Improve Standing, and Preparation for Walking
Many people come to Feldenkrais® lessons to improve standing and walking. Generally, one-on-one lessons (Functional Integration® lessons) are recommended, and there are quite a few self-learning lessons that can supplement the individual lessons.
The following recordings help you find new awareness of yourself while standing. This includes finding better balance, finding yourself being straighter or being more upright, even turning!
Being able to breathe easily and rhythmically is also important, so also practice the breathing series [see: Gentle Breath]
There is no intended order for these lessons. They are simply listed for you to find a lesson that you feel will be interesting and useful for you.
Please note: these are a new series to which new lessons are being added. Come back, perhaps you will find a new lesson!
Track the lessons you have done and the resultPrint the following documents so you can track which lessons you have done and how you are progressing:
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How to Benefit
1. Take care. Do not strain.
2. Where there is pain, do not try to move through it.
3. Rest. You can pause the playback any time.
4. Breathe. With each movement, check if your breath is easy.
5. Intend for the movements to be gentle, easy, even elegant.
Each lesson can be done more than once. Each time you will find you are sensing different aspects of yourself.
Experience 1: Standing Using the Wall An introductory lesson This 16-minute lesson helps you develop balance in standing using the wall for support. It is also handy for those mornings when you wake up with stiffness in the low back! The lesson has several aspects that further lessons explore in much more depth — that’s why I call it an “introduction” Positions: Standing, facing a wall Supports needed: maybe a chair to sit on to rest Duration: 16 minutes Note:If you feel tired or fatigued, sit down, pause the recording. Later you can start again, or start just before you stopped. |
| Listen to the lesson here: |
Experience 2: A three-Phase Lesson In Standing Preparation for Walking – Raising your heels, lifting your leg Continuing your introduction, for some people, doing a 45-minute lesson is challenging. Thus I have divided a 45-minute lesson into three parts. Part 1: Rounding and flexing your spine: on your back, and in standing Teaching yourself (learning) how to have a more flexible lower back leads to greater ease in standing and walking. And, stiffening your low back leads to less stability, increased pain or discomfort. Positions: Lying down, face to ceiling. The knees will be bent. Near the end of the lesson you will come to stand and raise your heels. Supports needed: It is a good idea to fold a towel behind the head Duration: 14 minutes Note:If you feel tired or fatigued, sit down, pause the recording. Later you can start again, or start just before you stopped. Listen to the lesson here: |
Experience 2, Part 2: Exploring (Caressing!) the leg In the first part, you discovered that you were more comfortable with your weight on one leg. For this lesson, we will explore only on this side. You will be lying down. Increase your ability to round your back and bring your leg toward your chest. This is a necessary aspect of walking and also going up stairs. Of course, you begin lying down, out of gravity so your body and mind can learn without the pesky habits you use to maintain yourself upright. Positions: Lying down, face to ceiling. The knees will be bent. Near the end of the lesson you will come to stand to sense the changes Supports needed: It is a good idea to fold a towel behind the head Duration: 21 minutes Note:As always, if you feel tired or fatigued, sit down, pause the recording. Later you can start again, or start just before you stopped. Listen to the lesson here: |
Experience 2, Part 3: Forward the Foot When standing, you need a sense of the foot on the ground, how you can shift your weight over your foot. When walking you bring your foot forward and even tip the front of the foot more upward. Guess what? We will do this in a small way. In the first short experience (#1), you flexed your foot while standing. This is very important to do proficiently, but of course, to develop this skill, you begin lying down, out of gravity so your body and mind can learn without the pesky habits you use to maintain yourself upright. Positions: Standing and also lying down, face to ceiling. The knees will be bent. Supports needed: It is a good idea to fold a towel behind the head Duration: 17 minutes Note:As always, if you feel tired or fatigued, sit down, pause the recording. Later you can start again, or start just before you stopped. Listen to the lesson here: |
Experience 3: The Edges of Your Feet Increase balance through awareness of your base of support (sitting or standing) This 20-minute lesson can be done sitting or standing. It helps to build a sense of balance and ease in the legs and feet. Also, the arms feel more relaxed, as well. Positions: sitting or standing (your choice) Supports needed: a chair with a back Duration: 20 minutes Note:If you feel tired or fatigued, sit down, pause the recording. Later you can start again, or start just before you stopped. Listen to the lesson here: |
Experience 4: Bending to the Side (sitting) This lesson is recorded for one side allowing you to feel the differences that your body makes. This is especially nice when you have stiffness in your neck and shoulders. You will also begin to feel movement in your pelvis that you had not expected. At the end, you will have a few moments to experience greater freedom. this might be a good lesson for your morning stiffness. Positions: sitting Supports needed: a chair with a back Duration: 15 minutes Note:This may be your first experience doing a lesson only on one side. Don’t worry – your whole system will be working on teaching the other side. When you repeat the lesson on the other side, you will be surprised at how quickly it learns! |
This ends the initial investigation and learnings about Standing and Walking. We have another online series that delves more deeply into how you can improve your balance on your feet called “Happy Feet” [here’s the link].
