Alexander Method: getting rid of involuntary muscle tension. Self-mastery of the Alexander method

This is a set of exercises aimed at recovery correct posture, first of all, by getting rid of unnatural postures and movements, which in the course of life have become familiar and comfortable, but have a negative impact on health.

For example, very often under the influence stressful situations a person may begin to hunch over, pull his head into his shoulders, throw his head back, etc. Gradually, he ceases to notice these bodily changes, but in the meantime they are recorded. As a result, spinal deformation occurs, which, in turn, negatively affects the condition of the entire body.

History of the method

This technique was developed in the 1890s. Australian actor Frederick Mathias Alexander at a time when he was trying to find a way to treat laryngitis, which often developed during performances. Watching himself in the mirror, Alexander discovered that while delivering a speech, he involuntarily shook his head back and forth and down, while tensing his neck muscles. Assuming that it was this habit, creating excess tension in the throat, that was the cause of the development of laryngitis, the actor learned to suppress this tendency. As a result, he not only stopped suffering from laryngitis, but also improved his general health. Thus, working on himself, Alexander created a method of teaching integrated movements, based on the balance of the position between the head and the spine.

In 1904, Alexander moved to London and began teaching his technique to patients, looking for ways correct postural disorders and not correct movements. In 1931, he opened official three-year courses, which he taught until 1955, until his death.

In 1958, some of his followers founded the Alexander Technique Teaching Society in London. Today, the Alexander technique has spread throughout the world.

The Alexander Technique is more aimed not at directly disturbing symptoms (for example, back pain or stiffness in the neck), but at eliminating their cause, which often lies in the mismatched functioning of the body. It has been proven that after natural harmony is restored between parts of the body, specific conditions disappear.

Problems and diseases for which the Alexander technique is effective

bad posture
back pain
joint pain
headache
fatigue
stress
breathing disorder
ankylosing spondylitis
osteoarthritis

The Alexander Method helps a person rediscover the natural grace and dexterity inherent in childhood and lost, among other things, due to sedentary image life, incorrect position body when working at a desk or computer, which entails poor posture and imbalance in the body as a whole.

Posture correction using the Alexander method under the guidance of a trainer

The trainer observes the body at rest and during movement, trying to eliminate bad habits and instill new, healthier ones. Learning occurs in lying, sitting, walking and standing positions. The correctness of the exercise is determined by the position of the chin: it should be parallel to the floor.

1. The trainer monitors the angle of the neck and how it is supported, using gentle pressure to prevent the student from tilting the head back.

2. The focus is on how a person gets up from a sitting position. It is very important that the neck and spine are on the same line.

3. In a standing position, the trainer helps the student achieve a balanced, upright posture before the student begins to move.

When working with the neck, the trainer gives instructions (you can try experimenting with the body yourself using the recommended commands).

Basic command instructions:

think about your neck being free;
think of the neck as flexible;
Relax your neck (avoid over-relaxing it);
think of the head going up and forward;
think of your back as lengthening and widening.

Let's sit down correctly

At the moment when a person sits down, the vicious habit inherent in most people clearly manifests itself: the pelvic area moves back, the head is thrown back (its balanced position is disturbed, the neck experiences excessive load), the chest protrudes, the back bends. Unfortunately, such actions cause catastrophic harm to posture. The natural movements should be to direct the body straight down so that the pelvic area moves with the back.

The Alexander Technique is a time-tested method. It helps get rid of headaches, heaviness and back pain, depression, improves general state. Will go away along with muscle tension negative thoughts who guided you.

Frederick Alexander was confident that a person can cope with any disease (except for the most advanced cases) on his own, resorting not to medications, but to a set of physical exercises.

You should also not cross one leg over the other, as this will cause excessive muscle tension. The best option there will be a separation of the knees in different directions, which will avoid subsequent pain in the lower back and relieve muscle tension. If possible, the pelvis of a sitting person should be pressed as much as possible against the back of the chair.

Posture correction exercise

1. Stand 5-7 cm from the wall, turning your back to it and placing your feet parallel to each other, approximately 25 cm from one another.

2. Without changing the position of your legs, slightly tilt your torso back towards the wall, making sure that the back of your head, shoulder blades and buttocks touch the wall at the same time or not. If any part of the body touches the wall before the rest, this will indicate a curvature of the spine. If the back of your head touches the wall first, this will be a signal that you have the habit of throwing your head back. If your shoulder blades touch the wall before your buttocks, it means your pelvis is protruding too far forward.

