Standing Straight And Tall, Part 1

Do you have difficulty standing up straight and tall? Does your back get sore easily; do you have that slumped posture? I hear my mother's voice saying "Stand up straight! Sit up straight!" If you have any of these difficulties than I hope you'll stay tuned and watch this video, because we are about change all that! This is the first in a series of tips about how to stand up straighter and be comfortable as you're doing it. O.K., let's get started. The first thing, if you have this upper back curve that's causing you difficulty, one thing that's going to be hard for you to do is look up - it's going to be a strain on your neck. So what i'd like you to do, carefully, is start by seeing what you can do! Look up gently and just see where you go without strain, without hurting your neck or your shoulders. So go ahead and do it, and then mark the spot on your ceiling (whatever it looks like) that you're looking at. Remember that, because we'r going to come back to it later. Begin by putting your hands together and then taking your elbows together. If this is difficult for you - it's easy for me to do it, but for a lot of people this is not so easy - then just bring them as close together as you can... and then just gently lift and lower your arms a few times, keeping your elbows as close together as you can... breathing normally - don't hold your breath. Then then leave it alone. Now this is ... it can be ... quite taxing for the muscles here and possibly here, so don't view it as an exercise that you have to muscle through. Make it as easy as you can. O.K.: part two! Come back... Hands together, elbows as close as you can comfortably get them, and this time take your eyes and your head with your hands, so. AS your hands go up, look up. As your hands come down, look down. Just do what's easy, even if it's minimal... a tiny little bit... and let it go. Part three... Once more hands together, elbows as close as you can get them, and this time take your head in the opposite direction of your hands. Gently... Hands up, head down; hands down, head up. O.K. Now it's time to go back to the original movement of looking up. Remember the spot that you marked with your eyes on the ceiling and look up... and just see whether you don't go a little bit farther now than you did the first time you looked up! And how does it feel? Are you standing more easily? Is it less effort to be straight and tall? If this work is interesting to you, then please go to my website - you'll find out more information - or give me a phone call if you would like a thirty minute phone consultation. I'm in the Norwalk, CT area, I take new clients every month and I would be happy to talk to you. If you'd like to email me we can arrange a time. Or if you're not in my area and you'd like to find a Feldenkrais practitioner then please go to the Feldenkrais website and look for a practitioner near you. O.K., that's it for today. I look forward to hearing from you, and I'll see you next time!