“It is what man does that brings the wrong thing about, first within himself and then in his activities in the outside world, and it is only by preventing this doing that he can ever begin to make any real change.” Frederick Matthias Alexander (The Alexander Technique)

 

At the very beginning of life, we experienced the importance of our heads in the primacy of movement as our wriggly body movements were organized. Moving, breathing and our first cry were all simple fundamental activities of new life that when done with ease and freedom created a foundation on which everything else we did would be built upon.  Have you ever noticed that young children sit without any back support? They can sit with their arms free, their heavy heads erect, looking around and smiling for as long as they choose. A solid foundation from which to start their lives. Their bodies are at ease feeding information to their brains that in return leads the unfolding process of crawling, walking and talking. It is Alexander’s perspective that people can misuse their bodies creating muscle constrictions and imbalances that develop into negative habits and ways of being that are not balanced, supportive and comfortable.

 

  New research published by Elsevier this year, by Lin and Colleagues, Department of Psychology, Taiwan studied how individual differences in body comfort affects our posture, our emotions and our ability to create automatic thoughts. They classified 269 university students into 2 groups: those who felt good in their bodies and those who felt negative in their bodies. Their mood states were monitored and they were again split into two groups of upright postures and slouched postures. To induce a negative emotional state, all groups were then asked to close their eyes and imagine that a close friend or family member suddenly treated them with emotional coldness while they held their slouched or upright postures. Afterwards, participants held their phones, in an upright or slouched manner and typed all emerging thoughts into their phones. The study showed that the participants who had a positive body awareness and upright expansive posture were able to emotionally recover from the negative experience by fostering positive, flexible thinking. The participants in the low body awareness group, regardless of body posture, consistently generated more negative than positive thoughts having no significant difference in emotional recovery. 

 

The findings indicate that posture is not just an expression of inner states but an active regulatory resource that shapes emotional recovery and spontaneous thought generation through on-going feedback loops. The takeaway from this lab study is that short bouts of upright sitting or standing in an open, stable posture can facilitate emotional recovery or enhance preparation for a stressful event, such as a speech or an exam. Posture is an easily implemented low-cost tool that can be integrated into daily life. For people with lower body awareness, however, these strategies may take longer or require repeated practice for the regulatory benefits to emerge. Attending to one's needs by ensuring adequate rest, adopting sustainable rhythms, and practicing self-compassion all help promote well-being. In summary, strengthening the mind-body connection requires movement, consistent self-care and mindfulness practices. These strategies not only bring on psychological and physical health, but may also increase the effectiveness of posture as a way to regulate emotions in your everyday life.

 

If you want additional help with creating inner balance, releasing muscle constrictions, inspiring self-care, and compassion for yourself, please call my office for more information on healing from the inside in a warm, inviting office setting.