Hippie Chicks - 7 - Judy- Amazing Grace - Prayer Hands
Hippie Chicks - 7 - Judy - Amazing Grace - Prayer Hands
Find Lift, Find Freedom
Based on the “Prayer Hands” lesson as taught by Moshe Feldenkrais
Sweet Judy Blue Eyes, the singer songwriter, Academy Award-nominated director, rock muse and Grammy winner, is still a social activist, 70 years into her career. (WIkipedia) Her “Amazing Grace” was the soundtrack of the Mississippi Summer Project in 1964 and Vietnam War protests. (Rolling Stone)
That purity, that clarity, inspire this “Prayer Hand” lesson. This classic lesson - with hands, heart and head lifting, bowing, twisting - is not specifically spiritual, though the “prayer hand” gesture is central to devotional practices across the spectrum.
For this series, we focus the elbows as they guide the shoulder blades, sternum and spine to uplift, to round down (in humility?) and connect to the pelvis for full body connection.
We could also think of this as a rotator cuff lesson, where the shoulder movement is limited to the forward lift of the arm. Holding the hands together in prayer position in a sense halves (the length of) the arm, making it easier to lift the elbows and allowing more movement with less stress on the shoulders. Another spin: a full spine loosener, as the sternum guides the spine to arch and round.
We will be slowing this lesson down, and taking our time to connect the palms, elbows, shoulder blades (top, middle and bottom edges), sternum, eyes, breath and low back. If you’re familiar with this lesson and don’t want to get down into the full floor bowing, don’t worry. We aren’t going there.
Science Nerd Candy Bowl: a look at how the elbow moves the shoulder girdle
The Teres Major: (1:57) 3D Anatomy Lyon - how the upper arm muscles and shoulder girdle muscles interact in movement
Anterior Elevation of the arm and synergies of the rotator cuff (3:10) 3D Anatomy Lyon - how the muscles of the entire shoulder girdle enable lifting the arm forward and up (prayer positions)
The Shoulder Girdle – (2:00) 3D Anatomie Lyons - movements of the scapulae
Set Up:
Lying supine on a mat on the floor with knees bent, with support for head and knees as needed
OR sitting on a firm chair with knees and hips level
How you might feel after this lesson: Chest lifted and open; Breath deep; Shoulder blades resting quietly over the ribs, Neck released; Upper back flexible; Connected from pelvis to sternum, head to shoulders; Neck released; Hips and shoulders aligned and stable; Center line easy to hold;
Iconic - the first recorded version
An a capella version from the wiser women