2786 stiff backs & tippy toes
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 04:34:10 -0700
From: H Dickinson <hyladlmp@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: stiff backs & tippy toes
There are a lot of ways and reasons backs can get
stiff--when dancing tango, or otherwise--and lots of
ways that are useful for different people to relieve
the stiffness.
I'm writing as a woman who mostly follows, and has had
some interesting times with back tension, stiffness,
pain, and the opposites to all of those. Just always
remember that if someone is saying "your back is
stiff, you are too (this or that), I can't lead you
because...." like an accusation, without giving you
concrete simple things to do to shift these problems,
then they are not very helpful. Smile and avoid them,
until you are at a level where they no longer say
these things.
The very simplest way I know of to ease back tension,
loosen a stiff back, get more in touch with the back,
the legs, the breathing, and so on, is called the
Constructive Rest Position. It has been around for
ages and is fabulous. You don't need classes or
training or equipment, just a bit of clear floor. It
works best in conjunction with movement and awareness
training or bodywork like massage, Feldenkrais,
Alexander, etc. etc., but even on its own it can help
lots and lots.
Lie on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the
floor, or rest your calves up on the seat of a chair;
the main thing is that your thighs should be at a
45-90 degree angle to the floor. Put a folded towel
under your head so it is maybe an inch off the floor,
to help align the spine. The feet and knees are about
four to six inches apart, wherever you feel the least
tension, and about in line with the "sit bones". Just
stay in that position, noticing whatever tension or
discomfort is in your back, hips, belly, etc., for
10-20 minutes, more if you like. (blankets can be
nice if you are cold, and it's good to have carpet or
a towel on the floor, but don't do this on a soft
surface like a bed--you need the feedback from a
level, unyielding surface).
The great thing about the Constr. Rest Pos. is that
the entire spine is supported against gravity, and the
position of the legs puts no strain or tension on the
long torso and back muscles. Theoretically, you use
almost zero effort to maintain it. There you are,
lying on the floor, you can't get any lower, you can't
fall down, you don't need to use muscle tension for
ANYTHING. So if your back is arching up, twisting,
pushing one side into the floor or lifting one side
off the floor, then you can say "hey, this is tension
that is always there that I never even recognized!
Those muscles are stuck in the "on" position!" Just
say to yourself, "I don't need to be using those
muscles, how do they turn off?" and then notice what
happens. Don't try to force your back to flatten or
make the muscles relax, just notice where it feels
tight, where it hurts, areas where you don't feel
anything at all, and let the awareness create the
possibility for change. Sometimes before an area lets
go, it seems to hurt more, as it comes to your
attention, and then it will sort of all let go, like a
huge knot just fell apart.
The more often you do this, the more you will notice,
and more things will let go. Remember that when a
muscle is relaxed, it is actually NOT DOING ANYTHING.
So don't try to relax or stretch or do anything at
all, just notice what you feel and how things change
or don't change. Sometimes you will notice an emotion
connected with the tension or its release, just feel
and notice that, as well. It is so simple, it can be
hard.
I have found this technique particularly helpful when
I am tense during big festivals or classes. If I can
find a nice bench or clean bit of floor to lie on for
a bit, it will release the muscle tension and also the
emotional tension, and I go back to the dance or class
much more relaxed.
For me (as for many others) the first few times that I
actually felt relaxed through the back were actually
scary and uncomfortable. I wasn't used to feeling
"like that". The sense of freedom and ease were nice,
but I also felt vulnerable and unsupported. At first
I was unable to keep that sense of relaxation because
it was almost unpleasant. Once I realized that those
strange, icky feelings were not all bad, and began to
work with them along with the physical tension, a lot
began to change very fast. This has been a tremendous
help to my dance, balance, emotional stability,
groundedness, ability to connect.
A note on the "tippy toes" question: Some dancers
(followers) whom I greatly respect and admire dance
with their heels off the ground, weight entirely on
the balls of the foot, with a very pointed foot; some
others whom I greatly respect and admire dance with
the heels almost always brushing the floor--still with
the majority of the weight on the balls of the feet,
but at times landing on, resting on, or otherwise
using the heels in various ways. And of course all
stages in between. What makes this work in either
case is if the dancers are grounded, connected from
center to feet, and present and connected to their
partner and the music.
I would not say that either style is dancing on "tippy
toes"--the good dancers in either case are very
grounded, with a long spine,and sacrum and pelvis
relaxed toward the floor. I tend to dance more with
my heels brushing the ground, because some of the
followers whom I most admired when I first started
dancing do that (Luciana Valle, Susana Miller). I
find that it gives me a good solid base for balance, I
carry less tension in my legs and feet, the balls of
my feet hurt less through the course of the night.
