Differential rotation of spine. Counter-rotation of hips, shoulders, neck.
Hips, waist, shoulders, spine, ribs, neck.
Title
Themes
02. A Little Flexion
Flexion is both shortening the front of the body and lengthening the back. Because stress inevitably tenses and shortens the posterior musculature, this is a great lesson for relieving stress and anxiety, as well as for balancing the entire body in the fore and aft vertical plane.
Forward bending of the entire body, lengthening through the back.
03. A Little Extension
Extension is movement that shortens the back of the body and lengthens the front. Like looking up or bending backwards. In our culture these are unusual movements, and therefore this is a very valuable lesson. However, because these movements involve muscles that may be seldom used, particular attention is invited to move slowly and mindfully, and not to effort and strain.
Activates posterior musculature and counterbalances tendency to collapse forward.
04. Flower Opening, Rolling Side to Side
This is really about flexion, but in a way that develops movement possibilities in the rib cage for flexion, extension, and rotation.
Opening the chest, coordination of the limbs, and coordinated rotation of spinal elements.
05. Arm to the Back
This is about turning the waist, twisting the trunk, and differentiating the movement components of the upper body: shoulders, arms, spine, ribs, neck, head, and eyes. It is more subtly about the interplay of flexion and extension in a certain kind of twisting movement.
Differentiating upper back, shoulders, and neck muscles. Clarifying the function of turning the upper body, as in reaching back or looking over the shoulder.
06. Tumbleweeds
This lesson works mainly with softening the lower back and hip joints, and extending the range of comfortable flexion of the lower back. There's also something here about confrontation with the difficult; do you try harder with your muscles or with your mind?
Opening hip joints, softening the lower back in flexion, and creating awareness of numerous linkages across the back of the body.
07. Watchamasaurus
This lesson works with extension themes like looking up and bending backward, but also explores how these themes are related to several fundamental aspects of standing upright and walking.
Hip joints, lower back, spinal rotation and extension, middle and upper back, neck rotation, and head carriage. Just about everything!
08. Reaching Up
This is about reaching upward from standing, and making connections through the trunk and across the body from feet to hands. It also integrates the whole body into functions of standing, walking, and spinal rotation.
Integrates hip joints, trunk, ribs, waist, shoulders, head, eyes, and neck into a coordinated whole.
09. Freeing the Shoulders
Underlying themes are about reaching out, contact, and interacting with the world. There's probably something here about shouldering responsibility, too.
Differentiates shoulder movement from ribs, neck, and spine. Clarifies possible movements of the shoulders.
10. Diagonals
Standing and reaching, screwing in light bulbs, walking, overall balancing the relationship between muscles of the front and back of the body.
lengthening along diagonals from each foot across and through the trunk to the opposite hand. Connects the arms and legs to each other by linking them functionally to the strong muscles of the trunk.
11. Freeing the Upper Back
Walking, carriage of the head, posture and balance of the upper body.
Relieves the familiar and common tensions of shoulders and upper back by differentiating movements of the upper spine and shoulders; extension and rotation of the spine; functional connections among arms, legs, and torso.
12. Calibrating Flexors
Maintaining ourselves in the unstable equilibrium of upright posture places enormous demands on our nervous systems. Habitual, parasitic tensions interrupt the flowing balance between flexors and extensors, and we exert more effort than is necessary in all our activities. This lesson is about adjusting the balance between flexors and extensors.
Relationships between muscles of the front and back of the body, with standing, bending forward, looking up and down, range of motion of the hips and legs, ease and balance in standing and walking.
13. Standing, Centering
This is about alignment in gravity. How do we carry ourselves over our feet, in dynamic alignment with gravity, with minimal effort and maximum comfort?
This really works with the entire body, building ourselves in gravity from the ground upward. In particular, though, the lesson works with flexibility and softness in the ankles, mobility and stability of the pelvis, supple alignment of the spine, and easy carriage of the head.
14. Waking the Spine
Creates a basic vocabulary of flexion and extension, and forms the basis for standing, walking, bending, and reaching
Balancing flexors and extensors, extending range of motion of hips, creating a sense of length in the entire body, and establishing a sense of ease.
