Table Of ContentThe Feldenkrais Method®
Awareness Through Movement® Lessons
Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
at
Alexander Yanai
Volume Five, Part A
Lessons #201 - 225
Translated by Anat Baniel
Edited by Ellen Soloway
© Copyright December 1997
AH rights reserved by and to the International Feldenkrais® Federation, Paris, France in cooperation
with The Feldenkrais Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel.
© Copyright Decembre 1997
Tous droits d'adaptation, de traduction et de reproduction reserves par et pour 1'Internationa l
Feldenkrais Federation, 30 rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006 Paris, France
This project is dedicated to
the memory of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
•1904 -1984*
j_ he International Feldenkrais Federation wishes to acknowledge Michel
Silice-Feldenkrais, on behalf of The Feldenkrais Institute for his help and
consideration.
]_ he members of the International Feldenkrais community extend a
special thanks to Franqois Combeau, former President; Cliff Smyth,
President; and the Board of Directors of the International Feldenkrais
Federation for making this project possible.
Introduction
From the early 1950's to late 1970's, Moshe Feldenkrais taught eight (8) weekly public
Awareness Through Movement classes in Tel Aviv. The street where these classes took
place was named after Alexander Yanai, and this collection of lessons have taken on the
same name.
Moshe taught in Hebrew and he recorded his lessons. Once Moshe created a new lesson,
he taught it to one of the Alexander Yanai groups and recorded it. Then he used the
recorded lesson to teach the following group. If he thought any changes were necessary,
he re-recorded the lesson over the previous one and then used it to teach the next group.
He continued this process until he felt he had the lesson exactly as he wanted it. Over a
period of 25 years, Moshe recorded close to 600 ATM lessons in this manner and covered
an astounding range of possible human functions. He considered every lesson a
masterpiece that stands in its own right. Making these lessons available to the community
of Feldenkrais practitioners/teachers is a monumental event.
For years, the tapes of these lessons lay in the archives of the Feldenkrais Institute in Tel
Aviv. The lessons have, to some extent, found their way into Feldenkrais Trainings, from
the notes of those students - later to become trainers - who were students of Moshe during
those years.
Although the rights to publication of the Alexander Yanai lessons have been much sought
after for years, Mchel Silice-Feldenkrais, Moshe's nephew and Director of the
Feldenkrais Institute, Tel Aviv, has only recently given his approval to their publication.
He has chosen the International Feldenkrais Federation (IFF) for this task to insure that
these unique documents will be available worldwide to all practitioners at a reasonable cost.
With Anat Baniel as translator for this series, the IFF has found an experienced trainer and
close associate of Moshe, to guarantee not only accurate translation but the benefits of
Anat's own lively sense of language as well.
The printed format of the lessons is designed to enable the reader to distinguish easily
between basic movements, their variation and elaboration, and comments. This gives the
practitioner an opportunity to scan the lessons quickly and obtain an overview of their
content. The timing of these lessons is important. All of the ATM's were taught within a
one-hour framework, and are therefore ideal for presentation in public classes and
workshops. Though some of these lessons may seem difficult, the purpose of doing them
is for information and learning, not achieving and accomplishing specific movements.
This project is managed by the IFF through the generosity of Michel Silice-Feldenkrais and
The Feldenkrais Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel. Our appreciation is given to all those who
have helped bring these lessons into the hands of Feldenkrais practitioners and teachers
around the world.
•I* •»• •> <£•
February 1, 1995
Translator's Note to the Reader Regarding Use of Materials:
After the first volumes of lessons were published, we received comments from a
number of teachers. Everyone was delighted with the materials. Nonetheless, some
expressed occasional difficulty with the use of the materials in archival form, while
others felt unsure as to what Moshe meant in his instructions. Long ago, I discovered
when a lesson and the learning it brings about are sufficiently novel and unfamiliar, it
may seem as if "something is wrong here" or "this doesn't make sense." For many, a way
to resolve this kind of confusion is to do the lesson themselves and to do it more than
once, if necessary. I have not yet found a mistake in either the concept or the dynamic of
Moshe's lessons. However, these are "live" lessons, and there are occasional mistakes in
the instructions, especially between right and left, which Moshe corrects later in the
lesson. Often, there are run-on or incomplete sentences, occasional demonstrations for
the class, and direct feedback to a specific student. This can make it difficult to follow a
lesson in its transcribed form.