Correct this position by moving your buttocks toward the wall and straightening your neck. The significant gap that may have formed between the wall and the lower back will disappear as soon as you bend both legs at the knees, while moving your lower abdomen a little forward and lowering your buttocks. If after some time this body position becomes tiring, this will indicate the presence of serious problems with posture.

3. While in this position, straighten your knees, but do not allow them to fully straighten. At the same time, a slight deflection should remain in the lumbar region. Next, you should move your torso away from the wall without moving your feet. The movement should begin from the head, and not from the stomach or chest.

According to Alexander's method, consciously working on designing own body in order to inhibit reactions that have become a habit, but initially unnatural for oneself, a person will over time be able to change his habits and perform correct actions spontaneously that are not harmful to his health

The Alexander Method is often looked at as a method for correcting posture and habitual postures, but this is only a small part of what it really is. In reality, this systems approach, aimed at a deeper awareness of oneself, a method seeking to return the body to the lost psychophysical unity.

Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955), a successful young Australian actor, suffered from recurrent voice loss, apparently of functional origin. He contacted many specialists, but following the doctors’ recommendations brought only temporary relief. Observing himself in search of the cause of the disease led him to create own method, which he later began to use in the treatment of various disorders.

According to Alexander, it is not mental disorders that cause illness, and it is not illnesses of the body that cause mental disorders. Rather, both diseases indicate the body's inability to return to a balanced, resting state after stress.
W. B. Cannon spoke of the "wisdom of the body." He believed that the body has certain states of balance that are natural and normal, and the body strives to return to them after any disturbances. Illness is a loss of balance in the body, and it must be restored.
According to Alexander, a person, having reacted to a certain situation, cannot completely return to a state of rest. Usually only partial relaxation occurs, and residual muscle tension remains latent, although theoretically such tension should disappear upon returning to a state of balanced relaxation. But sometimes just the idea of movement is enough to cause excessive muscle contraction. In this case, we can talk about “expectation stress” or “residual deformation”. Over time, this overreaction becomes habitual and the predisposition remains to respond to any situation with excessive muscle activation. After some time, not only the muscles, but also the bones and joints are included in a disharmonious state, the skeleton is deformed as a result of the load from constant muscle tension. According to Alexander, if you do not change your posture, there is always a danger of new pain in response to new stress. Only harmonization of posture leads to the achievement of physiological balance.

According to Alexander, people suffering from neurosis are always “tight”; they are characterized by unevenly distributed muscle tension (dystonia) and poor posture. He believed that neuroses “are not caused by thoughts, but by dystonic reactions to thoughts.” Therefore, in his opinion, psychotherapy without taking into account muscle reactions cannot lead to success. He was convinced that when treating, attention should be paid not so much to studying the causes mental trauma, how much to create a new “body design”, new system muscle control.

The Alexander method is based on the fact that a person can consciously correct his usual posture and the manner of movement developed over the years. According to Alexander, in order to transfer the body to a new level of functioning, it is necessary to be aware of one’s actions and more efficient use bodies when performing these actions. Attention is drawn to how we control our body when usual types activities, how we stand, sit or lie down. By analyzing such simple movements, one can discover how all human activity depends on his ability to control the body.
Alexander suggested adjusting your way of action through long-term training, comparing feedback from relaxed muscles with existing in this moment. It is very difficult to correct habitual reactions in posture and movements, even if they are clearly conscious. Both the error itself and the progress of its occurrence in action must be corrected. It takes great persistence to act on what we know rather than on our old habits. The difficulty lies not so much in creating a new habit as in the need to change old habits of body, feeling and mind. What is meant here is not simply replacing one action with another, but changing the way the action is performed, changing the entire dynamic so that new way was in every way at least as good as the old one.
Alexander wrote: “The issue is not the correct posture, but the correct coordination (i.e., the muscular mechanisms involved). Moreover, one who has mastered the art of proper coordination can rearrange his body to assume almost any posture through adequate control and correct movements. breathing apparatus. Continuous rearrangement of body parts without unnecessary physical stress most fruitful, as it promotes good health and longevity.

According to Alexander's concept of goal-oriented actions, all actions performed by a person are reflex actions, they are performed according to the “input-output” principle. We tend to achieve goals without analyzing our automatic reactions. Alexander believed that human behavior should correspond to the formula: “input-processing-output of information.” For this formula to work, it is necessary to “inhibit” the immediate muscular reaction to irritation to ensure the possibility of “processing information” and preparing an appropriate response.

