Full Circle - 2 - Baby Curl
Calligraphy by ThIch Nhat Hahn
Full Circle - 2 - Baby Curl
Curl up to open
Based on “Fetal Curl Lesson” as taught by Alan Questel
“We have to continue to learn. We have to be open. And we have to be ready to release our knowledge in order to come to a higher understanding of reality.”
One response to overwhelming stress is to just curl up in a little ball. As Thich Nhat Hanh says “the out is in.” Curl up tightly in order to unwind fully.
This is a side-lying lesson. Breathing fully into the back while side lying is especially interesting - at least to me.
I’ve been thinking about how filling the back ribs with air, and then releasing, invites the spine to stack up from lower back to between the shoulder blades. The “legs” of the diaphragm, as I am calling the ‘newly to me discovered’ bits of the muscle and ligament that reach down to connect to the upper lumbar and lower thoracic spine, have changed the way I think about the diaphragm. I have been playing with curling to feel more deeply into how the diaphragm moves the ribs and spine.
The lesson is derived from a hands-on lesson taught by the director of my Feldenkrais training, Alan Questel. In the hands-on version, the teacher pulls the knees up a little and works on the spine. She the pulls the head a little towards the chest, works on the spine and goes back to the knees. The magic happens with the uncurl: the head and chest float up.
In this variation, we curl up like a baby. Start in long-leg side-lying, and gradually bring the knees and head together, with interludes of deep rib and diaphragm breathing. The spine opens and opens, superseding slumping shoulders, deflated chest. From in we go out - and open up with a long spine and open ribs.
I find these movements comforting and hope you will too.
Science Nerd Candy Bowl:
Ribcage Movement During Respiration : Will Larson (O:45) just what it says
The Movement of the Diaphragm - Anatomy Lab (5:15), frontal, side and back views of the diaphragm pulling and releasing the ribs
“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”
Set Up for Side-lying:
Lie on floor with support for head and legs as needed. You may want some extra under-head padding for a short, optional side-lying interlude
Sit on a firm, stable chair
How you might feel after this lesson: Longer; More open; Aware of your back ribs and spine; Connected; Calm.
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