Call it the anti-pain, anti-gravity method

– for better posture, relief from back and neck pain, freedom of movement – to live pain free – a feeling of lightness and ease – optimal functioning
It’s called the Alexander Technique, a gentle method for restoring natural patterns of movement.

There was a time in life when you walked upright in a natural, easy manner and you didn’t have to think about it.

What happened?

Over time, we pick up poor habits of posture that make us feel heavy. Thumping our feet, feeling heavy as we walk because we are out of balance.

Imagine going for a walk outdoors and coming to a gate in a fence. If it’s well balanced, the lightest touch sets it in motion. When it’s hanging off the hinges, it is heavy and hard to move.

The same is true for people.

One of the fundamental principles of the Technique is the head needs to be in balance on top of the spine, and the head and neck also in balance in relation to the torso. It’s called the Primary Control. Any imbalances will increase the muscular effort in moving around in your daily life, just like pushing a gate off balance makes it so much heavier to move.

Look in the mirror when you brush your teeth. Are your shoulders hunched up around your ears? Are you gripping the toothbrush for dear life? How many places in life are we exerting energy needlessly when we could be living with less? Intellectually we all understand this, but we continue with our habit patterns.

The Alexander Technique is a way to learn to move simply, easily, and with less effort. It is a teachable, fundamental skill that helps people get rid of excess tension and poor postural habits that can be the root of many of our own illnesses.

According to The Wall Street’s Journal (Health, November 2, 2003), doctors are seeing an increasing number of posture-related health problems that stem from people spending hours at a time hunched over computer keyboards. According to the article, “…a surprising amount of pain that can’t be explained by other means is due to posture, a condition known as ‘postural syndrome’ or ‘postural derangement’.”

A study conducted in England involved attaching electrodes to people to measure the amount of muscular effort required to perform everyday acts such as sitting, standing up, and walking. Then the same actions were performed with the guidance of an Alexander teacher; on average, 20-30% less effort was used after Alexander lessons.

Many times we get tired of pulling ourselves up against gravity and we sink down. This is a way to learn to relax UP. You can sit UP, not down, and with less effort.

Through lessons in the Alexander Technique you can learn to:

• Use less physical effort when you move • Have less wear and tear on the body • Feel better • Studies show: 86% improvement in low back pain (BMJ 2008; 337:a884)
• Alexander Technique is very simple to do and you don’t need any special equipment.

Drop me a line if you’d like to try this…I offer free, 15 minute telephone consultations.

Looking forward and UP to hearing from you!