String of Pearls/Solid Support - 11 - Rolling The Strand As One (Moving the body around the spine)
We aren’t rolling down any hills, but a little rolling is always fun.
String of Pearls / Solid Support
Rolling The Strand As One (Moving the body around the spine)
Based on a variation of “Flexors and Extensors” by Moshe Feldenkrais
We are on our backs again, rolling the spine as one long strand of pearls. Move SLOWLY to experience the micro-adjustments to the spine and whole body that keep the spine in alignment as the whole body rolls around it. The Voice-o-meter is part of the plan, using sound to help sense even the tiniest twinges of tension.
The lesson is a variation of the now-familiar “Flexors and Extensors” lesson. Supine, one knee draped over the other to create a ‘uni-leg’ and completely connected pelvis. Tipping the knees to one side rolls the pelvis, the sacrum and then spine. The rolling can be a long twist, or, in this case, a spine-long rotation anchored by the weights of pelvis and head.
We will go very slowly, to feel both the connections from vertebra to vertebra, but also to feel how the ribs, abs, and legs rearrange themselves to keep the alignment. The famous ‘triangle arms’ challenge the upper spine to keep quiet as the shoulder blades rotate around the center.
All along, the voice is a tension amplifying tool that helps identify blind spots of tension that are so familiar we miss them.
Yes, this is a familiar lesson. In the Recentering series, the focus was on twisting the spine. In the Hippie Chick series, we broke the lesson into two, with an emphasis on the shape of the back as the shoulder blades glide towards and away from the center line. In the Grand Horizontals series, the clavicles were the focal point for stabilizing the shoulders as they move over the ribs and turn the sternum. As the finale lesson in the About Walking series, we turned the lesson on its side for a different relationship to gravity as the upper and lower body twist in opposite directions to propel movement forward.
“Pure music is as big as space.
It is the secret of allowing the pure sound of the universe to flow through you.”
Also included: bringing mindfulness to the low back and the SacralIliac joint, recognizing the stress points to avert irritation/pain.
Thanks to David Kaetz and his “Listening with the Whole Body” teachings, which inspire this lesson.
Download the “Healing Sounds” chart here.
Science Nerd Candy Bowl: None this week.
Set Up:
Lying supine on a mat with room to reach your arm fully to the sides at shoulder height - like a “T”
Alternatively - Seated on a flat-bottom, armless chair with knees and hips level
How you might feel after this lesson: All loosened up; Ribs flexible; Breath deep; Spine able to turn, twist, and double twist with ease; Deep state of near-trance relaxation; L O N G; connected from toe to tip, including everything in between; Legs comfortable in hip sockets; Shoulders open and relaxed; Neck long and fluid; Strong supported twists for sports, driving, and performing.
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
Going for wordless horizontal music. A short piece by Ruth Mendelson.