Long Neck, Heavy Head - 6 - Hip Head Lift

Long Neck, Heavy Heavy Head - 6- Hip Head Lift

Supporting the head from the hip and shoulder, on the side

Based on “Lifting arm and leg from side ” from “And the Head is Free” Series by Arlyn Zones, GCFT®

For optimal balance, in all its connotations, we want to be in a state of neutrality. Neither tense nor floppy. Neither hypervigilant nor obsessively self-absorbed. Moshe Feldenkrais, the judo master, built his method around this fundamental. Core to all lessons is the release of excess tension, and the reconnection of lines of force through the skeleton.

This lesson, as presented by Arlyn Zones, does that: links the heavy head with the supportive and heavier pelvis. The spine transmits forces up to the head as needed and the head just floats around up top for flexibility, balance and acture (Moshe’s ideal of quickly returning to a neutral state).

Techniques in this both-sides lesson include: side-bending from tail to crown to release habitual chest tension; the legs pushing into the hip socket to magnify the upward forces; arms and shoulders guiding and lightening the weight of the head. Our goal is to root the head in the pelvis for support and freedom. And practice rolling the head close to the floor as we spiral to sit.

It begins in side-lying, draping the top arm over the head to cup the opposite ear. Grounding into the ribs, the arm and shoulder guide the top ear towards its shoulder. The more relaxed the torso and breath, the the deeper bend. Shifting to the hip, the flexed foot of the top leg presses into and lifts the hip towards the shoulder. With the arm guiding the head to the hip and the leg pressing the hip towards the head, we get to tune into the connection from foot to head. In the final sequence, the leg becomes a rudder, turning the pelvis and initiating a twist that, ideally, flows unblocked from sacrum to head.

Elements of this lesson are critical to an elegant “spiral to sit.”

At least that is my current understanding. It may change completely next time around. That’s the beauty of the Feldenkrais Method: it meets us where we are at and leads us in new directions.

This will be another trance-inducer. Enjoy the relaxation to start your day, or the sinking into the floor to ease into evening.

Science Nerd Candy Bowl:

Set Up for a Side-lying Lesson:

  • Side-lying on a mat with support under ear/cheek so that the nose, breastbone and navel are in a straight line.

  • Optional padding between knees for side-lying

  • OR side-sitting in a level, stable, armless chair, with knees and hips level, possibly a seated, shoulder-height support for arms

How you might feel after this lesson: Looser all over; Longer; Open; Breathing deeply; Relaxed jaw, shoulders and neck; Upper back massaged; Ribs released; Possible realignment of legs in hip sockets, arms in shoulder sockets; Able to let head be heavy and neck long; Able to support the head from deep in the spine; Spaced out - another trance-inducing lesson.

“We do the movements just to test ourselves if we are sleeping or are awake. That means [to distinguish] if we are able to pay attention, to do what we want, or if something inside of us, by itself, does what it wants. In other words, we are trying to stop being machines, but rather to become something closer to being a human that has awareness, knows what he is doing, and does what he wants... ”
— Moshe Feldenkrais, Alexander Yanai Number 359

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LessonsJacki Katzmanpelvic floor, practical pelvic floor application, ribs, hip socket, breath, back and shoulders, hip to shoulder connections, long neck, long neck heavy head, arlyn zones, And the head is free