Walking

February 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Walking. I could write a whole book on this subject. It is that important. It is how we transport ourselves throughout life. We are seen by others when we walk, judged by them. We judge them in the same way. No one wants to be ignored. We go from one place to another to see others and to be seen. Women contend that it is one of their most favorite things to do.

I shop of course, maybe more directly to purchase something, but sometimes for the same reason females shop. Both sexes like it when glances are exchanged. At the check out stand, pleasant words are exchanged, moods uplifted. How is it that I now am better at this exchange of glances, words, and feelings than I was when I roamed this land during my teens, and young adult years? It is because of the way I carry myself. It is because of my improved, confident, steady walking style. Let’s go through the steps that brought me to this excellent “plateau.”

Confidence. Gaining confidence is what it takes to talk well with others. Confidence is what we all need to make the overall change for the better. But it is tricky. First we have to master the will to change, but how can we change when in the past, we have not been good at changing for the better? The quickest way to get the will, and to acquire the best method, to change for the better is to not do anything. You heard right. It is the best way to begin improving our posture when standing, our walk, and the way we talk. Do not do a thing except stand there, but stand there well. As Clint Eastwood said about his understated style of acting; “Don’t just do something, stand there.”

As you change for the better, not doing anything will prevent your old misguided ways of doing things to creep in, which caused you to behave incorrectly in the past. Still, doing nothing correctly is difficult. Standing in one place and accepting compliments or exchanging pleasantries is not comfortable if you never have stood in place and enjoyed having nice posture and poise, and the good that it brings you. There is an art to doing nothing while standing, walking, even sitting, and doing it well. You may have to experience doing nothing, quietly, subtlety, for a time, say a week or two, to train yourself.

You may think this is silly, learning how to do nothing well. But one must train oneself if you have learned to do things incorrectly in the past, so that you can live well without feeling they have to jump at doing something every minute. I had to learn to do nothing so I could breathe easily. Yes, I was that tense. You also must learn how do nothing, or very little, while appearing that you are engaged with your work or participating at social events. Learn to more quietly socialize with others at the office or school. Walk with less a long stride that pulls you along, but with a walk that is gentle and balanced, with a shorter stride, one with your legs and feet more directly beneath you as you visit the mall, or go about your daily travels. Gently, with an understated purpose is typically how those with class make their way in this world.

You can actually manage doing nothing for an extended time. Others will not notice when you are changing your style when you do it well. However, if you are noticed because of your changing, you will have to decide if changing is more important than staying the way you are. If you desire change then take the plunge and go for it. You may lose that close connection you had with your present friends but, to gain something good often means you must lose something you thought was important in the past.

There is an art to stopping bad habits, inhibiting the way you “used” yourself in the past. If you look around, it may shock you that many people around you, even well paid people, do nothing or very little every day. They just have that certain “something” that tells others; “I am so “together,” thinking of beneficial things, that I could not possibly be considered idle.” You may say that I am not giving good advice, telling you to do nothing. I say, what have you got to lose? You’ve done everything, multi-tasking, being pro-active, to make yourself happy in previous years, and you’ve not been as successful as you thought you’d be. To gain an inner confidence and happiness you can risk something new. If you feel the need then take a break from what you’ve done in the past.

So what does standing quietly before others and accepting compliments, or what ever comes your way, while maintaining self confidence have to do with standing or walking well? The answer is, we are learning how to gain confidence trusting ourselves. We must find within us a way to find personal comfort at the most basic level. This so we can stand, balanced, with a quiet confidence, and then walk well.

Continue reading if you dare. I’m being overly dramatic, but changing for the better is a bit of a risk, a dare, and not for the weak of heart. You’ll have to be strong, emotionally, mentally, and physically. But I believe you are absolutely up for it. Please continue reading and I will offer reassurance that soon enough, after doing nothing well, you will find ways to again become more active and engaged with others, on your terms.

Lengthening the spine, freeing the neck, aligning the neck with the spine, and balancing the head on top of the neck is the best way to look good and learn to become comfortable while you stand in a social setting. This is a subtle repositioning, and please note that you are “doing nothing” but looking nice and appropriate. Do as little talking as possible. Talking with others, kindly and enjoyably is an art that takes confidence. Initially, as you change for the better by doing nothing, it is best that you let others talk. Have a subtle smile when you “smile and nod.” What does this have to do with walking you say? Walking and standing is a form of communication and speak volumns about us, so much so that we won’t have to say anything, but we’ll discuss this further, later.

As you stand before others and let them do the talking, subtlety loosen your lower jaw. Again, this is a subtle move but extremely important as it helps you to relax and breathe. It helps to align your neck with your lengthened back, and allows your neck muscles to lift your clavicles, shoulders, and upper ribs. Subtlety is the key here. As previously mentioned, lengthening the spine, aligning the neck with the spine, balancing the head a top the neck and above the squared shoulders is a subtle move. Not bringing attention to those awkward things you did previous as you change for the better is of the utmost importance. At this time of transition we are vulnerable. It is best that you move into this upper class of society very slowly. It takes time changing for the better. “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong,… but time and chance happen to them all.” This chance, or good fortune, is your finding this document. You have found an article about using the Alexander Technique. It is your best chance at finding a way to change for the better. Once you begin changing for the better you can enter the “race” with others when you feel ready. OK, let’s talk about walking.

Standing erect so that the joints are at their apex permits you to move with fluidity. You have seen the opposite sex walk. What is the attraction when they walk well? It is the body movement showcasing that each bone is lightly positioned above the bone beneath. It is the expansion and decompression of the ligaments and muscles that help position the bones and joints. Moving with grace and poise is enviable. It is a joy to watch others as they move about freely, unencumbered. This is what walking is all about when we walk to our favorite shopping center, our church, the local dance hall, our favorite restaurant, the movies. You’ll soon find, when you are looking good when you walk, anywhere is a great place to go. People are pleasant, even happy to see you and talk with you. You photograph well. You’ll make the right selection of clothes that fit better. You look better as you make your way across the parking lot, along the mall walkways. Your face muscles improve as they position your mouth to smile, or at least make your face neutral, without a frown. Your cheeks become fuller giving you an appearance of having high cheekbones. Your lips become more full and there is a nice color to your face. Breathing through your nose is refreshing and your eyes seem to sparkle. Walking well, upright, freely, without strain, causes you to come alive. You are not only experiencing this for yourself but others see this in you and often they want to be a part of your world. Try not to be too surprised when this happens, because it will and it is a most enjoyable sensation.

When we are changing for the better, consider how you walk. Are you a lumbering person or one with a classy, upright style? There is no doubt that you want the latter. It takes less energy to walk upright and it shows that you are open to much more of what the good life has to offer. Besides, it is a joy to watch a classy walk and to have a classy walk. The upturned chin, the high cheek bones, the soft, warm smile, are all part of the classy way a person walks. The clear voice, the well kept hair, the nice fitting clothes. These are features of a person with a nice walk.

The legs are of course important when walking and it’s best they they make the most motion when walking. The legs are not to include the behind (or pelvis) too much. With our sedentary lives we often walk inappropriately when we include the legs with the behind as we walk. The pelvis actually is more a part of the core of the body, or the torso. The stomach and the pelvic region are to be considered more of a single unit. The pelvis or shall we say the buttocks being joined with the legs is too much body mass to be considered our “legs.” When walking correctly, the pelvis does move efficiently and just enough as we walk, in spite of it being more a part of the upper region of the body. The behind or pelvis region, is viewed by others, to judge the rest of you, so it is important that you keep it in its proper place. The pelvic bones, in particular the hip bones or the iliums, move with just enough fluidity to to keep your legs and upper body engaged with a smooth motion.

The crests of the iliums can be visible, provided you are at optimum weight and wearing clothes that show this area of your body. With each step you take, with the iliums’ crests visible further show the ease and fluid motion you’ve acquired through stretching. Another bone of importance is the sacrum, the triangular bone where the spine and the pelvis join. This location is actually the place where your upper body and your legs meet, by way of connection to your iliums of course. The sacrum, or sacred bone, was named as such by the ancients because it was and is regarded as our most important bone, besides perhaps the cranium. Also I believe the sacrum is a “sacred” bone because of its location near our sex organs. The properly positioned sacrum, surrounded with the well joined iliums, and coccyx bones, features a balanced and proportional lower back and bottom. This entices others to become our sex partner. The sacrum affects our sex drive and sex maintains the position our sacrum.

