Thoughts on the Lower Back

Hello Readers,

I’m back after a long sojourn. In July I was working as an Assistant Trainer in the Basel 3 (Switzerland) Professional Feldenkrais Teachers’ Training Program and after that had some vacation time. In the Training, I met Richard Corbeil, Feldenkrais Trainer and Voice Teacher who has some very interesting lessons for vocalists, which I’ll talk about in the next blog.

One of the things catching my attention lately is how many musicians over extend their lower and even mid-backs when backs while standing or sitting to hold themselves upright and how this can affect breathing. If you feel the muscles along the spine, you will notice that they can be very active and tense. This is often referred to as “sway back.” If you ask someone who does this to bend forward, they will often lower their head and neck but their chest may stay in the upright position. In extreme cases the lumbar curve or sway back will stay constant or even increase when bending forward.

What does this mean? Well, for one, there might be the experience of feeling stiff when bending forward and I encounter this quite a bit in my private Feldenkrais® practice. An overly arched lower back also inhibits breathing and lung capacity. The back of the diaphragm is attached to the upper two lumbar vertebrae and the twelfth (lowest floating) ribs. When the lumbar spine is held still, this limits some of the possibilities for breathing movements in the lower back area.

This is a complex area and there are many reasons for over arching in the lower back. Sometimes it’s an overcompensation for being upright when the chest and shoulders are forward. Holding a heavy instrument can also lend to this tendency and I suspect there are emotional factors as well.

In the corresponding podcast, I’ll present a short Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lesson addressing this topic. Of course this will give you a sample of a full lesson and if the pattern of sway back has been present for a long time, it will need some attention and awareness before it can be changed.

Thanks for reading, John Tarr

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais® mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

-or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on The Feldenkrais Method® breathing and posture, send me an e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe, sit, and stand well!