postural stacking blocks

Posture is not like stacking blocks one upon the other to obtain a stable structure. We are not made like that! Ironically, the more instability between our joints, the better our overall co-ordination and balance. How can that be?

Well, walking, and therefore also standing, is often called ‘an act of controlled falling’. Our knees fall forward and immediately the brain registers and creates an antagonistic pull in the opposite direction, which the brain then registers and releases, thus allowing the knees to fall forward again, which the brain then registers and creates an opposite pull….you get the picture. This is the basis of muscle tone throughout the body. When muscles are not used they atrophy. When muscles are used too much they become chronically contracted (and often painful).

This is Danny McGowan’s illustration of the drop-catch mechanism which results in overall muscle tone and upright posture. From his book ‘Going Mental ‘ which can be downloaded for free from his website: https://www.constructiveawareness.com/

Our neck muscles are often in a state of chronic contraction. Also known as FHP - forward head posture. The beauty of the Alexander Technique is that you do not use corrective actions like the so-called ‘chin tuck’, rather you learn to release the chronic tension and restore the delicate imbalance of the head. This allows all your postural mechanisms to start working again, right down to your toes.

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If you would like to know more about new research on FHP and how it is involved in anticipation of movement, this is a great blog by Andrew McCann in Chicago. Click here to read his latest post: What We Do Before the Thing We're Doing: New Research on Anticipation, Inhibition, and Posture