When walking correctly, the small, 3 inch square area at the sacrum, just below the small of your back, jostles like a shock absorber while holding together the upper body and legs, again by way of the iliums. However, because of poor posture and an unbalanced “way” of sitting and moving about, the sacrum can actually slip from its sturdy keystone position of joining the iliums. Through time, after you have restored your sacrum to its proper position by stretching and acquiring a balanced way, the sacrum can function as it should. A properly positioned sacrum supports your upper body to help you move about with a wonderful grace, even to help you to breathe. When there is only a little curve to the small of your back after lengthening the spine, the sacrum can become the foundation for your upper body so you can walk upright, easily, and balanced. This, so much so, that your breathing, arm motion, head position, your voice, your face, and anything else you do with your upper body, is unencumbered and even enhanced as you walk. The area of the sacrum, when you are walking appropriately, shows others that you are at your best.

The psoas muscles are a pair of 20 inch long, thick rope like muscles that attache themselves at the top of the femur, through openings of the pelvis, to the small of the back. Because of our inactive lifestyles or when we misuse ourselves by becoming unbalanced through the years, our psoas muscles can become shortened. The process of lengthening our spine includes that we allow our legs to relax, to extend away from the pelvis region. Over time our psoas muscles lengthen and can adjust so that we obtain a balanced and relaxed walk. Such a walk demonstrates that we are free and unencumbered from tension and tightness in the area of the pelvis. As we walk with this sense of freedom, our movement reveals that we are not allowing this world to cause us to feel “tight or uptight.” We are showcasing that we are in control. Stretching, I contend, is simple to do but extremely important. Stretching in any way, allows us to walk with ease. I further contend that excessive sports, even excessive running is not preferable to stretching.

Stretching the psoas muscles is difficult but in time they will release so that they can maintain a desired length. The twisted pelvis can then adjust. The forward tilting pelvis, where the crests of the ilium bones (pelvic bones) are too far forward, can reposition itself. Then the pelvis can not only function as a bowl for the internal organs, the muscles and fat that surrounds it can become more streamlined. When the psoas muscles are lengthened appropriately, the torso, the pelvis, and the legs move somewhat independently, yet beautifully in unison. Difficult to describe but you know it when you’ve got it, as they say. These body parts, when aligned and relaxed, reveal an excellent feature of our bodies. This feature, the pelvic region, is both a beauty feature and a feature of strength and vitality.

Viewing another person walking is one of the best ways of judging that person. Let’s face it, we all judge one another so you may as well focus upon it quickly and efficiently. When you are feeling at your best, standing, sitting, or walking well, your mind is uncluttered and can pick up another’s “vibe” more easily.

Walking well is a revelation to ourselves, and to others, that we are symmetrical, balanced in both thought and in body. Walking with grace and poise tells others that we are not a receptor of inappropriate baggage that could be heaped upon us. We do not mentally engage with the sort of people or things that would make us feel anything less than in control. Walking well, with ease and quiet confidence, tells others of similar confidence that we would engage them with the same ease. Our shoulders are lifted so that our chest can bring in ample air. Our shoulders have a slight rocking motion with each step we take. We are the picture of health. Walking is both a pleasure to observe and a pleasure to experience.

Acquiring a pleasant walking style is the culmination of lengthening the spine, freeing the neck, aligning the neck with the spine, balancing the head a top the neck, raising and leveling the shoulders, raising the chest and breathing easily. This describes the similar graceful appearance and motion of a sailing ship, does it not?. Walking well is the culmination of learning the Alexander Technique. Walking well is based upon our standing well, laconically, with an assured grace and style, then moving our bodies efficiently, walking while maintaining our upright, wonderful form as we take ourselves from one place to another.

Our balance is also showcased because we walk well, sit and stand well. Then we can efficiently use ourselves, our arms to reach for objects, write on paper or on a blackboard, use a computer, dance, sing, talk. Our poise and balance is shown by how well we stand and turn. Do we swing around carelessly as we make this turn or do we rotate our heads first, to see what is nearby and could possibly be obstructing our movements? The latter is a learned art. Perhaps we thought that the world was to look out for us. This is incorrect as it is we who must look out for the world. It is we who are in control. How we present ourselves, how we walk, how we move tells others that we can take care of ourselves. We are not the ones who need assistance. We must learn how to help others by first helping ourselves. We will show others how to move about with assurance by standing and walking well as we enjoy this wonderful world.

By learning to walk well, with grace and poise, we are learning to help ourselves. We are not subjecting ourselves to accidents, clumsy movements, awkward appearances. We are more “quiet” and graceful. We are “smooth,” strong, and kind. We are becoming like those whose style and appearance we wanted to emulate. It is all showcased in how one walks.

In terms of our appearance and form, is the curve at the small of our back more straightened? Are our legs moving more directly under us as we move about, not pulling us along showing an awkward anxiousness? Are our arms more straight as they hang properly from our sides or are they bent at the elbows perhaps showing a conditioning to unnecessarily ward off any nonexistant harm that supposedly may come our way? Are our thoughts more benign? Are they happy thoughts? How we think of course shows up as how we act and how we carry ourselves.

Whether we are already a tall girl or boy, woman or man, short or medium build, stocky or thin, a lengthened spine, aligned neck, head balanced a top the squared shoulders tells others that we think of ourselves as supreme. We have to become our own best friend in order to acquire such supremacy but when you have a quiet confidence, you are regarded as royalty by others. Do not you afford others of such posture, grace and poise this prestige? Of course you do. Do yourself this same favor. Be kind to yourself and “have” yourself in this same, regal, wonderful way.

All of the changes for the better are too innumerable when taken one step at a time, except when we initially begin by doing absolutely nothing. Then, steps to change of the better can be accomplished. So much is corrected when we stop using our old habits to move about. Just by relaxing, standing balanced on both feet, by not using our muscles incorrectly to stand, we will initiate the process of properly standing, walking and then talking with others. Subtlety lengthening our bodies so the bones and muscles lay more properly, more gracefully atop those underneath, is as much a mental change as physical. These are the basic thought processes that are the daily thoughts for those who already have grace and poise as they move about. They are are simply using themselves better every moment of the day, better than those of us with poor posture.

Walking well is the icing on the cake. You may view our body structure as the cake mix beneath. Yes, I bake. The icing is how we present ourselves as we walk. Walking well is just as important as how we talk with others. It is a form of communication. The term “body language” describes this correctly. It is a language interpreted by others who understand what you are saying. So, with your walk, say exactly what you want to say to others. Say what you want to say to those who you wish to engage with. Forget about relating with anyone who will take you away from where you want to go. Engage with only those who you really want to share your life with, or some time with. One more thing. Usually your walk will tell detractors that you are not receptors to their limited lifestyle (anymore). This newly learned unspoken language is remarkable, and brings to you a security that you’ve likely never experienced before. You are just going to have to accept that your world is changing for the better. Yes, it is unfortunate that you were not brought up to innately have this persona. Still, it is better to acquire this sense of prestige, and to enjoy it for the rest of your life, than to fall back and be just who you are now.

I finish by asking you to learn to walk well, walk with a quiet confidence. How you walk is who you are.

Filed Under: Healthy Back Topics Tagged With:

Confidence

January 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The following is much of what I have learned about the greatness of our own body’s posture and our adaptive minds as we change for the better.

As children, and then as we wandered through life to adolescence and young adulthood, we have seemingly “locked in” our body shape. Even back then, if we were not happy with our appearance, perhaps we wanted to change for the better. It could be that we saw something in others that we wanted. To unlock and improve our body shape from that age, we must begin by having a desire to change, we must find that “light” within us to change for the better. Then we would set off to find out how we could change our posture for the better.

Our posture and the shape of our own body are a depiction of who we are inside, all the things you are, so changing it requires the utmost from our body and our mind. How could we change at such a young age while we were very carefully taught, our minds “impressed,” to behave and use ourselves, well, incorrectly? There are many facets of our personalities that we must change so we can achieve a better use of ourselves and then gain a certain poise and confidence. The Alexander Technique can allow one to change in these various, beneficial ways. It is quite astounding as to how much this technique permits us to change for the better.

