Boost Your Well Being Through Mindful Movement: 46 Easy Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind [eBook ed.]

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Boost Your Well Being – 46 Easy Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind Vita Kolodny with May Nasser, Feldenkrais® Centre Vancouver Each of the 46 movement tips in this ebook is a short awareness lesson based on the Feldenkrais Method® of movement education. The tips can be done in sitting or standing, at home or at work. Some can be done while lying on your bed or on the floor. To achieve maximum benefit, do each movement sequence slowly so that you can be attuned to how you do the movement and how your whole body participates, rather than trying to go as far or as fast as you can. Ease will come with gentle exploration and mindful attention. We present the background and context of each tip followed by a short movement exploration denoted by the diamond ♦ bullet. To highlight the active process inherent in each of the movement sequences we use the “ing” suffix in their description. Each tip should take 3-5 minutes. They do not have to be done in sequence. If you wish to repeat the entire tip, you may do so after resting for a few minutes. If you do too many repetitions at once you risk turning the movements into a mechanical exercise instead of an awareness lesson. Every time you repeat the movements you will discover something new about how you move and how you learn to move.

Contents of this eBook:  Background  Back to Basics  Learning  Releasing stress and tension  Daily activities  At work  Leisure activities  Sleep

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 Background The Feldenkrais Method teaches us how to move with greater ease and efficiency through mindful movements done with guided attention. We learn to be aware of how we move rather than focusing on how much we can lift, how far we can turn, or how fast we can do something. With awareness, we have the option to make any action or movement more efficient using our whole body in proportion to each area’s size and strength. The Feldenkrais Method is more brain work than body work. Feldenkrais lessons are meant to help us stimulate our brains – to help us examine how we do things – and thus to discover new ways of moving and to change some long held habits that might cause tension and pain. The benefits of Feldenkrais practice and increased awareness include greater flexibility, less pain and more effective use of our body and our mind. To quote Moshe Feldenkrais, “as we become aware of what we are doing in fact, and not what we say or think we are doing, the way to improvement is wide open to us.” We humans are integrated beings. Our mind and body work together. If we improve our ability to act through movement we can also change how we think and how we interact with others. We are creatures of habit. We always use the same hand to brush our teeth, to shave and to eat. We generally sit at the same seat at the dinner table, in the classroom and on the same side of the movie theatre. These habits most often serve us well and certainly feel familiar but may not always be in our best interest. Because they feel so familiar and natural, we are usually unaware of their effects on our bodies until we feel pain somewhere. With careful exploration we often find different ways of moving or acting that we did not know were possible and which might in fact be more efficient and make us feel better. Through mindful attention to how we move we can rethink some of our long standing habits We have been conditioned to believe we can improve proficiency in our activities by pushing harder and repeating the action over and over again until we ‘get it’ or our muscles get stronger or harder. We often get injured while doing simple things like getting up from a chair, bending down to pick up something or turning to look at someone because our bodies do these actions mechanically and without awareness. How we learn and how we learn to learn is a key component of the Feldenkrais Method. We are learning through movement. This approach to learning, often termed somatic or organic learning, is learning by doing, exploring and making “mistakes”. As we explore movements, abstract ideas become concrete within our bodies. The Feldenkrais Method is based on the developmental stages that we all moved through as babies and young children.

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Babies learn to do the activities they need to function in the world through playful exploration. No one teaches them how to lift their head, how to roll over or how to sit. Through repeated explorations, with their successes and misses, they discover the easiest and most efficient way to do each activity. For many activities they rely on their strong trunk and pelvis. Many adults have lost that ability to playfully explore how to do new things or to relearn how to do some things easier. Feldenkrais lessons help us to relearn how to use our bodies, and brains, in the same way babies learn. As we do small movement sequences we are paying deep attention to how we are moving. We are exploring, in small approximations, different ways of moving to make every action easier, more efficient, and more pleasant. We hope you enjoy these tips. If you would like to ask a question about the movements or would like to share your experiences of doing them please contact us at the Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver; 604.263.1321; [email protected]. Please visit our website http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/ to learn more about the Feldenkrais Method and our classes, workshops and individual sessions.

 Back to Basics: General tips that provide the framework for all the others. 1. Using your whole self In each action you do, pay attention to how much of yourself is involved. If you use all of yourself, body and mind, you will find that each action or activity will become easier. ♦ For example, while you walk pay attention to whether there is movement in your pelvis and lower back. ♦ If you do not feel any movement in that region, begin to think about bringing movement into those areas. ♦ Gently let your pelvis move as you walk and relax any tension you are feeling in your lower back. ♦ As you add movement to your back, pay attention to what your arms, head and eyes are doing. Notice how you are breathing. The mere act of thinking of the many different parts of your body will awaken areas that haven’t been used in years. 2. Easy Breathing It is difficult to do anything easily if we hold the breath. When we do something new, difficult, unpleasant, or challenging we usually do not breathe as simply as we could. How we organize our body also contributes to our breathing. ♦ For example, if the shoulders are hiked up to the ears or the upper back is rounded then the rib cage doesn’t have as much room to expand. If the neck and spine are shortened easy breathing is also compromised. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 3 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ In all the movement sequences presented here, do not hold your breath as it could interfere with the movement. ♦ In some cases you will find that either inhaling or exhaling will help make a movement easier. ♦ In other cases, just paying attention to your breathing as you do a movement will be enough to make it seem easier. 3. Constructive fidgeting Our bodies are designed for movement! Even in the best ergonomically designed office, people who sit still for a long time without moving experience more discomfort and pain than those who move regularly. We often do not realize we are not moving until we begin to feel pain in one or more areas. Small movements will help release areas of tension that have built up in the different areas of our body. ♦ Whether you are standing or sitting in a chair, an airplane, a theatre seat, or on your bicycle seat, make frequent small adjustments to your position. ♦ If you do begin to feel pain move the painful area gently rather than holding it still. Think “motion is lotion”

