Head to Knees

1.         Stand with your feet spread comfortably with your arms relaxed at your sides. Without stretching or straining, going only as far as is easy and comfortable, bend forward towards touching your fingers to the floor and bend backward towards looking at the ceiling. Which parts of your back move easily and which parts do not contribute to the movement?

            The following movements are intended to be done slowly and gently. Although the instructions will have you bringing your head and your knees toward touching each other, resist the urge to succeed. The benefits from the lesson will come from paying careful attention to how you move and refining the quality of your movement rather than achieving any particular result. Repeat each movement a number of times and stop to rest whenever it stops being easy and you have to increase your effort to continue the movement.

2.         Lie down on your back with your legs extended and your arms alongside your body and feel how you are lying against the floor. Are there any differences between the contact your left and right sides make with the floor? Sense how much space there is between the small of your back and the floor. Notice how much of your spine is in contact with floor and how your pelvis is lying. How much space is there between the back of your neck and the floor?

3.         Bend both knees and place your feet standing about hip width apart. Place your right hand behind your head and your left hand on your right shin just below the right knee. Start bringing your nose and your right knee toward each other and then bring your head back to the floor. As you repeat this movement, focus on doing most of the work of lifting the head with your right arm and hand and not with your neck. Bring the right elbow toward your midline as you lift your head and let it go out to the side as you bring your head to the floor. Try breathing out as you lift your head and breathing in as you lower the head a few times. Then try breathing in as you lift your head and out as you lower it. Which breathing pattern supports the movement better?

4.             Stretch out your legs and take a short rest. Then bend your knees again and put your feet standing. This time, place your left hand behind your head and your right hand on your right shin below the right knee. Continue bringing your nose and your right knee toward each other and apart. How does the movement change with the hands reversed? Notice how the contact your back makes with the floor changes as you do this movement. Imagine that your spine is getting a little longer each time you bring your nose and knee toward each other. Can you reduce the effort of the movement a little each time you do it?

5.         After another rest, bend your knees again. Now place your left hand behind your head and your right hand on the left shin below the left knee and start bringing your nose and your left knee toward each other. How is the movement different on this side?

On which side do you feel that the bending is easier? As you bring the nose and knee toward each other, feel how the ribs in your back expand a little and the ribs in the front part of your chest contract a little.

6.         Extent your legs and bring your arms along your body and take a rest and notice if your contact with the floor has changed. How much space is there between the small of your back and the floor now?

Then  bend your knees again and place your right hand behind your head and your left hand below the left knee. Once again bring your nose and your left knee toward each other. Encourage your ribs in front to soften so that you can bend more easily. Imagine that your neck is lengthening a little each time you lift your head. Make sure that your lower back is rounding into the floor each time you bring the nose and knee toward each other.

7.            Stretch out and rest. Then bend your knees again and place your right hand behind your head and your left hand on the right shin. A few times, bring your right elbow and your right knee toward each other. Then start bringing your chin and your knee toward each other. Shift your focus again and start bringing your lips and the right knee toward each other. Notice that each small change in this bending changes how your back presses into the floor. Take a short rest and then start bringing your eyes and your knee toward each other and finally try bringing your forehead and knee toward each other. Finish by bringing your nose and knee toward each other again and notice if this movement has changed.

8.         After another rest, place your left hand behind your head and your right hand on the left shin. Repeat the explorations on this side, first bringing your left elbow and your left knee toward each other and then your chin and your knee a few times followed by bringing your lips and the left knee toward each other. Take a short rest and then bring your eyes and your knee toward each other and then your forehead and knee toward each other. Try bringing your nose and knee toward each other again and notice if this movement has changed.

9.         Rest again and then bend your knees and put your feet standing. Interlace your fingers and place both hands behind your head. Slowly lift and lower your head a few times, bringing your elbows toward each other as you lift your head, with your feet remaining on the floor. Observe which parts of your back press into the floor as you do this. Then begin lifting your feet off the floor as you lift your head and bring your knees toward your elbows. How does this change how your back pushes into the floor?  Once you've done this a few times, keep your knees lifted toward your chest and start bringing your elbows toward the opposite knee alternately. Then stretch out to rest and notice what your relationship to the floor is like now.

10.       Bend your knees again and put your feet standing. Get hold of the back of your right knee from between the legs with your left hand and the back of your left knee with your right hand so that your arms are crossed. Slowly start lifting your head to look between your knees as you gently pull on your knees. Take a brief rest and then do the same movement with your arms crossed the opposite way. Which crossing of the arms feels more natural to you?

11.       After resting with your legs extended, bend your knees and put your feet standing. If you can reach it, get hold of the bottom of the right foot with your right hand. Otherwise, get hold of your shin however low you can reach comfortably. Place the left hand on the right shin just below the knee. Do a small movement of pushing the right knee toward your chest with your left hand. Your head should remain on the floor as you do this. What parts of your back move against the floor now? Then bring your left hand behind your head and keep your right hand holding your right foot or shin and bring your nose and your right knee toward each other again a few times.

12.       Take a rest and then do the same thing on the other side, getting hold of your left foot or shin with your left hand and placing your right hand just below the left knee. Again, do a few movements of bring your knee toward your chest. Then place your right hand behind your head and bring the left knee and nose toward each other.

13.       Rest again and then put your feet standing and try some of the movements you started this lesson with. Place your right hand behind your head and your left hand on your right shin below the right knee. Start bringing your nose and your right knee toward each other and then bring your head and right foot back to the floor. Has this movement become any easier? Are the nose and knee getting closer to each other or perhaps even touching without any forcing or sense of effort? Try the same thing with your right hand behind your head and your left hand below the right knee. Take a short rest and then do the same thing with your left hand behind your head and your right hand below the left knee. Change over the hands so that the right hand is behind your head and the left hand is below the left knee and continue.

14.       Once you've had another rest, interlace your fingers and place both hands behind your head and begin lifting your feet off the floor as you lift your head and bringing your knees toward your elbows as you did before. Has this become easier?  Try bringing your elbows toward the opposite knee alternately and notice what this feels like now.

15.            Stretch out on your back with your legs extended and your arms alongside your body and feel how you are lying against the floor now. Has the size of the space between the small of your back and the floor change? Notice how much of your spine is in contact with floor now and how your pelvis is lying. How much space is there between the back of your neck and the floor now.

16.       Slowly roll to one side and sit up and then make your way to standing. Bend forward towards touching your fingers to the floor and bend backward towards looking at the ceiling. Has the range of movement or the quality of the movement changed?