And at first it was more of a challenge, so I couldn't
resist trying to do it. I now also greatly admire
dancers such as Alicia Pons, who is extremely
grounded, yet stays very much on the balls of her
feet, heels off the floor, with feet more pointed,
able to do beautifully delicate and intricate
embellishments that might not be as possible with the
more full-footed method.
What I hate to watch is the dancers with poor
technique who try to lift up, up onto the tippy toes
like a caricature of a ballet dancer, all stiff and
tippy and ungrounded, trying to be very light and
reach for the sky. They are hard to lead, hard to
control, seem to dance from the head, rather than the
heart. So don't look at the feet to tell if someone
is grounded, look at the whole posture, body, sense of
density that they have.
Tango is a mature person's dance, it is for me the
antidote to the youth cult that we have in the US. A
lot of those fabulous women dancers in Argentina and
elsewhere are older, have lived through a lot, and
have learned to be here, be heavy, make no apologies,
don't try to be so perfect, so easy, so compliant.
They are in touch with their centers, their emotions,
they are grounded. These women, whether young or old,
do not try to fly away on the tippy toes. They are
right there with their leads, listening, answering
back, challenging, agreeing, becoming full partners in
the making of something beautiful, rather than merely
empty vessels waiting to be filled with the lead's
brilliance. Some dance on a more pointed foot, some
on a flatter foot; some have "stiff backs", some
don't; some give a lot of resistance to the lead, some
don't, but they all have maturity and depth and full
personalities. I am glad that since I have no desire
to get any younger (anyone here really want to repeat
high school?), there are some things that I might be
able to get better at, as I get older.
Tango, as far as I am concerned, is one of them. It
can also, if you approach it right, actually be good
for your back, instead of ruining it.
Hyla
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 09:39:07 -0600
From: Lynne Butler <lynneoaks@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: stiff backs & tippy toes
Thanks Hyla, for that great excercise and for explaining it so beautifully.
I got right down on my office floor and tried it. Yours wasn't the first
post I've ever printed out to refer back to, but it's the first one in quite
a long while.
Lynne Butler, Salt Lake City
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 16:01:53 +0000
From: Jay Rabe <jayrabe@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: stiff backs & tippy toes
I agree Hyla's exercise is an excellent one when your back is in
distress. Being a Licensed Massage Therapist as well as a tanguero, I've
ofen recommended it for chronic low back problems.
Two other things to consider:
When your lower back muscles are tight and cramping, they pull up on
the rear of your pelvis. This up-pull is often counteracted by a down-pull
from your hamstrings. So it's common that people with a tight lower back
also have tight hamstrings. Then you get into a spiral, and your lower back
muscles have to stay tight because now your hamstrings are over-tight and
pulling down too much. So as you begin to release the tension in your lower
back, you'll need to stretch and relax your hamstrings too.
Second, lower back problems often have a major contributing cause of
weak abdominals. Strong stomach muscles pull up on the front of the pelvis,
which keeps your lower back muscles lenthened, helping to prevent them from
over-shortening and cramping.
So if you're having low back problems, do the
laying-flat-with-calves-on-a-chair, but also stretch your hamstrings and
strengthen your stomach muscles.
:-)
J in Portland
----Original Message Follows----
From: Lynne Butler <lynneoaks@HOTMAIL.COM>
Reply-To: Lynne Butler <lynneoaks@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: TANGO-L@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: [TANGO-L] stiff backs & tippy toes
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 08:07:47 -0700
From: Huck Kennedy <huck@ENSMTP1.EAS.ASU.EDU>
Subject: Re: stiff backs & tippy toes
J in Portland writes:
> So if you're having low back problems, do the
> laying-flat-with-calves-on-a-chair, but also stretch
> your hamstrings and strengthen your stomach muscles.
I've also had some luck with doing those things
they do in yoga where you lie on your stomach and
stretch your arms and legs out in various patterns
and hold for a time. You might start with only one
leg and arm out at a time for a few seconds, in a crossed
pattern (like left arm out and right leg out, then
switch to right and left), then gradually work up to
all four at once and holding for more seconds. From
there, you can experiment with varying your arm
positions from front (a la Superman), side, and rear
options (front is probably the hardest). For more
info, consult someone who knows yoga well.
The good news is that even if you just do a lot
of dancing and concentrate on your posture, you will
also build up your lower back muscles naturally. When
I first started partner dancing, merely ten or 15
minutes into a group class I'd already be taking
mini-breaks where I had to go down on one knee for
a bit to relieve the pain and strain in my lower back
(you'll see a lot of people doing this at big tango
workshops). Now, I can go a festival and participate
in classes all day without it ever even occurring to me
to have to kneel down and rest my back. The muscles
have just built up naturally from lots of dancing.
One more word on posture--if it is poor and you
are bending forward (not from your ankles but from
your waist) and sticking your butt out, chances are
your body will punish you with lots of lower back pain.
And try to relax as much as you can, without turning
into a limp noodle.
Huck