 Learning: How to learn to move with guided attention Learning is part of who we are as human beings. As Guy Claxton so eloquently stated in the introduction to his book, Wise-Up: The Challenge of Lifelong Learning (Guy Claxton, Wise-Up: The Challenge of Lifelong Learning, Bloomsbury Publishing, New York, 1999, p 6) “to be alive is to be learning.” He also suggests that learning is “what you do when you don’t know what to do” and learning to learn “is getting better at knowing when, how, and what to do when you don’t know what to do” (Ibid, p.11). 4. Challenging yourself Are you learning a new sport or physical activity and feeling challenged by some of the movements? When confronted with a challenge where we don’t know what to do, many of us try harder and as a result unknowingly hold our breath. If we do not breathe freely and easily our ability to move and think clearly is compromised. Many of us also clench our jaws and stiffen our neck, creating tension in the neck, upper back and shoulders. You can gauge whether you were holding your breath if, after trying to do a new or challenging activity or movement, you then feel yourself taking a big breath which sounds like a sigh of relief. The next time you are faced with a new challenge or are trying a new activity use the following. You will struggle less and the activity will be easier. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 4 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ Get in touch with how different areas in your body are responding as you move through the phases of the activity. ♦ Pay attention to your breathing. ♦ Concentrate on exhaling gently and then observe the next inhalation occurring spontaneously. ♦ Reduce your effort by doing 50-75% less, and you will discover how much easier and faster you learn to do new actions. ♦ Purposely do the movements "badly" for awhile, and make some mistakes. Pay attention to how the different parts of your body participate in the movement. ♦ Then repeat the movements without trying to do them either poorly or properly. You will be surprised at how smart your body has become. 5. Noticing We learn by noticing differences and by taking the time to be aware of what we are doing. For example, if we notice how we do a simple activity such as standing, and explore different ways of doing that activity, then we can discover ways of standing for longer periods of time without pain in the lower back. ♦ Stand in your usual way. ♦ Take a moment and notice the following: o How far apart are your feet? o Are your knees locked or soft? o Does your lower back feel comfortable or strained? o How far apart are your shoulder blades from each other? o Are you breathing gently and easily? o What is the relationship between your head and pubic bone? ♦ Spend a few moments to readjust anything that you think might make standing more comfortable. ♦ Stand in this new configuration for a moment. ♦ Repeat as often as you wish, adjusting whatever you feel will make standing easier. 6. Examing habits A habit is a pattern of behaviour or a tendency to act in a particular way, acquired through frequent repetition. We tend to always repeat the same way of doing things. Some of these habitual ways of functioning are useful and help us quickly do what we need to. However, sometimes these habits, while familiar, may not always be the easiest way to do something and might even cause us to use our bodies in ineffective ways. According to Moshe Feldenkrais, mature, high functioning humans should know at least three different ways to do each action. When you only know one way to do something you have no choice but to always repeat the action in the same way, usually with little awareness. When you learn a second way, you can start to expand your horizon but it is with developing a third option that you truly have freedom of choice. You can choose the most appropriate way within the context of the situation. You also have a ‘back up plan’ when the need arises. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 5 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

What are some of your habits? ♦ For example, do you always sit at the same place at the table or at the same side of the movie theatre? Sitting at the same place means that you predominately turn your head and eyes to only one side. ♦ Do you always use your dominant hand to control the computer mouse, to hold your fork and to hold your toothbrush or razor? Occasionally try switching these elements to your non-dominant hand. Notice how a small shift will impact the organization of your whole body. Sometimes changing our habits can help us learn new things about ourselves. Here is a simple way to examine your habits: ♦ Sit comfortably on a chair. Close your eyes and sit for a few moments without doing anything. ♦ Place your hands in your lap and slowly interlace your fingers. ♦ Feel which thumb and index finger are on top or closer to your body. ♦ Keep your hands loosely connected this way for a few moments while you sit quietly and breathe easily. ♦ Keep your eyes closed and slowly unwrap your fingers. ♦ Interlace them again, this time placing the opposite thumb and index finger on top. ♦ Notice how unfamiliar and strange this second position feels. ♦ Did you find yourself holding your breath or clenching your jaw as you changed the way you held your hands? ♦ Repeat several times, changing configurations slowly while you breathe easily. 7. Connecting your head The head is the top anchor of our spine and the tailbone is the lower anchor. The neck is part of the spine. To gently explore the relationship of your head with the rest of your spine: ♦ Stand with your legs hip width apart and knees soft, or sit forward on a chair with your feet on the floor. ♦ Slowly lower and raise your head, paying attention to the quality of the movement and how you use your neck. ♦ As you lower your head look down and exhale feeling your chest moving downward, your ribs softening and your spine rounding to make the shape of the letter C. ♦ As you raise your head look up and inhale. Feel your chest and abdomen expand and your spine lengthening. ♦ Repeat several times. Notice the feeling in your neck and how you are breathing. 8. Standing on your feet How does our intention affect how we carry out a movement or activity? ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 6 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ Sit at the edge of a chair. Then stand up. Can you remember how you got up? ♦ As you stood up what did you notice about the following areas of yourself: o Where did you put your hands? o How was the weight distributed in your feet? o How were you breathing? o Where were you looking? o What were you thinking about? ♦ Sit down again at the edge of the chair. ♦ Before you stand up think about one aspect involved in getting up – for example where are your eyes looking? ♦ Then stand up and notice if you stood up differently and how you felt. ♦ Try standing up again but first think about another of the components involved in standing. ♦ Change one component at a time and notice how it changes how you come onto your feet. 9. Balancing Balancing requires interplay between the visual and vestibular systems as well as our ability to sense and respond to the surface under us. Balance acuity decreases as we age. Stand at a wall and place your hand lightly on the wall for support. Or stand behind a chair with your hand on the back of the chair. ♦ Cross the right leg over the left at the ankle. Your right foot will stand on the floor to the left of your left foot. ♦ Slowly shift your hips right and left. Make small movements and reduce your effort. Repeat several times. ♦ While doing the movements, breathe gently and easily, don’t clench your jaw, and let your eyes scan the whole room. ♦ Now lean your head and shoulders from side to side. What do you have to do to maintain your balance? Feel the movement in your hips. ♦ Breathe easily and notice if there is any movement in your ribs. ♦ Stop, uncross your legs and walk around the room for a few moments. ♦ Repeat with the left foot crossed over the right.

 Releasing stress and tension The hectic pace of our busy lives is expressed in our body. Our response to daily frenetic activity and stress is to try to do things faster but that often results in us using more effort than is necessary. Excess effort is manifested as holding our breath, clenching the jaws, or hiking our shoulders up to our ears. Then we wonder why we have back pain or that aching feeling in our neck or shoulders.