The Alexander Method is based on two fundamental principles - the principle of inhibition and the principle of directive. Inhibition is the limitation of the immediate reaction to an event. He believed that in order to realize the desired changes, you first need to slow down (or stop) your habitual instinctive reaction to a specific stimulus. By analyzing the moment before taking action, we give ourselves time to use our reason and find the most effective and necessary ways perform this action. When our primary instinctive action is inhibited, we have a variety of decisions to choose from. It is necessary to take into account that slowing down any unwanted habits is possible not only before the action begins, but also during it.

Training in the Alexander method consists of two stages:
1) Identifying and eliminating excess muscle tension that is unconsciously stored in the body;
2) Finding various lighter and effective ways movements that reduce wear and tear on body structures and internal organs.

Alexander paid great attention to the relationship between the head and neck. He became convinced that the incorrect position of the head and neck “imposes” incorrect posture on the entire body. Alexander wrote: “... I have discovered that a certain position of the head and neck in relation to the body... exercises primary control over the organism as a whole.”
"Primary control" - describing the relationship of the head, neck and body - is the main reflex that controls all other reflexes, including coordination and balanced control of the body. It is called “primary” precisely because it influences all other reflexes. As soon as we tilt our head back so much that we begin to influence the function of Primary Control, the functions of coordination and orientation are distorted, and in order to avoid falling, we are forced to strain. When it is necessary to start moving, we have to fight with ourselves. Due to the tightening of the neck muscles and the tilt of the head back, not only the natural coordination of human movements suffers, but also the mechanism for returning to a normal state of balance after movement is disrupted.

The Alexander Method is a unique practice that helps get rid of health problems by correcting your posture. It is used by famous and successful people - actors, scientists, politicians, writers, psychologists, Nobel Prize laureates...

The main idea is that whole line diseases of the body are associated with the habit of improper movement and violation natural situation neck and head. This causes curvature of the spine and muscle strain even at rest.

To talk about the Alexander method in more detail, you first need to turn to the personality of the person who developed it. Frederick Matthias Alexander was born in 1869, frail and weak child, who was often sick as a child, and especially suffered from diseases respiratory tract. He grew up so sickly that he was unable to attend regular school and was homeschooled.

The boy had a very strong desire for art, he learned to play the violin, and spent all his money on visiting museums and exhibitions. Having matured, Alexander created his own theater, where he performed the works of Shakespeare, playing all the roles alone. The one-man theater was gaining popularity, because Frederick was talented.

But as his career took off, he was once again confronted with the troubles of his childhood. Problems with the respiratory system led to the guy often losing his voice - sometimes this happened even in the middle of the performance. Alexander contacted numerous doctors, but they were unable to help. And then he decided to heal himself on his own, after first studying his body.

To do this, he used a system of mirrors that allowed him to look at himself from the outside. Alexander's main idea was that disease is the body's resistance to some wrong actions. Over time, he discovered that his head was not positioned correctly in relation to his body, causing poor posture.

By forcing the body to hold the head in an unnatural position, a person causes the muscles to overstrain. Due to the unbearable load, the body begins to “resent”, expressing its dissatisfaction through pain and illness.

Yes, no correct position head can lead to scoliosis, headaches, arthritis, osteochondrosis, pressure changes, diseases of the digestive organs, respiratory tract and other troubles.

Why is this happening? When a person holds his head incorrectly in relation to the spine, the latter has to bend and twist unnaturally in order to maintain the balance of the entire body. Such curvatures lead to the appearance of a hump that acts as a counterweight, muscle spasms, compression of internal organs and nerves...

To imagine what happens to our tissues when we have incorrect posture, take a pillow. Look at it, how equally soft and smooth it is on all sides. This is what it looks like healthy body. Now bend it in half. pillowcase and outer part the pillows are stretched - it seems they are ready to burst. At the same time, the part that is inside is shriveled, wrinkled and compacted.

The same thing happens with the tissues attached to the curved spine - part of them is in a constantly stretched state, and the other part, inside, is crumpled and pinched. Imagine how tight digestive organs a hunched over person - nature gave them much more space inside the stomach, but now they are squeezed and stuck together. Of course, such a person cannot be healthy.

Now that we understand main idea method, you need to understand how it works. Almost all of us suffer from incorrect position of the head, neck and spine, but how can we change it to the correct one? After all, this state of the body is familiar to us; when we try to straighten up and keep our head straight, we immediately receive muscle pain in the back in response.

To bring your musculoskeletal system in order, Alexander developed a set of exercises aimed at reminding the body of its natural position. Frederick believed that even despite the long-term habit of hunching over, the body constantly strives to return to its natural state. comfortable position- you just need to help him. In addition, it is necessary to change a number of habits so that the body itself finds the correct state.

