Twenty-five Lessons from Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation

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TI^IENTY-FIVE LESS(]NS

by Dr'. l,loshe

Fel denkrai

s

Translated from Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation by Jack Heggie.

TI'IENTY-FI VE LESSONS

by Dr.

Moshe Feldenkrais

Translated fronr Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation by Jack Heggie. Copyright

1985

by

The Fel denkrai

s

Gui I d

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in written permission.

All rights reserved. manner without

any

Printed in the United States of Anrerica. Publ i shed by THE FELDENKRAIS GUILD

P.0. Box 11145, Main 0ffice San Francisco, CA 94101 USA

(415) 5s0-8708

This book is for sale to students and practitioners of the Feldenkrais tlethod only. Additional copies are $24.95 plus $1,00 postage and handling from the above address. (0utside North America, please add $4.00 postage for each book.

)

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE

Thi s bookl et i s a transl ati on i nto Engl i sh of the book Tt^/ENTY-FIVt LESS0NS, by Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc. The original book is written in Eshkoll,rtachman Movernent llotati on.

I have tried to translate the lessons into English without adding anything to or taking anything away from the original movement notation. This accounts for the somewhat dny chanacter of the prose. A few notes wi I I

he'l

p

to

make

the I essons go smoothly:

Breathing is not notated in this edition, and so is not nentioned in the transl ati on. However, Dr . Fel denkr^ai s usual ly enioi ned students to be awane of their breathing when doing Awareness Through Movement lessons.

At the star^t and fjnish of each lesson, and also at certain points the lesson, students are usually directed to lie on their backs, legs stretched out on the floor, and anms lying on the floot'by the sides. f,lhjle 1ying, JoU are to notice how t,he back makes contact with the floor, and to note any changes that have occurred dur"ing the lesson. In this tnanslation, this is rendered as the wond REST, in all capitals. dur"ing

Most of the movements are r"epetitive. That is, you are directed t,o make a rnoveilent, and then to do the reverse of that movernent. (Fon example, lift the head, and then place it back on the f1oor.) Then, the movenent is to be repeated a numben of times, which is not a1way5 specified. In this trans-

Iation, this is

rendered as "Reverse and repeat."

Dr. Feldenkrais always erxphasized that in order to denive henefit from the lessons, the movernents were to be done without strain or effort. Thus, even though in the first four lessons the notation dinects the student to "touch the knee to the elbow," and I have tnanslated it into English like this, he uvould usual1y say something 1ike "direct the knee tovrard the e1bovt," or "don't touch the knee to the el bow." Jack Heggie

Dal I as, Texas

Ju1y,1985

251-1

page

1

1 - Lie on the back and, leaving the arixs on the floor, bend the elbows so that the hands approach the pelvis, palms down. The legs are straight out on the f 1oor, feet comfor^tably apart. Keeping the hands on the floor, raise and lowen the right e1bow. Repeat, accel erati ng.

Raise Raise Raise Rajse

and and and and

lowen

the right shoulder.

Repeat.

lower the right elbow. Repeat. lower the right shoulder, ten times, fast. lower the right elbow ten tirnes, fast.

REST.

2 - Positio n as in 1, lying on the back, hands near the pelvis, palrns Rai se and I ower both elbows, keeping the hands on the floor. Repeat, accel e rating. Raise and I ower bot hs houl ders, together, very fast. Repeat. Rai se and I ower bot hs houl ders, a1 ternati ng, ten times. Raise and I ower bot he I bows, a1 ternati ng, ten times. Raise and I ower bot he lbows, together. Repeat.

down.

REST.

3

- Position as in 1, lying on the back, hands near^ the pelvis, palms down. the head, neck, and tor"so, as far as is easy, bending the neck so that

Raise

the chin approaches the chest. Reverse and repeat. the previous move 10 times, fast. the previous move and pause briefly after. lifting the head, neck, and

Repeat Repeat

torso.

Raise the upper torso slightly from the f1oor, leaving the neck passive, and allowing the head to slide along the floor. The head continues to touch the floor. Revense and repeat. Again raise the upper tonso frorn the f1oor, allowing the head to slide along the f1oor, and continue to lift the torso, until the head comes up off the fl oor. Reverse and repeat. Repeat 10 tirnes, fast. Lift the head and upper torso straight up and look at the pubic arch. Reverse and repeat. Repeat 5 times, fast. Repeat once, and pause briefly with the head up. Lift the upper torso, letting the head passively slide along the floor. Continue to lift the torso, and, uvhen the head lifts off the f1oor, raise the head up and look at the pubic arch. Reverse and repeat. Raise the head, torso, and both elbows, the hands remaining on the floor. Reverse and repeat. REST.

4 - Position as in 1, lying on the stomach, hands near the pelvis, down.

palrns

Raise the head, tonso, and right e1bow. Reverse and repeat. Raise the head, torso, and left elbow. Reverse and repeat. Raise the head, torso, and both elbows, letting the neck be passive and the head hang down. Reverse and repeat. Raise both elbows and the tor^so, leaving the head passive. Continue to raise the torso, and, as the head conres off the f1oor, lift the head up so that the chin approaches the chest. Reverse and repeat.