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10. Moving the ribs The image of ribs locked in a cage can set the scene for immovable ribs and restricted movement. Movable, flexible ribs allow us to breathe more easily and to move more freely and fully. ♦ Lie on your back. Bend your knees so that your knees point to the ceiling and the soles of your feet are firmly on the floor or the bed. ♦ Gently lift your left shoulder slightly off the bed or floor, as if you were floating it up. ♦ Notice what other parts of yourself move when you lift your shoulder (for example your collar bone, your head, your chest, etc). ♦ Gradually lower your shoulder so that it sinks back to the floor or bed. ♦ Inhale as you lift the shoulder and exhale as you lower the shoulder. ♦ As you lift your left shoulder gently roll your head to the right and as you lower your shoulder roll it back to the centre. ♦ Repeat several times. ♦ Repeat with your right shoulder, rolling your head slightly to the left as you raise your shoulder. ♦ Rest for a few minutes, noticing the contact of your shoulders with the bed or floor. 11. Freeing your back To relieve the nagging tension in your lower back try the following pelvic rocks. ♦ Lie on the floor or on your bed. Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor or the bed, hip width apart. ♦ Inhale and fill your lower abdomen with air. As you inhale, increase the arch in your lower back and rock your pelvis down toward your feet. It will come to rest on your tailbone. ♦ You might feel this movement right up to your head. Notice if your chin moves slightly toward your chest. What can you sense happening in the back of your neck between your shoulder blades? ♦ As you exhale, roll your pelvis upward toward your head. Your lower back will come closer to the surface of the bed or floor. Your chin moves away from your chest. ♦ Repeat several times rocking up and down, breathing easily. Do each pair of movements slowly and stop at the starting position before starting again. ♦ Notice how the weight shifts in your feet during each movement. ♦ Rest for a few minutes before you get up. 12. Loosening shoulders Many of us hold our shoulders up all the time, literally carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. To help teach your shoulders that they can be supported by the ribs and hang easily, you can do the following movement sequence anytime during the day, while standing, sitting or while walking. ♦ Sit comfortably on a chair with your feet on the floor. Or stand with your feet hip width apart, your knees soft and not locked. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 8 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ As you inhale, raise your right shoulder a TINY amount in the direction of your right ear. ♦ As you lift your shoulder let your head remain upright, do not tilt it toward your shoulder. ♦ Feel the air moving into your upper chest and notice if there is movement in your collarbone and ribs along the right side of your chest. ♦ As you exhale, gently lower the shoulder. ♦ Repeat the cycle of lifting and lowering slowly, to the rhythm of your breath. Make each movement very light, easy and lazy. ♦ Repeat with the left shoulder. ♦ Stop and rest for a few moments before getting up or walking around. Notice where your shoulders hang. 13. Lengthening your spine The spine is our central axis of support. There are 24 bones or vertebrae along the length of the spine. As we get older, many of us experience shortening in our spine and with it rounding of the upper back and neck. To learn how to actively keep your spine long and supple try the following exploration. ♦ Sit comfortably on your chair with your feet firmly on the floor. ♦ Close your eyes and breathe normally. ♦ Keep your eyes closed. Inhale and expand your lower abdomen and slowly begin to look up toward the ceiling. ♦ While you look upward notice how o Your lower back starts to arch o Your chest moves up and forward o Your head lifts up and tilts slightly back o Your eyes gaze freely upward ♦ As you exhale, contract your abdomen so that it moves back toward your spine and look down toward the floor. Feel your spine and chest gently rounding, your head tilting downward and your neck lengthening. ♦ Alternate looking up and looking down a few times. ♦ Sit with your eyes closed for a few moments. Feel the space at the back of your neck and the length of your spine. ♦ Repeat anytime during the day when you want a quick break. 14. Freeing Your Neck The neck is part of the spine. The seven spinal bones or vertebrae at the top of the spine are in the neck region. Many of us overuse our necks without realizing it, especially if we sit for a long time at a desk or computer because of how we tilt our head and neck to see the screen.

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Periodically take a break, move away from the computer and try the following to relieve tension in your neck and in the space between your shoulder blades. ♦ Sit at the front of a chair, with your feet firmly on the floor, hip width apart and your back unsupported. Or you may sit on the floor with your legs crossed or the soles of your feet touching each other. ♦ Gently turn your head to look right and then to look left. Feel how your neck works as you make these movements. ♦ Then tilt your right ear down toward your right shoulder. Make a small movement and do it slowly. You are not trying to touch your shoulder. Leave your shoulder down. Repeat several times. ♦ Feel your ribs on the right side of your trunk – do they fold together or open apart? ♦ Do you notice any change in the weight distribution in your pelvic sitting bones as you tilt right? ♦ Breathe easily so your breath will assist the movement and will not interfere with it. ♦ Do you have any sense of movement in your upper vertebrae in your neck? ♦ Rest and then repeat to the left side. Be aware of how you do the movements on this side and what you notice in the rest of your body. Repeat several times. ♦ Rest and then alternate tilting right and left. ♦ Stop all movements. Gently turn your head to look right and then left again and notice how your neck feels now. 15. Relaxing the eyes to relax the whole body We use our eyes a lot during the day. The relationship between our eyes and head is fundamental for easy movement. If there is tension in and around our eyes, many movements and actions, particularly those involving turning, lifting or lowering the head, become harder and we can feel tension in the neck. We also tend to strain our eyes to see. Sometimes this strain continues even when we close our eyes. To relax the eyes: ♦ Lie on your back on the floor, bed or couch in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. ♦ Rub your palms together (to warm them) and place them over your eyes. ♦ Cover your eye sockets with the heels of your hands and rest your fingers on your forehead. Your elbows will point to the ceiling. ♦ Relax your hands and elbows. Feel your shoulder blades resting close to the floor or bed. ♦ Keep your eyes closed and covered. Feel the warmth of your hands on your eyes. Take a few moments to lie quietly and breathe normally. ♦ Notice what colour or colours you see. ♦ Can you see a black background? The blacker the background, the more relaxed your eyes are. ♦ Spend a few moments lying quietly with your eyes closed. Before you open your eyes, roll your head very slowly and very gently a little bit right and then left. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 10 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ Gently open your eyes. Feel the sensation in your face, around your eyes, in your neck and notice how you are breathing. ♦ Take a few moments to slowly get up and return to your activities. 16. Freeing the jaw The state of relaxation or tension of the mouth and jaw is reflected in the rest of the body. If the jaw, lips, tongue and face are tense or clenched, you will not feel relaxed or rested. Clenching the jaw is a common response to stress and can lead to chronic teeth grinding, headaches, neck and shoulder discomfort and lower back pain. To relax the jaw, close your eyes and sit on a chair or lie comfortably on your back. ♦ Open your mouth a TINY amount and then close it. Repeat a few times. Try to open and close your mouth without changing the rate and rhythm of your breathing. ♦ With your mouth slightly open, gently move your lower jaw forward. Make the movement very small and easy. Repeat a few times. Stop and rest. ♦ With your mouth open, move your lower jaw a couple of millimeters to the right and then back to centre. ♦ Repeat a few times. As you do the movements think about letting go of all tension in your face and neck. Breathe normally. ♦ Repeat a few times moving your jaw to the left. ♦ Rest for a few moments before opening your eyes. Pay attention to the sensations in your face, jaw, head, and neck. What do you feel in your trunk, pelvis and feet?

