Awareness Through Movement #76

Slow lifting; on the stomach - another s l o w lifting lesson WITH RECORDING

What I love about these really slow, minimal movement lessons is how they give me time to connect my body with the ground and really work out what’s touching the floor, what’s leaving or lifting from the ground, and how my weight (re) distributes during that process. Plus, going really slow gives me the ability to reverse any part of the movement so I that get that feeling of being the driver of this body rather than a passenger holding on for dear life as the vehicle runs amok.

proximal/distal, when some parts get blurry. The AI imagery here hasn’t been working so I chose from another selection. This photo is by Otto Norin on Unsplash however still located through Substack.

In this one Moshe gives us some insight into the anatomy:

In anatomy this has a peculiar name. For example, this is called, "distal and proximal" in almost all languages. Distal means "far from" as in "distance." Proximal comes from "proximity" or "closeness." If I am looking at the bone of the upper arm, and I want to say that this end is in the shoulder -- it is called the proximal part of the bone. That part that touches the elbow is the distal part of the bone. In other words, the proximal is the one that is closer to the center of the body. The distal is the one that is far from the center of the body.

If you look, you will slowly see that these movements will be done so that the effort moves toward the center of the body. Move toward the muscles in the proximal direction. The large muscles in the pelvis and back, those that are built to do hard work, will lift the back, shoulders, and chest. The effort will be clearly felt behind, at the waist and pelvis; and not in the shoulders, not in the shoulder blades, and not in the back of the neck. Only then will the arm and head lift lightly, easily, and simply.

He really does create a whole new dimension for movement.. and now that 3D is making waves in technological fields it could be that somebody comes up with some software that gives us insight into what happens AS we move. So far, humans are proving way too complex for such technology.

Lesson below: