976 – Tape 3 – Extensor Lesson Continues
• Rotterdam 1976 – Tape 4 – Extensor Lesson Continues
• SF1 – Week 1 – 17 June 1975 – Extensors
• SF1 – Week 8 – 5 August 1975: Lifting the Head Lying on the Stomach
• SF2 – Week 07 – 28 July 1976: Working the Extensors
• SF2 – Week 07 – 29 July 1976: Working the Extensors, continued
• SF2 – Week 08 – 2 August 1976, pm: Lying Twisted, Lifting the Head and Working the Extensors
• SF3 – Day 19 – 14 July 1977: Prone, tilting legs in and out, holding ankles. Extensors.
• SFEC Notes – 02. Extensors
• SFEC Notes – 09. Tilting legs on stomach
• SFEC Notes – 20. Using knees like drumsticks (Aug 9)
• SFEC Notes – 21. Rolling from stomach (Aug 12)
• SFEC Public Workshop – Vol. 1 – 3. Bending more easily
• SFEC Public Workshop – Vol. 3 – 03. A longer spine
• SFEC Public Workshop – Vol. 3 – 06. Advanced bending
• SFEC Public Workshop – Vol. 3 – 09. Advanced rolling to sit
• Toronto 1980 – DAY5-4 – Prone, head through the gate, rolling to sit
• Vancouver – Hotel Vancouver – 6. Prone, rolling head between hands, rolling the pelvis, lifting the head tilting the legs joined
• Vancouver – UBC – 13 Aug 73 – Prone, Extension, looking forward/up and right/left

Discussion

Key Variations

• There are often interludes of folding — face up, lifting head and knees towards one another — meant to relieve the strain on the back of extension for a full 40 minutes or hour.
• Functional idea of looking over your shoulder with the hands in pushup position
  • Extension lesson (part 2) Amherst Year 1 progresses to this
  • Moshe’s SF Evening Class Extensors progresses to this
  • May have the idea of seeing your heels: Seeing the heels AY2
• Hands in pushup without looking over your shoulder:
  • Esalen’s On stomach, bumping knees has the hands in this position without the idea of looking over your shoulder
  • AY Slow lifting; on the stomach
• Lifting one or both legs, long
  • Amherst’s Diagonal pressing;
  • Mia & Gaby’s SF Evening Class Lifting head with arm on belly with various positions of the legs and Lifting head on back and stomach – basic flexion and extension;
  • Esalen’s Lifting Head, Legs, Arms)
  • AY Slow lifting; on the stomach
• Lifting one or both legs, bent in the knee with the foot facing the ceiling, usually with tapping
  • Extensor lesson (part 1) – Amherst Year 1 progresses to this tapping
  • Extension lesson (part 2) Amherst Year 1 continues it
  • Seeing the heels AY2
• Pushing from the toes of that long leg planted under to connect the lifting of the head to “growing taller” or “creeping forward” with the spine
  • Mia & Gaby’s SF Evening Class Lifting head with arm on belly with various positions of the legs;
  • The idea of creeping forward without the push from the toes is in Esalen’s Lifting Head, Legs, Arms
  • Esalen’s On stomach, bumping knees has this as its primary idea
• Taking the head from side to side
  • Extensors from Moshe’s SF Evening Classes
• Taking the head in circles
• Taking chin/nose/forehead/back of head towards each shoulder
  • Amherst’s Extensor lesson (part 1) – Amherst Year 1
• Eye variations,
  • Briefly: Moshe’s SF Evening classes Extensors and Esalen’s On stomach, bumping knees (coordinating/differentiating looking up with eyes and with head)
  • Briefly: Mia & Gaby’s SF Evening Class Lifting head with arm on belly with various positions of the legs (closing one eye or the other)
  • AY Slow lifting; on the stomach uses the eyes for a feeling of “flying forward” with lifting the head
  • Primarily
• One leg bent up towards the stomachon the floor and the other leg long
  • Mia & Gaby’s SF Evening Class Lifting head with arm on belly with various positions of the legs
  • Esalen’s Lifting Head, Legs, Arms
  • In this advanced variation from Mia & Gaby’s SF Evening Class, you eventually pivot the leg bent up on its knee, like a crank, ending up with that foot virtually in your armpit and your pelvis turned the other way: Prone, lifting the head and arm in various combinations with one knee up to the side
• Lifting your turned head using one of your arms as a “tray”(which is folded so the ear/cheek rests on the back of your hand
  • Moshe’s SF Evening Class Extensors
  • Mia & Gaby’s SF Evening Class Lifting head with arm on belly with various positions of the legs
  • Esalen’s Lifting Head, Legs, Arms
  • Mia & Gaby’s SF Evening Class Prone, lifting the head and arm in various combinations with one knee up to the side
• Lift the head with the arm extended long
  • Amherst’s Diagonal pressing
  • Mia & Gaby’s SF Evening Class Lifting head on back and stomach – basic flexion and extension
  • Esalen’s On stomach, bumping knees
  • the “Fundamental Properties of Movement” lessons in the face-down portions or variations
• Progress to rolling from stomach to side or back
  • AY Slow lifting; on the stomach progresses to this
• Progress to rocking on an arcwhich you create by lifting the head/arm and leg and holding
  • Amherst’s Diagonal pressing
  • Esalen’s Lifting Head, Legs, Arms
• Progress to coming up to side-sitting, turning 180 degrees to face behind you
  • In versions that work with hands planted as for pushup and seeing the heels
• “Sphinx” lessons are a distinct subset or related set of lessons.
• Lessons where both knees are drawn up, open to the sides, soles of the feet together, are a significant related set. Seeing the heels while lying on the stomach AY7 is an advanced example.
• Given the variations, different teachings may emphasize different aspects or approaches to quality of movement, e.g.
  • AY Slow lifting; on the stomach uses the image of someone gently pulling on the limb just enough to help you feel when you shorten while lifting
  • Mia & Gaby’s SF Evening Class Lifting head on back and stomach – basic flexion and extension, following up the previous week’s flexion lesson from which people experienced pain, emphases quality
• The variation and/or how it is taught may emphasize a different “key” to the action
  • Esalen’s Lifting Head, Legs, Arms is systematic in attending to distribution of effort in spine, relative movement of shoulder blades, whether the long leg engages or drags on the floor
  • AY’s Slow lifting; on the stomach really clarifies the low belly pushing forward and connects this to the freedom of the neck
  • AY’s Slow lifting; on the stomach also emphasizes the independence of the head/neck from the shoulder girdle/arms to free the length of the spine to participate proportionately in extending.
    This workshop by Jeremy Krauss moves between sidelying and face down, and clarifies some connections fundamental to this whole theme of extension: Advanced Training Jeremy Krauss Fall 2011

Resources

 

 

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 (except for the material used to provide textual search of the Alexander Yanai lessons which is copyrighted by the IFF). Do not add any copyrighted information to this website. Feldy Notebook is sponsored by Kinetic Inquiry.