Identifying the problem

Whether your posture is correct or not is difficult to determine, especially if the deviations are small. Some exercises are aimed at identifying the problem and at the same time learning to control your body.

Any movement can be performed effortlessly, without putting unnecessary tension on the muscles. It is paradoxical that at the very beginning, correct movements, on the contrary, cause pain and inconvenience. But once you get used to moving correctly, you will feel how much easier it has become for your body to perform the usual movements.

Stand against the wall without touching it - your heels should be located at a distance of 5-7 centimeters from the wall, leave 25-30 centimeters of space between your feet. Then, without lifting your feet off the floor, lean against the wall. Watch how you do this - with normal posture, the shoulder blade and buttocks touch the wall at the same time. If any part leaned back earlier, it means there are problems with posture.

If the back of your head touched the wall first, it means you have the habit of throwing your head back, which is also very harmful to your posture and health.

In the lower back area, you will have free space between your spine and the wall. Bend your knees and slide down a little while flattening your spine against the wall, making sure each vertebra is fully touched. If standing in this position becomes tiring after just a few seconds, it means you have serious problems with your posture. If you feel tension in your feet, spread your knees slightly.

Stand there for as long as you can, then “crawl” up the wall, straightening your legs, but not completely - your knees should remain slightly bent. At the same time, a gap will again appear between the lower back and the wall - this is normal. Stay like this for a few minutes. Lift off the wall in stages: head, shoulder blades, buttocks.

The second exercise is aimed at identifying incorrect movements when walking. Place two high-backed chairs side by side, leaving space between them to allow walking. Stand in the middle, grasp the backs of the chairs with your fingertips, as if you were disgustedly picking up a dirty rag. Spread your elbows to the sides. Begin to take a step with your right foot at a slow pace.

Lift your heel off the floor, bend your knee and stay in this position. At this stage, it is easy to understand whether you are distributing the load correctly by transferring the center of gravity to the second leg. Many people do this not by bending the knee, but by raising it right side pelvis This can be determined by paying attention to your hands - if you step incorrectly, one hand will drop and bend, you will feel discomfort.

During correct walking, it is not involved in stepping top part body, the position of the hands should remain the same. The lifting of the foot from the floor occurs gradually, from the heel to index finger. Landing the foot in the same order, from heel to toe. All this must be done very slowly, being aware of each stage.

Learn to sit down

How do we usually sit down? Watch yourself. Before you sit down on the chair, you lean forward, tilt your head back a little, arch your back and “hack” your pelvis. This pose makes a wave-like structure out of your spine, causing it a lot of discomfort. This causes irreparable harm to posture and health.

When sitting down, you need to maintain the position of your head, neck and spine in the same form in which you stand - vertically straight. If it’s hard to imagine how a network can do this, imagine a person receiving bad news. He sits down exhaustedly on the sofa, the upper part of his body remains in the same position, only his quickly bent (givered) legs work. Approximately the same thing, but at a slower pace, should happen to you.

By the way, sitting with your legs crossed is also harmful - it creates unnecessary muscle tension.

Stretching the spine

This exercise should be performed twice a day for 10-20 minutes. Lie on the floor, put a book under your head. Legs together, knees bent; knees pointing towards the ceiling. You cannot be distracted and change your body position.

The neck should be free, the head should strive upward and forward. Try to mentally lengthen your spine, imagining your back stretching and expanding. Having achieved this state, relax and lie down, feeling yourself stretching out in length. Don't close your eyes to avoid falling asleep.

When getting up, try not to disturb the calm and relaxed state of the muscles. Rise slowly, gradually, without jerking.

By repeating this exercise every day, you will notice that the pain in your neck and back has disappeared, your brain has become clearer, and there is lightness in all your limbs.

Since childhood, we have diligently spoiled our posture. improper sitting at the desk, at the computer and just on the couch. We walk incorrectly, sit down and stand up incorrectly, and even at rest we are not able to relax the muscles that are overstrained due to unnecessary work that no one needs.

But our body is programmed to move with ease and ease, performing all movements with natural ease and grace, like a cat. How enviously we look at people who know how to move beautifully, but at the same time we ourselves hobble awkwardly and curl into a fetal position, sitting over documents.

Beautiful posture - natural property, which can be returned with some effort. You just need to spend a little time and effort.

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Ecology of health: A set of exercises that helps you use your own body correctly, harmoniously use your own muscles...

Maybe I'm wrong, that you're doing it all wrong,

but in that case you can continue to do everything right,

without taking me into account.

