How to Get Up and Down from the Floor | The spiral

This Movement Intelligence/Bones for Life process from Ruthy Alon can help save your knees, give you grace, and opens opportunities for moving better through space. Watch the Video, as Cynthia Allen, a Feldenkrais practitioner and senior trainer in Movement Intelligence teaches you how to get up and down from the floor.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Start
0:22 - Introduction to getting up and down from the floor using Movement’s Intelligence work.
0:42 - Start with step position.
0:52 - Let your limbs and your joints fold.
1:35 - You’ll go 180 degrees.
1:53 - Coming back to stand.
2:02 - The legs are loosely crossed.
2:14 - Outside foot in a standing position.
2:19 - Lean on the hand behind you.
4:52 - From an elevated surface.
5:43 - Lean again on the hand beside you and range your feet.
5:58 - Swing your hands around.
6:10 - Step out and over and then come up.
6:16 - Going down.
6:18 - Be in a diagonal relationship to the surface.
6:50 - The pelvis is coming down, you turn and then you’re sitting.
8:47 - How would you do this at home?

Check out these related videos!
Balance and Neuropathy Exercise | Sitting and Pressing Feet Feldenkrais Style

7 Balance Exercises You Need to Know | Feldenkrais style

Feldenkrais Method and Chronic Pain: How does it work?

Feldenkrais Exercise for Shoulders and Upper Back Part 3 | Cynthia Allen

What is Feldenkrais

Best back exercise: Feldenkrais Pelvic Bowl

Connect with Cynthia Allen on Social Media:

[brostholder]

When did this happen. I’m watching a video on how to stand up and I appreciate the info and can’t wait to try it. I was 18 years old just last week. Now I’m 72.

[spuriousjohn]

This 75 year old grandfather who loves to play on the floor with his 2 year old grandson REALLY thanks you for this! :)

[darblanchard]

It's so weird that this becomes an issue as we age. We just don't bounce like we used to. I appreciate this.

[jadedstar]

When I was younger even at 40, I would laugh at these videos (like SIT AND BE FIT). Not so funny at 69. This was very helpful. Thank you.

[karentallkatconley]

I'm an active 68 yr old however this summer I was working in the garden and found myself stuck on the ground! I got down but could not get up. I simply could not push myself up and I was home alone. My brain said "get up" but nothing happened. This was not only appalling but a bit alarming. There I was. Pondering my next move when your demonstration of The Spiral movement came to mind. I visualized ( imagined) the movement as you taught it. This lovely movement got my butt up and I enjoyed the springy feeling of grace that is part of it. Thank you so much for your educational and practical videos.:) Its easy to lose confidence in your own body as you age, but there ARE ways to deal with that. Got my hubby involved with your techniques, too. He sends his thanks as well..

[davemccracken]

When I was young, I just got up or down. Now, I have been aware that I need to plan how I move. That said, this video is beyond helpful for me! It makes so much sense to use the momentum of my own body, and a bit of spiral geometry, to let me do what I want easily! Thank you so much for these insights!

[michaelwalling]

Thank you so much for doing this video! In my 30 year career as a fire fighter, one of my favorite type of emergencies was helping someone get off the floor. We arrived and made a difference instantly. Very gratifying, but I theorize that chairs are to blame for this inability to get off the floor. If we practice sitting on the floor we will retain the ability to get up much longer I think. My dog loves it when I sit on the floor also.

[judica]

O my, I'm 70 now & 6'1" & boy how I have needed to learn these up & down movements. I'm still young enough to still engage in floor activities e.g.petting grooming my cat, playing with grandkids, cleaning floors in my apt etc. I used to dread doing them because I'd fall on my way up or down. With practice now I'm getting better at it & the anxiety & fear are gone.
Ergo, more freedom. Thank you.

[frankbalk]

I am a senior myself and personally appreciate the clear and helpful advice. I used to manage a 60 unit Senior Apartment building and falling was one of the fears my tenants had in common. I had one woman who prided herself in knowing how to fall without hurting herself. But one problem that was universal - getting back up. If I had seen this back then, I would have used this video as a training film to show my tenants how they could confidently help themselves. Thank you so much for doing this. It’s perfect! Well done!

[rebeccaankney-pajonk]

My knees are bone to bone so seeing a way to get up off the floor without the knees leaning on the floor is very helpful.

[pamelahughes]

Thank you for giving us a dignified option to rise from the floor. I have bad knees and always worried about falling in public and being able to get back up without looking ridiculous.

[ddab]

This the best 10 minutes I have spent in self help…thank you.

[Schattendragonfly]

My grandma had recently fell and it took her about an hour to get up. This is sad and not easy to imagine for someone who moves normaly. Thank you for working for those who cannot.

[scottstrange]

I fell outside and my wife and I struggled for over a half hour to return me to my feet. IT took firefighters arriving to accomplish this. I plan on practicing these moves because, as karma oftentimes demonstrates, once you learn something new, the odds of having to use it dramatically decrease. Thank you so much for this video. !I am now subscribed.

[arthritisadventure]

This is an interesting way to get up and down from the floor, great alternative for those that can't kneel. Thanks for sharing!

[lindasue]

I hope everybody appreciates how unique this video is, in that it has clear instruction, and each **portion** of the movement is described and demonstrated. This is very rare, I find, in instructional videos when it comes to some kind of a physical movement or activity.

[joshhayl]

🔵 I was a professional body worker for a bit over 24 years and used to teach things like this to my elder clientele who were not confident that they could get up off the floor if they found themselves there.
It's really great that this knowledge can now be more easily discovered by a wider range of people because of the internet, ... which of course wasn't around yet when I was doing it back in the 70's and you!

[anitashaw]

So happy I stumbled upon this video. I'm 70. My granddaughter expects me to get up and down as fast as she does - although now at 8, she gets I can't, yet still wants me on the floor with her. With this method, I will be able to get up much faster and easier than I have been able to in years. And I might not mind sitting on the floor with her a little more often now. Yay!

[sheila]

After 30 years being overweight and then losing over a 170 pounds I realized I no longer had any clue on how to get down to the floor to sit or get up off the floor. I honestly thought I could lose weight and then I could do all the things I couldn’t do because of my weight.
Thank You so much for doing this video.

[janicehoff]

I can't express sufficiently how wonderful this video is. I have no kneecaps, bilateral knee joint replacements, RA and arthritis. I'm paralyzed with fear of falling as I've had issues since in my late 40s and am now 70yo. Have watched this with my boyfriend so he can help me without injuring himself. Six years ago I was alone at my cabin and fell as a result of a stroke and heart attack (pre boyfriend). This occurred on a Tuesday night and wasn't found until Friday afternoon. My delirium, confusion, broken collarbone and broken foot kept me from having anything but muddled thinking, no concept of time or ability to reason about getting help. I remember just little snatches, like pictures, during the 3 days and would have died if not found. Fortunately for me I'd missed being at a prearranged pickup point to get my twin granddaughters for the weekend. I spent 11 days in the hospital as my organs had started shutting down and I couldn't communicate at all for a while. Fully recovered except for the fear.