Hippie Chicks - 1 - Janis - Take Another Little Piece of My Heart
Hippie Chicks - 1 - Janis - Take Another Little Piece of My Heart
Tips Up
Based on “Ribbons and Gentle Fingers” as taught by Alan Questel, GCFT®
Gravity is a drag. We can all benefit from a little more lift, a little more freedom in the hips, arms, legs, neck.
This series is about uplifting the sag: getting those tips up, shoulders down, chest open. Hippie chick goddesses - those bra-disdaining freedom seeking, wild dressing, convention challenging, joy embracing, music making chart busters - are our guides and inspiration to standing taller, prouder, sexier, more defiant, more confident.
Lift that chest, let the pubic bone drop, for a powerful, grownup approach to life.
Lesson One is a personal favorite always worth reprising: the Ribbons and Gentle Fingers lesson, reinterpreted to lift the sternum and spine to lighten up out of the hips.
Lying on your side of choice, or seated in a comfortable chair, our imaginary perfect practice partners invite us to expand the heart and spine between the shoulder blades by gently guiding the sternum and spine to open, first horizontally and then upwards. To help lift weight off the hips, we apply the same idea to the pubic bone and sacrum, letting our perfect practice partner draw the pelvis forward and back, opening the sensed volume of the lower belly.
The finale unites top and bottom, front and back, for supported uplifted posture. Come on - take another little piece of my heart now baby!
Science Nerd Candy Bowl:
Sternum - 3D - Anatomy Zone - (4:08) Learn about how the ribs connect from the spine to the front of the body
The Shoulder Girdle – 3D Anatomie Lyons - (~2 min) movements of the scapulae
The Thoracic Vertebrae and Mobility of the Thoracic Region - 3D Anatomie Lyons - (1:47) how the shape of the vertebrae affect the spinal movement
Anatomy | The Sternum, Rib Cage and Vertebrae - Catalyst University (20:48) - if you wanted the complete survey, this is it.
Set Up:
Side lying on a floor mat, head supported, knees drawn up
You will want some head support that allows your neck to align with your sternum. If your chin is too high put more support under your ear; if chin too low, support the jaw
You may want support between the knees so the thighs are aligned with the hips
OR - sitting on a firm, comfortable chair, knees level with hips.
How You Might Feel After This Lesson: Open Ribs, Front, Back, Side to Side; Deep breath; Chest to Pelvic Floor connection; Taller and leaner; Balanced side to side and top to bottom; Active pelvic floor; Chest circles with steady hips; Improved bending and twisting for golf, kayaking, swimming, skiing, yoga; Lifted chest for poised and comfortable sitting; All around alignment.