Positions/Plate XVIII
Table
Also called: All fours, Crawl, on all fours
On all fours, hands under your shoulders, knees under your hips, back flat: the position from which you move along the floor.
How to take it
Get onto your knees, then place your hands on the floor in front of you, flat under your shoulders, fingers pointing forward. Your knees go under your hips, hip-width apart, the tops of your feet on the floor. Your back stays flat, neither arched nor rounded. Your head stays in line with your back, eyes between your hands, or raised towards the other person if that is agreed.
What it says
Held still, it makes you a surface: a tray, a book or a glass is placed on it. In motion, it is used to come towards the other person at floor level, and the difference in height does a good deal of the work; it is also found in pet play (see Glossary).
Variants
- On your forearms rather than your hands, when your wrists protest.
- With knee pads, to move further than a few metres.
- Head raised towards the other person, back still flat.
The call“Table.”