The body is equipt to give us good mobility and a fine, appreciated form for the rest of our lives. I personally, as probably most of you know from reading my posts, want to go beyond acquiring good posture. I want my senses to come alive, brimming with a quiet confidence. I want to know how others with grace and poise, and those with a fine posture and nice body features, make their way in this world. I think they have something intangible that most of us without these intangibles desire. I believe that each of those with desirable traits, think of their surroundings as a world that is all going “their way.” In such surroundings, they fit into this wonderful world as only those with grace and poise would. Very happily.

I have discovered this much in my observations. People of this rarefied, refined, social class don’t do many of the things I did, or carried themselves in the improper way I did. Also, they have befriended me only when I properly carried myself, became an established, trustworthy person demonstrating a desirable attitude. If the truth were told, I really did not want their friendship or anybody’s until I was satisfied with my appearance and attitude. Only then was I, and are we, ready to become acquaintances. Only then would we be a part of this desirable group of friends. Like many of you reading this, to accomplish this I was, and am, prepared to change for the better. I am changing for the better still. Sometimes it is a road with unexpected twists and turns, but a road that I must travel. It is likely that I will find on this road, those of fine character and those who are of this desirable social class.

People of a preferred social strata will only desire our friendship when we physically and mentally meet their criteria. They have pleasing traits, those traits of being both upright physically and mentally. personally, I enjoy investigating the “subtleties” of social success so that I may accommodate these traits. I want to have the same demeanor, the same great physical appearance, as those who’ve been blessed with, or fortunate to have, social graces. I want the poise, the good posture, and the self confidence that are found in those having these social graces. Then I want it “all”. I plan to successfully mingle with these people. I believe that most of us do, most of us who what to change for the better.

Even during this part of my life, I want to participate in the lifestyle that I envision. I want “character.” I want the greetings and pleasantries that are given to all the cordial and fine people we see every day. Presently I am making this change. My appearance and decisions are honed and unmistakenly refined. I am spending the rest of my days acquiring the positive behavioral and physical traits revealed to me by others of fine character, this regardless of what traits I learned from my parents or caregivers. After acquiring these fine traits, I am displaying them to these folks of good character, sharing with them these wonderful attributes and sharing with them the finest parts of my life. Yes, as the wonderful bits of information mount within me, I learn the fine art of walking into a room with a subtle confidence to then, be a part of all the good that is offered. I’ve obtained a nice sense of style, a certain grace and desirable poise, just like those found in the people I admire and share my time with.

It’s like learning a new craft, that of acquiring a preferable behavioral modification. Perhaps we were taught how to enter a room without confidence. Were we a person with the painfully shy communication skills that left us feeling awkward? It just does not “happen” that we would feel clumsy and out of sorts. Unfortunately, we were taught to display these bad habits. If we’d like to change this, if we don’t like the way we presently behave, let’s make a change for the better. Let’s make our entrances to a room a display of our subtle confidence. Become smooth in the ways to “work” and enjoy a room filled with gracious and influential people. Please note that the room would be filled with only those people holding desirable, graceful traits. Nothing less. Let’s not not waste our efforts on those who we wish not to engage with.

Bits and pieces of the good life are available to all of us by watching others who have a certain “cool,” those with a sense of style and an “upper class.” Teach yourself these traits. This acquired appreciation of learned positive traits that become who your are, your mannerisms, happens at the same time your body and mannerisms improve. Both you and others see your change for the better.

It is a sort of symbiosis. The more you improve your graceful ways, the more you are able to “see” and understand the ways you can become a part of a superior, refined “class” of folks. You learn to enjoy their company. It is like being drawn up, into a new and wonderful social setting, and you then are graced with all the perks that come with your new social position. That is why I am “all in” for changing for the better, the physical body and it’s intertwined mind. It is not important which comes first. They both cross the finish line at the same time, with you gracefully along for the ride.

You are a person who is changing for the better. With all of your subtle changes that have taken place during the last few days, months, or years, and, if you have been reading the articles from my website, you have evolved and allowed yourself to make this transition. As our legs stretch, our backs lengthen and widen, as we become more balanced with our heads gracefully poised atop our shoulders, so does the “sense” that we have reached yet another plateau. It is so nice and gratifying to open our stride and walk gracefully, to seemingly glide from one place to another, or to stand and sit with a certain new found confidence and enjoyment. During this transition we note how the finer things in life reveal themselves to us. Pleasant responses come to us as we simply make small talk with others, as we move with grace and poise, going about in our daily lives.

In previous articles I have commented on this improving “phase” of our life. I do so again, presently, because it is very important when we realize the following: As we elevate our physical and mental position in life, life elevates what it offers to us in exchange.

Filed Under: Healthy Back Topics Tagged With:

Bad Back – How To Repair It

January 27, 2012 by

Do you suffer from a bad back?  Is your bad back in need of repair?

There has been a recent discovery in the way auto shops remove dents in cars today. It is called “paintless dent repair.” Auto body shops have found that applying heat, with a gentle tension, a dent will revert to its original formation before the accident. Also, this adjustment is so benign that even the paint will become as it once was. Quite an a amazing process.

How does this relate to a bad back?

How does this affect the muscles and bones that form the structure that underlay our posture and our appearance?

The connection is very simple. The structure of our bones, muscles, and nerves combine to become strong, like the composite metals of a car body. Auto engineers “blend” the integrity of metal to give the car body a strong and a pleasing appearance. So too our own bodies are designed through evolution and time so that when we were born, we were given the correct structure, the correct muscles, bones, and metabolism to grow to “become” a wonderful human figure. We have all the components to look and function smoothly, like a great running Cadillac. If over time our bodies, and all things leading to poor posture, have suffered, we can focus on those body parts so they can be improved and “run smoother.”

Let’s talk about the repair of our body structure. These are the “car dents” of our human form, our bad back. An accident, whether prolonged or immediate, has occurred so that the metal of the car, I mean composite of our skeleton, our muscles, nervous system, and appearance, has become crumpled.  Many people put it simply and say that they have a bad back but it is more than just that. What do we do to repair our bad back and malformed bodies?

The answer is: we “focus.”

Like a paintless car repair technician, we focus our attention to these unwanted distortions of our body. However, instead of actual heat being applied to these areas, we create a subtle, different type of “heat.” This heat is our “focus” to retrain our body’s imperfections. This “heat” or focus creates the molecules in our nervous system, in our muscles and ligaments, to agitate, adjust and stretch. Our lengthened muscles, ligaments, and tendons, adjust our skeletal system so our bodies look and act as near to perfection as possible. Our focused “heat” tells our bodies to stretch out, so that the joints are at their apex. We hear the pops and cracking noise that accompany these adjustments to our afflicted part of our bodies, just as we would hear the metal of a dented car expanding, seeming to magically repair itself under the care of an artful technician. This so that our bodies do what they were intended to do from the time we were were born. Even our bones, comprised of 25% water, will change for the better. Our whole body, our skin, our muscles, ligaments, and our attitude, improve to a more pure and normal state. We have “straightened out our joints, ligaments and yes, our bad back.” We are running on all eight cylinders, like a Rolls Royce luxury automobile. No longer suffering with our bad back, we have a wonderful appearance and a certain grace as we move about. We walk and talk with the self confidence of royalty.

Please review and use the Alexander Technique. You will find helpful ways to relieve the pain of a bad back. He states that it is with our “supreme inheritance” that we move about with grace and poise. He asks us to lengthen the spine, free the neck, balance the head above the shoulders to repair one’s bad back. His technique engages our own thoughts to correct our posture. There will be no need for surgery on your bad back. Instead we use a mental method, a type of “paintless dent removal” to fix our bad back. There is no cutting, no surgery affecting of our priceless body components. We lengthen our spine, free our neck, balance our head a top our shoulders. In doing so, we begin to fix our bad back. We accomplish something that is beyond the norm and as F.M. Alexander says, we inherit a certain supremacy. God speed.

 

Filed Under: Healthy Back Topics Tagged With:

Double Chin, Weak Chin, Saggy Chin

January 27, 2012 by

Do you have a double chin? A weak chin? Do you have sagging skin at the front of the throat and under the jaw? Are the sides of your face puffy? Would you like to change this appearance? You can. Let’s find out the causes of this physical problem, and then ways to improve the saggy appearance of our jaw, chin and the area of our throat.

