Frank Wildman, GCFT, PhD
Educational Director
Feldenkrais Movement Institute

Winter 2007

Freeing your Middle Back

The middle back is made up of those vertebrae of the spine that have a rib attached to them – unlike the neck and lumbar spine. (This is a specifically mammalian body plan, reptiles, for example have a rib attached to every vertebra.)

Typically, it is the most difficult part of the back to sense for people. It is essentially uncharted territory for most and shows very little flexibility compared to their lower backs or necks. Yet, the ribs connected with the middle back have to move with every breath you take, so stiffness in this area can lead to difficulties with everything from digestion to breathing and—since the ribs and the middle of the spine are connected with the upper and lower spine—to pain and limited movement abilities in the neck, jaw or lumbar pelvic area.

This lesson will integrate the movements of your ribs and middle spine with your shoulders, neck and pelvic motion. After the lesson you will feel as if the muscles in your entire back had been rejuvenated and you should find it easier to sit and use your arms and shoulders.

The lesson can be done sitting on almost any chair—or on the floor.

Enjoy the lesson!

Frank Wildman, Ph.D., GCFT

• Go Slowly. Time is an extremely valuable tool in the Feldenkrais Method. The movements you are learning may seem unusual and unfamiliar to you. You will need time to assimilate them, to feel the way your body is moving and changing. Do not rush! Pause whenever you feel like it and repeat movements you find pleasurable or want to experience more fully.
• Insist on Comfort. There is no reward in doing any of the movements in an uncomfortable position. Gently alter the position in whatever way makes it comfortable for you. I want you to enjoy the process of the movement as much as the result. If it hurts, it’s not helping you (“No pain, no gain” does not apply in this method!) Never try to overcome pain, if you feel it. Pain is a signal that your body is asking you to find a new way to move. Answer it with gentleness and respect.
• Don’t test your limits. The Feldenkrais Method is not about seeing how far you can move , how high you can lift, how long you can stretch, Your goal should be to discover how your body achieves a movement so that you can learn to make that movement easier. Your movements should always be light, and as effortless as possible. Imagine how good it will feel to do simple mobile tasks without trying hard, without working.
• Use your imagination. Take the time to do different movements from these lessons inyour head only, before doing them in practice. Allow the movement to become very clear and lucid in your mind, like a scene from a movie. Imagine a movement before attempting it can make an enormous difference in your ease of motion. You may find that your body responds to your mind by moving as if it is replaying the imagined movement, with almost no effort at all.
• Rest frequently. The movements in these lessons, while gentle and pleasurable, may cause slight strain because you are using parts of muscles you may not have used in a long time, or in ways that are not familiar to you. Rest often during each lesson. You cannot rest too much. Relax and let the movement settle in, enjoy the feeling. Who knows – it could become a habit.
• Take the lessons with you. Throughout your day, pay close attention to how a lesson affected you. One way to do this is to keep a notebook and write down what you have felt from the lessons, and how it influenced the way you performed everyday activities. Be aware of changes in the way you reach, walk, sit, and think. Putting your sensations into words builds a new sensory vocabulary and expands your body awareness, increasing aliveness and changing fixed habits of thinking and feeling. A lesson doesn’t have to end with its last movement let the learning process linger and grow.

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