Spiral and Unfurl

Session 4, Day 2
Today we got a little deeper into the floor exercise. Trying to find a sense of relaxation when in contact with the floor is essential to being grounded when standing or flying. So we laid on our backs with our limbs out in a large X and slowly peeled the fingers of the right hand off the floor. Keeping with the sensation in our fingertips, we followed the initiation of the fingers across the body, past the left hand, and so far that our torso and pelvis spiral and fold over. Taking a moment to rest in this folded position, we allowed the gentle crease in the hip flexors and let the head rest to the floor. To unwind, we reached down and out with the toes of the right foot - the only effort being in the tips of the toes, so that the rest of the body can simply follow the flow of energy. Do not skip any steps, especially at the pelvis and torso. Allow each part of the spiraling body to be pulled by only the toes. You may feel a gentle stretch at the waist and shoulder blades. We repeat the same cycle on the left side. And then we do a similar pattern but winding up from our toes. Reach the right toes across the body and as it travels up, through the pelvis and torso, the arms drag on the floor and eventually circle over-head. It’s important to keep the connection of the fingertips to the floor, so that we’re not lifting any part of our body up from the floor. To unwind, we reach the right fingertips over our heads, on the floor and back to a high diagonal, unfurling the pelvis and eventually our thighs, knees and feet. As you unwind through the legs, allow your hips to find the turnout to facilitate the spiral in the lower body. Often, dancers stop the unfurling short at the thighs and end up doing too much work to bring the leg back to our starting X position. We must really be honest about which part of our body is initiating the movement – in this case, either the fingertips or toes – in order for your body to calibrate a sense of connectedness among body parts. We’ll keep working on this exercise some more, and see how images come into play in making this exercise feel more natural in your body.