15. Calibrating Extensors
This is about awakening the posterior muscles to their functions in standing, walking, turning, and looking up. Expands the range of easy motion in backward bending movements, and provides stronger support for the carriage of the upper body by balancing the natural curves of the spine.
Back, ribs, shoulders, pelvis, head and neck
16. Head and Shoulders
Turning the head, twisting the trunk, carriage of the head, and mobility of the upper spine.
Shoulders, head and neck.
17. Alphabet Chanting
This lesson explores in some minute detail how we use our bodies and breath to vocalize sounds. It involves attending to how we use the muscles of the face, mouth, throat, neck, chest, shoulders, back, and breath to regulate sound. Nearly every spiritual tradition has some kind of chanting associated with it, as does nearly every primitive culture. Many spiritual, physical, and emotional benefits derive from these practices.
Muscles of the face, jaw, mouth, throat, neck,chest, and trunk, including intercostal muscles and diaphragm.
18. Flexible Feet
Mobility of the feet, walking, standing, turning
Feet, ankles, legs, hips, lower back
19. Carriage of the Torso
The central difficulty of upright carriage is the intricacy of the subtle alignments of the various parts of the body over the feet. Emotional stress, injuries, and imcomplete mastery of our movements all lead to the development of counterproductive tensions. In particular, we unconsciously carry excess tensions throughout our posterior musculature which impair motor function and manifest as pain, limited range of movement, and energy-draining postural imbalances.
Relationship of feet to pelvis and pelvis to spine; widening and lengthening the back; calibrating the muscles which organize the chest, shoulders, and head for upright carriage.
20. Throwing Arrows
These movement are adapted from an outside-in middle block from tae kwon do; they are really about coordinating the whole body into a strong twisting movement , which can be applied directly to walking, running, kicking, or swinging a baseball bat, golf club, or tennis racquet, as well as a staff or sword. I like to think of it as "throwing arrows."
Head, neck, arms, shoulders, and chest, especially in relationship with waist, hips, and legs in rotation and counter-rotation.
21. Long Back
This lesson continues a theme of recent lessons, of lengthening the back, by reducing chronic tensions in the posterior musculature, enhancing the coordination of flexors and extensors. There is a direct connection from this lesson to more effective and powerful walking and running; you should notice these improvements after you have worked with the lesson a few times.
Like all of these lessons, this one really works with the organization of the whole body; in particular here we are working with the relationships of the arms to the legs, through the trunk and spine, both along each side and across diagonals.
22. Soles together
Integrating hip joints, pelvis, and lower back into movements of twisting, bending, and stretching.
Opening hip joints, increasing flexibility of lower back, spinal rotation.
23. Twisting and Lengthening
In a twisting movement, alternately one diagonal and then the other gets longer; this lesson explores how this combination of twisting and lengthening links the whole body together.
Whole body, from feet to head, and from fingertips to toes.
24. Aligning the Legs
Walking, standing, carriage of the trunk and head over the feet, differentiating functional elements of the legs.
Alignment of feet, ankles, knees, and legs with the pelvis and spine.
25. Shoulder Opener
Integrating shoulders and arms into movements like reaching, throwing, turning objects with the hands, or using tools, even while bending and twisting.
Differential rotation of wrist, forearm, upper arm, and shoulder; movements of shoulders relative to neck, chest, spine, and back.
26. Neck, Shoulders, and Eyes
Turning the head and eyes, looking up and down, calibrating muscles of the neck.
Neck, upper spine and back, head, eyes, shoulders, hips.
27. Pelvis and Neck
Carriage of the head in walking, bending, and turning; relating movement of the pelvis to the movement of the head and neck.
Hip joints, lower back, rib cage, shoulders, neck, and head
28. Rolling from Back to Sitting
Rolling, twisting, and turning; coordinating flexors and extensors;establishing comfortable mobility on the floor.
Flexibility and organization of trunk and spine, and relationships with arms, legs, and head.
29. Rolling and Twisting
This is a very basic lesson in rotation; because rotation includes elements of both flexion and extension, rotation lessons tend to be powerful. This lesson integrates the body in turning and twisting movements, like looking over the shoulder, and like many martial arts, dance, and workplace movements.
