Lesley McLennan - Moving from the Inside Out: 7 Principles for Ease and Mastery in Movement: A Feldenkrais Approach

Copyright 2020 by Lesley McLennan and Julie Peck. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

Published by
North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California
and
Somatic Resources, San Diego, California

Cover design by Howie Severson
Book design by Happenstance Type-O-Rama
Cover photo gettyimages.com/Henrik Sorensen
Interior photos/illustrations Lesley McLennan, Sharon Felschow, Shutterstock

Feldenkrais, Feldenkrais Method, Functional Integration, Awareness Through Movement, and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner are service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild of North America.

Printed in Canada

Moving from the Inside Out: 7 Principles for Ease and Mastery in Movement is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature.

North Atlantic Books publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes only. Individuals should always see their health care provider before administering any suggestions made in this book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is at the readers discretion and is his or her sole responsibility.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: McLennan, Lesley, 1958- author. | Peck, Julie, 1956 author. |
Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, sponsoring body.
Title: Moving from the inside out : 7 principles for ease and mastery in
movement / Lesley McLennan & Julie Peck.
Description: Berkeley, California : North Atlantic Books ; San Diego,
California : Somatic Resources, [2020] | [S]ponsored and published by
the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019053785 | ISBN 9781623175085 (paperback) | ISBN
9781623175092 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Feldenkrais method. | Movement therapy.
Classification: LCC RC489.F44 M35 2020 | DDC 616.89/165dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019053785

North Atlantic Books is committed to the protection of our environment. We print on recycled paper whenever possible and partner with printers who strive to use environmentally responsible practices.

1. Figure 1:A model of movement and learning10
2. Figure 2:Li Wei balancing on the slack wire16
3. Figure 3:Baby flexing18
4. Figure 4:Baby extending18
5. Figure 5:Tilting over one leghead travels in a long arc23
6. Figure 6:Stepping with rotation in the torsohead stays central24
7. Figure 7:Giraffes drinking28
8. Figure 8:Sumo wrestler lifting leg28
9. Figure 9:Ballet dancer en pointe28
10. Figure 10:C curveright armpit and right pelvic crest move toward each other31
11. Figure 11:S curveupper and lower spine in opposing curves32
12. Figure 12:Madagascan women carrying bricks to kiln37
13. Figure 13:Wrist and arm in alignment to transmit force41
14. Figure 14:Wrist at risk if force is applied through it41
15. Figure 15:Boxers wrist strapped to transmit force safely43
16. Figure 16:Samburu warriors dancing45
17. Figure 17:Lying semi-supine on towel52
18. Figure 18:Baby sitting with the homologous pattern55
19. Figure 19:Lying like a sphinx56
20. Figure 20:Weight on elbows, drawing both knees forward as head drops and pelvis rises56
21. Figure 21:Crawling position, weight forward56
22. Figure 22:Ready to pounce58
23. Figure 23:Homolateral movement on slack wire60
24. Figure 24:Homolateral crawlweight is on the left, so right hand and knee can lift60
25. Figure 25:First stage homolateral crawllooking right with weight on right61
26. Figure 26:Mature homolateral crawllooking right with weight on left62
27. Figure 27:The discus throwera spiraling contralateral pattern64
28. Figure 28:Transition to/from sittingarms extended forward79
29. Figure 29:Transition to/from sittingarms extended downward79
30. Figure 30:Spiraling motion to stand80
31. Figure 31:Cheetah resting watchfully88
32. Figure 32:Head tilting front and back on horizontal (left to right) axis90
33. Figure 33:Head tilting left and right on horizontal (front to back) axis91
34. Figure 34:Head turning left or right around vertical axis91
35. Figure 35:Spring-blade-style prosthetic98
36. Figure 36:Lumbar vertebrae101
37. Figure 37:Spine within body101
38. Figure 38:Pelvisfrom the front103
39. Figure 39:Pelvisfrom the side104
40. Figure 40:Sit bone (ischial tuberosity)rolling forward over hand105
41. Figure 41:Sit bone (ischial tuberosity)rolling backward over hand105
42. Figure 42:Lightening one foothorizontal stick at front of pelvis110
43. Figure 43:Lightening one foothorizontal stick at rear of pelvis111
44. Figure 44:Seatedsupported on forearms113
45. Figure 45:Seatedpelvis rolled forward to create spinal C curve114
46. Figure 46:Seatedpelvis rolled backward to reverse spinal C curve114
47. Figure 47:Looking and reaching up to the right as weight moves to right sit bone115
48. Figure 48:Looking and reaching down to the left as weight moves to left sit bone116
49. Figure 49:Lifting object with still torso122
50. Figure 50:Lifting as sternum, head, and eyes turn toward object123
51. Figure 51:Small turn and lift of foot toward mouth126
52. Figure 52:As the foot lifts, the knee swings out and the sternum yields toward the foot128
53. Figure 53:Using a mahlstick to support hand for fine brushstrokes130
54. Figure 54:Violin techniqueBartolomeo Campagnoli131
55. Figure 55:Torso as cylinder134
56. Figure 56:A model of learning and movement147
57. Figure 57:A model of learning, learning processes, and movement150

1. Try It Yourself 1-1:Revisit sucking and swallowing20
2. Try It Yourself 1-2:Sense how you stand and walk22
3. Try It Yourself 1-3:Find mobility through the torso30
4. Try It Yourself 2-1:Align your hand, wrist, and forearm40
5. Try It Yourself 2-2:Transfer weight from sitting to standing46
6. Try It Yourself 3-1:Explore spinal movements52
7. Try It Yourself 3-2:Revisit a homologous crawl55
8. Try It Yourself 3-3:Revisit a homolateral crawl61
9. Try It Yourself 3-4:Observe people walking65
10. Try It Yourself 4-1:Sense how effort spreads72
11. Try It Yourself 4-2:See effort in the mirror73
12. Try It Yourself 4-3:Explore turning75
13. Try It Yourself 4-4:Sit down with reversibility78
14. Try It Yourself 4-5:Breathe83
15. Try It Yourself 4-6:Find clues in the non-habitual85
16. Try It Yourself 5-1:Find the axes of rotation for your head90
17. Try It Yourself 5-2:Coordinate your eyes, head, and shoulders94
18. Try It Yourself 5-3:Imagine your spine97
19. Try It Yourself 5-4:Re-imagine your spine99
20. Try It Yourself 5-5:Map your spine in line with reality101