Our face display’s our emotions. If something is not going well for us, we may try to hide our feelings with a neutral face or a forced smile. Our chin is often made to appear stronger when we smile, but this is most likely to occur when one’s posture is normal and things are going OK. Usually under unhappy conditions, our chin recedes and appears weak. Over time the receding chin stays “pulled back.” Often the result is a double chin or saggy skin in the area around the throat. But that’s OK because with a little effort we can change this appearance. We need to continue to find out how and why our chin receded, then we’ll discover ways to fix it.

There are other places on our bodies where we were caused to improperly adjust our features and posture. For example, when we were subjected to negative issues over a period of time, we became uninspired and our spine weakened, our chest became lowered and shallow. We then learned not to take pride in our appearance and things went downhill from there. When this happens, gravity takes over and our neck and head becomes positioned “too far forward”. There are several reasons, besides gravity, for this “too far forward” head and neck position. When we are told we are not adequate, we overcompensate by putting our heads too far forward. This to accommodate the person with those unreasonable demands. Also our chest recedes, becoming somewhat concave, allowing gravity to work against us. All these improper adjustments cause many problems for our chin and over time create a double chin and saggy skin in that area. All is not lost though. We can change our posture so that our chin can appear stronger. Before we do, we have to continue to read up on what other issues caused our receded chin so we know exactly what to do to change for the better.

Anatomically the receded chest and sternum (the vertical bone in front of the chest) will logically cause the chin to also recede. How does this happen? The major part of the problem are the sternocleidomastoid and scalene muscles. They are the muscles that are attached from the back of the head, that travel along the throat, and attach themselves to the clavicles, sternum and upper ribs. These muscles are stretched at an improper angle. Somewhat stretched neck muscles would be OK if our head was properly balanced above a vertical spine. However, when the ribs of a shallow and lowered chest are pulling down on these muscles, fat builds up and the skin of the underlining the area of the jaw becomes saggy. The stretched neck muscles in this instance do us harm. Factor in that the head is also pulled down and and too far forward, and we have a problem.

We’ll get to the good part about “changing for the better” soon. It’s good that we read about the problem so we know what to change. Naturally the chin recedes as it too is pulled back and down by the neck muscles. The skin at the front of the throat and under the jaw loses its sharp, 90 degree definition. When viewed from the side, an angle from 10 to 45 degrees forms as the skin sags from the bottom of the chin to midway up the throat. In this area muscles sag, fat finds a home, and the skin folds over onto itself. Of course, the preferred appearance of the skin surrounding the lower jaw is horizontal, parallel to the ground. It is also preferred that the skin in front of the throat appears more vertical and that the whole area portrays a smooth skin.

Did you know a saggy appearance in area around the throat and jaw can be reversed? It certainly can when the skin reconnects and adapts to the under laying features of your face, throat. jaw and chin. This is allowed to happen when we alter the positioning of our head. You change the position of the bones, ligaments, muscles, i.e. your posture. You didn’t know to do this yet? That’s OK because there are many forums and websites that take you step by step, on a process so that you may change for the better. Try Backinsight.com for one.

A key way to change posture is by changing the point at where your head is balanced to where it is at the very top of your spine. When you turn your head, do so at the top of the spine with little neck movement. Do not turn your head with your neck at the C7 vertebra, the big one at the top of the shoulders. Turning your neck with your head is using the wrong muscles as well as appearing unsophisticated.

You may say that “my head is too far forward for me to balance my head properly,” and you are likely correct. Always remember,lengthen your spine and naturally your back will be more erect and more vertical. Once you have adjusted your spine, align your neck with your spine. This will provide an opportunity for your head to sit balanced on top your spine, more rearward than it has been in the past. Now notice how your neck muscles are positioned to stretch and pull up the upper ribs and chest. This shortens and properly removes the gawky appearance of the neck. Jut out your chin and you’ll see that much of the sag under the jaw is removed. Now you are ready to walk correctly, sit well, have poise, and up for being “a part of it all.”

This newly aligned posture changes the appearance of a slack, “double chin.” The gangly neck becomes more vertical and normal appearing. A stronger chin and vertical throat can appear immediately with a posture change, but usually it takes a while for you to adjust to this appearance. Remember, it took you years to acquire the poor posture which created your loose skin under your receding chin. It may take several months at least, for you to become accustomed to your chin and throat’s normal, sleek, and well toned appearance. It takes some practice to maintain a new posture. You actually must get use to this new “poise.” Once you feel comfortable with new grace and poise, your chin can adjust naturally to its stronger and more defined shape. The key is lengthening the spine, aligning the neck to your more vertical spine, balance the head a top the more posture correct shoulders, then “jut out” the chin. Breathe through the nose. It helps to keep a quiet smile during this “change for the better.” All of these movements are to be done subtly. You can make these changes without gaining the attention of others, which is preferred. All part of the process to change for the better.

With one’s head allowed to be pulled back to a balanced position on top of well positioned shoulders, the chin may still recede somewhat. You must allow the chin to do something remarkable. Instead of the chin moving back with the head, it actually is compelled to move forward (with a little help by relaxing the jaw muscles) creating the preferred strong and jutted chin. It naturally moves forward in order to balance the more rear positioned back of the head. This of course is desirable because the sinuses are more open and breathing improves, you think more clearly, and because your head is balanced, the neck muscles are not over working.

In terms of the appearance of the skin under the chin and in front of the throat, the skin is not stretched at an angle as it was. With better posture the skin is instead allowed of restore itself into its proper position. The stretched muscles and fat that filed the area created by bad jaw posture are gone or will soon be. In time, the loose skin will seek it’s natural, proper and toned appearance. In time, it will “cling” to the front of the throat and under the jaw. A sharper definition is restored.

Better posture allows for properly positioned muscles in the area between the chin and sternum. Muscles that are positioned where they ought to be, perform better. Each time you swallow, talk, sing, chew food, etc, the muscles of the throat and under the jaw in time pull the associated skin back to its proper position. This happens even if you are older. Furthermore, the cheeks and sinus bones can expand with better breathing and because of a better posture. Better breathing increases one’s chest size and lifts the chest. With a balanced head and better posture you acquire better toned facial muscles around the mouth and cheeks. Your jowl muscles around the sides of your jaw are properly used, stretched, and then become more streamlined.

All or these muscles are working to pull the skin in area in front of the throat and under the jaw into its proper position. Furthermore, with a more jutted chin that is positioned properly, more toward the front of the face and further from the throat, the skin in this area is stretched, or shall we say repositioned as it would be normally. This reduces the flabbiness and creates a more toned and youthful appearance.

You don’t need to visit a doctor for this. Besides, if you do this by yourself, the muscles that could help return your skin to its proper appearance are not severed by a scalpel. And you have the added gratification that you did it yourself.

To correct your double chin and saggy skin in the area around the throat and jaw, keep practicing these movements and adjustments until they become “set.” With a strong chin leading the way you’ll find life keeps getting better.

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The Pelvis – Some More Insights

January 27, 2012 by

Practically everything that we do, everything we are, is showcased in our pelvis.

It is true that our head or specifically our brain are primary to what we do.  Yes the brain makes the decisions that tells us what to do to take advantage of our surroundings, but upon what influence?

We act based upon what we perceive and we perceive what is in our immediate surroundings.  Our surroundings specifically are the people that surround us, i.e. our peers, our parents, bosses. What makes them act the way they do when they perceive us?  Well,they act based upon their surroundings too.  They act upon our body language. Your body posture tells them how to act when they see you.  Are you forthcoming, outgoing, sexy, upright?  The unspoken language is often greater than oral communication.

Our posture and pelvis contains a lot of information about a person.  One’s position of the pelvis (and therefore the back) tells those who view us, all they want to know.  The small of the back and pelvis are looked at by opposite sexes for obvious reasons. This area of the body gives onlookers that first impression they use to base how they socialize with you.

Your body is literally based upon your pelvis.  The pelvis supports the spine and upper body.  Usually when one’s spine is optimum, then so is the pelvis.  So too is the reverse.

For years you have made internal adjustments to your muscles so that you have currently the pelvis you desired (whether you wanted the way it looks now or not, you got what you wanted).  Realize this however, during your informative years, your youth, you made these muscle adjustments based upon what your parents imaged. In so many ways, they encouraged you to adjust your muscles to culminate into your frame and posture.  They were showing or telling you the proper or improper way to stand, sit, think, move around. The pelvis houses many muscles that provide balance and your core. It is also the base of your upper body. Much of who you are, how you engage with others, how you feel about yourself is within your upper body. Your upper body is fitted to your pelvis. Is it a good fit?