Differential rotation of the spine, twisting and lengthening the trunk
30. Spine and Shoulders
Balance and flexibility in everyday movement is improved by an improved ability for individual vertebrae of the spine to articulate differentially, and by the ability of the shoulder girdle to move freely.
Spine, ribs, back, and shoulders; changes something fundamental in upper thorax.
31. Aligning the Legs II
Standing and walking are so fundamental to everything we do, that we take them for granted. This lesson explores relationships among ankles, knees, and hips in standing and walking.
Legs, feet, ankles, hips, spine.
32. Torsion Bar
If you roll out a lump of clay or dough into a strand, you can roll it on a table with your two hands. If both hands go back and forth together, the whole strand rolls as a unit. If the hands go opposite each other, each end twists in opposition to the other. These kinds of movements are very energizing, combining elements of flexion, extension, and rotation in many ways. Walking is like that, and so are many movements in martial arts, dance, and everyday life. So this lesson is about some of the subtleties of this kind of torsion, particularly through the trunk, or "torso."
Legs, hip joints, spine, trunk, shoulders, neck.
33. Trunk Twist
Bending, twisting, turning, coordinating flexors and extensors
Twisting and turning of the spine and trunk.
34. Seated Twist
Differential rotation of spine, turning and twisting the torso, looking over the shoulder (as when driving), initiating movement from the center of gravity.
Differentiating spinal elements; pelvis, waist, trunk, neck, head, eyes.
35. Freeing the Arms and Hands
Reducing habitual tension in hands, wrists, arms, and shoulders; combating carpal tunnel syndrome; opening the heart to embrace new possibilities; improving creativity
Arms, wrists, shoulders, neck, back, and upper spine.
36. Hip Circles
Walking, rolling, reaching, bending, power movements
Turning waist, differential rotation of hips and shoulders
37. Softening the Trunk
Standing balance; easing the breath; freedom of chest, ribs, and shoulders
Trunk, chest, ribs, spine, shoulders, breath
38. Rolling from Stomach to Back
Rolling from stomach, backward bending, visual orientation, opening the chest and shoulders
back, chest, head, neck, shoulders, and arms
39. Swimwalk
This lesson originated with a movement from martial arts, but it only came together when I felt the connection to swimming. The martial arts part is why it is mostly standing up; there are elements of balance, shifting weight, twisting and bending, and reaching, as well as walking and swimming.
Integrating sides and back with balance for easier bending and twisting
40. Big Eyes
Virtually all movement is conected in some way to the eyes, head, and neck; this is about expanding the mental "map" of the eyes to relieve eye tension and related movement inhibitions, and to illustrate how awareness itself is a powerful force for change.
Eyes, head, neck, chest, arms, shoulders, spine
41. Swinging the legs
Functionally, our "legs" include most of the rest of our bodies, in ways that vary depending on what we are doing. By focusing awareness on the feet and on exploring how movements of the legs can be integrated with movements of the entire body, we can improve the fluidity, balance, and strength of many kinds of movements.
Feet, legs, hip joints, spine, neck, and chest.
42. Tongue and Throat
Movements of the head and neck can be affected in numerous ways by unconscious tension in the tongue and throat; giving the tongue a little more spaciousness can provide improved mobility of the head and upper spine.
Connections among the tongue, throat, neck, spine, and pelvis
43. Connecting legs through upper spine
Where do your legs stop and your body begin? In walking, running, or kicking, the "functional leg" doesn't stop at the hip joint; it comes all the way up into the upper torso to support head and shoulders, in a way that allows for easy changing of support from one leg to the other.
Legs, spine, ribs, hips, shoulders
44. Ischia
Themes: The pelvis is a pretty weird and pretty functional shape. This lesson uses feedback from the hands to explore the pelvis, particularly the sitting bones (ischia) and how they relate to movements of the legs and spine in standing and walking. Works with: Pelvis, legs, spine
45. Oscillations
Rhythmic movement can be a powerful tool for integrating the entire body into a unified whole; this lesson uses inner awareness and rhythmic movement to open the rib cage and lengthen the sides, improving vertical organization and balance.
