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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Alexander Seal of Approval
It was recently suggested that the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique give a Seal of Approval to products that could be considered as being well designed and which are beneficial to posture and health. This idea has its merits; a product in a shop displaying such a tag could help us choose a good chair or pillow or some other gadget to help our poise. Apart from there being a great many practical issues with such a scheme, there are some fundamental problems with the consept.
As a number of my colleagues pointed out (as I did too), it is not a gadget or chair that helps us sit better but 'us' ourselves who does that. If it's our tendency to slouch or stoop or collapse in a chair, then that's what we'll do no matter how 'good' the chair is that we sit in. A reliance on gadgets does not really help us when it comes to our posture. Our posture and physique is 'designed' or evolved to work well of its own accord, without devices or contraptions to help us. You may say that if our back has already 'gone wrong', then surely it's a good idea to have a well made supportive chair or corset. Well, there may be circumstances where this is a good decision but that has to be made on an individual basis and cannot be ruled as a generalisation.
If our back is not supporting us, then using a corset or other means of holding us up may help in the short term and offer some relief. But with all 'crutches' that do the job for us; they do not encourage our body to start working healthily again. Far from it, they actively discourage this so our body gets worse as we become more dependant on the 'crutch'. The same could be said for orthotic shoe inserts that support the arch of our foot. They do the job that our own musculature is designed to do for us, so weakening our arch further as we become more reliant on it. Such supports may give some comfort, but it's a short lived benefit as our foot becomes weaker as it is not encouraged to work in the healthy way that strengthens the musculature that supports the arch. So we become even more flat footed.
Ultimately we need to take responsibility for ourselves. If we've got a back problem, then it is the working of our back that should be addressed and we should not simply rely on a contraption to do the job for us. There are a million designs of chairs in the world and we'll sit on a great many during our lives. Some will be supportive and others less so, making sitting a pain in the butt.....or back. Until more chair designers consider practicality more than trendy aesthetics that ignore the working of the body they are intended to support, then we'll always have seats that do less than an adequate job. We need to look after ourselves and when we are able to do just that, then it won't matter too much what the chair is like because we can make the most of the situation and avoid strain for ourselves.
From what I've written, you may have concluded that the idea of the Seal of Approval has not been adopted. If you wish to find out more about how you can restore the healthy working of your back, or improve your poise, read about the Alexander Technique and have an Introductory session from a qualified teacher. Details of local practitioners and further information can be found on the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique website www.stat.org.uk, or by clicking on the above link to www.alexander-technique.com
