Hey all.
I’m trying something again, composing my own movement lessons, which is something I’ve done before, but it feels a little different this time.
I think I have a little bit more faith in the process and I have a little more experience under my belt.
So I’m keeping the process pretty fast and kind of loose, like I’m not editing very much, just trying to not be fussy about it.
And to me, that feels kind of in line with how I imagine the original Alexander Unai lessons probably got done, which is like, you know, make a recording and try it out with a small audience, see how it goes, and then keep moving and keep iterating.
So this is just a really short lesson, kind of no frills.
Like maybe it’ll feel a little bit more like a sketch or a demo than a finished thing.
But I did it, I lied down and did it, and I thought, oh yeah, I feel different.
So it’s a one-sided lesson, and if that’s, you know, if it bugs you to feel a little asymmetrical in the end, just repeat it, do it on the other side.
And please let me know if you end up doing the lesson, how it is, what you notice, what doesn’t make sense, what you liked.
Any and all feedback you have will be entertained by me.
Hope you’re all well.
Enjoy.
Lie on your back.
And feel the two sides of yourself.
Compare and contrast the right side to the left side.
Now bend the right arm at the elbow so that the forearm is perpendicular to the ground.
You can put the elbow on the floor wherever it’s comfortable.
So not too close to your torso, not too far away.
And like this, bend and unbend the elbow just as much as it’s comfortable.
So that the angle in the elbow becomes a little less than 90 degrees and then a little more than 90 degrees.
Right now we’re just interested in the bending of the elbow.
So you don’t need to move the shoulder at all in space.
Although you may feel some sensations, slight movements in the shoulder when the elbow bends.
Now what about the forearm?
When the elbow closes, does the hand turn a little bit spontaneously?
And when the elbow is opening a little, does the hand turn away or does it turn towards?
Now put the arm down on the floor and just rest for a moment.
Now lie on the right side.
Have your legs bent up comfortably.
And have the right arm in front of you lying on the floor.
And the left arm can rest along the left side somewhere comfortable.
Now bend the right elbow so that the forearm is perpendicular to the floor.
It’s like the forearm is kind of standing on top of the elbow.
And then put the elbow anywhere on the floor, wherever it’s comfortable.
And in this position, bend and unbend the elbow.
It’s the same movement you were doing lying on your back, but how is it different when you’re lying on your side?
Is it easier or harder?
Does it bend more or less in one direction?
What do you feel in your shoulder?
Now change the position of the right arm so that you can rest your head on your arm.
And in this position, again, bend and unbend the right arm at the elbow.
Now change the position of the right arm again so that it’s behind you on the floor.
And just allow your legs to take whatever shape they’d like so that it’s more or less comfortable to have the arm behind you on the floor.
And in this position, again, bend and unbend the elbow.
So now the floor is kind of a reference.
It’s a flat surface that the forearm can slide against.
But you’re still just bending and unbending the elbow to feel what it’s like.
And then roll onto your back.
And see what are the results of these little experiments.
Has anything changed?
Is anything different?
Roll onto the front.
Turn your head to the right.
And have your right arm resting on the floor in front of your face.
And here, bend and unbend the elbow.
The upper arm is protruding from the body at a certain angle, which could be perpendicular to you, or maybe it’s not perpendicular.
Just feel for yourself, at which angle the upper arm is it easiest to bend and unbend the elbow.
Now just rest on your front for a moment.
Now bend the right knee so that the lower leg is perpendicular to the floor.
So the foot is kind of up in the air behind you in the direction of the ceiling.
And feel what little adjustments can you make so that this gets a little bit more comfortable.
And now in this position, simply and slowly, very slowly, bend the knee and unbend the knee.
As you’re working like this, rest as often as you’d like.
Whenever your attention gets tired or you feel your muscles straining, just pause for a moment and then come back to it.
Now come back to simply bending and unbending the elbow.
And now as you bend the elbow, also bend the knee.
And as you unbend the elbow, also unbend the knee so it’s proportional.
Now come back to lying on your right side.
And in this position, bend the right elbow so that the right forearm is standing up in the air on top of the elbow.
And just feel to what degree is the right knee already bent when you lie on your side.
Just pay attention to how much it’s bent, where it’s lying on the floor.
And now bend and unbend the right knee and the right elbow at the same time in the same proportion.
Where do these two actions originate?
Do their points of origin or areas of origin overlap or relate to one another?
Come back onto the stomach.
Have the head turned to face the right.
Right arm resting on the floor in front of the face with the elbow bent.
And now draw up the right leg so that the right knee is on the floor and the right foot, right ankle are also on the floor.
And in this position, leaving the knee and the elbow both on the floor, simply bend the elbow and unbend the elbow.
And now leave the elbow quiet and simply and very slowly bend the knee and unbend the knee.
And now bend and unbend both the elbow and the knee together.
Now just pause for a moment, just wait.
And now if you were going to bend the elbow as much as possible, what direction would the elbow slide or move?
I’m assuming that if you bend the elbow as much as possible, the elbow would come kind of downwards or inwards towards the abdomen or towards the right side of the chest.
Feel if that’s true for you.
And get clear about the angle or the trajectory of the elbow if you bend the elbow a lot.
Now let that go for a moment.
And if you bent the knee as much as possible, which direction would the knee want to go spontaneously?
I’m kind of assuming that it’s probably a little bit upwards, maybe in the direction of the elbow or in the direction of the chest on the right side.
So now instead of the movement being isolated to the elbow and the knee, we’re starting to involve the hip a little bit more, involve the shoulder, the spine.
So now bend the knee and the elbow to bring them as bent as they can get, which kind of brings them closer to one another.
And then allow them to straighten so that they go apart.
And just go back and forth like that.
Good, then leave it and roll onto your back and rest.
What changed or what shifted since the last time you were on your back?
Now bend your right knee so that you can put your foot standing on the floor.
And now bend your elbow so that the forearm is perpendicular to the floor, standing on top of the elbow.
And like you did in the beginning, just bend and unbend the elbow.
How does it feel now to do it in this orientation of gravity?
Now rest the arm on the floor.
And with the foot on the floor, just bend and unbend the knee a little bit, which will slide the foot on the floor a little bit away from the pelvis and then back toward the pelvis.
Now try starting with the foot a little bit closer to the midline or closer to the left leg.
Again, you’re just sliding because that’s bending and unbending the knee.
Now try starting with the foot a little bit farther out to the right.
And now find the place to put the foot on the floor where it’s going to be the easiest for you to bend and unbend your knee.
Good, then lengthen your right leg.
Just let the leg find a resting place long.
And one more time, bend the right elbow so that the right forearm is perpendicular to the floor.
And just bend and unbend the elbow.
And then leave it.
Rest for a moment.
Now come up to standing.
Just see how you feel standing.
Are there any things that you notice in the areas of interest, the right side compared to the left side?
Raise the right arm in the direction of the ceiling.
And then just to compare, raise the left arm towards the ceiling.
Which arm lifts more easily?
What do you notice that’s different between the two sides?
And now walk around and see how the right side walks compared to the left.
Notice how the right knee bends and straightens when you’re walking.
And feel if there’s any movement in the right elbow when you walk.
And what else do you notice?