Nancy Schumacher (who is overseeing the translation project), Ellen Soloway
(who is the transcriber/editor), Marcy Lindheimer (who shared feedback from many
teachers), and I conferred to discuss the issue. Everyone involved reaffirmed their
commitment to create an archival translation that will be a lasting record of Moshe's
original teaching. Therefore, the text is presented in its original form as specified by the
Feldenkrais Institute. At the same time, we wanted to facilitate the use of the materials
by all present and future Feldenkrais teachers, who will have the immeasurable benefit of
knowing these lessons and teaching them to their students. The solution we chose was to
introduce the "translator's notes." I provide an explanatory comment when a sentence is
incomplete, when Moshe says "right" and later corrects it to "left," when an instruction is
partially given, etc. Simple corrections or clarifications in wording, which do not step out
of the narrative, are in brackets. More extensive comments that act as footnotes to the
narrative, are in brackets and notated by "TN," which means "translator's notes." This
allows you, the reader, the freedom to use these comments or to ignore them.
Sincerely,
Anat Baniel
Awareness Through Movement® Lessons from Alexander Yanai
Table of Contents for Volume Five, Part A
ATM #201. Gluing in the lungs, part 1 P. 1369
ATM #202. Gluing in the lungs, part 2 P. 1377
ATM #203. Gluing in the lungs, part 3 P. 1387
ATM #204. Gluing and bending the back [Gluing in the lungs, part 4] P. 1395
ATM #205. Sitting and getting up with soft and bending legs P. 1403
ATM #206. On the side, getting the spine flexible P. 1411
ATM #207. On the side, fast lifting of the head P. 1417
[The original reel-to-reel tape began with a lesson fragments from an unrelated lesson.
The beginning and ending of the actual lesson is missing.]
ATM #208. Lifting straight legs and circling the arms P. 1423
ATM #209. On the side, stepping (with the) left thigh P. 1429
ATM #210. On the right side [while lying on the left side] , P. 1435
ATM #211. The splits P. 1441
ATM #212. Basic spreading of the legs P. 1447
ATM #213. On the back, pushing the feet down P. 1455
ATM #214. On the side, lifting a straight leg sideways P. 1463
ATM #215. Supine, on all fours [walking] P. 1469
ATM #216. Lifting the hands at the head in a "V" P. 1475
ATM #217. On the side, the sternum becoming flexible P. 1481
ATM #218. On the side, bending and twisting the chest and spine P. 1489
ATM #219. Opposing movements in the head and shoulders, part 1 P. 1497
ATM #220. Hands behind P. 1505
ATM #221. Opposing movements in the head and shoulders, [part 2]
while standing on the knees P. 1513
ATM #222. On the abdomen, a hand lifting the head P. 1521
ATM #223. Rolling from the back to side-sitting P. 1527
ATM #224. Legs pushing the pelvis and rocking the back P. 1533
ATM #225. Standing on the knees P. 1541
© Copyright December 1997. All rights reserved by and to the International Feldenkrais® Federation, Paris, France
in cooperation with The Feldenkrais Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel.
1369
Awareness Through Movement® Lessons from Alexander Yanai
#201; Gluing in the lungs, part 1
ATM Lesson #201: Gluing in the lungs, part 1
Source: Reel 14, Track 1, Lesson 1
[Lecture]
We will do breathing, but in a special way. We will try to define, through awareness, additional
portions of breathing that we have not done to date, that we have not covered in the lectures. It is possible
to do this in a large group. As I told you, I, myself, since I tried all these exercises and worked with them
during the past few months . . . [incomplete sentence]. If you remember, we spoke [about the fact] that
during breathing the amount of air that normally comes in and goes out is approximately one-half liter, out
of the [amount] globally possible. [The amount possible] to take out and take in during breathing, if it is to
go to the limit, is approximately four-and-a-half liters. That means to breathe as deeply as possible and
then to let all the air out. Approximately a half-liter always remains about seven hundred square
centimeters, which are impossible to take out [to expel or exhale]. But, between a half-liter and four-and-a-
half liters is a great distance.
