applied practice lab structure and gravity

3.3. Applied Practice Lab: Structure and Gravity — Transcript (English)

Summary:

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Transcript

Standing with the feet wider than hips width apart and if you’re looking from above the outside edges of the feet are parallel to each other.

Depending on how you feel as you go down you might want to point the toes slightly away from each other.

It may feel a little bit of impingement into the knees.

So what we want to do first here is we want to move the weight back toward the heels again by moving the pelvis backward and again we’re reaching the arms forward to to utilize the weight of the arms to offset that back movement so that we don’t fall over.

Again, the weight starts to distribute over to the top of the heels.

And as we start to hinge into the knees, slowly start to lower down and connect the elbows to the insides of the knees.

First, we’re gonna just draw the shoulders down quickly and just check to see if that back line is straight.

The spine should be straight from the base of the spine right through up to the crown of the head.

So the neck is also neutral in line with the spine.

And we’re going to start to resist the elbows inside of the knees and the knees to the outside of the elbows so that we’re feeling with the shoulder drying down and the back of the neck extending upward we’re feeling activity really into the legs into the hips and into the shoulder girdle.

Now of course if you feel that you have the mobility into the hips you can lower the hips a little bit deeper and as you start to lower the hips it’s very important to consider that if you feel a rounding into the lower back or a loss of control of the spine being straight that you shouldn’t go down so far.

Keep the form by lifting upright more and trying to keep the spine straight.

The resistance of the arms to the insides of the knees and vice versa offers the ability through the isometric contraction to eventually increase the joint mobility.

So it takes time for some, but it’s highly effective just to stay in a position where you have the most control over the position of the spine.

As you release now, start to straighten the legs as you release the elbows again, reversing the movement.

The pelvis moves back as the upper torso lives upright.

The shoulders again draw down actively.

You can spread through the fingers a little bit here too.

And the back of the neck is also extending upward.

Crown of the head extends upward again, feeling how that moves down into the soles of the feet, creating a little bit of an opposition of force.

Now standing with the feet a little bit wider than a meter apart, or again adjusting to the height of your body, or the your personal condition.

Activate the legs away from each other here and place the hands onto the waist.

Come down a little bit here forward as you flex the upper spine, draw the shoulders down towards the waist and allow for the head to drop naturally.

Again, what we’re trying to do here is we’re trying to meet the ribcage to the inner part of the thighs.

So if you’re lacking in flexibility, it’s very important that you bend the knees here so that you can sense that ribcage coming into the inside of the thighs as you come down.

With deflection, move forward and down a little bit deeper, continually activating the legs away from each other, maintaining, keeping the hands on the waist and bring the elbows a little bit higher, trying to make the elbows and the arms more or less parallel to the shoulders.

Now as you move into spinal extension, you may have to adjust a little bit here again by bending the knees even more.

But we want to make sure that with the flexion to extension, that the lower back is released and free of any stress.

Continually drawing the shoulders down.

And again, you can engage constant little micro movements here in the ribcage and chest as you go through the motions of each phase of the form.

In order to release now, continually activating the feet away from each other as you flex the upper spine and slowly roll up.

As you’re rolling up, you’re drawing the shoulders down towards the hips and continually activating the legs.

Once you’ve reached the top, you can release the hands from the waist and let the activity from the legs go.