Breaking Back And Down.
Back and down refers to the direction of your head as your neck pokes forward, perhaps towards a computer screen, tablet, or cell. (Perhaps now?) Once that neck poking becomes a habit, the back and down happens all the time.
The back part of back and down refers not to the head moving backwards, but rotating backwards. The down part of back and down is simply down. As your neck pokes forward, your head rotates backwards and downwards, compressing the spine and the ribcage. You can try it right now, unless you’re already trying it!
The head is compressing down on the spine. Spinal compression results in discomfort or pain in the neck, shoulders, back; even the hands or feet.
Breaking B-A-D adversely affects breathing because the ribcage is collapsed, so there is less room for the lungs to expand.
This compression; this set of wrongly applied habitual muscular contractions and collapse is the very definition of poor posture.
The Alexander Technique provides a way to become aware of these detrimental actions, and provides a sustainable way to fix them.
So, don’t pull your head back and down. Don’t break bad. The next thing you know you will be selling meth, and that usually doesn’t turn out well. Find yourself an Alexander Technique teacher or go to prison; your choice.
Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC
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