Working with the ‘5 main muscles of movement’ and consciously connecting with them provides a lot of sensory feedback about the relative positioning of the torso, head and limbs.
While that claim is true, it’s also not useful as there are a lot of different ways to get sensory feedback.
Take a posture idea like “A simple way to adjust your body into a better posture is to imagine a string attached to the top of your head, towards the back. ”
It seems reasonable for a lot of people. We are at a point where Alexander Technique teachers say “You have inaccurate stereotypes of us if you think we would advocate a bad idea like that.”
Given your idea of how posture works, would you also argue it’s a bad idea and that your idea is very different. If so how do you think your idea is different?
Yes, there are a lot of ways to get sensory feedback. I listed some to increase awareness of the relative positioning of the midline anatomy here.
imagine a string attached to the top of your head, towards the back. ”
The “imagine a string” example is great—if it works for an individual and they engage the ‘right’ muscles to improve posture. It didn’t for me, my body was too restricted and misaligned, my ‘myalgia of imbalance’ too advanced for imagining a string to be of any help.
To take the string idea further, think of the linea alba and nuchal & supraspinous ligaments as part of this string. To straighten the string the main muscles are the rectus abdominis and trapezius muscles. The “attached to the top of your head, towards the back” I’d replace with the external occipital protuberance.
Also, for FWIW, while I don’t have ChristianKI’s level of education in movement, I am an experienced mediator, have done a reasonable amount of work with body scans and some work with tuning the motor cortex and three years of pretty serious contact improv dancing prior to lockdown. I think my proprioception is likely better than average, altho I’m not super confident in that, nor do I have a good sense if it’s 60th or 90th percentile.
I watched a few videos and contact improv looks great. (Full disclosure I watched the videos x2 speed I’ve little patience watching most stuff). For people in a good enough physical condition, and relaxed enough to go with it, I can see it being beneficial and a lot of fun. (5 years ago I would have hated the idea because back then movement = pain, pain, pain and I couldn’t have let go to move) It looks like free-flowing movement, guided instinctively by the body rather than the brain trying to control and direct. Support is being provided which allows increased movement (I achieve similar things by legs hanging off the bed, leaning over arm of chair, using the kitchen worktop as a bar, swinging from posts...) Working towards a full range of natural movement means moving through all the positions possible, the “more awkward” is easier when support is available and the ‘support’ is also moving which adds more randomness and further increase range of movement. I find a similar, gentle, effect moving around in water and letting my limbs float around but if I get the opportunity I will try contact improv.
Now seems a good time to have a minor rant about our modern flat earth..… Walking (especially barefoot) over uneven terrain flexes and stretches the whole of the body in a way that shoes and flat ground just don’t allow.
I will take some time to have a good read of bewelltuned. Are there particular bits that resonate with you? For now, pulling this quotation:
By repeating certain movements and positions over and over again (e.g. during sitting work), we involuntarily strengthen connections between movements and muscles that don’t make much sense lumped together.
This fits with my distorted ‘body map in the mind’ that sends motor commands to the ‘wrong muscles’, adding to imbalance and misalignment.
What do you experience when you are focused on your body?
(body scanning? I don’t know much about the methods involved)
How would you describe your sense of proprioception?
My ‘conscious proprioception’ skills were pretty much at zero when I started and it’s been a revelation actively experiencing the sensory feedback from by body. Starting with focus on my pelvic floor and rectus abdominis ‘Base-Line’ muscles from where movement originates and using my midline anatomy as the reference for positioning of the rest of my body.
Active engagement of the Base-Line muscles creates a positive feedback loop, increasing awareness of :
Voluntary activation of muscles.
The body map in the mind
Proprioceptive feedback that is compared to the map. Seeing the sparkles. The basis of chakras and Qi?
Now I’m aware of my body in a way I never was before. I was always very clumsy…
While that claim is true, it’s also not useful as there are a lot of different ways to get sensory feedback.
Take a posture idea like “A simple way to adjust your body into a better posture is to imagine a string attached to the top of your head, towards the back. ”
It seems reasonable for a lot of people. We are at a point where Alexander Technique teachers say “You have inaccurate stereotypes of us if you think we would advocate a bad idea like that.”
Given your idea of how posture works, would you also argue it’s a bad idea and that your idea is very different. If so how do you think your idea is different?
Yes, there are a lot of ways to get sensory feedback. I listed some to increase awareness of the relative positioning of the midline anatomy here.
The “imagine a string” example is great—if it works for an individual and they engage the ‘right’ muscles to improve posture. It didn’t for me, my body was too restricted and misaligned, my ‘myalgia of imbalance’ too advanced for imagining a string to be of any help.
To take the string idea further, think of the linea alba and nuchal & supraspinous ligaments as part of this string. To straighten the string the main muscles are the rectus abdominis and trapezius muscles. The “attached to the top of your head, towards the back” I’d replace with the external occipital protuberance.
Also, for FWIW, while I don’t have ChristianKI’s level of education in movement, I am an experienced mediator, have done a reasonable amount of work with body scans and some work with tuning the motor cortex and three years of pretty serious contact improv dancing prior to lockdown. I think my proprioception is likely better than average, altho I’m not super confident in that, nor do I have a good sense if it’s 60th or 90th percentile.
I watched a few videos and contact improv looks great. (Full disclosure I watched the videos x2 speed I’ve little patience watching most stuff). For people in a good enough physical condition, and relaxed enough to go with it, I can see it being beneficial and a lot of fun. (5 years ago I would have hated the idea because back then movement = pain, pain, pain and I couldn’t have let go to move) It looks like free-flowing movement, guided instinctively by the body rather than the brain trying to control and direct. Support is being provided which allows increased movement (I achieve similar things by legs hanging off the bed, leaning over arm of chair, using the kitchen worktop as a bar, swinging from posts...) Working towards a full range of natural movement means moving through all the positions possible, the “more awkward” is easier when support is available and the ‘support’ is also moving which adds more randomness and further increase range of movement. I find a similar, gentle, effect moving around in water and letting my limbs float around but if I get the opportunity I will try contact improv.
Now seems a good time to have a minor rant about our modern flat earth..… Walking (especially barefoot) over uneven terrain flexes and stretches the whole of the body in a way that shoes and flat ground just don’t allow.
I will take some time to have a good read of bewelltuned. Are there particular bits that resonate with you? For now, pulling this quotation:
This fits with my distorted ‘body map in the mind’ that sends motor commands to the ‘wrong muscles’, adding to imbalance and misalignment.
What do you experience when you are focused on your body?
(body scanning? I don’t know much about the methods involved)
How would you describe your sense of proprioception?
My ‘conscious proprioception’ skills were pretty much at zero when I started and it’s been a revelation actively experiencing the sensory feedback from by body. Starting with focus on my pelvic floor and rectus abdominis ‘Base-Line’ muscles from where movement originates and using my midline anatomy as the reference for positioning of the rest of my body.
Active engagement of the Base-Line muscles creates a positive feedback loop, increasing awareness of :
Voluntary activation of muscles.
The body map in the mind
Proprioceptive feedback that is compared to the map. Seeing the sparkles. The basis of chakras and Qi?
Now I’m aware of my body in a way I never was before. I was always very clumsy…