 Daily activities Throughout the day we do many activities over and over again. It is often while doing the simple every day things that we get injured. We present a sample of actions or activities that we do repeatedly. Think about how you do each activity, paying attention to how you breathe, what you are thinking about at the time, and what all areas of your body and your mind are doing. 17. Getting out of bed When you get out of bed in the morning do you sit bolt upright, lifting your head and neck abruptly? Getting up head first can put a lot of strain and excess tension in your head and neck. Here is a gentler way to get out of bed: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Roll over to one side and bring yourself close to the edge of your bed. Bring your legs over the side of the bed. Roll your head forward so that your forehead will be on the pillow. As you bring your legs further over the side toward the floor, continue to roll your

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head in the direction of the side of the bed. Lean on your arm for support and gently lift up your trunk and bring your head up last. ♦ Sit for a moment on the side of the bed before standing up. ♦ Have a great day! 18. Turning your head Turning involves rotating the spine. The ability to rotate around the spine is one of the last developmental activities learned by children. It is also one of the earliest lost by older people. When driving, walking or cycling, we turn to look right or left before proceeding through an intersection. We look at someone sitting to our right or left at home, at the office, at the kitchen table, at a restaurant or at the theater. Turning involves the head, eyes, neck, shoulders, pelvis and spine. How we integrate each of these areas impacts on how easily we can rotate to turn more freely. Without realizing it we often turn our eyes right and left without moving the head with them. Other times, we move only the head to the right or left and keep our eyes fixed to one spot. When our eyes move in synch with our head, the head can move more easily and the neck is freer. If we hold our breath, or hike our shoulders up to our ears, free and easy turning is compromised. To explore what you do while you turn and how you can make turning easier, try the following: ♦ Sit comfortably on a chair with your feet fully on the floor. You can also stand comfortably with your feet about hip width apart. Bend your knees a little to prevent them from locking. ♦ Gently turn to look around to the right, stopping before you feel you have reached the farthest point possible or when you feel any strain in the movement. Return to centre. Notice how you turn and mark the spot you can see easily. This is your benchmark. ♦ Repeat this movement while turning to the left. ♦ Once again, move your head and your eyes together to turn right. Stop when you feel the movement in your neck is no longer smooth and easy. Return to centre. Repeat a few times. Pause for a few moments. ♦ Now, turn your head right but keep your eyes fixed forward. Turn your head slowly, paying attention to how far your head turns and how your neck feels. Repeat a few times. Pause for a few moments. ♦ Repeat the movement of turning both your head and eyes to the right. Notice what has changed in the movement – how does your head feel as it turns? What do you notice in your neck? Where are you able to turn to easily now? Is it further than the first time? ♦ Now, turn your head and eyes to the left. Is the feeling of turning this way the same as it was to turn to the right? ♦ Turn your head to the left while keeping your eyes fixed to a spot in front of you. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 12 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

Repeat several times. What do you notice now? ♦ Turn your head and eyes to the left and compare this movement to the benchmark movement you made earlier. You may have noticed that your ability to turn is enhanced by moving your eyes and head in the same direction. 19. Turning with the shoulders You can also improve turning by including your shoulders, pelvis and spine in the turn. ♦ Stand or sit comfortably on a chair with your feet fully on the floor. ♦ Turn your upper body to look to the right and notice the movement of turning in your head and neck. Are other areas of your body moving while you turn? For example, do you feel any movement along your back or in your pelvis? ♦ As you turn, think about making the turn along the length of your spine, from your tail bone up to the base of your skull. Does being aware of your spine as you turn help you turn further and easier? ♦ Then let your attention move to your pelvis, shoulders and knees. Notice what happens in those areas as you turn. ♦ Finally pay attention to your breathing as you turn. Think about softening your upper chest. Notice the effects of paying attention to those areas in your turning ability and comfort. 20. Sensitizing the hands Increasing the sensitivity and dexterity in your hands can help you with the many activities that require fine motor control in the hands. ♦ Sit comfortably with your eyes closed and place your hands in your lap or on a table in front of you. ♦ Lightly touch your right thumb to your left thumb. With your right thumb, slowly trace your left thumb from its base to the tip and back around the other side. Then trace along the outer side of the thumb and down over to the side closest to the index finger. ♦ Slowly repeat the tracing explorations a few times, slowly and easily as if you were lazily tracing the fingers. ♦ As you explore all sides of your thumb notice the rate or rhythm of your breathing changes. Pause for a few moments. ♦ Repeat, gently tracing your left index finger with your right one. Repeat a few times and then pause. ♦ Repeat with your right and left middle fingers. ♦ Repeat with the ring fingers and then small fingers. ♦ Sit quietly for a moment. Feel the sensation in each of your fingers, in each hand, in your shoulders and in your overall state of relaxation.

