One of the most universal dis-eases in humans is a bad back.
It is the most common reason why people take
time off work. 
Days and years are lost. Earnings, productivity by both employer and employee and peace of mind all round due to back pain complaints and taking time off work.
Whether to slouch for comfort (we were all told not to at school) or to sit up straight, which is better for our backs? Collapsing or slouching can cause
back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain; arthritis,
almost all musculo-skeletal pains;
all imbalances of the skeleton;
scoliosis, lordosis:
muscle spasms, non-specific muscle pains,….
breathing difficulties over time;
throat problems;
Actually there isn’t one answer because the person who is slouching has many over-extended muscles and the one who is ‘sitting up straight’ has too much tension.
The weakest point is the spine, the back bone, the major support for the whole.
Bad habits progress slowly and over time will become the norm.
Usually only once we are in pain do we get the message that slouching is bad. Take a check list here:
- How flexible are your shoulders,
- Or your knees and hips?
- Is one shoulder higher than the other?
- If you raised the one shoulder to balance the other one, would that correct it? No!
- Is one leg longer than the other?
- When you stand, where is your weight usually?
We need to learn our own personal set of 'keys'; and so unlock habitual damaging patterns of moving, speaking, breathing.
Gay says after discovering and having Alexander lesson: “How to do the basics, - it has a direct effect on me and my body. I have no sore feet, sciatica, sore back. My neck stops being sore. My shoulders more noticeably relaxed”.
Alexander said, In order to ‘do’ we must first ‘undo’!.....to get to the bottom line.
Learn to address these unconscious habits.
Sign up now for a chance to win a place in the upcoming 6 week workshop
View more at www.alexandertechnique.co.nz
