Many people recognise that prevention is preferable to trying to solve a problem that has already become chronic.
How we use our minds and bodies in the activities of daily living is seldom something we give thought to, but without taking good care of ourselves, and knowing how to do so, unconscious habits affect our health and determine the ease or difficulty with which we accomplish everything that we do.
We learn behavioural and movement habits when we are young and unconsciously modify them in response to injury, working environment, and all the other stimuli that surround us. As adults we seldom pay much attention to them, although they impact on or affect our health and well-being in the present; and will continue to do so, unconsciously, until we learn what we are doing and how.
Life in the 21st century, with its fast pace and array of technology – such as cars, televisions, computers, and cellphones – makes it easy to develop poor patterns of stress and reactivity, lowering our effectiveness and leading to various forms of discomfort and stress; including anxiety, isolation, neck and eye strain, stiff shoulders, backache, and many forms of repetitive stress injury.
An Alexander Technique teacher can help you to become more aware of these habits, and help you understand the most effective way to be in daily life. The teacher can show you how to apply the Alexander Principles of ease, simplicity, balance, and self-control in practice. Through engaging your conscious awareness and innate physical intelligence, the Alexander Technique offers a means to using yourself in an optimal way, enhancing poise, coordination, overall fitness, and general well being.