Ever since I took the General Skills certification weekend intensive with Carolena, I've made it my mission to teach these moves exactly like the FCBD format. So that meant coming back to my students and telling them instead of thinking of "tongs" pulling out and in, I showed them the original move which has the hands doing their thang! It was frustrating at first but they're slowly but surely getting it and I am soo glad that I corrected this right away and not just go "oh well, that'l do".

So if I can add one thing that really helped me in being able to teach this more effectively?

In the TT, we had this move taught (by Marta!) to us, and Carolena critiqued and we discussed it, and I received a VISION FROM THE EB GODS! I always had a tough time teaching what the hands were doing, and this was completely revelatory for me, and already I have seen awesome results in my students!

What I loved what the idea that the palms are kind of neutrally forward, and as you pull down on the shoulder blade of the active side (active side being the hip that is pivoting/twisting), that arm pulls back, the other naturally softens a bit forward (since you aren't trying to hold it rigidly in place), and the arms naturally start to line up in that familiar Egyptian Basic way. When you add zills, the hands get a little bit more active, and tend to "flip" more. But it isn't even something you really have to try and "do" if you start from a neutral, gently forward facing palm. The hands take care of themselves, in a way!

WHAT A REVELATION!

I am sure Sandy and Wendy are chuckling at me, because of course they knew this all along. But I wasn't taught Egyptian in the same way as you all were, and so had been working with that and trying to interpret with my own eyes and brain for years and have never struck on a really concise way to get my students doing the "flip" without them looking like they were TRYING to flip, or getting confused, or... So this was big for me.

What I am loving learning about ATS is how things kind of happen naturally. All the things that look to us like such precise intention has more to do with just naturally letting your body respond to ONE specific element, and the other elements grow out of it without much effort. I feel like I have spent years trying to make certain elements happen--actively pushing here or twisting there or yanking this or that way--when if it is done correctly, all the details flow effortlessly out of the singular element being showcased. And of course it takes time to build that element and refine all those details to a tailored shine, but that a large part of the beauty of ATS is letting the details evolve from your body organically...that's exciting stuff!