(F. M. Alexander)

Technique F.M. Alexander is a set of exercises that helps you use your own body correctly and harmoniously use your own muscles.

The method is based on the idea that Every person develops habits of improper use of his body throughout his life, expressed in the manner of maintaining posture and making body movements, inevitably leading to additional excessive load on musculoskeletal system, which is one of the main reasons for disruption of the functioning of the body as a whole and the processes occurring in it.

The main danger of these habits lies in the fact that a person gets used to them over time and begins to perceive them as natural processes(in this aspect there is a similarity with the “muscular shell” of W. Reich).

Thus, if physically healthy man who had the habit of maintaining an even posture suddenly begins to slouch, then this habit will become the norm for him, and incorrect posture can lead to violations respiratory function, deterioration of oxygen flow to the brain, intestinal dysfunction, curvature of the spine and premature aging, muscle and headaches, poor concentration, etc.

Technique F.M. Alexandra is recognized by many specialists in working with human body as a phenomenal technique that gives a person the opportunity to enjoy life the way the person himself wants, and not the way his own body allows him, because regardless of whether a person realizes it or not, the quality of his body is a mirror image of the quality of his life.

Using the method of F.M. Alexander has been used by thousands of professional actors, TV presenters, politicians, teachers, musicians, psychologists and writers all over the world. This indicates the authority of the technology in question among other technologies. body therapy, which gives the right to call the technique F.M. Alexander is a real worldwide discovery.

Frederick Mathias Alexander was born on January 20, 1869 in Australia, the city of Wynyard, located on the north-west coast of Tasmania. The author of this remarkable technique was born with serious health problems, and none of the doctors could guarantee that the boy would live more than a few weeks. Nevertheless, largely thanks to the boundless love of his mother, F. Alexander survived, but continued to experience serious illnesses, led by respiratory diseases.

Due to health problems, Frederick could not go to school with other children, and his parents had to hire a private teacher for the child, which gave him a lot of free time in the evening, which he used to help his father in the stables. It was there that he gained experience nonverbal communication, which later turned out to be invaluable to him.

Due to financial problems that arose in the family, a seventeen-year-old boy was forced to get a job at a tin mining company; at the same time, in his free time, he took violin lessons. However, Frederick managed to spend all the money he earned through hard work on visiting art exhibitions, museums and performances - his craving for art was so strong.

Soon he founded his own one-man theater, in which he read the works of Shakespeare.

When his acting career was on the rise, Frederic again encountered health problems that had haunted him since childhood - he became hoarse, his voice completely disappeared during one of their performances. To save his own voice, Frederick was ready to undergo any treatment, however preventive measures gave only a temporary effect. One of the doctors advised him not to talk for a couple of weeks in order not to strain vocal cords. At first, this gave results, and he carried out the performance almost “in one breath,” but at the end of one of the final scenes his voice disappeared again. At that moment he realized that he should say goodbye to his acting career...

The origins of the Alexander technique

Having lost his voice, F. Alexander in despair came to his doctor, who advised him not to speak for a couple of weeks, and asked why everything was fine at first, but after that his voice failed him. Having never received a more or less intelligible explanation from the doctor, Alexander decided to fight his illness on his own, for which he began to study himself, his deepest characteristics.

Alexander's study of himself was based on the law of cause and effect: every action must necessarily cause a reaction.

If a person suffers from any ailment, be it headache, insomnia or arthritis, there is a certain internal reason for it.

This counteraction for Alexander was precisely the loss of his voice.

Healing process

Then Alexander realized that the main cause of voice loss is incorrect movements of the neck and head, which, in turn, lead to incorrect posture, causing other diseases (including possible loss of voice). Diseases appeared due to excessive stress on various groups human muscles that the body was not able to cope with.

Thus, the neglected state of muscles and the chaotic nature of their movements, uncontrolled by a person, can undermine a person’s health, since a person’s muscles experience unrealistic loads even when a person is resting.

The idea of the technique is contained in a phrase written personally by F. Alexander:

“By making attempts to improve the functions of one's own organ of speech and taking as a basis various methods, I noticed that a certain position of the neck and head in relation to the body... produces primary control over human body generally".

F. Alexander considered the main reason for the incorrect position of the head and neck to be a person’s habit of hunching, which dates back to the time a person was studying at school.

If you observe the position of the head, neck and torso of children in classrooms, you will notice many different poses:
some children have their heads down almost all the way,

others, on the contrary, have their heads raised excessively upward. Both cases are incorrect position of the neck and head, which, under the influence of strong muscle load, can lead to deformation of posture and the adoption of this incorrect position of posture as natural. And only a few children keep their posture straight and monitor the position of their head and neck.

