Using the skeleton to simplify thinking
Focus on the skeleton helps brings clarity in how we talk about movement. It deflects us from making more effort than is needed. And it enables us to explore how we can organize our self as a whole.
In the Feldenkrais Method we give a lot or attention to the skeleton: how our bones relate to each other in movement and how they are joined to each other to form the skeletal frame. How does focusing on the skeleton help us learn? Here are three compelling ways:
It brings clarity. Everyone experiences their self differently. The way I experience the act of touching my toes, for example, may not match the way you experience it - reflecting differences in our physical make-up (size & shape, muscular strength, fascial looseness or tightness) and in our familiarity or otherwise with this kind of movement, as well as in many other factors. Our different experiences cause us to focus on different aspects of the action, and to describe the sensation of it in different ways. Therefore, communicating to another person the action we want them to perform is fraught with potential misunderstandings. By using the skeleton as a physical reference, we bring clarity and precision. We can be specific in our instructions. Example: ‘move your shoulders away from each other’ instead of ‘make yourself wide’.
It helps us picture effect, not effort. Whatever action we want to perform, it is of necessity a movement of the skeleton. Muscles may power the movement, but the only purpose of what muscles do is to move the bones. By imagining the skeleton, we consider action in terms of effect. This reduces our tendency to concentrate on making an effort (which is almost always detrimental to an easy, pleasant movement). Examples: ‘increase the distance between your pubic bone and your sternum’ instead of ‘use your stomach muscles’; ‘roll your pelvis’ instead of ‘activate your glutes’.
It enables us to explore connections. Working with the skeleton enables us to explore connections through the whole body. Bones transmit force and movement better than muscle and soft tissue. By using the skeleton, we can discover what pathways we favour for transmission of movement through our self. This work on how we organize our whole self is an excellent way to discover new possibilities. Example: stand with feet a little more than hip width apart facing a wall, with your feet 20-30cm from the wall. Bend forward to place your head against the wall – find a comfortable place for your head to make contact, somewhere between your forehead and crown. Move your weight slowly onto one foot then the other, and experience how the connection between your feet and head changes as your skeleton moves to support your action.
How do you describe and picture movement for yourself? What is your experience with observing movement in relation to the skeleton? Please leave a comment.