Lessons of the Student Teacher

Wednesday, 12/30’s class at The Cypress of Raleigh drew two students. The fun challenge is the broad difference in mobility between students. Fortunately, one of the students with Parkinson’s Disease readily accepts all challenges. We initially focused on breath and foot awareness, making sure all four corners of the foot engaged the floor while developing a deep breathing pattern. This helps the student with P.D. to expand under-functioning lung muscles and create more leg strength for stability when walking. We then focused on three zones of breath direction, driving air to the diaphram, heart, and upper chest regions in a series of small inhalations. The blending of these zones with one continuous inhalation really enhanced both students lung capacity. After loosening up the hips joints, we moved to the shoulders to focus on drawing the shoulder blades down and inward. The goal was to relax the postural muscles of the shoulder and bring the head back over the spine. This focused movement allowed the ladies to regain some of their lost height and improve their posture. We finished with shoulder rolls from our swimming medley series, allowing the students and myself to merrily float out of class.