No Crunch Abs - V2 - 9 - Abs to Sole
No Crunch Abs - V2 - 9 - Sole to Abs
Painting to connect the abs to sole, floor to core
Variations on “Painting the Floor (and ceiling) with Feet (AY111)”
The sole of the foot is critical to sensing for balance and movement. The foot has 33 joints for 26 bones so lots of mobility and spreading of the forces there. But as you move up the leg, the lines of force concentrate and simplify. The leg is built for transmission - not distribution or dissipation - of force.
That’s not to say that the musculature is simple. The leg has 13 muscles categorized into three groups. Many connect directly to the pelvis or to the core via fascia. The complexity of the muscles enables complex, yet clear movement.
This came as a revelation as I searched for videos, images, the boneman for an example of the biotensegrity - how muscles, bones, fascia, ligaments and tendons, or rigid and elastic cell membranes, are made strong by the unison of tensioned and compressed parts - for the leg. I could find none. When I looked carefully at the boneman model, I saw only a few cables connecting the leg and pelvis. Aha - not much biotensegrity in the leg…
In other words, the legs send ground forces directly to the pelvis, which means the abs, with very little distraction save the ankles, knees and hip joints. The clearer the transmission, the fewer problems with ankles, knees and hips.
Imagine smearing gorgeous paint with your soles and toes
This is another full-body abs strengthening lesson using the weight of the legs. It is also an exploration of how the abs move the soles, and how the soles activate the abs. And, for those who sometimes experience pain, a chance to tune into, and maybe begin to realign, your use of your ankles and knees.
We begin by painting - with your soles (of the feet). Imagine the creamiest, most luxurious, most luminous paint possible: nice and warm, squishy between the toes. Now allow your soles to glide, spread, smooth this exquisite paint over the floor. Front and back, side to side, and - of course - in circles. Maybe rocking the feet a little side-to-side to activate the ankles.
It's a full-body sensual experience. And a direct line from the floor to the abs.
This is mostly a supine, on back, lesson. There is an interlude on the tummy offering a new relationship of abs and legs to gravity. If that doesn’t work for you, try lying on one side, or sitting at the very edge of a chair with wide legs.
Science Nerd Candy Bowl:
The Psaos Major Muscle; Muscle and Motion: (2:20) Recap on the connections from the thigh to pelvis and spine
Muscles of the Thigh Part 1 - Anterior Compartment Anatomy: Animated Anatomy (5:01) Detailed review of the muscles connecting the front of the leg to the abs
Muscles of the Thigh Part 2 - Medial Compartment - Anatomy Tutorial: Animated Anatomy (10:29) Even more detailed review of the muscles connecting the front of the leg to the abs
Chest mobility and whole body connection in the supine position on the skeleton model | BONEMAN.pro: The boneman biotensegrity model is anatomy in motion, with little attention to the legs. Notice the very few cables connecting the legs to the upper body.
Set Up:
This is a supine - lying on the back - lesson mostly. If lying on your belly is okay, there is a tummy side section. Support for the head and knees for the supine part, and some padding for the front for the prone part, might be helpful.
I did part of this lesson barefoot on a fuzzy rug. Very pleasurable. You may want to try the same thing.
Alternatively, sit in a firm, flat-seated chair with thighs parallel to the floor
The Voice-O-Meter choices this week are many. In the Traditional Chinese Medicine map of the body, the feet are the terminal points for several meridians. We may or may not invoke these sounds as there's a lot going on this this lesson:
Kidney - Choooo - releasing cold, fear, contraction
Spleen - Hawww - releasing anxiety
Liver - SHHHH. - releasing anger
How You Might Feel After This Lesson: Clear on your personal movement in ankles, knees and hip joints and possible ways to develop better alignment; Tuned into the connection of soles to abs, and how they affect one another; Sensitive to the sensitivity of the feet; Tuned into the driving function of the edges of the feet to the hips; Grounded, grounded, grounded; Balanced in the hips as you shift weight across the foot; Cleaner turns on skis, skates, snowboards, water skis; Stronger push on bike pedals, golf swings; Regal posture and cat walk poise.
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
The Queen of Soul - always appropriate. Not great sound, but at the Filmore.