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21. Safe Bending Many back injuries occur when we bend down to pick up something from the floor. Consider the following when reaching to pick an object off the floor: ♦ To protect your back, bend from your hip joints to reach for the item. The hip joint is where the thigh bone meets the groin, the area where your pants crease when you raise your bent leg. ♦ Release your neck by looking down at the object you are reaching for. Feel the back of your neck and your spine lengthen. ♦ To come back to sitting or standing think of lengthening through your spine by stacking your vertebrae on top of each other, from the tail bone to the base of your skull. 22. Graceful lifting Back injuries also occur when we incorrectly lift heavy objects. When you bend over to lift something, you exert many hundreds of pounds of pressure on the discs of your lower back (the exact amount depends on your weight and the weight of the object). ♦ For safer lifting, stand close to the object with your feet shoulder width apart and bend your knees to lower your body. ♦ To lift, exhale while slowly straightening your legs – let your pelvis and legs do the work of lifting rather than your back. 23. Perfecting your posture Does “good posture” mean to sit and stand “straight and tall?” Forcing your body into a “good” posture where you hold your stomach in, push your chest out, and pull your shoulders back is not the most comfortable or efficient position to maintain. Forcing these configurations can create muscular strain, fatigue and discomfort. Consider that posture is a dynamic process where you are able to easily move from one place to another based on the prevailing situation. To explore dynamic standing posture: ♦ Stand with your feet approximately hip width apart. If your feet are too close to each other, your neck, back and leg muscles will tighten in order to maintain your balance. ♦ Relax your knees. If you lock your knees you will restrict movement in your hip joints and strain your back. ♦ Close your eyes. ♦ Gradually and passively allow yourself to sink downwards. Notice what your body does and where it goes when you don’t prevent it from collapsing. ♦ Take your time and breathe easily. After a few moments you will spontaneously start to right yourself upward. Allow yourself to rise slowly. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 14 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ When you are fully upright, notice if your support in standing feels different than how you stood at the beginning. You can also try the following exploration: ♦ Stand easily, feet hip width apart and knees relaxed. ♦ Think of gently lengthening through the entire spine - from tail bone up to your head. ♦ As you lengthen notice how your eyes move and where they look. What are you feeling in your chest and lower back? How is the weight distributed through your feet? ♦ Breathe gently. Notice how much easier it is to stand tall without effort. 24. Easier carrying Do you usually hold your brief case, purse, heavy grocery bag or baby in the same hand or on the same shoulder or hip? If you habitually carry heavy items on the same side of your body you might start to feel muscular tension and body imbalances. ♦ Reduce tension by carrying lighter items. ♦ If you have to carry a heavier purse or briefcase periodically move it to the other hand. ♦ If you are walking while carrying two heavy grocery bags, stop every few minutes and switch them around e.g. move the bag that is in the left hand to the right hand and vice versa. That way you will distribute the work more evenly through your whole body. 25. Dynamic Standing If you stand a lot during the day you might start to notice tension in different areas of your body. Observe yourself as you stand at work, while waiting in the check out line at a store, while working at the kitchen counter or while watching your child’s soccer or hockey game. As you stand, notice: ♦ Your lower back. Does it feel free or does it start to feel strained? ♦ If your legs are comfortable. Are your knees soft or locked? ♦ Whether your shoulders hang freely or if they start to creep up toward your ears. Do the following to relieve tension related to standing: ♦ Stand with your feet about hip width apart and slightly bend your knees. ♦ Move your pelvis a tiny amount from side to side. ♦ As you shift your pelvis feel the weight shifting from one foot to the other. ♦ Move around periodically; try not to stand in one place for too long. ♦ While standing and working at a table or counter, make a slight shift in your standing position by bringing one foot a little bit in front of the other one. This will help to ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 15 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

