Alternative Therapies to Improve Posture & Movement in Brighton, Sussex
Let's take a different approach to posture.
I prefer to think of it in terms of how you move. In other words we don't want to fix ourselves in an upright position but find a way to move with good balance, coordination and freedom.
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This is especially important if we have a pain management issue. Pain can make us tense up and over contract our muscles. This can pull us into unhelpful patterns of movement that actually make our pain worse.
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The cause of poor posture is a often habitual over tightening of muscles that pull us downwards and inwards out of our natural alignment. As you learn to release these over tightened muscles you come to a more open and expanded posture.
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Common misunderstandings about good posture:
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It is just about standing and sitting 'straight'.
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It requires more muscular effort.
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One either has a good posture or not and that you do not have a choice.
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It is a fixed position not a way of moving.
Our posture and balance often reflect and affect our emotional state. You can recognise the slump of sadness or the tight jaw of anger. As we work with our posture it can have beneficial affects on our general mood and wellbeing.
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Excellent posture is a continuous process and way of being with ourselves. I can teach you to become more fluid and aware rather than 'pull yourself together'.
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The following is the experience of Dr Michael Harris, psychiatrist of his lessons with me:
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I started Alexander Lessons with Tara to work on my terrible posture which has bugged me for years.
I had tried in vain to correct this by forcing myself to ‘stand up straight’ (usually after catching view of myself in profile in the mirror).
I had a vague understanding that Alexander technique could help but wasn’t sure how.
I assumed that better posture was something that came from increased core strength or sustained effort.
Thankfully this misconception was quickly dispelled. Correcting my posture would be a lot easier than I thought but it wouldn’t change overnight. The key was in a conscious ‘ungripping’ and trusting the spine to align itself and letting go of my misguided attempts to strain it this way or that.
I have been having regular lessons for several months and it is definitely something I plan to continue for the foreseeable future.
The classes combine aspects of yoga and mindfulness which I find incredible relaxing and meditative.
My stress levels have reduced!
Body posture is a form of nonverbal communication and I have come to realise that this communication is not just with those we meet - but also with ourselves.
I feel more confident and at ease with a posture that is more confident and at ease.
Tara is a fantastic teacher who is clearly very passionate about what she does.
Her teaching style is gentle, uncomplicated and fun. I recommend Alexander Technique generally and wholeheartedly recommend Tara as a teacher!
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