Your Health
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Walk tall
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| Victoria Creswell assessed Georgina Crawshaw's back. |
Stand up. Now - sit down again.
Simple enough? In fact I'd hazard a guess you probably didn't think twice before moving. But did you know this seemingly effortless task actually involves the complex co-ordination of thousands of motor units and dozens of different muscles? And according to Victoria Creswell, an Alexander Technique teacher for nearly thirty years, we might not all be as good at these everyday motor actions as we think.
"It's like trying to drive a car with the handbrake on." Says Victoria, who also teaches dance classes and works as a fitness instructor at David Lloyd in Ringwood.
"Basic movements we do day in, day out, become so automatic we don't think about them anymore. But if you take a step back you often find you're expending lots of effort and you can start questioning if that's really necessary."
Traditionally an approach favoured by musicians, actors, and sports people, Victoria is keen to clarify the Alexander Technique can benefit any of us wanting to improve the way we use and move our bodies.
"In a nutshell it's about maximum efficiency, minimum effort," she explains.
"People come to me for all sorts of reasons but fundamentally they're not enjoying their body as much as they'd like to - be it chronic pain or feeling their posture isn't very good."
A completely non-invasive therapy the Alexander Technique focuses on the quality of movement during every day activities and teaches students awareness of their posture, balance, movement and breathing.
"It's not so much about doing, but undoing." Victoria continues.
"Four legged creatures have far more stable spines. Their sense organs and spine all follow in the same line so when they're listening, looking, smelling the spine maintains a natural, healthy length.
"Becoming bipedal opened up enormous possibilities of movement for us - but that's both a major advantage and disadvantage. Our senses are directed forward but our spine is vertical so the tendency is to take the spine forwards and often down.
"Small things like sitting still for long periods of time, or having to use furniture unsuitable for our proportions are a major challenge to our bodies." Victoria continues.
"You might well spend a couple of hours at the gym but eight hours hunched over a computer and those bad habits are far more strongly reinforced. Layer by layer they become habitual ways of moving."
By addressing these bad habits the Alexander Technique aims to relieve unnecessary tension and ultimately allow the body to function as nature optimally intended. But it isn't just a matter of the flesh.
"The mind and body are so incredibly inter linked." Victoria explains.
"You can be thinking something and suddenly realise you've stopped breathing or your legs are tight.
"The Alexander Technique is an interactive therapy. It doesn't just work on the skeleton and muscles but how the whole body operates with gravity."
A long term sufferer of back pain following a road traffic accident a number of years ago I was keen to try the technique out for myself.
Like most Alexander teachers Victoria works from her home in Ringwood - "a natural everyday environment." Her enthusiasm for her subject matter, extensive knowledge and ability to communicate complex ideas in terms even the most uneducated of laymen could understand immediately made me feel I was in safe hands.
"It's quite challenging to know where your body is in space." She explains.
"Giving instructions and guiding the body into addressing tensions requires thought and ideas to try."
As well as employing imagery during her lessons Victoria reinforces her directives by gently guiding and stimulating the body with her hands.
A class consists of a succession of such exercises' in standing, sitting or lying positions progressing into movement. It's surprisingly simple and effortless - the emphasis on quality of attention, rather than effort, as the determining factor for the quality of movement.
Of course there's no miracle cures or quick fixes and like most alternative therapies you definitely need to maintain an open mind. Indeed, Victoria was the first to warn me that it would take a few sessions to settle into the technique and for both my body and brain to begin to understand what was required of them. But a little like a snowball, once that initial seed of understanding was sown, my body took on its own momentum. And it was worth the wait.
Not only am I experiencing less back pain but friends and family have noticed how much straighter I'm standing. It feels like someone's switched a light on and refocused my mind. Whether I'm standing in the pub, sitting at work or even lying in bed I'm far more aware of my body, where I'm holding tension and can now make a conscious decision to let go.
Victoria charges £25 for an hour session and is currently offering two lessons a week for the price of one for the first three weeks of attendance. She will also be running introductory workshops on the Alexander technique through adult education beginning on October 4. Contact her on 01425 480560 or email art_of_movement@hotmail.com.
11:47am Wednesday 7th May 2008
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