The big questions is; Do you still want your pelvis in the present state it is in? If not you can change it.  It will be difficult no doubt.  There are 16 pairs of muscles in the pelvic region.  All of them work to some degree, even if your pelvis is twisted or out of alignment.  If you want to change the appearance of your pelvis to work better, to carry your body more smoothly and effectively, you can. With focus and your desire to change for the better, you can have a more flexible body and more proper alignment of the spine and pelvis.  Stretching and lengthening the spine, which includes the pelvis is the key.

Anatomically, our thoughts prompt an action we wish our bodies to perform. Our thoughts are sent via our nervous system to the lower back then on to the hand, foot, arm, neck, where ever it is that we want to perform an action.  The small of the back is our “nerve center.”  Just below that is our pelvis.  So you can understand the importance of the pelvis and its immediate surroundings. The pelvis is the base upon which the nerve center operates. When your pelvis is stable, correctly positioned, and functions well, your nervous system is likely to work well.

We all understand that we suffer stress in this world. Some of us more than others. Let’s consider the wealthy and how they deal with stress.  Perhaps we can learn from them.  If you had a good amount of money, you’d show no negative stress when it is time to pay the rent. However, if you are without the necessary funds to pay the rent, these stresses can accumulate. In both the mind and the body, you become nervous and unhappy.  Your body suffers the pain of anxiety.  You find little relief. 

Anxiety exacerbates a person’s low self esteem.
 The region of our lower back and pelvis showcases our sense of worth.  Most of us with weight problems or proportion problems store fat in this area. Our pelvis, under stress adjusts improperly.  We made our muscles in our pelvis adjust to benefit or protect us as we tried to surmount the our daily problems. Most of us with a bad pelvis and bad back were handed way to many problems to deal with. Currently, how does this weight gain or maladjusted pelvis affect us socially?

People can make a primal judgement, or as stated above, a first impression of others, by looking at a person from behind. Why do they focus on their lower back? We all do this because it is at the root of one’s appearance, and one’s “street smarts.” The region of the lower back provides others with an immediate review of you. It is key to how one carries themselves. Are we upright, slim, graceful?  Are we self confident, well balanced, even well bred? The buttocks or pelvis is the major joining structure between the legs and the upper body. It is an important area.  When this region of the body is streamlined, when the joining of the legs and upper body to the pelvis is at the height of their apex, a person is considered attractive.  A person that carries themselves with a smooth joining of their joints in the pelvic region is graceful and has poise.  Absolutely they are attractive, even without regarding the face.  One is fairly certain that the face is pleasing in appearance when the pelvis provides a proper base for streamlined backbone. The head is balanced atop this aligned spine and the face is noble, attractive, and displays contentment. One moves with a certain appreciated grace and poise. One is not impinged by social difficulties and therefore an awkward way about them. People in the higher echelons of society shrug off encounters that could affect lesser individuals.  The pelvis is the part of our body that showcases our street smarts and tells others that we are at the top of our game.

On the other hand, when we walk in an unbalanced way or have gained weight in the pelvic region, we are essentially telling others that we may not be at the top of our game. Basically we may be judged with some suspect.  We are compromised. We more readily submit to others will. We are not prepared to lead in a social setting. The game of life is played to win by those with all of their faculties engaged. A streamlined pelvis region is key to how well you play this social game.  People without street smarts, possessing a sound mind and body, are not going to achieve a high status within this golden social framework.  People with a twisted, large, or disproportional pelvic region do not present the what it takes to play well with these savvy social leaders.

You need not take my comments as gospel but do look at the leaders in you community, city, state, all governments. These leaders, I’ll say 90% of them walk with a certain balance and poise. They are well mannered (in public, generally at all times), and have a nice appearance. Even if these well to do are not your friends, you can learn much from those outside your peer group, those with more enviable traits.

It’s up to you.  The time to change is either now or soon. 

True, one must consider your present environment, but there will be a time that you can find a period of solace whereupon you can change.  At that time you can find a calm setting to quietly, imperceptive to naysayers, lengthen and stretch your back.  You can balance your head above your shoulders, loosen your jaw, free your neck, slightly raise your shoulders to bring in more air.  Breath easily and gain your self confidence, your grace and poise, and with a streamlined pelvis you will have the same wonderful appearance of those in more prestigious circles.

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Stretching to help align a left looking pelvis

January 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

My pelvis is now more aligned. My stretching program has taken a few years but it has been fruitful. I have lengthened my back, and hold my shoulders at their appropriate and higher level. With the weight of my upper body lifted off of my pelvis, I am noticing real relief and ease in my movement. My walking is lighter, more graceful, and my gait smoother because I’ve adjusted the position of my pelvis.

I feel much better. I use less emotions and am more practical these days. I am not trying to bring something to my life, with perhaps an unnecessary aggressive posture. Life comes to me. My body “language” is appropriate to my surrounding circumstances. I do not appear anxious nor awkward. My pelvis is not tilted forward with the crests of my iliums too far forward. Nor are the ilium crests too far to the rear. My pelvis is in a neutral position. I have lengthened my back so that my body mass above my pelvis now sits properly on top of and based within my pelvis. Appropriately, the word pelvis, from the Greek translation means “bowl or basin.” My upper body sits nicely in this basin or pelvis.

Much less physical energy is needed for me to engage with life. Things come easier and better. My hip sockets are better positioned. My leg ligaments and thigh muscles do their job easier. My pubic bone is more forward, and my iliac crests, or the top of my pelvis, are positioned more to the rear. I am walking more gracefully and with more ease. This pelvis posture tells others that I am enjoying life because I am.

My pelvis feels as though it has elongated. This actually may have happened with the upslip of my iliums relative to my sacrum corrected. My aligned sacrum is now without pain or without difficulty within my pelvis while it performs adequately as a base for my spine. The longer axis of my pelvis is certainly more perpendicular to the floor giving me the sensation that my pelvis is longer. I stretched for many years to encouraged my lumbar disks to lengthen. I feel that my sacrum is in its proper placement. This sensitive region, the small of the back, is not enduring any pinching pain from a forward tilted pelvis.

My legs, particularly my left leg, I have concentrated upon by stretching away from my pelvis. The pleasant result is that the left side of my body, my left leg hip joint, the left side of my pelvis, and my left side of my chest has protruded more forward and up. I am focusing my efforts to allow my left looking pelvis to become less receded and more active. I want my sacrum, upon which the pelvis joins and pivots with my spine, to unlock and allow the left side of my pelvis to adjust more forward while I walk and stand. A more free and balanced stride, and a neutral pelvis is now more normal for me.

My pelvis was twisted and because I’m right handed, my dominate right leg did most of the work, in walking and in my stance. It was just the way I held myself those days. Today I stand and walk smoothly as my legs evenly take on the weight of my upper body. To rectify my pelvis’ alignment I have stretched my legs while laying in bed. By doing this I use gravity to apply a perfect pressure to my neck, back, pelvis, and legs. I often place one of my arms above my head, holding my mini notebook laptop with the other while surfing the internet or reading a book. This helps when stretching the deep muscles of my pelvis.

The left side of my neck, back, and pelvis is now “popping” back into place. Yes, when you make adjustments to your body several years or decades after using it improperly, there will be some popping and cracking. Ligaments must be realigned not only in the pelvis but throughout the body. When rectifying through lengthening my spine, my left side of my neck is positioned more toward the back, better aligned with my back. It was gangly and held more forward in the previous years of my life. The right side of my neck had less of a too forward position. This had more to do with my depressed chest on my left side, and because of my guitar playing which I discuss later. Today my neck is held more aligned with my spine. Yes my spine was twisted as was my pelvis. To further rectify, I now turn my head at the C1 disk which is at the top of my spine. This is a more proper and graceful movement. This grace and poise is then transferred throughout the body to include the pelvis. Do not make a head turn using the neck at the C7 disk, located lower, at the top of the shoulders as this appears as an unsophisticated movement.

