A glimpse of leg, a hint of hip
“Life is not a stable process. Our ability to recover is our greatest quality.”
Finding center in the hip socket for balance, strength and graceful acture
A Glimpse of Leg, A Hint of Hip - 1 - Leg Circles
Circles in Space To Align the Femurs in the Hip Sockets
A Variation of “Leg Circles” as taught by Arlyn Zones in “The Flexible Chest” and AY 244
“Leg Circles” offers a glimpse into the distinctive leg movements that are more obvious from the belly and ‘sand chair’ orientations.
The opening position is seated on the floor or chair, leaning back to support the torso on hands or elbows - as if you were lounging in a low beach chair. Circle the legs, then roll over onto your tummy to feel what its like to change up the vibe. The finale is a whole body move to look over your shoulder at your feet.
Hip Socket Acetabulum - source:https:::www.bostonorthoandspine.com:.png
Set Up:
Sitting with hands back and lying prone on the floor.
OR sitting at the edge of a flat-bottomed chair, knees and hips level
Notes: You may want a blanket or bolster to support hips in sitting and to pad the belly/hips when lying prone. It’s fine to lean your back against a surface like a couch or wall for support in ‘sand chair’ position. We will be sliding our feet so you may want to minimize friction by removing or wearing socks, depending on your set up.
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A Glimpse of Leg - 2 - Leg Lines
Deep Alignment of the Femurs in the Hlp Socket
A Variation of “AY 351 - Swinging the legs on the side” as taught by Arlyn Zones in “Voice, Breath and Posture”
This week’s lesson brings attention to how the entire leg contributes to the femoral/pelvis alignment via the (ReCentering) front/back/side/side awareness technique. Imagine a line running down the outside edge of the leg. How does that line connect the outer knee to the outside edge of the hip socket? What rotations or weight shifts might bring a more centered sensation. Repeat imagining an inner leg line, a center front and center back.
Set Up:
Lying on side on mat.
OR side sitting at the edge of a flat-bottomed and armless chair, knees and hips level
Lying on back with a bolster or rolled blanket under the 'high side' of the body - enough to give the hip some flex.
Note: You may want a blanket or bolster to put under your cheek in side-lying. A bolster between the knees helps keep the legs aligned more easily in the joint.
Female skeleton - notice how femurs tip inward and hips are wide and low. Also, how hight the femurs rest in the hip socket. Image source: focused
A Glimpse of Leg - 3 - Leg To Chest
Connection the Legs to the Chest in Three Orientations
A Variation of “Legs to Chest” as taught Alan Questel, GCFT
Front, back, side, side - experiencing a movement in different orientations has the benefit of letting the floor and gravity give different forms of feedback. In this case, it’s about connecting (or in my case, disconnecting) the legs and ribs. Familiar moves put together to highlight the variations of spine movements in gravity, and the connections of leg to the torso.
Set Up:
Lying on a mat
OR side sitting at the edge of a flat-bottomed and armless chair, knees and hips level
Note: You may want a blanket or bolster to put under your cheek in side-lying or under your hips in lying prone. A bolster between the knees in side lying helps keep the legs aligned more easily in the joint.
Tine has it all connected. Photo by Helge Øverås - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
A Glimpse of Leg - 4 - Spiral to Sit
The graceful, elegant way to get up off the floor
A Variation of “Spiral to Sit” as taught Larry Goldfarb, GCFT®
The trick to this elegant way to spiral up from the floor is to create the momentum to spin around one hip.
Our inspiration - a Break Dancer spirals from a back spin to standing
Set Up:
Lying on back and side on map
Have enough room to reach arms overhead and to kick legs back