Balance and Vitality

What a week. Without getting into too much detail, I had a meltdown and a good few days to myself scrutinizing my inner demons. Funny enough, Alexis had just lent me Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by John E. Sarno as the latest installment of my self-improvement re-education program. In it, Dr. Sarno talks about how most back (or neck, or knee, or wrist, or whatever) pain is caused by unconscious negative emotions. Following my tantrum, I promptly developed a backache. So predictable!

I'd heard that very often, uncomfortable situations arise for students of the Alexander Technique. I can deal with the embarrassment and disappointment, as long as the event was triggered by AT. As long as it's a step in the right direction.

On the topic of the book -- It's an interesting read, even for people who don't have particularly bad back pain. Dr. Sarno says that contrary to popular opinion, the back is not a delicate structure that can be destroyed by sleeping on a soft mattress or by not bending the knees to pick something up, which made me question how AT fits into this line of thinking. If back pain is purely psychological, what is the purpose of learning the Alexander Technique, the cornerstone of which is correct sitting/standing? Alexis had an interesting take on this.

The way she sees it, AT isn't so much about sitting or standing as it is about centering oneself (though of course, good posture certainly helps). I agree that AT is centering. It's difficult to explain how sitting or standing can influence the way you think but... it just does. Maybe through making you question the basic things you always took for granted, like what "sitting up straight" looks like. Or maybe it's more about shifting focus from all the things that don't ultimately matter that much (annoying colleague, not having enough money to buy that bag) to the one thing that really does matter (you).

Did some more chair and table work today. Feeling light and relaxed.