Preparation for Open Training

Hi all,

I used the Sunday Jam to try out teaching the breathing+little captain work that I am bringing to the Open Training on Saturday, March 27.

Here is my pathway:

1) Beginning with the hands- open one palm to the ceiling, cradle that arm's elbow in your free palm; meditate on the weight of the elbow in your supporting palm, feel energy up from your elbow outward through the open palm. Meditate on your breath. Beginning with your pinky, inhale and fold in your fingers to envelope your palm. Exhale and again beginning with your pinky, send your fingers away from your palm. Let the inhale/fold and exhale/unfold initiate an spiral in/out of your wrist and forearm. Repeat. Other side.

2) Finding a through line between scapula, elbow, and palm- remove your supporting palm from its elbow; continue to fold your pinky into your palm and unfold away from your palm; let your the spaces between your ribs compress when you fold, let those spaces expand when you extend. Repeat. Other side. Both sides together.

3) Finding a pull and push throughout the whole body- standing, continue to spiral in and out, always beginning with your little captain. Abandon the instructions.

After this warm-up, I offered the jam a "fussy baby score." The fussy baby score is simply a "pause button" in a dance in which the dancer interrupts his pathway and then begins again after having held the pause at least a second. Its called fussy baby because the image is that the baby will fuss (interrupt itself) until it is satisfied that it has found a pathway of ease. I'd like to do this as a warm up at the next lab.