ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE IN PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH: AN IMPORTANT PROVISON
The description of 'good use' above may give the impression that the aim in the Alexander Technique is to have a perfectly 'upright' spine. In fact, what we are looking for is an improvement of an individual's general condition. Using ourselves well actually refers to the quality of our thinking processes - and as such can be achieved by anyone in whatever physical condition. People may have structural conditions that for the most part cannot change; they may have a genetic condition that affects their musculo-skeletal system, such as scoliosis, an injury, or maybe years of built-up chronic tension. Improved use can still bring the rewards of increased freedom and ease in the movement patterns that are available.
The aim of the Alexander Technique is not, in fact, to achieve 'perfect posture'. 'Posture' is a word that Alexander teachers usually choose not to use, as this is most likely to make people pull themselves up into a 'sergeant major'-type posture - and this requires a lot of muscular effort. We use the term 'upright posture' to refer to one of our most striking features as human beings - our ability to stand upright and walk on two feet.
Good Use Is Innate
How we use ourselves is to a large extent a matter of how we respond to the effect of gravity on our bodies. We have a complex and sophisticated system of postural reflexes and mechanisms which enable us to maintain our 'uprightness' - you could say they are part of our hardware - and this means that we have a natural potential for good use. When the primary control is working well, this inbuilt 'up direction' is facilitated to its maximum extent; in Alexander jargon we call this 'going up'. Unfortunately, when we misuse ourselves, pulling the head back and shortening the spine, we interfere with these mechanisms and stop them working so well. In Alexander jargon, we call this 'pulling down'.
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ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE IN PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH: MISUSE
Originally, when Alexander discovered that he was stiffening his neck and pulling his head back, and creating tension throughout his body, he thought that he was the only person to do this, but his investigations confirmed that this pattern of 'misuse' is common to the vast majority of people.
The effect of this misuse is that it interferes with the head/neck/back relationship, which means that a high degree of muscular tension is needed to maintain upright posture and for movement. This muscular tension is distributed unevenly through the body, with an excessive amount in some areas and too little tension in others, and there is a lack of interaction between the muscle groups. Obviously this brings about the very opposite of what we find with good use: being upright becomes an effort, there is a limited range of movement, the joints are stiff and breathing is impaired.
As with good use, misuse refers to our 'thinking'. It involves performing activities in a habitual and automatic way that is harmful to overall use and functioning. This could mean that we allow our emotional state to affect our musculature adversely, for example if we are worried about something we let tension build up in the neck muscles. Or it could be how we perform everyday activities. Observing people in action, we often see a great deal of effort being used, in parts of the body that are not directly involved in the activity. Check for yourself how tightly you hold your toothbrush while cleaning your teeth - or how tightly you are holding this book right now! You will probably find that, like most people, you are using an excessive amount of effort in holding what is a very light object, and in a task that actually requires a minimum of force.
People misuse themselves in different ways. Broadly speaking, a person may hold himself up with too much tension - the 'sergeant major' approach - or he may 'collapse', with over-relaxed muscles. In practice, of course, it is not as clear cut as this; both forms of misuse involve a combination of excess tension and over-laxity. For example, even in someone with collapsed posture, only some muscles are 'over-relaxed', and therefore others have to work all the harder in compensation, and are over-tense.
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