Why does walking around with a book on your head NOT improve your posture?
As far as balance and posture are concerned this is one of the oldest tricks in the book, pardon the pun, but does it work? The short answer is, of course, no. Balancing a book on your head no more improves your posture than wearing one of those braces under your jumper.
Humans are all designed differently, which means we all hold our bodies in specific ways. Being able to perform an archaic balancing act really has very little bearing on whether or not you are standing or sitting correctly. Actually, the problem is the very idea of there being a “correct” way to look or stand! Your posture is dynamic, agile and changeable!
Types of Stance
People have habitual way to stand, in a variety of ways, not all of which are great for the body. Many people have a kyphosis (hunched shoulder), flat back (as you might imagine it), lordosis (arching the lower spine) and head forward (again relatively self-explanatory). None of these are natural stances, but rather are brought on by regular activities. All of these stances can cause back pain, headaches, and long-term damage. You can change your habitual stance!
BodyMinded Alexander Technique
Understanding your posture and how you move needs awareness and often outside feedback to ‘see’ your habitual patterns. How you move, hunched over or arching a little for example is likely to be outside your awareness.
The Alexander Technique is a step by step process where you are guided to understand how you move and your patterns of movement. It is a subtle and gentle approach. You get feedback and coaching via the teacher’s gentle hands on guidance and their verbal coaching. There are no outside props used or needed. You don’t need books on top of your head, exercise clothes, straps, expensive shoes or any other equipment! The BodyMinded approach re-trains your nervous system for more balance and poise.
How to Achieve Fabulous Posture
Fabulous, comfortable and upright posture is what you can achieve with the BodyMinded approach. It takes a combination of mindfulness, you do need to practice between lessons, and a little patience while you establish new neural pathways and new healthy habits.
Learning the BodyMinded approach needs your curiosity, willingness to change and again I’ll mention a grain of patience. Many of our students remark that it is so simple, like rediscovering the easy way to move mindfully.
One of the best features is that you don’t need any special equipment, you take your BodyMinded Alexander learning with you everywhere – to the supermarket, driving to work, running, reading to your children, talking on your mobile… imagine doing these everyday activities with a book on your head! Ha! Not likely. Creating your fabulous posture comes from the inside – not from an external prop like a balancing a book on your head.
If this has sparked your interest, please get in touch and find out how we can help you create your fabulous posture with the BodyMinded approach.