ReCentering For Sports and Sanity - 1 - Bow to the Center

ReCentering for Sports and Sanity - 1 - Bow to the Center

Straight to the Core

Variations on “Center Plane and Bowing” as taught by Andrew Gibbons

“Life is not a stable process. Our ability to recover is our greatest quality.”
— Moshe Feldenkrais

Feeling spun, off balance, akimbo, floating, sinking, dizzy, sunken? Time to ReCenter.

ReCentering is not about gripping. Try being rigid on a mountain bike or on a choppy lake in a kayak. Tension inevitably leads to injury.

With “Bowing to the Center” we go right at it with an intent focus on the centerline. This sophisticated awareness requires time to feel into each moment. It’s a deep, trancey session to kick off this series.

Imagine an energetic plane running front-to-back, down the centerline, dividing left and right. Hold that line as you slowly, slowly, slowly (slowly is the key) bow forward and attend to the micro-adjustments that keep you on keel. Add a dose of reality with a twist so subtle that you feel the centerline running through the pupil of your eye.

This lesson spotlights the connections of breath, eyes, jaw, neck, rib and pelvic side-to-side balance, sternum-to-spine connectivity, and distribution of weight in the elbows, feet and legs to center.

Classical musician and athlete Andrew Gibbons, GCFP, teaches this lesson to pianists seeking subtly at the keyboard. The same mechanics apply to the biker, golfer, tennis player, equestrian, kayaker, etc.

Set Up:

  • Seated on a firm-bottomed chair with knees and hips level (preferable)

  • OR lying on a mat

Healing Sounds:

  • Heart - HAAAAA - for feeling joy

  • Stomach - HAWWWW - for center and grounding

We won’t be doing any Science Nerd Candy this session, but if you want a refresher on the spine see:

Our bodies are different today from last year. More or less fit, more or less adipose, injuries new or healed, different life circumstances and interests. Sense into and re-inhabit today’s body to do what you love with grace.

How You Might Feel After This Lesson: Awed at all the adjustments the body makes to stay balanced; Sensitized to your side-to-side habitual adjustments; Seated in the pelvis when rocking forward and back; Aware of the relationship of the head and pelvis; Better able to maintain your centerline; More confident in a boat; More stable on a bike; More powerful at the tee; Faster in the water; Tuned into what returning to center.

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

Jacki Katzman