Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE
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Lengthen in stature
As children we're mostly interested in what's going on around us and playing with our toys. While a few of these things are on the floor, most things of interest are above our heads, what Mummy and Daddy are doing....up there. We look out and see the world around us far more than when we look down. This tendency, along with not having any postural habits at the age of 2-3 means that we are truly lengthening in stature up to our full height. We lead with our heads upwards it is 'up' that interests us.
When we get older, we tend to pick up habits of posture from parents, friends, pop stars, film stars and we also get stressed. We also start doing what adults do when they go to work. Guess what that is....... We start sitting at desks and focusing on what is below our eye level. far more than looking out and up as we used to do.
In nature, all vertebrates lead with their head. The main difference between most other mammals and humans is that they are on four legs while we are on two. What interests the majority of animals is going forwards, chasing their prey. They lead with their heads as all vertebrates do and as this direction is forwards, they lengthen in their spine and back muscles which activates their hind-quarters and legs to move forwards. All locomotion in mammals initiates with the need of the head to move forwards. It's the same in the toddler child, they lengthen in stature as they walk forwards and this whole movement is allowed by the freedom of their neck, the slightly forward roll of their head on their spine which puts the weight of their head (which is enormous in relation to their body at such a young age) forward off balance slightly and they walk, almost to catch up with their head!
All healthy mammals lead with their heads. But humans do not, at least the majority do not any more, although we did as children. All this sitting at desks for up to 10 or more hours a day begins to draw us downwards. We get more interested in what is below our eye level than what is around us or above. This affects our posture enormously. It's fair to say, that wherever we put our attention is where our posture goes. As most of us are looking down, peering at the problem on the papers in front of us and poking our head forwards to peer at the computer screen; this all affects us so our back rounds, we get rounded and hunched shoulders, stiff neck, collapsed lower back where the healthy lumbar curve is reversed into kyphosis. We also get into a twist in our chair, holding the phone under one ear while typing or writing, or carrying heavy bags for long periods over the same shoulder will also cause scoliosis.
Where we put our attention is where our posture goes and sitting at desks for so long does nothing to help us maintain healthy poise. We forget completely about our poor old body that needs to do the job of carrying our head around and only remember it when we feel pain or observe it's getting a bit fat for our slinky and stylish clothes.
We would do well to remember that we need to lengthen in line with our spine in order for our whole muscular-skeletal system to function healthily. As bipeds standing on just two feet instead of four, we therefore need to lengthen upwards. This means lengthening up away from what is lying on our desk; it means lengthening upwards despite our computer screen in front being like a magnet; it means coming back into balance so we're not leaning forwards in such a hurry when we're late and remembering that where we put our thoughts is where we're going physically. We'd do well to remember just two simple things that are fundamental to healthy life and which FM Alexander observed in the 19th century; if we 'think' of freeing our neck, it will release some of its tension. If we intend or 'think' of our heads going upwards (without making any effort), then we'll start to lengthen, naturally. As vertebrates, it is the need of the head to go somewhere that initiates movement; as bipeds we need to 'think' up far more than we do. Then we will be heading in the same direction we were as young children when the attraction of problems and desk-work have not been experienced.
Try it for yourself if you have not already. Free your neck by 'thinking' it free and then 'think' tall. Allow yourself to lengthen to your full height. It will all happen without any effort if you let it. It's the natural way to be.
