The Power of Posture

Do you know what is common to all of them? The title might have given you a clue- yes it's posture. The way we use our bodies, our habits of walking, sitting and going about our daily life are all influenced by our chosen posture. Most people think simple when they think about posture. Concepts such as stand up straight, or sit properly. If only it were so simple. Posture is a subtle business, more to do with habitual thought patterns influencing muscle action than anything else. In other words, posture is an internal matter, not an external shape. The most profound way you can change posture and gain all the associated benefits is to experience the Alexander Technique. At the Brighton Alexander Technique College, we are experts on the subtleties of posture, voice, and body use. Compare these two photos.

Figure 1 before Alexander Technique instruction

In the first photo, the man's posture is very poor. His neck is dragged forward by an invisible muscle pull that runs all the way down the front of his body into the legs. This pull is a tension that also compresses internal organs and can make for poor digestion- after all if you squash your digestion with your own poor muscle habits you can expect complaints. In addition his legs are very stiff with clenched ankles and feet.

Figure 2. After Alexander technique instruction

In the second photo, you can see most of these issues are resolved. Not only is his head poised freely on the neck, but his back has lengthened and there is a whole look of lightness and ease about him, even the legs are less braced.

To produce these kinds of changes in someone takes skill. If you'd like to consider training to do this amazing postural magic, we offer taster courses as well as the full training course. It takes three years to learn these in depth skills, but you have them for life. www.alexander-technique-college.com | 012735 562595.

Find the Brighton Alexander Technique College here on the Wellbeing Directory.