Another problem for my pelvis was that I played guitar improperly. In my youth, my back and pelvis began its left looking posture, and this was exasperated by my guitar playing. This hobby required that I look left at the guitar neck while playing being right handed. I turned my head at the C7 disk, and my left hand holding the guitar neck was pulling my left shoulder forward and down, and my right strumming hand was holding my right shoulder to the rear. This affected my pelvis. It began looking left.

Guitar playing for many is not bad for the back. I’ve noticed that people who’ve always had good posture held their guitars with no ill effect to their posture. These players would be for example, Eric Clapton or George Harrison. For me though, guitar playing came with a price to my posture. In 2009, I had to stop playing, at least for a few years to stop my left looking body and pelvis. I’ll pick the guitar up and play when my back is better aligned, when my posture is more upright, when my left side of my body is more in balance with my right side. I recommend to those of you playing guitar that you consider posture improvements to keep you on top of your musical game, and to benefit your appearance. This is true of those playing most musical instruments. Except for maybe piano or drums, just about all of them can put you in a sustained, somewhat unnatural posture, creating an unbalanced pelvis, thus requiring a daily stretching exercise to unwind.

I made a choice, as many of you will if you desire change, which included changing my appearance and the alignment of my pelvis. Do I want to find out how to enjoy life with a good posture? Do I want to be part of the human populace that is enjoyed by others simply because I have a nice appearance? Do I want to feel as though I’ve inherited a supremacy, becoming someone having more grace and poise? I want to experience what it is to use my muscles, my whole self, with ease. I want to walk with a neutral pelvis. An aligned pelvis is key to how I move. I want have a certain personal grace so that others will like and respect what they see when they watch me move, walk, sit, and engage in activities. Simply put, I want to be at the top of my physical “game.” So I had to let the guitar playing go and engage in another type of practice, stretching the muscles of my pelvis, that of moving about more erectly, with more grace and ease.

My breathing is more pure and regular now. I’ve opened up my shoulders, widened the clavicles and scapulas, so that my ribs are allowed to lift up. Now my lungs are not repressed by an ill gotten lower shoulder placement, improperly formed so that it presses down on my ribs and lungs. I have an uplifted appearance now. My entire pelvis is more forward with my stomach forward as well. My shoulders are held higher. Incorrectly there are some people that say you must relax your shoulders on your upper chest but not in my case. Some people say that holding your shoulders higher makes you look nervous and appear nervous. On the contrary. I say that people wanting to improve bad posture must raise their shoulders along with lengthening their back and whole spine. Positioning one’s pelvis more forward with a lengthened lower back helps to lengthen the whole back. Further, they must position their head, slightly higher, more toward the read, balanced above their lifted shoulders. This will permit their neck muscles to pull up their chest. This is not a simple pose to undertake after having bad posture for so many years, but day by day you become better at becoming a new and more appreciated “you.” Your pelvis more easily realign itself after the your chest and shoulders rise.

Continuing: When doing this lengthening, the pelvis is pushed away from the core of the body by the lengthened lower back, with much of an undesired spinal curve removed. Naturally there is supposed to be some curve to the spine. We are trying to remove the unwanted excessive curve of the spine. The lumbar disks pushes the sacrum, which in turn pushes the iliums downward while removing pelvic tilt. This allows the torso to lengthen and the diaphragm to position itself in a more liberal position. The organs in the region of the stomach are provided more room. This is optimum when the lungs increase in size,taking up room at the top of the stomach. And very importantly, the lungs “happily” (actually you are the one that is happy) can take up more volume in the upper part of the more opened rib cage. Breathing becomes more a natural experience. Taking full breaths is to be the basis for full enjoyment of life.

So what am I saying about my self? Where am I today with my pelvis, back, posture, self confidence? In a sentence, I’ll say I’ve gone back in time. To the time of my later teens, full of life. Without regard for the things that caused this misalignment in the first place. I am my own authoritarian now. I can listen to my own sage advice. I can read articles that directly enhance my posture. I can capture the greatness of life having dropped my baggage, and replaced it with a realignment of my pelvis, my whole body and posture. I feel as though I am young again with the rest of my life before me. I can start over again.

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Posture While Sitting at the Office

January 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Better posture means sitting at the office properly on an aligned pelvis.  Before discussing how to improve sitting at the office, let’s first begin by talking about what we are sitting on. Your pelvis consists of several bones. You have your two large hip bones, or your ilium bones.  The lower part of the iliums are your ischiums which are your sitting bones. The sacrum is an important bone, considered by past cultures as a “sacred” bone, hence the name.  It is found where the base of your spine or vertebra meet the pelvis. Let’s not forget the coccyx, the tailbone. This is the affected anatomy of the pelvis, at least the bones anyway. Now let’s talk how we are putting our pelvis to use while we are sitting at the office (or school, or home). Perhaps a modified stooping position would be a better way to sit at the office. There is a difference between sitting and stooping.  One is more likely lead to a better posture and possibly make you feel better, even as you are sitting at the office.

When we sit at the office we mimic what has been done for centuries. In some parts of the world, stooping rather than sitting is the normal way to rest for short periods of time. Quite often, because they stoop, the people of these countries maintain a desirable posture.  I suggest that we all consider a modified stooping position rather than a typical sitting position. I won’t suggest that you go to your office and throw out your chair and stoop before your computer to begin the day (come to think of it, maybe that’s an idea). Let’s learn more about properly sitting at the office.

Allow me to suggest the following way to stoop rather than sit, both at the office and at home.  You will find as you assume a stooping position that your back, legs, pelvis, their ligaments, joints, and backbones are stretched nearly to their apex.  That’s to say they are stretched very well. This stretching is a good way to acquire a nice posture. You can assume this posture while sitting at the office and I’ll discuss just how.

1. When sitting at the office correctly, choose a chair built low to the ground but with a high back to rest your spine. (Unfortunately high backed chairs are hard to find).  Choose one where the seat will be approximately 18 inches from the ground. It is desired that your knees are above your hips.  This position of the knees helps to acquire a good posture while sitting at the office.

2. If your chair seat is higher than two feet from the floor, use a footstool. Again, while sitting at the office, the object is to position your knees to be slightly above your hips.  This lengthens the thigh muscles and reduces fat buildup on the buttocks. Lengthening the leg muscles helps to gain a pleasing posture.

3. Adopt a sitting posture at the office that helps you look, feel, and perform better. Lean a little forward and raise your chin just a little.  A lowered, modified stooping position allows for a better sitting posture to take place, and your eyes are more level to the computer screen (great for a balanced head position). A modified stooped seating position encourages your head and neck to be positioned more aligned with the spine (and helps to remove a double chin and a “too forward” head position). Who knew that sitting at the office properly would have so many advantages.

To gain poise while sitting at the office it is best that your head pivots and balances upon the uppermost disk of your spine. Balance and turn your head at the C1 disk, and not the C7 disk found at the top of the shoulders.

While sitting at a modified stooping position, one’s chest rises during this sitting adaptation. What this position is doing is straightening the back, raising the shoulders, and enabling you to sit in a more balanced upper body posture.  We are removing the excessive curve from our lower back and relieving the pressure on our sacrum and pelvis. We are adjusting a tilted pelvis so that it is more perpendicular to the ground.  We are thus correctly sitting on our ischiums, our sitting bones.

Any time we can lighten our load we do it, especially at the sacrum, this sensitive location of our body.  A note of important information is that the small of the back is the nerve center of our body.  Impulses are sent to and from our extremities, small of the back, and brain at super quick speeds.  We want no impedance at this “junction box”, the small of the back. Let’s continue to learn how to improve our posture by sitting well at the office.

4. Once seated in this more stooped position, take a moment to enjoy the adjustment to your body and posture. Notice the feel of the upward push of your upper body from your properly positioned pelvis. Note that your sacrum bone is centered, and is now a proper, strong base for your spine. Also your entire, more aligned spine pushes your head higher.  Yes it is possible to sit at the office and improve your posture.