In the absence of control over the position of the neck, a hump forms on it and, in order to maintain balance, the remaining part of the body takes on an uneven posture, the person begins to experience early stage deflection of the spine. In this situation, pain in the lower back is caused by disorders in the upper back, and therefore treatment of spinal problems should begin with treatment of the upper part, otherwise the cause of the pain will not be eliminated and the disease will appear again.

For proper operation respiratory, speech and digestive organs require proper spine position, because very important nerves and blood vessels, which have a direct effect on the functions of breathing and heartbeat.

Alexander believed that people could solve many health problems by simply giving up the habit of sharply throwing their heads back whenever irritated. To give up this addiction Alexander himself strived and tried to instill this desire in his students.

In order to maintain his own posture, a person is not able to constantly monitor the state of the position of parts of his body, and F. Alexander understood this very well, therefore he demanded from his students not so much control over the position of the head and neck, but rather harmonious coordination of the movements made by a person in the process of life.

He believed that even the most hunched over people should not despair and complain about fate, since the body has physiological “wisdom”, thanks to which, after any violationsit strives to return to a state of balance, posture strives to take on the correct form natural from birth.

However, this will never happen without a person’s desire to achieve natural posture and return his body to the correct shape, since this process requires painstaking work.

The same principle applies to the functions of internal and external organs person - when the form of posture is normalized, the natural function organs.

The degree of “wisdom” of the body, its ability to return to its natural state is directly related to a person’s dependence on medicines aimed at giving the body correct form – The higher a person’s dependence on drugs, the lower the “wisdom” of the body.

Frederick Alexander is confident that, in addition to extreme cases neglect of the disease, a person is able to cope with it independently, resorting toNotto medications, but to a set of physical exercises.

For efficient work according to the technique of F.M. Alexander is required from a person high level self-discipline and self-control, but efforts and contributions will be adequately rewarded feeling great and excellent health.

To better understand the technique, consider an action performed by a person from 10 to 500 times a day - sitting down . When a person sits down slowly, he kneecaps slowly move forward and down, and the heels are spread in different directions. When the human body begins to descend, most people exhibit the acquired habit of moving the pelvic area back, tilting the head up and bottom part chest push forward. With these habits, a person causes significant (if not catastrophic) harm to his posture. Natural movements for a person should be an even movement of the pelvis, the direction of the body should be straight down. Under no circumstances should you allow the lower part of the chest to move forward and the pelvis to move backward. Take care of your posture!

Rice. 1. – Movements of a person sitting on a chair

Figure 1a clearly shows the detrimental to posture, but familiar to many people, style of squatting.

In contrast, Figure 1b shows a natural, but, due to false habits, a forgotten manner of squatting.

The balanced position of the head is disturbed, which places excessive strain on the person’s neck and affects his posture.

Most people, unfortunately, find it extremely difficult to maintain an even posture while sitting on a chair. Usually people are so busy everyday affairs that they don’t even think about posture and the consequences of incorrect manner while sitting at the table. They sit up quickly, arching their backs and sticking their chests forward.

To maintain posture, a person must not bend his back forward, arching his neck down, but straighten his back and direct his body forward away from him. hip joints so that the pelvic area moves with the back.

Also Don't cross one leg over the other, as this will cause excessive muscle tension. The best option would be to spread your knees in different directions., which will avoid subsequent lower back pain and relieve muscle tension. If possible, the pelvis of a sitting person should be pressed as much as possible against the back of the chair.

Another problem when maintaining your own posture in in good condition is uneven distribution of body muscle tension (so-called dystonic tension). Dystonic tension can be observed in a person even during rest. Some people who do not monitor the position of their body experience dystonic tension even when performing such activities. simple actions like picking up a spoon, turning on a light, opening a door, etc. Dystonic tension is caused by a person’s inability to return to a calm state under the influence of a stimulus.

After some similar situations, excessive muscular response becomes the norm for a person, and he loses the ability to restrain the activity of his muscles and return the body to a calm state. Under the influence of excessive muscle loads

the human skeleton becomes deformed and takes on an unnatural shape.

What to do in this situation, how to get rid of excessive tension? F. Alexander suggests doing the following -.

use relaxation to return the body to a balanced state However, many people manage to achieve only partial relaxation, and muscle tension, albeit hidden, remains. The person seems to be in a state of latent tension, and the slightest repetition of the stimulus returns him to the state muscle tension . This situation is called .