maintain the natural curve in your lumbar (lower) spine. It will also push the sternum (breastbone) upward and a little forward which will ease the strain in your arms as you work as well as freeing your lower back. ♦ Every so often change the foot that is in front. 26. Freeing the hips and knees A coordinated relationship between the ankles, knees and hips is important for balance and more comfortable standing and walking. Stand at a wall. Place your left hand lightly on the wall for support. ♦ Bend your right knee slightly until you feel the heel lifting off the floor. Repeat several times. Notice how the movement connects to your right hip joint, your lower back and right shoulder. ♦ Then lift the front of your right foot and feel the weight shifting on to your heel. Again notice the effect into your right hip. Keep your standing left foot stable but pay attention to the feeling in your left foot as you shift onto your right heel. ♦ Be aware of your breathing as you do the movements. ♦ Alternate rocking onto the heel and onto the front of the foot. Don’t shift your whole body forward and back but notice how your right hip moves forward and back slightly. ♦ Stop the movements. Walk around. As you walk, what do you feel in your right hip joint, in your leg and foot? What do you notice in your left leg? ♦ Repeat the sequences with the left foot. 27. Reaching with the ribs The ribs run along the sides of our body. Our ability to reach for something, either to the side, toward the floor or overhead, is enhanced by having ribs that are movable and flexible. To heighten awareness of your ribs, try the following: ♦ Stand with your feet slightly apart, your knees soft and slightly bent. ♦ Slide your right arm down the outside of your right leg and back up. Repeat a few times. ♦ Notice how far down your leg your hand reaches. What response do you notice in your ribs along the right and left sides of your body as you reach down your right leg? ♦ Remain standing. Bring your right hand over the top of your head to hold the left side of your face, around your temple or ear. ♦ Keep your hand on your head and move your right elbow toward the floor to the right and then return to the centre. Repeat a few times. ♦ As you move to the right feel how the ribs along the right side fold together while those on the left side open. Notice how your right ear comes closer to your right shoulder. ♦ Are you inhaling or exhaling as you bring your elbow to the right? Feel the weight distribution in your feet as you bend to the side and return. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 16 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ Stop and rest for a few moments. Then repeat the movement of lengthening your right arm along your right leg. Notice how far you can reach now and how your ribs respond. ♦ Repeat the whole sequence on the left side. The next time you reach for something think about how you can involve your ribs. 28. Finding your sitting bones Sitting is very stressful on the back. Up to 50% more pressure is placed on the spine when sitting than when standing. Many of us spend a good part of our day sitting in various chairs, in the car, or on the bus or bicycle seat. How many of us are aware that we can easily adjust how we sit to obtain a lot more comfort? Young children sit on the floor for a long time without anything to support their backs. They sit with their backs straight and their head mobile on top of their spine, enabling them to easily look at people and objects in their environment. Most adults tire quickly if they don’t have the back of chair to lean on for support. And in contrast with young children adults often sit in a slouched position, the lower back rounded and positioned behind the pelvic bones. This position puts undue weight into the back muscles, contributing to lower back pain. And the head does not have the freedom to move to enable us to look in all directions easily. The weight of the body is best balanced when we sit directly on top of the two pelvic “sitting bones”, formally known as the ischial tuberosities. These are two curved, horseshoe-shaped bones, which extend from the ischium in the base of the pelvis. ♦ To find the sitting bones, sit forward on a chair with your feet fully on the floor about hip width apart. ♦ Rock your pelvis from side to side and back to front. ♦ The two knobby bones you feel as your weight transfers from buttock to buttock are the sitting bones! ♦ Repeat for a few moments. Rock slowly so that you can feel the weight shifting on top on the bones. 29. Dynamic Sitting Now that you have found the sitting bones, you can do some explorations to utilize full skeletal support so that your body is free to move easily and comfortably while you sit. We want to sit so that our feet are fully supported on the floor, the pelvic sitting bones feel like they are firmly placed on the chair, and the spine feels long. The back will feel comfortable despite not having the back of the chair for support and the head and neck are able to move and turn easily. The ideal height of your chair or stool will allow your knees to be at the level of your hips or slightly lower. If the knees are higher than the hips, your lower back will start to round. To explore dynamic, supportive sitting: ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 17 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ Sit comfortably with your back away from the back of the chair. Sit far enough forward to feel the natural arch in your lower back. ♦ Place your feet fully supported on the floor or on a flat surface (not on the computer tower), legs uncrossed. When you cross your legs, there is an asymmetrical pull on one side of your lower back. ♦ Find your place on top of the two sitting bones. ♦ Relax your neck and feel it lengthen. Let your shoulders hang freely. Breathe easily. ♦ As you inhale, arch your lower back by protruding your belly forward and look upward. ♦ As you exhale, gently round your back, dipping your head down and look toward the floor. ♦ Repeat several times, moving forward and backward at the rate of your breath. ♦ Throughout the day, periodically stop what you are doing and do a few of these movements. In addition to feeling more support in sitting, you will relax your lower back. 30. Flexible Feet There are 26 bones in each foot. With that many bones, there can be a high degree of sensitivity of the foot to respond to the surface it is on e.g. shoe, floor, grass, sand, etc, ♦ Remove your shoes, stand up and observe how your feet contact the floor. Notice if you are standing more on the heel, more on the front of the foot, more on the right foot or more on the left foot. ♦ Slowly walk around. Notice how your feet shift weight as you walk. What else comes to your attention? ♦ Sit on a chair, with your feet fully on the floor, hip width apart and your back away from the back of the chair. ♦ Feel how each foot feels as it rests on the floor or carpet. Does the area under your arch feel the same on each foot? Are your toes flat on the floor or are some curled? Are your knees positioned over the foot or tilted a little to the outside of your foot or inside between your legs? What is the sensation in your ankles? ♦ Choose one foot. Roll the foot to the outside by lifting the inside arch away from the floor, increasing the pressure on the outside arch of the foot. Only move a small amount, staying within your range of comfort. The knee will move to the outside of the foot. Repeat several times. If you feel tension in your leg, pelvis or back you could be moving too far or too fast. Breathe easily as you do the movements. ♦ Stop and pause for a few moments. ♦ Do the opposite movement – roll the foot inward, lifting the outside of the foot off the floor and increasing the pressure on the big toe. The knee will move inward. Repeat several times. What do you notice in your foot, leg, pelvis, and back as you do this movement? ♦ Pause for a few moments before repeating these movements with the other foot. ♦ Stop all movements and notice how each foot rests on the floor. Do you feel any part of your foot more clearly now? ♦ Stand and observe how your feet contact the floor. Slowly walk around and notice how your weight shifts from one foot to the other.

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31. Whole body twisting and turning The ability to turn to look to the side is dependent on more than our eyes. Engaging our whole body aids in smooth turning and helps us turn further. ♦ Sit at the front of a chair, with your feet fully on the floor, hip width apart and your back away from the back of the chair. ♦ Turn to look to the left and notice where you can turn easily, without forcing the movement. Stop before you feel any pull in your back or strain in your neck. Mark the spot where you can see easily. ♦ Place your hands on your knees. Move your right knee forward a small amount. Repeat several times. ♦ Attend to the movement in your right hip joint. It is the hip that moves the knee forward. ♦ As you move your knee forward notice the movement of your trunk, spine, shoulders and head to the left. ♦ Keep your hands on your knees and now move your right hip joint backwards toward the back of the chair. Notice that your right knee will now move back, in the direction of your hip. ♦ Now notice that your body twists to the right. Repeat several times. ♦ Alternately move your knee forward and back. Notice how your body twists right and left. What does your left knee do? ♦ Rest for a few moments. Repeat the first movement of turning to look to the left. How are your head and eyes, neck, spine and trunk involved now? Mark the spot where you turn to easily. ♦ Repeat these movements with the left knee. 32. Getting up from a chair Many people get up from a chair or the toilet seat by pushing their hands onto the thighs. This puts undue pressure into the arms and shoulders and knees. Explore the following way to get up from a seated position. This process takes full advantage of the organization of the spine and pelvis and distributes the work of getting up evenly throughout the body. ♦ Move to the front of your chair. Place your feet fully on the floor hip width apart with your back away from the back of the chair ♦ Bend forward a little bit, initiating the movement from your hip joints (your hip joints are at the crease of your thigh bone and pelvis). Then straighten up, again from the hip joints. ♦ Repeat bending forward and straightening several times. Notice that your whole trunk bends and straightens. ♦ Each time you bend forward look at the floor between your legs. ♦ Stop for a moment and rest. ♦ Continue bending forward and straightening. Now as you bend forward gently raise your pelvis a little bit from the chair and then lower it. Repeat a few times, each time raising the pelvis a little higher. ♦ As you lift your pelvis off the chair begin to straighten your whole body and bring yourself to standing. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 19 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ Straighten your body in stages. It might take 3-4 attempts before you come up to a full standing position. ♦ When you are standing adjust the placement of your feet as necessary. ♦ Reverse all the movements to sit down again. 33. Traveling in comfort Sitting for long periods in a car, plane, bus or train can be hard on the back. To achieve the most support and comfort while sitting in a vehicle try to have the lower back (lumbar region) slightly arched. ♦ If the back of the seat does not have built in support, place a roll or towel above your tail bone or sacrum to maintain the curve of the lower back. ♦ Ensure there is no excessive pressure on the back of your thighs or at the back of your knees. Tilt the seat forward or use a seat cushion to relieve the pressure under your thighs, pelvis and back of your knees. ♦ Relax your jaw and face and remember to breathe! WALKING All of us walk a lot each day. However we rarely think of how we walk, except when we experience pain or cannot walk as far as we would like to. Walking is considered one of the best and safest forms of exercise and is a great mood lifter. To walk without pain, we need to develop coordination between the head and eyes, arms and trunk, pelvis, legs and feet. We have included several tips related to walking. Each is concerned with how we use a different area of ourselves as we walk. Focus on one of these components each day and eventually they will all come together and you will discover a new ease in walking. 34. Seeing while walking While walking, many of us keep our heads down and eyes fixed to the ground. ♦ Try walking with your head down. Notice how the back of your neck hangs down. Does it feel free to move? ♦ As you walk with your head down you can also pay attention to the arch in your lower back, whether your pelvis is moving and the extent of swing in your arms. ♦ Then gently raise your head and eyes to look at the horizon. ♦ As you walk with your eyes lifted, notice that your neck will lengthen. Does it feel freer? With your eyes lifted, your head and eyes will be more available to look right and left. ♦ Notice whether your shoulders drop down when you walk with your eyes and head lifted up. Are your arms gently swinging? ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 20 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

