How We Move
The way we move to accomplish everyday tasks has a great bearing not only on our physical appearance, but also on the amount of stress placed on our bodies. The human body is like a complex machine, each part working in perfect tandem with all the others to handle the stressors encountered in day to day life, and even thriving off of them. However, when we place undue stress on the body by eating contaminated food, failing to exercise, or moving in a way that causes injury, the functions of the body are disrupted, just as the operation of a computer is disrupted when it is dropped or overloaded with programs.
Image Credit: freeyourneck.com
We were all born with an innate knowledge of how to move correctly, so as not to cause injury, but somewhere along the way we have forgotten this important skill, and as a result experience more physical pain and discomfort. If you observe young children running and playing, you will see that they move easily and without discomfort. They lift with their knees instead of their back, maintain good posture effortlessly, and don’t strain the neck or arch the lower back. Watch the average adult busy at daily tasks and you will witness bent shoulders, a strained neck, arched back, and habits such as bending at the waist, lifting with the back, and bending over desk work in a way that is simply unnatural. Not only are these types of movement unhealthy; they are also extremely unattractive.
Discovering the acute problem of improper handling of the body in the late 1890′s due to a physical ailment of his own, Frederick Matthias Alexander developed a training system that would dispel added stress to the body by educating it to overcome reactive thinking and thus retrain it to move properly. Today it is known as the Alexander Technique and involves working with a practitioner to identify stressful movement patterns and correcting them by utilizing a series of exercises and repetitive motions.
Image Credit: freeyourneck.com
Fortunately, it doesn’t take a practitioner to identify the worst movement patterns we use. All it takes to obtain the basic benefits of the Alexander Technique is a concentrated cognizance of your motions as you go about your daily activities. When you pick something up off of the floor, do you bend over at the waist and strain your neck? Try bending your knees and keeping your back and neck in a straight line. When you stand up from a chair, do you arch your lumbar and neck? Try pushing off with your legs, keeping your back in a straight line. Cultivating a greater awareness of your habitual movement will help to identify and eliminate harmful patterns and return the body to a state of balance where it will be better equipped for efficiency. It will also leave you feeling better, standing taller, and exhibiting more poise and grace.
About The Author
Thank You for that post Miss Kate. I know I need to work on that! :-)
[Reply to this Comment]
Hmmmm…..found something I need to work on :) Thanks for sharing this great information!
~Susannah
[Reply to this Comment]
Thanks–I’ll keep that in mind, even when I’m tierd! lol
[Reply to this Comment]
Very interesting! Haven’t even thought about how I get up out of a chair. :)
[Reply to this Comment]