More side bending

(Mobile users press “+” at upper right to see the menu.)

A variation on side bending that asks you to to rotate the ribs while the spine is curved, unwinding all kinds of pernicious holding patterns in the ribs. I like lessons where the sequence is clear: “Do this and this and then check that. See how it changed.”

It’s marvelous to observe how plastic and malleable we become when given the right input.

(These first few lessons are from Integrating the chest by Gaby Yaron, one of Moshe Feldenkrais's first students in Israel who was severely injured in a car accident and slowly taught herself to move again with these brilliant, careful, detailed observations of the ribs.)

(Integrating the chest, lessons 1 & 2)

Improve side bending to both sides. Practice sliding the pelvis side to side in the air, then you lie on your side and examine many ways to lift the head and leg.

This lesson will soften the ribs and reduce neck strain, plus improve your gait as side bending is an important, often overlooked, part of walking.

(Integrating the chest, lesson 3)

This lesson asks you to lie on the side and move the arm around a giant clock. Another brilliant, detailed study of how the arm, ribs, and upper back work together.

One way around the clock is to slide the arm, the other way is to lengthen the arm toward each hour. This is very helpful as it asks the bones in the upper back and chest to adapt to multiple angles.

Finally, you imagine lengthening and widening the ribs on the other side. Watch what the brain can do just by thinking!

And in standing, sense how the arms float toward the ceiling, not to mention how supported you are on your legs because the organization of the back affects your overall stability.

(Integrating the chest, lesson 4, part 1)

Because a stiff chest impedes swinging your legs and pelvis, anything you do to help the ribs soften will also help the pelvis swivel. The legs become lighter and freer, as this lesson makes clear.

Here you continue the theme of a clock dial with more details using the left arm. As your self-image becomes more and more whole around the arm and the ribs, the movement also grows in ease, range, and softness.

You also breathe into the side bend on your back, creating a lovely sense of length and space in the chest. Feel how this lesson improves walking at the end.

(Integrating the chest, lesson 4, part 2)

Breathing into the side in a slow, detailed way helps the ribs soften and let go, over and over. Plus, you bring awareness to habitual holding patterns you might not even know you had. You will use a chair right at the end as a precursor to the next section.

(Integrating the chest lesson 5)

This lesson looks at side bending in standing with a brilliant movement around the hip joints. Even though you do some interesting movements in the ankle, knee and hip, just go through the movements and see how it affects your walking. Hint: The ribs, the ribs, the ribs!

Note: The hand on the back of the chair is just for balance. Modify the position as you need. It might not be necessary.

(Integrating the chest lesson 6)

A brilliant lesson for your whole spine, but mostly for turning the head and neck using your whole self. You can’t turn the head easily without the middle spine and ribs! This lesson helps calibrate the back muscles while turning. It’s a very, very yummy, swingy, swishy, smoothing-out kind of lesson.

(Integrating the chest lesson 7)

Get a hard chair to do this lesson as you’ll sit with your left sit bone hanging off the edge. (You can always reverse the instructions if this is not comfortable, but do the whole lesson on the one side as indicated.)

This bending lesson improves walking as you pivot, swivel, and bend with the leg dangling. The brain gets so much new information as the upper back discovers how to differentiate from the hips and pelvis.

It’s amazing to uncover how many ways the ribs can articulate.

AY508

This lesson starts lying on the side slightly twisted. Use the fingers to press along the ribs and soften them in many directions. As the ribs soften, breathing improves, tension unravels, and the back lengthens. Then you slide the head to the side—not with the neck, with your whole self. The spine becomes alive all the way down to the pelvis.

At the end of the lesson, there's an interesting move where you’re standing on the knees and folding the ribs sideways. Don’t expect to do it on the first go. Remember to smile because the floor is so very far away!

Many people report that this lesson is powerful because it uses all the large, strong muscles of the torso and wakes up the whole back, ribs, and torso.

AY218

This lesson is done sitting on the floor with the soles of the feet together. (Do it sitting on a hard chair if that position is a challenge.) There is a strong side bend in the lumbar spine for this experiment. This lesson will unravel tension in the neck, shoulders, and ribs. It also improves walking and accesses the power in the back.

Some of these movements might feel mysterious at first, what Moshe called “the elusive obvious.” Just go through the whole lesson even if some movements are hiding at this moment. Don’t worry about doing it “right,” just keep searching and listening to yourself. Your nervous system will learn if you stay curious and interested.

The important thing is to notice the effect of the experiment.

AY436