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How to Sit Well on Any Chair: Using the Alexander Technique

Educating Yourself Using the Alexander Technique: A Path to Better Posture, Poise and Function

In our modern world, we often look for quick fixes to improve our comfort and productivity, such as investing in ergonomic chairs and other gadgets. While these tools can be helpful, they do not address the root cause of many postural and movement issues. Instead, the Alexander Technique offers a holistic and lasting solution by teaching you how to use your body more effectively and consciously – on any chair.

Understanding the Core Principle: How You Use Your Self

The Alexander Technique is built around a central principle: how you use yourself affects how you function. This means that the way you move, sit, and interact with your surroundings has a significant impact on your overall well-being. By becoming more aware of your movements and refraining from certain thought-movement habits, you can start to make changes that improve your posture, reduce tension, and enhance your overall function.

Setting Up Your Environment

Before diving into the specifics of the Alexander Technique, it’s essential to create an environment, choose where you mostly sit throughout the day, that supports good posture and movement.

  • A simple firm, flat chair without arms is ideal.
  • Ensure the chair is set to a height where your feet can rest flat on the floor
  • Your hips are slightly higher than your knees.
  • This setup gives you an advantage to practice the Alexander Technique thinking effectively.

In time, you can learn to sit well, on any chair, anywhere.

Practicing Self-Awareness

One of the core elements of the Alexander Technique is developing self-awareness, or simply observing without changing. This involves paying attention to your body and how it moves in various activities. Start by observing your posture and how you hold yourself during different tasks. Notice any areas of tension or discomfort and think about how these areas are already supported by the chair or ground, directly or indirectly. Nothing to do.

Freeing Your Head, Neck, and Back

A key aspect of the Alexander Technique is maintaining a free and easy relationship between your head, neck, and back. This means allowing your head to balance naturally on top of your spine, without any unnecessary tension.

Practice this by sitting in your chair and choosing NOT to nod or waggle your head forward and back. The absence of extraneous movements plays a big part in returning to ease and balance.

Pay attention to any tightness in your neck or shoulders, but decide not try and fix this directly by scrunching, or pushing in any way (if that worked, you’d be sorted already, right?) Leave your arms and shoulder girdle alone. By releasing this tension with your conscious Alexander thoughts, you can achieve a more balanced and comfortable posture – indirectly.

Think of being like a Conductor of an orchestra – you stay on the podium and direct the players to do what you want. In the same way, you can stay with your thoughts in your brain and give the overall shape and tone you want from your body, without needing to jump off the podium and go and play things for the musicians, don’t go moving your feet and shoulders around. That may feel easier, but doesn’t work at changing your habits.

Purchasing High-End Furniture vs Carrying Cushions Around

Many people go down the route of buying an expensive ergonomic office chair, or back support cushion and carry it everywhere with them. I get it. It can seem like a good idea.

However, there are so many other places you might want to sit, on a bus, in a car, in a friend’s car, on a train or plane, on a sofa/settee or a park bench. Are you really going to carry this special cushion everywhere with you? What happens if you forget?

Wouldn’t it be a better investment to train yourself to sit well on anything?

I’ll write another blog about cushions, to help save you money, and use them most effectively.

Conscious Movement

How you move is just as important as how you sit or stand. The Alexander Technique emphasizes conscious movement, which means thinking about your whole body before moving any part. For example, when you stand up from a chair, consider how your feet, legs, and torso work together, your head can lead and your body will follow (no need to push with your legs!)

Move slowly and mindfully, ensuring that your movements are smooth, balanced and coordinated.

Balance and Breathing

Balance and breathing are crucial components of sitting well using the Alexander Technique. Good balance involves not just physical stability but also a sense of ease and poise. This is what is taught in one to one lessons with an experienced Teacher. This is not a movement practice of Things To Do, but more a Consciousness Practice with guidance to harness your mind-muscles all together at the same time.

“When you stop doing the wrong thing, the right thing does itself.”

FM Alexander

Without a teacher, you will likely just be repeating what you already know, only trying harder.

Please find a qualified Teacher and get them to show you this so you can experience the difference. The contrast can be huge – more lightness, more ease, more stamina.

Poise Over Fixed Posture

The Alexander Technique is not about achieving a rigid, fixed posture and staying there all day – but rather practicing thoughts which allow you to return to your natural, easy, dynamic poise. This means being able to move freely and comfortably, with a sense of balance and ease. Remember, it’s about continuous improvement and awareness, not perfection.

Going Gently

As you practice the Alexander Technique, it’s important to go gently and be patient with yourself. Change takes time, and developing new habits of thought, movement and posture requires consistent practice. Start with small, manageable steps, and gradually build on your progress. Celebrate your Conscious Thinking improvements, no matter how small they may seem. The brain leads, and the body follows. You can trust your conscious constructive thoughts.

Conclusion

Educating yourself by having Alexander Technique lessons is a powerful way to improve your posture, movement, and overall well-being. Unlike relying on ergonomic furniture alone, this method empowers you to take control of how you use your body.

By setting up a supportive environment, practicing self-awareness, freeing up your postural reflexes, you can achieve lasting benefits. Remember, it’s a journey that requires patience and dedication, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Embrace the Alexander Technique and discover a new way of moving and living with ease and grace.

Do you have any questions for me? Call Lucy now on 07949 522655

Written by Lucy Ascham, Body & Soul Energy Expert

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“No pain in the night, no pain when I got up, no pain when I went for a run and no pain now! It’s much more than I expected, thank you! "

Steve

"It is as though I have been gifted an entirely new lens through which to view human behaviour, and it is a lens of compassion and empathy like no other. Due to this, I have been able to come to terms with the way my family operates, which has proven to be a great relief. I would definitely recommend working with Lucy. She held such a safe space for me and my vulnerability with great compassion and authenticity."

Elena

"Using these techniques has helped me reduce the day-to-day tension I’ve developed over a lifetime of anxious habits and hypersensitivity. It’s been amazing to re-learn how my body works, and how to swap out the survival mechanisms that got me so far, for habits more in keeping with how my body is happier to work."

Alex Booer

“I’ve been doing the Alexander Technique with Lucy over the past few months and my posture has improved enormously. I have a greater awareness of how my body functions and can recognise the signs of when I’m falling into bad habits."

Paul Tolton, Actor

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Rosie

"I had a traumatic accident a few years ago. After you ‘wriggled’ my head it felt weird – and really good. I could walk evenly for the first time in years!! I’m making friends with my body.”

Zoe, Singer

"I have been happily surprised and have learned a lot about how my muscles and spine behave when I let them. I rapidly realised that AT is not in the least pseudoscience, rather it teaches one to be aware of how the body is holding itself."

Julian Davis, Retired Professor of Medicine & Pianist

"I've just had two enjoyable and useful sessions with Lucy on Zoom. I had been doubtful about how it would work but I was pleased with how it went. Of course, nothing is as good as face-to-face but we are where we are and this was great and has helped me to progress as I had hoped. Thank you. Looking forward to the next ones!"

Bev

"Lucy's sessions are amazing. Her unique blend of skills helped me have good posture without effort. Before this, I had seen many physiotherapists and osteopaths, but the pain kept coming back within a few weeks. Even after my first session with Lucy, the difference was so clear that my friends commented on it. After several months, the effects are being maintained with her support."

Julia
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