As we progress through life, we might sometimes have a sense that things are starting to go a bit wrong with our movement and posture. Perhaps we are experiencing pain or discomfort, or simply feel awkward and clumsy, or just that everything seems like hard work?
When we become aware of something that feels wrong, our tendency is to try and put it right – understandably, we want to ‘fix it’. For example, if our shoulders and neck ache from working at the computer, we might try to straighten ourselves up or perhaps go the gym to strengthen certain muscles.
We live in a culture of ‘right and wrong’, and we are encouraged from an early age to try hard to get things right. But what is ‘right’ when it comes to how we move, or how we sit? How could we know if we are correct? And then, if we ever did reach perfection, how would we reproduce it so that we’re consistently right?
If we think we know what is right, we might try and micro-manage ourselves to deliberately coordinate our movement or posture in a certain way. In this, we’re doomed to failure, not least because we’re likely to focus on specific areas and issues. Yet in reality, everything works together as a whole. It is self-evidently impossible to consciously coordinate our more than 600 muscles, for each one to have the optimal tone at exactly the right time for whatever the task in hand is.
The good news is that nearly everyone is born with a reasonable capacity for coordinated movement, balance and postural support. You could say that we have an inherent template or blueprint for how to move and support ourselves in the upright, just as in the same way that we have an inborn ability to digest food or circulate blood. Of course, it requires actual experience of moving to really develop this capacity and that is where our environment and culture exert their roles. This is often where the not-so-good news comes in, as we start to subconsciously adapt ourselves to our world. When we’re first learning to move, we may mimic others around us, typically our carers – how they move and how much they move. At school we typically spend a lot of time sitting and concentrating; for many of us, that is followed by more of the same when we reach the workplace. We are all aware of the pitfalls of a sedentary lifestyle but perhaps what is not so clear is that how we move can also impact on our long-term health and wellbeing. Because of the way that we have subconsciously adapted ourselves to the human-made world, most of us have developed habits that unintentionally interfere with our natural capacity for movement coordination, postural support and balance. Underlying all this is the dynamic relationship between the head and spine / torso and this can easily become compromised because we are upright vertebrates.
If we’re not happy with the way we move, or with our posture, the most effective way of changing it is firstly to give ourselves an opportunity of having a different experience of moving or supporting ourselves in the upright. The problem is that all it takes is simply the thought of a particular movement (e.g. walking) or position (e.g. sitting) to immediately set in train the usual way of doing it (our habit). This is where it can be so helpful to work with an Alexander Technique teacher. An Alexander teacher can act as a facilitator, using hands-on and verbal guidance to enable you to experience a non-habitual way of moving and being. If this new way of moving and being is smoother and less effortful it will probably feel enjoyable. With a little practice, by employing your Alexander thinking you can replace your old habitual way – not by trying to do it the ‘right way’ but simply because it will become what you prefer.
We all have habits associated with most aspects of life, including how we learn. Not all habits are bad but some really get in our way. So, it can take a bit of a mind-shift when learning the Alexander Technique – it can take a while to realise that it’s not about trying to get something right. With a bit of experience through lessons, we find that we can begin to put the Alexander Technique into practice in everyday life – by giving ourselves an opportunity to not simply react automatically but to be clear what we want (and where we are), we can allow our inherent capacity for movement to be in charge, rather than our habit. The resultant movement or posture may not be perfect but it will almost certainly be smoother and less effortful than it would have been. It will be what we prefer.
For a list of qualified, registered Alexander Technique teachers in your area, see STAT or CNHC.