Alexander Technique private with Shannon

I don't know what happened. But, here goes:

I went in with my knee strain. We took it very carefully. the entire session was table work.

First we followed the directions: Allow the neck to be free so the head can roll forward and up and the back can lengthen and widen.

Then she added hips back (hips = pelvis girdle), knees forward, heels back and down, calves up and forward.

She held my leg up by my foot and asked me to release down into it, as I would into the ground. I felt my foot unsickle, and my leg got longer. She also worked with a bent knee position, when my hip released, it started to turn out. I also felt my knee spasming, but it slowed down.

Odd that my legs lengthened, but not through the usual Gyrotonic way. Guess I'll have to add that to my toolbox.

She also focused on my pelvis. She thought that my sacrum was "out". I think that means out of alignment. She put her hand under my sacrum and helped me release. It was okay, but the tension went into my hips. then we let the legs extend along the table and it seemed to change. my hips and knees released.

Walking was challenging. I felt my knee unstable again. And my sacrum/pelvis fell out of alignment again.

It's a long road ahead.

Revisiting Anna's Class

Anna wants my arabesque with a more forward back.

I found the upper back in the arabesque today, by calling upon the same muscles that I feel when I do the back strengthening exercises.

Anna, similar to Molly, I suppose, asked us to use our arms in the jumps and open at the top. She even said this for fouettés in a relevé (from arabesque to a front extension).

Anna also likes the accent on the open movement for many of the petite allegro steps. Today it was a balloné.

Anna corrected my arms in high fifth during an en dehor pirouette. As soon as I corrected them I zipped around in the cleanest pirouette I've ever felt in my life.

My a la seconde on the right needs work. I need to remember to not use the hip flexor. That's why it's getting tight.

Also, reading Eric Franklin's alignment book, I found Lulu Sweigard's nine lines of the body. Many of them have already helped me. The back releasing down, the pubic symphysis coming closer to T12. the first ribs widening out into a bigger circle. the back of the pelvis widening, the front of the pelvis zippering up. The middle of the spine rising up.