Feet, legs, hips, trunk, chest, and spine.
46. Ankles and Knees
Flexible feet are an important key to smooth and balanced walking, running, or dancing. This is about softening the feet and connecting them functionally to the ankles, knees, hips, and spine.
Feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine.
47. Stabilizing Your Center
Most of the movements we do require us constantly to be shifting our center of gravity in space, while somehow maintaining our balance over that moving center, as weight shifts from one leg to another, and as our focus wanders from place to place. This lesson beings awareness to how to carry our weight smoothly from one standing or walking leg to another.
Legs, hips, spine, torso, balance
48. Turning the waist
Nearly every full-bodied movement requires the coordinated counter-rotation of hips and shoulders, while at the same time maintaining balance and keeping the head free to orient in many directions. This lesson coordinates the movements of the pelvis, shoulders, and chest through a range of flexion, extension, and rotational movements.
Hips, shoulders, chest, spine
49. Pelvic Clocks
Our centers of gravity fall within the pelvis, and the moving relationships between our pelvis and ribcage determine our balance and mobility in virtually every activity. The movements in this lesson bring awareness to these moving relationships in ways which enhance one's ability to remain centered in a wide range of movements.
Pelvis, waist, ribs, spine.
50. Aligning the Knees
Distortions of vertical alignment and organization take an inevitable toll on our knees. This lesson integrates the alignment of the knees with the feet, ankles, hips and spine.
Knees, hips, spine, feet
51. Waking the Spine (Chair version)
This lesson explores spinal movements of flexion, extension, and rotation from the position of sitting in a chair, making the lesson accessible to those with limited mobility (like those of us recovering from knee surgery!)
Extending range of motion of the spine and torso
52. More Shoulder Circles
This lesson is similar to Freeing the Shoulders, but more clearly differentiates movements of the shoulder from movements of the ribs, head, neck and pelvis.
Shoulders, chest, ribs, spine, hips.
53. Waking the Feet (Seated)
The feet are complex and indispensable, yet often only dimly in our awareness. This simple lesson improves foot awareness and range of motion, and connects the feet functionally to legs and hips for improved standing, walking, and sense of groundedness.
Feet, ankles, legs, hip joints,
54. Bow string
This is about distributing side-bending movement along the whole body, and therefore improving balance in the right to left (vertical) and also front to back (sagittal) planes.
Legs, hips, spine, ribs, shoulders, neck
55. Fat Tire
Opening ribs and chest, softening the trunk, gradual distribution of rolling movement through the body, reaching
Spinal rotation, turning intention to action
56. Initiating Extension
It is common that habitual unconscious contraction patterns of our posterior musculature twist and pull us away from center and balance. This lesson uses careful attention to how we initiate movement to reorganize the posterior musculature, improving the relationship between muscles of front and back in movements like looking up, reaching, bending, or turning.
Posterior musculature
57. Halo Arms
Flexibility of the torso, shoulder girdle, waist, ribs
Shoulders, spine, ribs, sides
58. Smile part 1
The muscles of the face are unusual in the most of them have primarily a social/communication function rather than "doing work." Habitual carriage of these muscles tells us and others much about our histories, feelings, and beliefs, and also echo patterns of holding in the rest of our body.
Muscles of the face, jaw, throat.
59. Smile part 2
The muscles of the face are unusual in the most of them have primarily a social/communication function rather than "doing work." Habitual carriage of these muscles tells us and others much about our histories, feelings, and beliefs, and also echo patterns of holding in the rest of our body.
Muscles of the face, head, eyes, jaw, neck, throat
60. Energizing your center
The strong muscles of the trunk are vital to add strength to all of our movements, however delicate; this lesson awakens and refines how you mobilize your center.
Large muscles of the trunk.
61. Head circles
Building a functional and adaptable base of support for the head and neck.
Neck, shoulders, chest, spine, pelvis.
62. Mobilizing the sternum
Softening the chest, relaxing the shoulders, and functionally connecting the head and shoulders to the chest.
Chest, shoulders, collarbone, neck