Hello all!
Movement of any type is almost always better than not moving at all, but how you move matters. Doing exercise is great, but generally speaking, we take our postural habits into every activity that we do. When we take unconscious habits of tension into our exercise or other physical activities, we’re practicing tension.
The Alexander Technique helps you figure out how to not practice tension in your life, so you can move, balance and even sleep more easily. As one participant of last Saturday’s Mind-Body Balance workshop in Helena said, it helps to be “more relaxed and present.” In that workshop, participants discovered how to “think up” and allow ease in their bodies in order to move and balance without excess effort. That frees up our energy for things we’d rather use it for instead of holding ourselves up. (That’s what our inner postural muscles are for!)
Try this experiment right now if you’d like. Imagine your head lifting up away from your spine. (Do you know where your head rests on your spine?!) I don’t mean that you should sit up straight or try to push your head up. That creates more tension and isn’t sustainable. But we can train ourselves to let go of muscle tension that is pulling the head down and compressing us to free ourselves up from pain and stiffness. As you imagine your head lifting up and away, turn your head and look around. Does it feel easier to turn your head? If you noticed a lot of tension in your neck, don’t worry, and in fact you can congratulate yourself for noticing! In order for change to happen, we begin by just noticing.
It is a privilege be able to share this journey with you toward ease, balance and flow using this practical technique, to help get you out of suffering from pain or anxiety, and put you back in control, and in a life of far greater fulfillment!
I’m trying a new calendar format to make it easier to see the upcoming Alexander Technique group offerings and private session locations, including the Managing Pain Through Movement class that starts this Thursday at the Lifelong Learning Center in Missoula (advance registration only) and the Sleep Better with Alexander Technique workshop, back by popular demand!
Wishing you balance in mind and body,
Mari
DiscoverEase in Movement
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