With your head and eyes free, you will still be able to see the obstacles in your path and will walk more elegantly. 35. Swinging hips and pelvis (or the “sashay” walk) The pelvis is the body’s centre of gravity. It provides the power, along with the hips, for easy, elegant, and efficient walking. ♦ Walk a few steps while keeping your pelvis still. Can you feel any movement in the area of your shoulder blades and in your middle and lower back? Do those areas feel like they are moving freely? ♦ Pay attention to the feeling in your hip joints and legs as you walk. ♦ Continue to walk but now let your pelvis move freely. You might feel like you are “sashaying” or swinging your hips a little. ♦ As you bring more movement to your pelvis when you walk notice if your back and shoulders feel freer. ♦ Also notice if your head feels better able to move from side to side. ♦ How do your feet feel as they connect to the ground as you take each step? When you walk with a freely moving pelvis your lower back is more comfortable, you have more control of your legs, you can turn more quickly and you will feel more support through your feet. You will also demonstrate an attitude of strength and agility. 36. Moving hip joints When you walk do you feel as if your body is being pulled forward or propelled forward? ♦ If the front foot strides too far ahead of you, your body will feel as if it is being pulled forward with minimal opening of the hip joint. ♦ Propelling instead of pulling uses less muscular effort. ♦ To propel yourself place your front foot forward directly beneath yourself. Peel the back heel off the ground and feel your weight transition to the front of the foot. ♦ You will feel like you are being propelled forward by the power of the back hip joint and leg. 37. Diagonal movements in walking If you walk with your hands held at your sides there will be less side to side movement of your arms and shoulders. Your back will be stiff and you will look and feel stiff. To use your arms most efficiently: ♦ Bend your arms slightly. ♦ With each step, think about the diagonal connection between one shoulder and the opposite hip. ♦ For example the right shoulder comes forward as the left hip comes forward. Then the right shoulder moves back as the right hip moves back. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 21 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ Now try the other diagonal. The left shoulder comes forward as the right hip comes forward and the left shoulder moves back as the left hip moves back. ♦ The shoulders and spine are now more involved in the walking motion. ♦ As you pay attention to moving your shoulders, feel the gentle swing in your arms. ♦ Keep your head and neck soft and free. You will be able to easily look around in any direction to keep an eye on what is in your environment. 38. Walking feet The human foot is an essential base of support for many of our daily actions, particularly standing and walking. Our feet have become weaker and less flexible than those of our ancestors because of our reliance on shoes and because we walk primarily on hard, unyielding surfaces such as sidewalks. ♦ Increase awareness of your feet by walking on different surfaces such as sand, gravel, grass, and trails as well as cement sidewalks. ♦ As you change surfaces, notice the sensation in your feet and what happens in your pelvis and back. ♦ Pay attention to the weight distribution in your feet as you walk. ♦ If you are experiencing strain along one side of the upper ribs and neck it may be related to how you shift weight onto your feet. If you continuously place more weight onto one foot, the extra force may be felt all along the spine up to the upper vertebrae in the neck and head. 39. Slip Sliding Away! Trying not to slip on unfamiliar or uneven terrain such as ice or on big stones is a challenge. In treacherous situations we unknowingly stiffen up and hold our breath in an attempt to stay upright. ♦ When you are walking on uneven pavement, on ice, or somewhere where you are not sure of your footing, breathe easily, soften your chest and drop your shoulders. ♦ Be aware of your pelvis. Notice if it is stiff or if it is freely moving side to side in figure 8 motions. ♦ Don’t only look down at the terrain below. Continuously shift your gaze to look at the ground, look up, look forward, and look side to side so you can see everything in the environment around you.

