Awareness Through Movement #402

Turning the palms of the hands - MARIANNE RIVINGTON

Marianne has agreed to participate in this project by sending us lessons each fortnight on time without any prompting, reminding or questions. And every fortnight she proves her dedication to this practice by detailing her thoughts on the lesson she so carefully practices and delivers to us.

This fortnight, because I threw in an extra lesson it threw the whole sequence out and we will all be doing this recorded lesson tonight. You’re getting the link early in case you find 5minutes to do the mini lesson she prepared us (see below).

She writes us:

“I found this lesson very helpful for restoring the ability to take weight through the palm of the hand. Although the legs and feet are typically more involved in weight bearing function, when I pay attention, I find it surprising how often my arms and hands are involved in weight bearing activities.

For example, holding a railing, cleaning a counter. More of the daily activities of the arms and hands involve flexion, grasping or holding objects… so when the less familiar function of extension and weight bearing is required, it may take some patience and kindness to coax your body and nervous system towards reconnecting with this vital function.

As I prepared tonight’s lesson, I was reminded of a few brief words by Moshe’s first assistant, Mia Segal (1930-2025 - she passed quite recently)

1. “the floor is still there”

2. “self-monitor and DO better”
(rather than perform better, or try harder…
simply DO better…
easier, simpler, more comfortable)

3. Many ATM lessons are designed to create an impasse… a moment where making the usual effort and strain simply does not work with the requested movement…

it was usually at this moment Mia would ask
“who stops you from doing more?”

… and, I thought this particular lesson would lend itself to a neat 2 day workshop format. Instead, we’ll be doing it in 36.45 minutes, so please, be considerate with your self, go slowly and stay within your range of comfort.

I’ve added some notes that might make some of the directions clearer and easier, plus a 5 minute mini-lesson for you to explore.

---

During the experience of this lesson, you might happen to find a moment of impasse, something like experiencing yourself from another perspective…

IF this happens, I recommend asking yourself
“how would I make this safer,
clearer, simpler, possible,
comfortable for ME,
right now?”

There were a few key moments where I needed to pause and search…
and my explorations sometimes lasted 24-48 hours..

waiting..

for my body to answer.

Tonight we’ll be extending the wrist with the palm open…
first non-weight bearing and then in various novel weight bearing positions.
Below are some diagrams to illustrate the positions suggested,
my thinking being that these drawings will allow you to spend more time gently exploring the movement… and less time figuring out the requested positions.

For the very first sentence and paragraph…

”Please sit in a comfortable position.
Lift both palms of the hands as if giving your hands to a fortune teller.
In this position, bend the elbows closer to the body… not powerfully.

In this position make the hands into fists and open them, spread all the fingers…”…

This prompted me to record a 5 minute mini lesson to assist you
lift the palm of the hands first initiating from the shoulders,
and then forming the lower abdominal centre of gravity area
so that you can more easily sense the differences:

Then, I thought these images might clarify…

the part where you hear me say
“stand on the legs.
Spread the legs a bit.
Stand the right hand on the floor.
You see, it is not so difficult to bend the hand backward…”

And I drew this image to save you perhaps doing something completely different and hurting your self when you hear:
”While lying,
place the hands as we did when standing…
that means we lifted the hands as if to a fortune teller

Then to clarify this part:
“Please stand on the right knee and left foot.
Lean on the floor with the right hand.
Lift the left arm toward the ceiling.”

I used my handy little wooden sculpture to illustrate what it would look like, except of course with a flesh and bone human being rather than a sticky figure with a pole… up

to support it from falling:

---

And with that Marianne finished her notes and posted the recording.
What a legend she is going to all the ‘effort’ involved in delivering this for us.