Source
- Alexander Yanai Vol 8
- Reel 24, Track 2, Lesson 1
- Duration of the recording: 45 minutes
Synopsis
- Standing, holding chair to keep balance, then trying to stand on leg without putting weight on it
Lesson Outline
- Bend right knee, then touch right heel back to the floor, without putting weight on it (standing on both legs equally)
- Put right foot a bit further behind, same movement, while standing heel move with head, neck, spine, chest in opposite direction of foot (it’s difficult, but do-able)
- Bend left knee
- Put left foot a bit further behind, same movement
- Left elbow on chair, right hand on chair, right foot a bit backwards (heel in the air)
- Stand equally on both legs again, bend right knee, sense/touch the floor with right knee, lengthen body with free neck etc
- Stand (without chair) and walk backwards (super slow), first with right foot, then with left)
- Walk (“float”) backwards with elbows lifted/spread to the sides (lower arms hanging from elbows)
- Single steps, always return back to standing on both legs, then do it again (alternate legs)
- Shift weight from one leg to the other
- Same walking backwards, with arms raised in front (there is no need to turn the shoulders)
- With arms raised only with left leg step backwards
- Walk with arms lowered
- With arms raised only with left leg step backwards (to feel the mistakes made with arms lowered)
- Walk with arms lowered (without contortions or unnecessary things)
Focus of Moshe’s Teaching
- He points out the “strong connection” of the hip joint, the heel, and the back of the skull many times
- The heel goes down without the body shortening
- Sternum and chest is free to breath, head up high
Related ATMs
- AY355 Bending knees – chair (Page 2441)
- See also Walking Theme
- See Theme Standing
- Tag Next-to-chair
- Tag Lifting-heel
- Tag In-standing
- Tag Lower-back-and-pelvis
- Tag Softening-chest
- Tag Posture
Walking backward:
- Amherst 1 – Week 8 – 07/28/80 AM2 Opening the legs (part 2)
- AY443 Walking Backward
- MM06.2 Making a Circle with Your Hip
- SF2 – Week 05 – 15 July 1976: Variations in Walking
- SF2 – Week 06 – 21 July 1976, am: Standing Oscillations, continued and Head Forward and Up
- SF3 – Day 30 – 3 August 1977: Walking and crawling.
Resources
- Recording at kinesophics: http://www.kinesophics.ca/walking_backward_0
Share Your Insights (ideas, principles, strategies, experiences, …)
- Add your thoughts about the lesson here.
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- Differing viewpoints are welcome and desired!
Other notes
- Hip joint shifts backwards, joins in a special line with back of the neck
- Don’t hold breath
- The large work of carrying the body needs to be done in the large muscles of the pelvis and only then is it possible to shift onto the heel without any weight
- Don’t hold the head in a locked position. Let it move to where it is necessary
- The free leg (the foot that is going to be placed) is hanging (from the hip+back)
- “it will be nice when it really is ok”
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