IS4U - The Kneading Feelization
The Unintended Consequences of Wearing Shoes
Since you are walking down the Integrated Strength path I think its important to take a good look at your feet. If you are like me they more closely resemble the 'normal' image on the left then they do the natural image on the right of the illustration below.
Long story short most of our feet need work. Unlike our hands, which are in constant, unconstrained use, our feet remain crammed inside shoes most of the day. Even when we go barefoot it is usually on flat, finished surfaces that our easy on our fragile feet. Normal is somewhat dysfunctional in most feet and reacquainting ourselves with them can have numerous benefits.
We need to build more aware-nesses of how our weight transfers from foot to foot, how we work with the pull of gravity to locomote, how the we are designed to be 'single weighted', how the muscle chains interpolate to thee our frames integrated & balanced and more.
The Kneading Feelization helps us get in touch with our feet, ankles, legs & hips by watching cute cat videos.
Deceptively simple, this exercise helps us to cultivate a better connection to the earth. The Feelization imagery is a cat kneading on a blanket or something similar. Watch the video below and notice how the cats involve their whole body in the motion. Notice the simultaneous contraction and release cycles in each paw that extend all the way to their spines. Notice how the cats combine stretching and contracting in their movements. Notice their absorption in the activity.
In the video below I give you some of my thoughts on the practice and walk you through the basics:
Guided Practice & More Tips on the Kneading Feelization
Some additional videos that are available that focus on and/or include the Kneading Feelization are:
'The Kneading Feelization' - The Kneading exercise, the reasons to do it and a basic procedure to follow. Approximately 9 minutes.
'Kneading Practice' is a short, self-containing session. Under 3 minutes.
'Kneading and Whack a Mole' - In this short 5 minute clip, we focus on exercises help to highlight linkages between the legs and hips coordinate with movement in the upper body and are very helpful to warm up stepping practices.
'Morning Coffee' - In this 30 minute video I walk you through a number of Obviation Exercises that are designed to help 'wake up' both the participation and your awareness of it of various parts of your frame. A great morning routine.
Practice Prescription
Our job in this exercise is to mimic what the cat does when it kneads a pillow or blanket. Over time we will be able to gain greater control over the gripping action of our feet. Eventually this gripping action will become an unconscious habit, a natural part of our stepping skill. The old saying of 'two legs become one' comes to mind. I recommend familiarizing yourself with this exercise while barefoot or wearing only socks. Once you are comfortable with it try it while wearing various pairs of shoes. With some experimentation you may find that certain types or brands of shoes give you greater freedom of foot flexibility....its these types of shoes that should be your first choice for shoes to practice in.
Remember that the purpose of this exercise is to gain more and more conscious control over our feet, restore the range of motion and use those changes to cultivate a deeper root in our standing and footwork.
Here are some of the ways we can utilize Kneading Feelization:
At the beginning of a formal training session to wake up the feet and legs
While resting between sets of strenuous exercises
During standing practice
While standing at my desk, working on my computer
While standing around chatting with people and/or waiting in line
On long plane rides, car rides or extended time sitting (yes you can do it sitting down)
As with most exercises and Feelizations its good to dedicate some of your formal practice time for a period. Eventually it blends into the rest of our practice, but there is nothing stopping us from brining it out from time to time for a refresher. As you may have guessed from the bullets above Kneading makes a fantastic Casual Practice.
It can be done almost anywhere any time without attracting the judgmental attention of onlookers. You may look a little fidgety, but who isn't when waiting in line at the store or waiting to get on a plane?
Practice Tips - Changes in the Feeling State
A primary way of testing whether or not you are getting results from Kneading the Ground is to observe changes in how you feel. Here are a few examples of what to look for:
The spreading of the toes should initiate a stretching feeling that extends all the way through your hip. It feels like you are reaching for a hold on the ground instead of falling onto it.
There is no ‘double weighting’ meaning the body weight in never equally divided between the feet. As one foot grabs the ground the other pops off like a suction cup being pulled away from the glass.
Stepping feels like pulling yourself into the ground instead of pushing away from it.
The unweighted leg is not limp but coiled….exhibiting a balance between stretching and contracting.
Over time we are looking to incorporate Kneading the Ground into your habitual movement pattern meaning you should not have to think about it.
When walking or standing around the feeling of kneading should be subtle and not really noticeable to an outside observer.
Share your experiences!
Use the comment section below to share how you make this practice work for you!
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