“residual deformation”:

There are two main ways to get rid of involuntary muscle tension
complete ignoring of dystonic tension,

return to a balanced state of rest. First way

less labor-intensive and consists of a person accepting a state of passivity after work, or consuming alcohol or medications. In this case, the person refuses everything that can cause muscle tension. Second way

much more difficult, but much more effective, and consists of changing motor habits in order to create correct posture.

Posture correction exercise

Turn your back to the wall so that your heels are 5-7 cm from the wall and your feet are approximately 25-28 cm apart (as shown in Fig. 2a).

Rice. 2

Then, without changing the position of your legs, slightly tilt the base of your torso back towards the wall (Fig. 2b).

It is very important that the buttocks together with the shoulder blades touch the wall at the same time. If one part of the body touches the wall earlier than the other, this will indicate about .
If the back of your head touches the wall first, it will be a signal of the habit of throwing your head back .

If you push your pelvic area forward too much, then only your shoulder blades will touch the wall, but not your buttocks. In such a situation, you should move your buttocks towards the wall.

You may notice a certain gap forming between the lumbar region and the wall, which will disappear as soon as you bend both legs at the knees, while moving the lower abdomen a little forward and lowering the buttocks (as shown in Fig. 2c).

If after some time this body position becomes debilitating for you, this will indicate about whether you have serious problems with posture.

While in this position, make sure your foot has not dropped. If your feet are tight, this can be corrected by spreading your bent knees.

Correction of O-shaped legs occurs in a similar way.

Extend your knees, but do not allow them to fully straighten. When standing, your legs should be slightly bent. At the same time, a slight deflection should remain in the lumbar region.

Rice. 3

By spreading the feet, it is possible to detect some errors that appear during walking.

Place high-backed chairs on your left and right sides (see Fig. 3a) and touch thumbs the backs of the chairs, with your elbows out.

Start walking with your right foot: lifting your heel, bend your right knee slightly.

In this position, the body weight should shift by left leg so that a person can raise his right one. Many may notice that they are lifting right leg not by bending the right knee, but by lifting the right side of the pelvis (Fig. 3b). You may notice this later by feeling tension in your hand touching the back of the chair.

When performing the exercise, remember that the arms and upper body should not take part in the initial bending of the knee (the correct body position is shown in Fig. 3c).

At a further stage of walking, you should bend your knee until only the end touches the floor. thumb(Fig. 3d).

At the moment the body moves forward, the leg begins to lift off the floor, after which it must touch it with the heel. Only after this should the entire sole fall to the floor. The knees should not be completely straight (Fig. 3c).

In the event that absolutely the entire sole touches the floor, the bend in this area of the lumbar region will be significant. By positioning your heel and toes in this manner, you will be able to reduce the risk of significant forward arching of the spine in the lower back.

Is it possible to start using the Alexander Technique on your own?

Of course you can!

First, you should choose a place to study that is convenient for you, where no one can disturb you.
Next, you need to lie down on the floor with a book under your head.
Bend your legs so that your knees are pointing towards the ceiling.
Your thoughts should be free from outsiders, you should not change the position of your body. Mentally say the phrase: “Neck free, head up and forward.” Thus, you will concentrate your attention on the neck and head area.
Next, mentally say the phrase: “Extend and stretch your back.” As you do this, you will begin to feel your back, shoulders, and shoulder blades straighten.
When pronouncing the second phrase, you should not forget about the neck and head. If it happens that you have forgotten about them, return to the first phrase and concentrate on the head and neck, and only then proceed to work with the back muscles.

Keep in mind that you do not need to perform any actions - by repeating these phrases alternately for several minutes, your body will independently achieve a state of relaxation.

In the future, when performing any actions and experiencing muscle tension, you should repeat these phrases one by one, and your muscles will come to a relaxed state.

Each person is accustomed to performing certain actions in one specific way, without even taking into account the fact that the same action can be performed in several other ways. Moreover, before the action itself, a person goes through the stage of “expectation of action,” when the perception of the action is consistent with his expectation.

Therefore, when a person performs any action, even the slightest external irritation can cause its premature onset.

When a person is able to control his reactions and react at the right time, he will get rid of the dependence of tension of expectation.

The new body design that a person strives for using the Alexander technique is nothing more than subjective feeling of the correct “waiting posture” .

Due to the fact that a person’s characteristic perception of his preferred reactions to stimuli occurs at the level of the unconscious, a person, according to Alexander’s method, must consciously work on the design of his own body in order to inhibit reactions that have become habitual, but initially not natural for himself.

