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Posture
Many people working in London offices are spending hours every day
sitting down. Unless one sits in such a way that the spine is still maintaining
length there is a risk of causing downward pressure on various parts of the
body, and of making it difficult to move the arms freely. Although there are
many special types of office chair on the market these days, the most important
factor is knowing how to find the right "upward" response to gravity in one's
own body, whether sitting or standing.
This kind of "tone" in the
postural muscles cannot be achieved by exercising the voluntary muscles. It is
only by maintaining the natural "upward response" to gravity that true postural
tone is improved.
Stress affects people in different ways. Some tend towards more
tension and others towards collapse. In either case the Alexander Technique
gives one a practical method of letting go of excess tension, finding the right
degree of tension and avoiding extremes. The more we can control tension, the
more resilient we are in the face of stressful situations.
For a more
detailed article on the Alexander Technique and stress,
click here.
Upper limb disorders
(R.S.I.) mostly develop from a combination of
poor ergonomics, poor body mechanics and stress. Provided there is no permanent
damage and there is a willingness to "re-learn", most sufferers can be helped.
Fingers and hands are very dependent on appropriate tone in the arm
muscles for their efficient functioning: the arms should relate in a particular
way to the shoulders, which should rest lightly on the upward thrusting spine
and rib-cage. Any unnecessary tension or collapse in the torso will usually
mean that the shoulders do not "hang" in the right way - in which case the arms
and hands are under stress.
To try to treat injuries to the hands,
wrists etc. in isolation from the rest of the body is to only deal with a part
of the problem.
Personal Growth
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