Back On Our Feet - 6 - Floor It To Stand
Back On Our Feet - 6 - Floor It To Stand
From Foot to Spine to Standing
Based on “Sit to Stand With Feet“ as taught by Alan Questel GCFT®
A little anatomical comparison: when the spine is it’s ‘locked in’ configuration, the upward force from the ground travels smoothly from the pelvis to the torso and head. When the medial arch of the foot is ‘locked in,’ the foot also cleanly transmits forces from the ground up to the pelvis. When the spine is it’s flexible configuration, the upper body can twist, swoop, dive, arch, reach, etc. - strictly human moves. The relaxed, soft foot easily adjusts to the terrain below, enabling the uniquely human biped stance.
Test the theory that the configurations of foot and spine correlate. “Floor It To Stand” is a sitting-on-a-stool-to-standing exploration of the biomechanics of elegantly rising from a chair.
How the arch of the foot and the spine relate in (this interpretation of) foot reflexology. source: www.putyourbestfeetforwad.com.png
Begin in sitting. Feeling into and loosen the spine and foot with an easy rocking on the sit bones. How does the pelvis relate to the heel? Then reverse the motion by arching the back and note how the feet respond. There are deeper twists of the arched back and an invitation to shift the center of gravity way forward. At the transitions between steps, test your biomechanics by standing. And, at each junction, see what it’s like to increasingly open the ankle to fully sense how the center of gravity shifts over the foot as you stand with an ever-elongating back.
How weight shifts over the foot in standing and walking - ideally
Set Up:
Seated on a flat-seated, armless chair. Sit on or support feet with a folded blanket or towel to make the thighs and hips level.
Science Nerd Candy
Anatomy of the Foot and Ankle - Web page with detailed descriptions of the foot and ankle’s bones, joints, ligaments
How to do squats: Muscle and Motion (3:40) The basic movement pattern for this lesson
Ankle & Subtalar Joint Motion Function Explained Biomechanic of the Foot - Pronation & Supination DrGlassDPM (7:40) Narrative very technical, detailed animation of foot bone motions. Best segments for our purposes (2:40 – 3:50, 7:14 - end)
Where are the spinal reflexes located on the feet? (Web page) - Well written. Useful diagrams correlating distribution of weight on feet and position of the spine, both across the sole and across the transverse arch.
Young Audrey Hepburn in CA, ready to stand. She just needs to get her feet in front of her… Source: https://i.imgur.com/ecKA0mx.jpg
The Voice-O-Meter choices this week relate to the shape of the spine in different positions, and where the weight centers on the foot:
Lung - SSSSSSSS - releasing grief, making room for courage
Kidney/Bladder - CHOOO - releasing cold, fear, contraction
Heart - HAAAAA - releasing hate
How You Might Feel After This Lesson: Tuned into how freedom in the sit bones enables easier standing; Exquisitely aware of how the medial arches of the feet relate to the spine; Alert to the connections between the ‘domes’ of the feet and the pelvis, especially the pelvic floor; Primed with a new way of standing from sitting; Connected from toes to crown in sitting and standing; Long and tall; Grounded; Stronger golf swing and turns on skis, more powerful kayak strokes, better able to hold your string or wind instrument.
New Student Registration for the series. Continuing students use ongoing login. $40/month or $15/individual class. PayPal or Venmo: jackisue@aol.com. Or Jacki Katzman, PO Box 116, Bethlehem, NH 03574