The alexander technique - why it's good for your posture and balance

 
Our original, and best, sitting posture.

I've got this chronic shoulder pain that flares up mostly when I'm tense. It's not surprising given that we hold tensions and emotions in our body.

So at a particularly stressful time recently, my left shoulder was especially painful and my bicep was twitching, I took the subtle clue and investigated my options.

I settled on the Alexander Technique. Well known to actors for helping release emotional and physical tension, which is the death of performing, the AT was developed about 100 years ago by Shakespearean actor Matthias Alexander  http://www.alexandertech.org/.

I found Katherine Constable http://www.katherineconstable.com/index.html by google search and I was thrilled by the results.

In her peaceful upper east side office, we first talked about the problem and I what I wanted. Sh explained the process, that would lead to my body being re-balanced. Basically I would lie on a massage-like table and she would relax and re-align my body to stand and sit the proper way, with muscles and bones supporting each other equally balanced and elongated, not collapsed.

You can see proper alignment most prominently when babies sit.

First, I demonstrated how I sit and how I walk so she could get a read on what needed re-aligning. I dangled my arms at my side and walked slowly, I felt as limber as Frankenstein making his way through the forest knocking over small trees and rabbits.

Once on the table, Katherine told me to do nothing but relax. Make my body limp and she would take care of the rest.

She bent my legs, rotated my knees. adjusted my neck and head and shoulders. At first I tried to "help" her by rotating my knees, but she told me to make no effort to move and to let her do the work. Fine by me. I let my body limp and my mind blank.

I felt a little weird to giving that much surrender, but Katherine's calm, assured manner made it easy. I decided to trust it. It was like a very gentle massage and relaxing massage. After a too short 20 minutes, Katherine told me to stand up and walk. Now things really felt weird but good. My body was relearning what it had forgotten.

I was more relaxed and energized and I signed up for more treatments. She does not take health insurance, so you'll have to pay full cost, but think about what you're getting in exchange for your money.

For a more vigorous workout that also leaves you loose and limber and feeling great check out gyrotonics or gyrokinesis.

A note on finding her: Since I did a blanket google search and did not have a recommendation, I was especially aware to tap into my gut feelings at every web site I went to.

As I read,  I got quiet in my mind and listened to my inside feeling. Basically I followed my gut.  When reading her site, the vibe felt good, calm and clear, so I called her up. When we spoke I also tuned in to my inner feeling, same good thing and I did the same thing when I got to her upper east side office. Green lights all the way.

I find this inner tuning an excellent way to decide when and how to proceed in the face of no other objective evidence. And also when I do have objective evidence. You can use this for anything. If you tune in and you just get that "weird" or "creepy" feeling, pay attention to that. Make sure it's not your surface fears or desires talking, but a deeper feeling of "no good" or "all clear."

Then measure your results and apply this science to the next thing you do. You'll get better and better and you will rarely eat at a sucky restaurant, or marry the wrong person, ever again.

You may have no feeling, that's a feeling too.