Overall you’ve acquired a better posture and are enjoying a more better seating position while sitting at the office.  Let’s talk about the physiology of our body when sitting. This will help you understand what happens as we improve our posture and you change for the better. When lengthening the spine and balancing the head atop a free and more aligned, vertical neck, the shoulders are pulled up by the muscles attached to the clavicles, scapula and sternum. These muscles are attached to your skull and are doing the job of suspending the shoulders at a higher position.  A parallel would be like the ropes from the mast of a sailing ship that hold up the yardarms (your shoulders). These ropes raise the sails so they can capture the wind.  We’re getting a little off topic but this is great to know. Free your neck muscles and neck bones. Align your cervical bones (neck bones) with your entire spine. Again, insure the head is positioned and balanced above the shoulders so that it, and you, have grace and poise. Loosen you jaw. Remember to turn your head at the C1 vertebra of your spine. Breath easily as your more open chest cavity accepts more air like the sails of a sailing vessel. Doing this while sitting at the office will bring about good posture and will likely improve life at the office.

5. Perhaps while sitting at the office, and at home, you use a “physio ball to gain good posture.”  This air filled exercise ball comes in various sizes and they are not expensive.  When you sit on one, you are generally positioned so that your bottom is lower than your knees.  Be prepared for a workout when using this ball. Talk about a passive exercise. Not! If you have any twist or turn in your pelvis, the ball will duly note this.  If your iliums are rotated this could mean you have an upslip or downslip where the sacrum meet the iliums. The sacrum could be rotated as well. This puts a stress on the iliums and the spine and overall. The muscles of your back, butt, and legs will have to adjust properly so that the pain you may feel from your muscle imbalance can be alleviated.  Using the physio ball you’ll be engaging muscles that you should have been using all along for a good posture. There is some pain when replacing the muscles you were using improperly, while you had poor posture. Your old way of using the wrong muscles won’t be at all happy when you adjust your way of sitting at the office. Your proper muscles that you are using to sit are now literally fighting against the improper muscles that you’ve used previously. In other words, you are inhibiting your old habits and old habits die hard.

Did I say this was going to be easy?  However, within months or a year or so it will become easier. Your pelvis will become more aligned and sitting at the office will be more enjoyable, at least much less painful. After practicing these better sitting techniques, you will know how to move and adjust your body to attain the posture you desire. 

Lengthening and stretching your body is key, and you can make these stretches, subtly while sitting at the office. Soon your adjusted body won’t permit you to slouch and cause your muscles to do the wrong thing.  Your muscles will react like those muscles of people with grace and poise.  Your muscles, like theirs, will want to be used efficiently.  Later your muscles, when used improperly, will tell you when you are holding your body asymmetrical or moving improperly and unbalanced. Sitting at the office will be much more enjoyable. Of course work may not change, but I am not going to go there.

Now or soon enough, enduring the painful joints and muscles of a poor posture will occur less often. Your muscles that grow accustomed to holding up a more aligned spine and body will tell you when you are not holding your posture in an upright position.  It will be painful when you assume a bad posture, when you are too quick and unsteady in your movements.  Instead you’ll take the time to move more gracefully. You’ll use your body efficiently to take you from one place to another. You’ll like what you see in your newly acquired posture, and others will too. This is an experience that I assure you will be a great time in your life.  Doors will open and birds will take to the skies all from learning to sit properly at the office.

Properly sitting at the office will bring a better posture to your body. It is desirable in many ways to sit in a modified stooping position.  You’ll like the changes you feel!

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The Pectoralis Muscles and Good Posture

January 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The pair of pectoralis muscles are attached at the tip of your shoulders and connect to the clavicles and upper ribs. They are diagonal in appearance and for a person with good posture they provide a base for a robust upper chest. Would you like to have a better appearance of these muscles? Continue reading to find out how, simply through stretching and lengthening your body, you can refine your pectoralis muscles so that your chest and shoulders become robust. Other positives are that your breathing will improve and you’ll gain more self respect. You’ll also gain respect from others, particularly from those of the opposite sex. This enhancement is a key to your life changing for the better.

As you may know, for the person with bad posture, the bulge, or “definition” of the pectoralis muscles cannot be readily seen. This is because poor posture makes our chests concave and the pectoralis are hidden, shrouded over by the clavicles and slackened skin. We can change this appearance. First, let’s find out exactly what it is that we must improve.

Poor posture causes many problems in the region of the pectoralis muscles. One, because you cannot see the pectoralis’ “definition,” one’s appearance in this area of the chest is shallow. A second problem is that the pectoralis muscles are not doing their job. These muscles would naturally perform two functions. First, they help to hold up the chest when the back is lengthened and aligned. Secondly, once in their upright position, they actually become prominent and are visible in the following way. They provide padding for the surrounding ligaments, fat, and skin. This layering or padding is attractive as it shows an upright, bold, upper chest and shoulders. Also this extra layer positioned higher, near the voice box makes the voice resonate. This is good for singers as well as giving a person a good sounding voice when talking.

OK, let’s get to the good part. How do we acquire appropriate pectoralis muscles so we can feel and look great? As always, we must have a lengthened spine, aligned neck, and a balanced head atop the squared shoulders. I discuss this often in my other documents and videos. Once the upper body is aligned, the neck muscles pull up the shoulders,clavicles, sternum, and upper ribs. The sternocleidomastoid muscles or the long, thin, pair of front neck muscles are especially important in this lifting process. Only after this more lengthened and aligned posture is attained, can one begin to stretch the pectoralis muscles so they help you breathe, to hold up your chest, and to help your appearance. Please remember, this is a process. Even though these are passive exercises, there are steps to acquiring good posture, and they are best taken in as “steps.” May I suggest that you read my earlier posts, or download my e-books. You will more easily accomplish this refinement of enhancing the pectoralis muscles and changing for the better.

Once the spine, neck, and head are aligned, with the chest pulled up by the neck muscles, one can widen the shoulders. This is good for several reasons. It looks good. Obviously wider shoulders are attractive. Both females and males look better with squared shoulders. Secondly the squared shoulders opens the chest cavity so the ribs may move forward. Thirdly, the pectoralis muscles are pulled in opposite directions and lift the chest furher. And last, the squared shoulders tighten the skin to allow the pectoralis to “present” themselves as a base, under laying the surrounding muscles, fat and skin. This appearance gives one a robust chest and nice “cut” to the shoulders. Breathing through the nose and inflating the lungs is easier as the clavicles, shoulders, head and neck are lifted up from the top of the chest. The pressure is “off” of the chest.

It’s a different world where your appearance improves and your mind is free of those old dreary, “work a day” thoughts. You can think of your nice image and how it opens doors for you. More pronounces pectoralis improves self confidence, and the people you meet are noticably respectful and more pleasant.

Yes, the pectoralis are like the cherry on top of a ice cream Sunday. The properly positioned pectoralis lift the clavicles. Actually the center of the clavicles, the sternum, and the chest are lifted. The clavicles, when positioned near or at horizontal are seen by the opposite sex as a seductive or at least attractive. Robust comes to mind when this bone structure is presented and viewed. Self confidence comes to mind when the pectoralis are more prominete, particularly for the males. There are more cherries to pick when your pectoralis helps your chest bring in more air, bringing to you a better life. Ah, the good life.

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The Male Voice

January 25, 2012 by

In this article I am discussing the refinements made to one’s posture, one’s life. Of one of the last refinements considered, when enhancing posture, is that of the voice. Perhaps women can benefit from this discussion but this article is mainly for the benefit of men, young or old.

Many men would like to improve the timbre of their voice. Even F.M. Alexander began his method to change his appearance because he was losing his voice during his stage performances. To fix this he would stand before mirrors, hours at a time, to position his head, neck, and chest so that his voice would sustain during his performances. He found that one’s posture had everything to do with the timbre and sustain of his voice.

I too wanted to have a nice baritone or bass to my voice. I tried several times decades past, prior to learning of the Alexander Technique, and failed each time. I always reverted to my higher pitched voice. Why? Because I had poor posture which only permitted my voice to originate at the throat and sinuses, and not in the upper chest area.

Where today is the voice when we see and hear the movies made decades ago? Today there are Russel Crowe, Jeffrey Donovan, that’s all I can think of. Clue me in if there are a great number of baritone people in general. Where are the voices today that are similar to the men with such great voices as those in years past? Charleton Heston, Robert Mitchum, Humphry Bogart, Sinatra, Lee Marvin. Much of the problem for today’s general populace is that most of us men are captive to cooperate thought. Not many men have what it takes to stand up and keep dignity and a crisp baritone in the strict hierarchy established in today’s workplace, generally many social settings, and yes, universities. Somehow, someway, we must break away just enough so that we regain our individuality and our voice. If you are subtle with your changes you can change for the better. By the way, it is not your fault that you have no baritone, bass, or robust timbre in your voice. Because you are reading this, in your life you have been carefully taught to speak an octave above where you would like to speak.

