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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Doing things differently

Sometimes I feel very fortunate. Not only for the small things in life that can so easily be taken for granted but also for the other great many benefits and comforts. However one aspect of my life for which I feel extremely fortunate about is to have a job (if I can call it that as it's more of a vocation) where I get the privilege to work with a great many people in respect of their health, well-being and performance; specifically I work with their posture. So what? The bonuses and jelly beans come with seeing people walk out of my room 40 minutes after they've arrived, smiling and changed in their whole manner of walking and stature, just like the gentleman who has just left.

The person I refer to seems to be of a very practical nature and has only had three Alexander Technique lessons since starting two weeks ago but says he already feels the difference; today the differences were visible as he walked out an inch taller and broader and apparently feeling much more comfortable in the areas that had caused him great pain for years after his car accident.

Having tried many treatments for his discomfort, stiffness and pain after breaking a great number of bones down one side of his body in the accident, he is now finding that he actually has more control over his own physique and well-being than he had previously. He is learning this technique that brings about a freeing up of muscles and joints, as well as lengthening and widening of stature, so he is more expansive and more supple at the same time. His balance is improving as he becomes more aware of his postural tendencies and corrects the situation by letting go of unnecessary tensions.

This gentleman's practical nature is welcoming the fact that so much of this Alexander Technique is based on the practicalities. For example, we are dealing with the simple situation of standing on two feet and being properly balanced in relation to gravity. Clearly if we are off balance, we will fall over, yet most of the people I meet are slightly off balance, but stiffening in unhelpful and harmful ways to compensate. These tendencies eventually take their toll and we can become very stiff, experience pain as well as insecurity and timidity and excessive wear and tear on the body so we just don't last as long as we should.

I am happy to see this chap each time he arrives as he comes with an open mind and is prepared to experiment to see 'what happens if we do things differently'. In other words, what is it like to stand with different balance, to loosen muscles that have been tense for years, to change the way we move, stand, sit, walk? That is always our objective in AT lessons; not to do it 'correctly' or 'perfectly', but to discover 'what happens if we do it differently'. This is the way we break down habits and improve our overall co-ordination.

I feel very fortunate to be working with such people as it gives me a real kick to see them changing as they learn and gain more control over their own bodies. I feel very fortunate to get the experience of helping people feel better and learn how to maintain it for themselves. I feel very fortunate when I get a whole string of people coming one after the other throughout the day, all wanting to learn how to 'do it differently' and nearly all walking out of here in quite a different manner from how they walked in.

I'm very grateful for all my clients who come along and give me such pleasure in working with them. It's so good to see them feeling better and more up-beat and sprightly as they leave.

The door bell should ring in a minute as my next client arrives. She will be smiling too when she leaves....I hope!

Posted by Noël on November 12, 2008 11:13 AM | Permalink