Sitting is one of the commonest of all civilized activities… But the human organism is very poorly adapted for keeping still… and therefore the act of sitting needs to be particularly well performed if it is to meet the requirements of our anatomy and physiology. It demands a high standard of balance and coordination if stiffness and rigidity are to be avoided, and likewise slumping with its consequences of distortion and harmful pressures within the frame." - Walter Carrington
Many everyday activities involve a fair bit of effort: sweeping, scrubbing, vacuuming, cleaning windows, making the bed, mowing, weeding, or the weekly shopping.
How do we feel when we have to do these tasks? Do we do them with ease or do they exhaust us? Do we feel stiff or sore afterwards? Wouldn’t it be good if we could reduce the strain?
This is precisely what the Alexander Technique is all about. It teaches us that we can change the basic ways we are using our bodies. Our daily activities can be performed with less exertion and more efficiency if we can release the unconscious patterns that are making life more difficult. Even activities that don't require much effort are just as subject to the way we use our bodies
Although we may not notice the unnecessary tensions in our behaviour, they gradually erode the ease with which we perform even the simplest tasks. The way we stand, sit, walk, brush our teeth, eat, talk, tie our shoes, use our smartphone or work on the computer is governed by the body patterns we involuntarily use.
