I recently completed training in the Alexander Technique and if you are not aware of what the Alexander Technique is all about I would like to share some of the basics with you as it is an excellent way of looking at the way you use your body and a way of relieving discomfort and posture just by looking at your physical habits.
The main concept of the Alenxander technique is looking at our ‘misuse’ of the body. I will almost guarantee as you are reading this you are sitting or lying assymetrically, perhaps hunched or slumped forwards, legs crossed, head pulled back creating a double chin effect, one shouder higher than the other….. Sound familiar? Often we are so unaware of our habits that they get progressively worse until we one day notice a pain in the back, a dull ache in one shoulder, more headaches, a hump developing in the upper spine. Well, the good news is that it’s not too late. The best thing to do if you are interested in the Alexander Technique (and everybody should be as it has so many benefits) is to see a trained teacher but there are things you can do on your own.
The first rule is to be open to change. Your habits feel normal as you have been doing them for so long. Your body may feel unsure of change so you must persist and make the changes slowly, not forcing the body. Just by being aware of your misuse will help you correct it.
The main problem for most is carrying the body weight too far backwards. Most peoples centre of gravity is further forward than they think. Try lifting the head (not from the chin but from the back of the neck and move the forhead forwards a little). As you do so, move the whole body forwards a touch and look at your stance. Are you shoudlers slumped forwards or pulled uncomfortably back? Try and find a comfortable balance between the two extremes. Is your back over-arched or is you pelvis tucked under. Again try and balance by lengthening the spine. Now try and take this posture into movement. Try walking, leading with the head, not the hips or the feet. You should feel a freedom and lightness of movement.
Of course this is just the beginning, you can use the Alexander technique to change the way you move in and out of a chair, how you read a book or sit in a meeting. It does of course sound like common sense and do we really need to re-learn how to stand, walk, sit and basically move through our daily lives? Actually, yes. If you want to make the most of your body and keep a youthful and balanced figure. I discovered the technique some years ago and still need to make a conscious effort to put it to use, maybe when I have one child balanced on a hip for example! You can utilise the technique in your yoga practice but as with most things, once your awareness is raised it often stays that way!