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 At Work In today’s working environment the expectations on us keep increasing. Many of us try to squeeze a lot into one day. But continuously working at a fast and hectic pace can backfire. If we try hard all the time we actually find ourselves accomplishing less. Many business advisers suggest that to increase productivity we should work smarter rather than harder. One common tip is to tackle one project at a time with our full attention. Multitasking is on its way out! 40. Motion is lotion! Moving regularly helps reduce muscular tension and helps us focus better. However we can be easily engrossed in what we are doing and forget to move. Keep the mantra, motion is lotion, in mind. ♦ To keep from getting that stiff achy feeling in your shoulders and neck from sitting at your desk or computer for hours on end, as well as tired eyes from staring at the monitor, set an alarm on your computer to remind you to get up every 20 minutes. That will force you to periodically take a break. ♦ When you stop, stand up and walk around. Even a short break can make a big difference in helping to prevent build up of muscular tension and stress. ♦ While you are standing, gently lift your right shoulder a little bit toward your right ear. Don’t attempt to touch your shoulder to your ear. Repeat gently a few times. Feel the movement along the right side of your trunk and ribs. ♦ Repeat with the left shoulder, bringing it gently toward the left ear. These movements will help relieve tension in the shoulder and neck. ♦ While you are working, periodically change your sitting position. Think about dynamic sitting and explore how all areas of your body are supported while you sit. ♦ Think about moving from your pelvis to move the mouse rather than initiating the movement from the wrist. Your pelvis is bigger and stronger and can better support this repetitive activity than relying solely on the wrist. ♦ Every so often, gently exercise your fingers and hands to reduce any built up tension. ♦ As you work, remind yourself to breathe gently and easily. 41. Sitting with support Many of us sit at desks that are not the right height for us or on chairs that do not allow us to get full support into our feet and sitting bones. The strain of working at a desk or computer for many hours each day, even with the best desk or chair, can be felt in the back, between the shoulder blades and in the neck. When you sit, and stand, with optimum skeletal support, you will use less energy and will feel better. ♦ Sit at your desk. Before you begin to work or use the computer, notice if your feet are fully on the floor or if they are resting on the chair’s base or on the computer tower. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 23 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ Feel whether your shoulders are hanging comfortably or if they feel hunched up toward your ears. ♦ Breathe easily and feel how your ribs expand and contract. ♦ The ideal seated position to provide optimal skeletal support has the following components: o Your feet are flat on the floor about hip width apart o Your hips are the same height as your knees or slightly higher o You are sitting on top of your two pelvic sitting bones o Your arms are relaxed, with your shoulders hanging freely ♦ Continually explore your position and readjust as often as is necessary to provide maximum support. 42. Easier Texting Long time use of personal assistive devices such as the BlackBerry can create stiffness and poor use of self, illustrating that the thumbs are truly connected to the shoulders, back, pelvis and knees. When we sit for a long time with the head down to see the keyboard we begin to slouch. The fingers get stiff from all that thumbing. The neck starts to hurt from the head being bent over. We can also feel the stress of having to be available day and night to incoming messages. To relieve the tensions that arise from using personal assistive devices: ♦ Sit rather than stand to text. Sitting down requires that you take a moment to change your position and gives you a chance to support your trunk. ♦ Find your base of support on top of your sitting bones. ♦ Take a breath before using the device. ♦ Rather than keeping the device in your lap which requires you to constantly bend your head and thus strain your neck and shoulders, periodically raise the device to chest height. Raise your head and eyes. These changes of position and movements will help decrease the slouch and your spine, back and neck will lengthen. ♦ Don’t get so absorbed in “thumbing” that you forget to breathe. ♦ Take frequent breaks and don’t text before bedtime! 43. Releasing the shoulders Our shoulders and neck absorb a lot of the strain and tension that results from sitting for long periods of time. ♦ Take a break from your work and sit comfortably with your feet flat on the floor. ♦ Close your eyes. ♦ Estimate the distance between each shoulder and its corresponding ear. Notice the length of your arms. ♦ As you inhale, gently raise your right shoulder, as if you were floating it upward. ♦ As you exhale, lower it to the starting position. Repeat several times. ♦ At the same time as you raise your right shoulder tilt your right ear toward your right shoulder so that your right shoulder and right ear move toward each other. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 24 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

As you exhale, lower your shoulder and bring your head back to the starting position. As you lift and lower your shoulder soften your chest and breathe easily. Repeat with the left shoulder. Before you open your eyes estimate the distance between each ear and shoulder and feel how your arms hang. Does your shoulder feel lower? Your arm longer? Your neck longer? ♦ Repeat these sequences several times during the day. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

You can also do these movements while standing which gives you another excuse to stand up for 5 minutes.

 Leisure Activities 44. Gardening with grace If you are a gardener you know that you can get absorbed in weeding, planting or pruning and forget that you have been in one position for a long time. Then when you try to get up your lower back or legs scream at you. How can you protect your back as you get down to dig and plant? ♦ Get down onto your hands and knees as if you were gardening. ♦ Reach out with your hand to begin to dig. As you do so, round your back by tucking your coccyx (tail bone) under you. ♦ Reach out in front of you, to each side and on a diagonal. Feel how far you reach. ♦ What do you notice between your shoulder blades and in your lower back? Is your head hanging in such a way that your neck and head are free to turn to each direction? ♦ Now arch your lower back (do not tuck your tailbone) and reach in different places. Feel the difference in where you reach and in how your back feels. Every so often change positions and activities, e.g. kneel, sit, stand, and bend over, prune, dig and plant. 45. Easier Bicycling Riding a bicycle is great exercise and a green way to commute. Your seating position and the motion of your legs and pelvis are important for cycling comfort. If your lower back stays in a rounded position for too long you will feel strain in the region of the mid and lower back. Most of the work in cycling is done by the pumping action of the legs. To protect your back use your pelvis and spine in a careful, controlled way: ♦ Rearrange yourself on the seat in a way to regain the lumbar curve in your lower back. This position will free your ribs and spine and enable your pelvis to power your legs. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 46 Movement Tips to Help You Rediscover Flexibility in Body and Mind 25 ® Vita Kolodny and May Nasser, Feldenkrais Centre Vancouver http://feldenkraisvancouver.com/

♦ As you cycle, one leg and side of your pelvis (in the area of the hip joint where the femur meets the pelvis), come up and moves backward while the other leg goes forward and down. ♦ Breathe gently into your ribs so they soften. ♦ Periodically change positions and briefly ‘stand’ while cycling, particularly while climbing hills.

 Sleep 46. Reducing daytime stress for more relaxing sleep Our lives are faster, busier and more stressful than ever before. Many of us move through our day in a robotic fashion, going quickly from one activity to the next, often not aware of the strain and tension we hold in many parts of our body, and our mind. This frenetic daytime activity over activates the sympathetic nervous system. This part of the nervous system needs to shut off in favour of the parasympathetic system to enable us to sleep restfully. Thus daytime stress is one of the major contributing factors of insomnia. To promote sleep we need to rethink some of our daily and evening habits and routines. ♦ To keep your daily biological clock working well, expose yourself to natural light as early in the day as you can. Even in dark Vancouver winters we have opportunity to be exposed to natural light. ♦ Try to get moderate exercise as early in the day as possible to strengthen your natural cycles of arousal which occur throughout the day. This can include walking or cycling to work or walking at lunch time. ♦ Take frequent relaxation breaks throughout the day. During these breaks clear your mind, breathe gently throughout your whole trunk and chest and let your shoulders drop and relax. ♦ Try to get outside for a few minutes during some of these breaks. ♦ Think of focusing on one activity at a time, looking for ways to make things easier. ♦ Monitor your caffeine intake, from all sources. Some people can be affected by caffeine for up to 14 hours.

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