Feldenkrais palms

I didn't know Feldenkrais said to stand with knuckles forward. I wonder what the basis of his claim was. Do you know a source? People in traditional societies do not stand with their knuckles facing forward - neither do young children, Greek statues or any of the populations I study. I feel quite confident on this aspect. Facing the knuckles forward is usually accompanied by an internal rotation of the arm and some compromise of the brachial plexus (the network of veins, artieries and nerves running just under the pecs). Glad you like "8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back." I am encouraged by how many people seem to be benefitting.

This looks like Anat Baniel, who bases her work on Feldenkrais' work. Do we know that the arm position that Anat teaches is the same as what Feldenkrais taught? If you don't do a shoulder roll then this would be the relaxed default position for the shoulders/arms. But a shoulder roll allows you to get to a much better position without any tension or damage. And all the while that your shoulders are in a more posterior position, your pecs are getting a gentle stretch and adjusting to a longer resting length, your brachial plexus works in an unimpeded fashion and the circulation to your arms is improved, your respiration is fuller and rearchitectures your ribcage so that you have greater lung capacity (see how vertical the man in the blue's sternum is), and you are not working your upper back into a hunched shape. Relaxation is good, but if you can improve your structure by relaxing a different way, that is desirable.

The good part is that they are relaxing their forearms and not forcing an external rotation at that level. It's higher up at the shoulder level that they could improve the situation. And then their knuckles wouldn't face forward (see pages 144-4, Figs. 6-15 and 6-16 in 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back.)

That's a handy compliment!