Lesson3

Lesson Three

                                                    Subject: Lesson Three: Chest & Torso

                                                                     LESSON THREE

                                                                    CHEST & TORSO

Remember to keep the rib cage lifted up out of the pelvis!

CHEST MOVES: Lift up: Lifting the chest & rib-cage up, stretching the waist muscles. Do not hunch the shoulders.

Lift 45: Lift the chest & rib-cage up and out at a forty-five degree angle.

Drop Down: Drop the chest back into the resting position--without slouching.

3pt Lift/drop: moving the chest to three different levels. Lifting it up as far as it will go, placing it about center, and dropping it down. Fluid movement of going both up and/or down should be practiced.

Chest Undulation: Start with the chest slightly forward, then bring it up and center, then slightly back and down, then down. Repeat. Do not move the hips, and keep the shoulders level. Draw a circle on
the wall next to you.

Reverse Chest Undulation: Start with the chest slightly back, bring it up, forward, center & down, drawing a circle on the wall next to you in the opposite direction as the first one. Do not move the hips, and the shoulders should stay level.

TORSO MOVES:

Rib-cage Slides (Side): move just the rib-cage to one side, then to the center, then to the other side. Do not drop the shoulders, or move the hips.

Rib-cage Corners: Move the rib cage to the left front diagonal and/or the right front diagonal (sometimes called corners.)

Rib-cage Slides (Front & Back): Move just the rib-cage to the front of the body and the back of the body. (Be gentle with your spine). Be able to start forward or backward.

Horizontal Rib-cage Diamonds: Move the rib-cage forward, to one side, center and to the back, then to the other side. Keep the shoulders level, and isolate the movement. Be gentle with your back.

Horizontal Rib-cage Circles: Round off the edges of the movement, and create a circle with the rib-cage. The circle should be traced around the feet. The hips are still.

Rib-cage Diamonds (Clock): Using the chest lift, then move the rib-cage to the right side of the body, then to the center and down, then to the left side of the body, then back to the center and up. This move should be done both to the right and left.

Rib-cage Clock Circles: Round off the edges of the diamond, and make the rib-cage do a circle. The rib-cage should look like it is outlining a clock on the wall. Do this movement right and left.