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Haven't done any ATM's for over a month. Relief to lie on the floor and acess that familiar space of release and potential. I'm always amazed that I could have put off doing this for so long. I've been teaching myself for a long time so it's marvellous to lie there and be guided through the lesson.
As usual I become aware of the rather rigid connections between shoulder girdle, neck and chest. It's the release of the chest from shoulders and neck especially that makes the difference. The ability to release it down behind me onto the floor. And to feel the breastbone begin to move. Normally I carry it around like a shield - sticking it out in front of me in order to protect myself from everyday life. Old patterns. The - once again! - body realisation that the chest must release and sink in order for the connection between head and pelvis to open up.
Walking in the street I remind myself of the natural rib swing that can take place when I am not trying to hold on

Laurance Rudic

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I finally have an opportunity this week to make some comments! I'm still having some trouble with the technical aspects of downloading the audio files and doing the lesson at the same time, but since I am teaching a rolling to sit lesson today and tomorrow I thought I'd seize the day and add some comments to the whole discussion.

Whenever I do this lesson, I feel a tremendous emotional lift. Often, I laugh out loud, and it happens in classes when I teach it, too. Does anyone else have the same experience?

I had some speculations on why that might be -- the "ending up somewhere else" feeling when you do come around to sit. There's a sense of achievement that might just stir early developmental memories. And not to be underestimated: just letting the head be PART of the whole self, instead of being treated as oh-so-precious and needing to be held stiffly above everything else that's going on down below. These provide a kind of release that gets me giggling every time.

Lynette, your remarks on anxiety as fear of falling were of interest to me. I thought of how many babies love it when you release the support around them and then catch them. I've found that cats will start to purr if you get them to jump then catch them in mid air. The animal's preparing to land on the ground and then gets a different outcome. It seems there's a certain pleasure in bringing that anxiety to the fore and challenging it in a way that is in fact very safe.

I often think about the potential use of Feldenkrais for people with what's now called "mental health" issues and this lesson would be at the top of my list for somsething to try. Because it is fun, active, and light hearted, and it somehow challenges the anxiety response in a safe way.

At the same time, maintaining reversibility of the move is a fascinating challenge. To keep the sense of all of the self in different orientations, WHEN THE HEAD IS NOT UP. When the teleceptors aren't getting their normal information. Once again, putting the head in its place as part of the whole self.

I hope these comments are of interest.

Got to go!
Maria

Yes Maria,

I get this as well. I'm always surprised when it happens as it seems to emerge from nowhere and for no reason. One minute I'm doing the lesson and the next I'm laughing and giggling with great joy. I agree that it happens most often when there is sudden spatial change - rolling from lying to sitting or standing up. I think it's the relief to experience such fluidity again - that of the child-self. A kind of wise remembering.

My fear of falling extends to my daily life - 'clinging onto life' through ankles calves and tight thighs. Fortunately when I become aware I know how to let it go, although it takes a little time for the body to readjust to this unnaccustomed state of looseness as it feels very insecure

I live in Egypt now and when I visit the Sinai desert, I love to watch the Bedouin folk, with their fluid animal grace - like giraffes. Spatial awareness inside and out.

I work with young Egyptian performers mainly in the field of improvisation, and sometimes we'll explore an ATM from FK's book, 'Awareness Through Movement'. The one that always gets the most fun results is 'Perfecting The Self Image.' Many of them come to my class in a state of anxiety and tension (especially the women) and it's great to watch them gradually give themselves the permission to rediscover the childlike joy of rolling and biting their big toe. There's always a lot of laughter and release.

Best wishes,
Laurance Rudic
blog http://www.laurancerudic.blogspot.com

mm

Interestingly enough -- after teaching that lesson "perfecting the self image" -- the rolling to sit one -- I saw a younger women try to get an older woman to sit in a taxi -- maybe to go to a doctor's appointment or something.

The elderly lady was gripping the door of the cab (and could have fallen backwards and squashed her fingers in the door), hyperventilating, saying "I'm going to fall! I'm going to fall!" The more shallowly she breathed, the more she seemed to draw herself up as if to hold herself up by her chest. I tried to help but she was in a state of true panic and could not be calmed down.

She was backed into position and all she had to do was lower her behind about eight inches to the seat of the cab. She was quite a tiny person, and there was no way she could have hit her head, either. In other words, she was perfectly safe. But she had completely lost the sense of where her seat was, how to sense the back part of herself, the lower part of herself, any of it. The more rigid she became, the more terrified she became. It was really a sad sight.

It underlined the importance for me of -- well, doing any kind of Feldenkrais work into the later years -- but also of maintaining this full "self image" that does not dwell strictly in the head.

Maria

Here's a funny and sad story -

I was staying with my Mum a few years ago. She was then 78 years old and I noticed how bent she was and how rigidly she moved. I wanted to see if she could get some movement back into her spine when walking and I explained about oppositional movement of pelvis and shoulder.

She's always game to try anything and so she began walking up and down the room, finding it difficult at first to get the coordination. Suddenly, she found it and in that moment her body lost its habitually stooped shape and she began to grow taller and at the same time her face took on a radiant glow. The previous rigid and jerky movements had almost disappeared and she was now flowing. She had lost about 20 years. "Like that?" she asked, smiling and laughing. "Yes", I replied, "Like that."

She played about with the movement a while longer, obviously having fun and then said, "Yes, it's very interesting, dear. Would you like a cup of tea?" "Yes, please." Then I watched as she made her way down the hallway, stooped and rigid once more. The old body-self was back in control.

Laurance Rudic
http://www.laurancerudic.blogspot.com