Initially, you should plan new, correct reactions to irritants. Over time, this habit will become a deliberate action. Then you will not need to think about your every action - they will be carried out spontaneously.

When the actions are thought out, using the Alexander technique, a person will be able to control his posture and thereby get rid of many unnecessary problems associated with his own health. published

The materials are for informational purposes only. Remember, self-medication is life-threatening; consult a doctor for advice on the use of any medications and treatment methods.

“Alexander laid not only the foundations of a promising science about involuntary movements, which we call reflexes, but also techniques of correction and self-control, which constitute an essential addition to our meager resources of personality education” (J.B. Shaw)

The Alexander Technique is a method that shows people who use their bodies incorrectly and ineffectively how to avoid these incorrectness in action and at rest. By "use," Alexander means our habits in holding and moving our bodies, habits that directly affect how we function physically, mentally, and emotionally.

F. Mathias Alexander was an Australian Shakespearean actor; he created his system at the end of the 19th century. He suffered from recurrent loss of voice, for which there appeared to be no organic cause. Alexander spent nine years in careful self-observation in front of a three-piece mirror. Through self-observation, he discovered that the loss of voice was associated with a pressing backward and downward movement of the head. Having learned to suppress this tendency, Alexander stopped suffering from laryngitis; in addition, eliminating the pressure on his neck had a positive effect on his entire body. Working on himself, Alexander created a technique for teaching integrated movements, based on a balanced relationship between the head and the spine.

Alexander believed that the prerequisite for free natural movement, whatever we do, is the greatest possible stretch of the spine. This does not mean forcibly stretching the spine: it means natural stretching upward. Students of the Alexander Method work primarily with the formula: “Release the neck to allow the head to move forward and upward to allow more lengthening and expansion.”

The goal is not to try to engage in any muscular activity; the student strives to allow the body to automatically and naturally adapt during the concentrated repetition of the formula: and in the lesson - when responding to the guiding movements of the teacher. During the lesson, movements taken from normal daily activities are worked through, and the student gradually learns to apply the principles of the technique. Balance between the head and spine provides relief from physical tension and tension, improves posture lines and creates better muscle coordination. On the other hand, a violation of these relationships creates tension, distortion of body lines, and spoils the coordination of movements. Alexander Technique lessons provide gradual, subtle guidance in mastering the more effective and satisfying use of the body. The leader must be able to see various blocks that impede the free movements of the body, and anticipate movements with preliminary unnecessary tension. By guiding the adaptation of the student's body in small movements, the teacher gradually gives him the experience of acting and resting in an integrated, collected and effective manner. Alexander's classes typically focus on sitting, standing, and walking, in addition to what is called "table work," where the student lies down and, in the hands of the teacher, experiences a sensation of energy flow that lengthens and expands the body. This work should give the student a feeling of freedom and spaciousness in all ligaments, an experience that gradually weans a person from the clamps and tensions in the ligaments generated by excessive tension in Everyday life. The Alexander technique is especially popular among artists, dancers and people of completely different professions. It is also used effectively to treat certain injuries and chronic diseases.

EXERCISE.

Now, while reading, you sit or lie down. Are you aware of how you hold the book, how your fingers and hand take its weight? How are you sitting? Is your body weight distributed evenly between your buttocks? How do you hold your hands? Is there excess tension in the chest, shoulders, forearms, throughout the body? Can you change your position to a more comfortable one? If so, this indicates that your body use habits are not as effective and satisfying as they could be. Because of these habits, we tend to sit, stand, or move in ways that are not optimal, comfortable, or healthy; by coming into contact (that is, awareness) with our body, we can feel it. This exercise is, of course, not part of the Alexander Technique as such, since it requires the guidance of a trained practitioner. But it can give you a sense of the dynamics of body use that Alexander emphasizes.

Relaxation technique.

Can be used anywhere and anytime. Visualize clearly two crosses crossing your body. Mentally draw a vertical line along the spine - from the tailbone to the top of the head - and two perpendiculars to it: the first - from one shoulder to the other and the second - passing through the hips. Imagine that the cross is made of strong and flexible metal that bends according to the movements of your body. To relax, simply allow the cross to fall into its natural position. At the same time, the head and spine are straightened, the shoulders are at the same height, and the hips are aligned. If you learn to mentally create such a cross - as if fixed in the air above your head - then you will have a very convenient reception quick relaxation. At the same time, the head is slightly pulled up, the shoulders are straightened, the arms hang freely, and the back muscles maintain a straight posture.