Marina Baroni, Dipl. Ayu.

Archive for the ‘The Alexander Technique’ Category

Have you ever noticed that there is hardly any time during your day when you are not tensing the muscles of your neck?  Touch them gently right now as you read: do they feel soft or hard?  And what about when you cook, swim, walk, sit, talk on the phone or even sleep?

Whenever you drop your eyes to read something, the head bends down and the neck tenses.  The longer you stay in that position the harder it is to revert to a neutral, balanced state.  When you look up again, the head may stay forward, the body slumped.  That could become your habitual “posture”.  This is just a hypothetical example of how daily, unconscious body misuse can transform the way our body functions.

Put a hand below your skull and turn your head from side to side.  Can you feel your neck muscles getting stiffer as you move?

Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.  Take some time to tune into your body.  Feel different points on your body touch the floor, while others may float.  Allow your head to move from side to side while releasing your neck muscles.

Sit up and observe whether or not your neck feels differently as you turn your head.  Pay attention if you overtense the neck muscles when you pick up something.  Using only the minimum strength necessary to perform a movement will allow you to save an incredible amount of energy during your day!