And now, how is this related to obesity and thinness — more than to anything else — more than to any
diet, more than working? One thing that is difficult to understand is why people don't pay attention to this
while they try to lose weight. They do all kinds of peculiar things. They go to work hard, to exercise, to
run, or to swim. It is clear that all these things are lovely, pleasurable in themselves, but think for a
moment. That if a person in order to lose approximately one kilogram of fat [2.2 pounds] . .. has in it a fat
of one kilogram of sugar . . . [incomplete sentence]. It means it [one kilogram of fat] has in it
approximately twenty thousand large calories to sixteen thousand calories. The mechanical equivalent of
a calorie is four hundred and twenty-six net kilograms. That means that a body of one hundred kilograms
should lift [itself] four meters [about twelve feet] in order to lose one small calorie; and, one large calorie
has one thousand small calories. Now, for yourself, imagine that in order to lose one kilogram of fat, to
expand one kilogram of fat if it burns well, if the body works well and the efficiency is high . . .
[incomplete sentence]. The highest possible efficiency to attain in a body is twenty-five percent and [the
human body] is one of the more efficient machines. All machines — steam, electricity — have a general
efficiency of five percent. It turns out that the amount of work necessary to lose one kilogram [1 kg.] of fat
is such that no heart can withstand . . . [incomplete sentence]. For example, a regular heart cannot
withstand the work [necessary] to lose one kilogram of fat]. Under conditions where there only is simple
mechanical work, with no other conditions except simple mechanical work, one needs to exercise for years
until the body can arrive at the state where the heart could withstand the work to lose one kilogram of fat.
When running a marathon, which means running approximately forty kilometers in two hours, five
kilograms are lost, out of which two kilograms are water. Imagine the amount of work that is necessary to
do to lose something from the fat.
During the whole day, if you think of [everything] that happens in the body at each moment, what happens
with [each] breath is as follows. Carbon dioxide goes out. Carbon dioxide comes out of the lungs all the
time. In order for the carbon dioxide to come out, oxygen has to come in. Oxygen is burned during work.
It connects with materials — the fats and sugars that we eat — in order to produce the matter used in
muscular work, in order to produce the heat. Every two atoms of oxygen attach to one atom of carbon and
leave the body through the lungs after it has been burned in the body. That we do with the movement of a
half-liter of air. [That amount of air] moving back and forth is sufficient. You see, in order to work hard, it
is necessary to breathe hard. It is necessary to take in more oxygen, to burn more carbon, and then lose it.
In this way, it [a kilogram of weight] is lost during the great work of a marathon.
1 The phrase, "large calorie" refers to a kilo-calorie. One small calorie is one/thousands of a large calorie.
© Copyright December 1997. All rights reserved by and to the International Feldenkrais® Federation, Paris, France
in cooperation with The Feldenkrais Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel.
1370
Awareness Through Movement® Lessons from Alexander Yanai
#201: Gluing in the lungs, part 1
In other words, in the final analysis, burning carbon together with oxygen does it. And, if the breathing
improves, instead of taking in one-half liter, one takes in approximately three-quarters of a liter [of air].
[This is] a small improvement and very easy to attain, and then, the burning in the body becomes much
better, deeper, and much more direct. In order [to attain] this, it also is necessary to breathe a bit slower so
the air warms up a bit as it enters. As we already mentioned, out of the amount of oxygen that comes into
the lungs, we expel back approximately half without using it. When increasing the movement from one-
half liter to three-quarters of a liter there also has to be a slowing down [of the breath]. Then, there is more
efficient burning and all that. You don't know how, but fat is burned. You can eat and the body balances
itself, by itself. Its demand is different. The burning is much better. The breathing is much better. The
feeling is much better.
Those weight losses achieved by diets — the moment you stop, you gain weight back. This is a torture for
the whole life. It is torture and a weakening of the body because with most diets, people exaggerate — not
eating and then eating twice. It just vacillates the body, for better and then for worse. It weakens the health
and that is all.
[End of lecture]
ATM Lesson #201: Gluing in the lungs, part 1 begins:
1. Please lie on the back. Lie on the back. Put the feet standing. Put the feet
standing and close the eyes. Remember a bit of the pictures that we saw in relation to the
structure of the lungs and the diaphragm. Try to do the following — breathe slowly,
slowly.
What is "slowly"? That means not making large movements in the chest and the abdomen,
but on the contrary, a quick short movement of breathing so [you] can follow what I say. You
let air come into the lungs and immediately take it out. That means not to do deep breathing.
Do not try to increase the movement of the chest and the abdomen; but rather, do as follows.
[Air] comes in. Leave it2 [so air] goes out. Then, it comes in, and leave it again so it could
go out. [Do it] at this speed. In other words, do something that is reasonable without
excessive effort.