The vast majority of male actors, speech makers, and politicians today are weak in their voice timbre. Just about all of them have voices that are high pitched and even “squeeky.” They are not even marginally robust. The male singers today do not represent the proper male singing voice. If any of the above speak or sing in a lower pitched voice, it barley reaches down to the upper range of baritone. Please, let’s not consider “metal” music and such singers for the purpose of this article. Consider mainstream broadcasts and review any of the male voices heard and you’ll readily note that the men broadcasting are not sounding like men. Most of them sound like little boys.

How do we men fix a weak voice? One way is to stand in front of the mirror as F.M. Alexander did and change your voice. Yet even he came around to changing his posture to properly position his voice box within his body, this so he could properly use his voice. I too came around to this enlightenment as well.

The first steps to change your voice for the better would be to spend time, perhaps months, lengthening and adjusting the spine, freeing the neck, and balancing the head atop the squared shoulders. Acquire and maintain this pleasant, natural posture. Feel comfortably in this new way of accommodating your life. Please review my earlier posts concerning this subject. Remember these steps are a process and will take time.

Secondly, widen the shoulders. Initially they have been lifted by the neck muscles when the spine is lengthened. In turn the whole shoulder girdle has raised up to open the chest area, to allow the chest to rise. Again, after some months of adjusting to this new body position with your lifted shoulders and chest, you would then feel comfortable to widen the shoulders. To do this allow the scapulas to fall away from the region of the neck.

Thirdly, after some time, you have become comfortable with your widened the shoulders. Now you must allow your chest to continue to move up and more forward, especially the upper part of the chest. The pectoralis muscles from the tips of your shoulders will join in with the neck muscles to pull up and maintain the chest in a higher position. A pleasant note is that the pectoralis muscles have become more pronounced by the widened shoulders. The pectoralis muscles provide a base upon which ligaments, some fat, and by now your improved, vibrant skin, layer over. A plus is that this layering over the voice box gives a resonance when you speak or sing.

The voice is now able to express itself. That is, the voice can become as you wish, a deeper baritone or bass. Begin speaking with a new voice by saying your ABC’s in a baritone or bass voice. Say them as monosyllables, with out the lullaby song we learned in kindergarten. If you want to sing then sing “Wanderin’ Star” along with Lee Marvin” on you tube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnbiRDNaDeo

Consider me not as a teacher in this article, but as a brother. I myself, am relearning to speak as well. How do you think I learned to regain my voice? The answer: It was necessary for me to adjust my posture and, through trial and error, practicing lowering the pitch of my voice. Actually there was not much error to it. My corrected posture allowed for my voice box to work correctly, naturally. I consider the voice box to be located below the throat. It is just behind the sternum. Of course it was always there except that I did not use it. Now, when I speak, I have a natural, attentive audience. The women behind the counter readily listen to the man before them. With my voice I vibrate the sound waves in an appropriate radiance of approximately 6 feet, two meters. The effect is more commitment by women to what I say simply because of how I say it. Further I am more free to say what I feel with their willingness to properly respond to me. By the way, men listen and respond to my voice by showing me more respect. Both sexes are more attentive when I speak. It’s like I’ve become a new person who has changed for the better.

It took years for this change to take place. As I mentioned earlier, it took years for me to incorrectly use my body so that I lost my voice. I remember when I was in my middle teen years, my voice had a richer timbre. Changes for the better had to be initiated. It took years to repair my posture so that my young, admirable voice returned. Accordingly it will take some time for your naturally, “rich” voice to return to you. What’s some time compared to a new life.

I think there will be many social changes in the future where men become more independent. In the past, most of us did what we were told, or what has been presented and taught to us, and the effects have been demoralizing for a lot of men. We men have literally lost our voices. Once men, young and old alike, regain their voice, perhaps life for more of us will change for the better.

I have to add that I am looking forward with great gusto, just how my life with this new richer voice is going to evolve. As my voice becomes more robust, so will my upper chest. I can feel it becoming more robust with each time I speak. It is amazing how this more manly way of speaking encourages my shoulders to widen even more. A cycle is occurring. My shoulders widen to bring out a deeper voice, my deeper voice opens and raises my upper chest area, it fills with more gusto. The more robust my chest becomes, the further my shoulders widen. Where will this lead me? Like a river getting closer to the sea, my shoulders and life widen. What greatness awaits around each bend in the river as I sail this life downstream!

Filed Under: Healthy Back Topics

GERD – Diet – Good Posture

January 12, 2012 by

I notice there are quite a few views of my you tube video, “GERD is reduced simply by acquiring good posture and eating an apple before bed.” GERD of course is Gastroesophageal reflux disease. I won’t go deep into its symptoms or what it means. I’ll only say that it is usually a constant upset stomach and it can be very uncomfortable.

There are many “so called” cures for Gastroesophageal reflux disease and I’ve tried quite a number of them. The only one that I found to be effective is gaining good posture and eating an apple before bed. I discovered this after years of trying other methods.

One method that I thought had good possibilities to alleviate GERD was apple cider vinegar in pill form. I felt there was some success with it. however, it was not as effective as I wanted to stop GERD.

While trying other remedies to inhibit GERD, I remained on an Alexander Technique exercise program to lengthen my spine,(which will raise the shoulders), free the neck, and balance my head a top my shoulders. Doing this I acquired good posture and it gave me more room in my torso area. It felt like my stomach and intestines now functioned much better to prevent GERD. My theory was that making more room equals better flow of food. It felt like the connection between my esophagus and my stomach is smoother so that GERD would not find a place to reside within in me.

Good posture, achieved by lengthening my spine and adjusting my body through stretching, removes any excessive physical effort of the organs to digest food. This helps to stop GERD. The lifting up of my chest and the positioning of my pelvis in the opposite direction, further away from my chest and stomach region, opens the ducts and tubes of my digestive system so food can flow easily. The point is I have less indigestion and very little GERD.

In the recent past it has been discovered that through the frequent use of antibiotics, our beneficial bacteria has been eliminated. This good bacteria is necessary to properly digest food. Without it food is not digested well so GERD easily finds a home in your body. There is a bacterial formulation available in some natural food stores which is said to restore one’s good bacteria. I tried it and had little success with it. I don’t think I gave it a chance though. I could have used several bottles of these pills but didn’t.

Being a person who would like to cure my ills naturally, without pills, I read on the internet about eating an apple prior to bed that helps stop GERD. As I said before, I tried apple cider vinegar tablets and really wanted them to work, but they didn’t for me. However, the theory of apple cider vinegar doing good things while in my stomach and intestines was logical to my way of thinking. I’ve read that the consuming a tablespoon of vinegar can help an upset stomach needs to become more regulated, thus preventing GERD. This, rather than taking the chalky antacid tablets. I never liked the chewable antacid tablets anyway.

Eating an apple to stop GERD is natural. We’ve all heard that “eating and apple a day keeps the doctor away.” I like apples. In my mind the process of having an apple clean my teeth as I ate it, even before slumber, was great. Caring not whether I bushed my teeth before or after eating this fruit was a plus. Eating apples are good for your teeth too.

My thinking continued. As the apple flowed down the esophagus, it was perfectly natural and benefits the esophagus, more so than pills. At this point of digestion, the apple is much like apple sauce. Seems to me that this is very soothing to the esophagus. When the apple goes to the stomach is where I feel its real beneficial effect to alleviate GERD. Here the apple is transformed in to a liquid, like a cider. This is what I envision.

This “cider” mixed with the acid of the stomach and became acidic as well. Sort of like vinegar. Well, well. I just consumed a very natural apple cider vinegar to prevent GERD. As the apple moves through the intestines it is absorbed in my body to give me energy. Pills do not do this, not nearly as effectively as food. It takes real food to give a person natural energy and healthy cells. By the way, I eat sensibly these days, so a good diet is recommended.

I can say for me that this treatment to stop GERD has worked for years. The effect is felt almost immediately. Happily, when waking up, preparing for work and performing daily activities, I find I have very little indigestion or GERD.

There are now doctors who advocate this simple and natural way to rid one of GERD. Google: Natural eDoctor.com: Reflux Remedy.

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