25L-l Raise and se and Raise and Raise and

Rai

page lower^ both elbows, I ower both el bows,

2

together.

Repeat. Repeat. lower both shoulders alter"nating. Repeat. a1

ternati

ng.

lower both shoulders, alternating, and raise the head and torso along with the left shoulder. Repeat. Raise and lower both shoulders, and the head and torso, together, keeping the foreanrns flat on the floor. Repeat. R

IST.

5

- Lie on the back, interlace the finger"s, and place thenr behind the head.

The backs of the hands rest on the floor. Raise the head, hands, and torso up, letting the elbows come closen together^. Reverse and repeat. Place the palms of the hands flat on the floor, near the pelvis. The arrns are nesting on the floor. Move the finger tips a little nearer to the pe1 vi s. Raise the head and torso and look at the pubic arch. Rever-se and repeat. Place the palm of the left hand on the be11y, below the navel, and place the right hand, palm up, under the back of the head. Raise the head, torso, and right hand. Reverse and repeat. REST.

?5L-2

page

3

- Lie on the back,

knees bent and soles of the feet on the f1oor, comfontably apant. Interlace the fingers and rest the back of the head on the paims of the hands. Raise the head, hands and upper torso, allowing the elbows to come closer together. Reverse and repeat. Leaving the fingens interlaced, hold the hands directly in front of the eyes, palms up. This is the "habitual" interlacing. Change the fingers sc that if the right thumb was on top, the left is now on top. This is the "non-habi tual " i nterl aci ng. Repeat the moti on, changi ng fr^om habi tual to non-habitual. Replace the hands unden the back of the head, with the non-habi tual i nter"l aci ng. Raise the head, hands and torso as before. Reverse and repeat. Raise head, hands and tor^so and night 1eg, knee bent, so that the r^ight elbow touches the right knee. Rever.se and repeat. Repeat the previous motion, and flex the right foot as it rises. Reverse the interlacing of the fingens, to the habitual position, and raise the right 1eg, knee suspended over the chest. Raise head, hands and torso, right elbow touching right knee. Reverse and repeat. Lower the right foot to the floor and raise the head, hands and torso. Raise the right 1eg so that the knee touches the right elbow. Reverse and repeat. Lowen the head, hands and torso to the floor and reverse the fingers, obtai n"ing the non-habi tual i nter"l aci ng. Raise the head, hands, tor.so and right 1eg, flexing the right foot, and touching the right elbow and knee. Rever.se and repeat. _ Repeat the pnevious rnotion, except extend the right foot as the 1eg rises. Repeat the previous rnotion, except first flex and then extend the ioot. Repeal the previous motion, except first extend then flex the foot. Revense the interlacing of the finger-s to obtain the habitual interlacing and nepeat the two prev i ou s mot i on s.

1

REST.

- Position as in 1, habitual interlacinq. !Raise the head, hands,

torso and right 1e{ until the right elbow and knee Rock up and down along the spine by pushing with the left foot. __ _ Repeat, holding the elbow and knee together.

touch.

REST.

3 - Position as in 1, with non-habitual interlacing. the head, hands, torso and rjght 1eg, touchirig the right elbow and knee. Rock up and down, as before. Continue, and inciease the ar,rount of rol I unti I the tai I -bone touches the f I oon on the fonv,rard moti on.

Raise

Repeat.

RE

ST.

4 - Position as in I, habitual interlacing.

Rajse the head, hands, torso and night 1eg, touching the left elbow to the right knee. Repeat, making sure the body conres straight up. Repeat the pnevious motion, flexing the right foot as the Ieg rises. Raise head, hands and torso and hold. Raise and lower the right 1eg, touching the right knee and left elbow. Repeat.

page

25L-2

Lower

the heao to the floor and raise the right 1eg, suspending the knee

the chest. Raise head, hands and torso straight up, touching the knee. Reverse and repeat.

left

elbovr

4

oven

to the right

REST.

5

- Position as i n1 , habi tual i nterl aci ng. se up and touc ht he left elbow to the right

Rai

Rock up and down alo,n9 accel erate.

knee, and hold.

the spine by pushing with the left foot. Continue

and

REST.

tual i nterl aci ng. night 1eg, touching the right knee and left and Raise head, hands, torso raise neverse, up and touch the right knee and right e1bow. then e1bow, right elbows. Make sttre the body rises and left alternating Repeat, 6-

Posi

ti on as i n 1,

habi

strai ght up. Raise the right 1eg, knee suspended over the chest. Raise up and touch the night knee alternateiy to the left and right

elbows.

Repeat . Lowen the right 1eg and

right to

up

raise the head, hands and torso. Raise and lowen the 1eg, alternately touching the left and right elbows. As you come touch the right e1bow, flex the right foot.

REST.

7

- Position as in 1.

RE

ST.

With the night hand grasp the front of the right knee. The right foot will be suspended in the air, and the left hand is still behin