2. Now I am going to talk about the different parts of the process of breathing. You
are going to try and follow it. With each inhalation and with each exhalation, follow this
2a. For example, if I speak now about allowing or listening to how the chest pulls
the upper part — the right shoulder, between the sternum and the shoulder blade, in
the muscles of the chest, below the armpit and behind the shoulder blade . . .
[incomplete sentence]. That means that corner.
While air comes into this corner, you forget to think about the nose, the mouth, and the
diaphragm. Listen only to this during each inhalation. With each inhalation listen to how air
arrives at the middle of the body, approximately half-way between the sternum and the floor,
at the place where there are the bronchi. [Previously] you saw that there are three [lobes] to
the right lung and two [lobes] to the left [lung].
In this place, listen. From there, listen to how air comes in. That means the chest pulls and
sucks the lung to the right shoulder, between the clavicle and shoulder blade in the direction
2 «-Leave it" is a literal translation of a Hebrew phrase Dr. Feldenkrais often uses in the context of telling
students to stop a particular action.
© Copyright December 1997. All rights reserved by and to the International Feldenkrais® Federation, Paris, France
in cooperation with The Feldenkrais Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel.
1371
Awareness Through Movement® Lessons from Alexander Yanai
#201; Gluing in the lungs, part 1
of the ear . . . toward under the armpit, toward the shoulder blade on the floor . . . toward the
chest, in front. [Listen] to how the sucking of the lung to this area is done.
Listen to it. Listen only to this. Listen only to this with each inhalation. That means to make
sufficiently fast inhalations [and] short exhalations. Do not involve [yourself] with anything
except listening to what we have mentioned. Here, now, listen only to how it fills those
spaces, to how [you] feel a movement there, a movement of filling up. Of course, we said
that [we] do not feel the movement of filling the lungs. [We] feel the pulling movement of
the external parts. Do this [movement] two, three, four, five times. Pay attention.
3. And now, air comes in through the nostrils. How does it arrive at these bronchi?
Try to follow it with each inhalation. With each inhalation ... do not busy yourself with
exhalations ... only the inhalations ... a light inhalation.
How does it go behind the palate into the trachea? You will see [that it is] peculiar [how]
certain [parts] are felt clearly and others are not. We want to make the whole process more
conscious, with more awareness. Pay attention. Maybe [you] feel [this path] in the trachea
and not in the bronchi, or in the bronchi and not in the trachea. [Maybe you] feel the trachea
and not the palate, behind.
With each inhalation, follow the air. [Follow] the feeling in the nostrils, in the palate, in the
trachea. You will see that ninety percent of the people shut the trachea down while breathing
and interfere with the breath. With the great majority, each one hears a big noise as he
breathes, especially when he wants to breathe intentionally. [You] hear, "phhuh." [They]
always stop, contradict, and interfere with the breath because they have the feeling that they
are doing something, an effort.
So, follow the movement of air through the nostrils, behind the palate, in the trachea, in the
bronchi, and in the upper right bronchia. That is what we do.
3a. Now do this whole process.
Listen to the nostrils. If it is clear, listen to both the nostrils and the palate. If that becomes
clear, [listen to] the nostrils, the palate, the trachea, all along its whole length to the middle.
From there, [listen] from inside to the volume as it molds or presses the chest upward,
downward toward the floor, toward the shoulder, and toward the armpit. . . only this [right]
corner and the upper part of the lung. The upper right bronchia fill it. Do this a few times.
4. Now, only follow air from the nostrils, in the palate, in the trachea, to the bronchia
[in the] third lobe [bottom, on the right side]. That means it is the one that is pushing.
Air comes into the bottom of the right lung ... in front to the liver, to the side of the liver,
behind the liver, in the ribs all around. Listen to this. Listen only to this. Leave the upper
part alone. With each inhalation, pay attention to how it forms there [bottom lobe on the right
side].
Now once again, and once again — while thinking about this, pay attention to whether [you]
also think of it behind, behind in contact with the floor, and also to the sides of the ribs. In
other words, [think of] the volume from inside as if [the air or the right lung] is molding or
pressing the area of the lower back on the right side in all directions — forward, downward,
sideways, to the floor, to the ceiling, and in the direction of the legs.
Copyright December 1997. All rights reserved by and to the International Feldenkrais® Federation, Paris, France
in cooperation with The Feldenkrais Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel.
