Touch Points

Body Sense

So my Body Sense is a bit faulty. What to do? What to do?

If you don’t have access to an Alexander Technique teacher there are ways to constructively work on your own.

One simple strategy to help you is to notice your contact with objects. I call these Touch Points. Paying attention to your Touch Points can give you more accurate information about where you are in space than your feeling of whether or not you are balanced and in alignment.

Realize that you don’t just touch with your hands. We can touch with any part of our body.

If I have my hand on the top of your head you are touching my hand with your head. If you are sitting on a chair you are touching the seat of the chair with your buttocks and your thighs. If you are leaning forward and have your elbows on the table (I was never taught this was bad manners—and I do it all the time!) you are touching the table with your elbows.

If you are standing your Touch Points would be the contact of your feet with the floor. Stand up and try this. It will work better if you take off your shoes and do it in your stocking feet. You will notice more. Without looking in a mirror just stand in the way that feels normal for you, without accessing if it is right or wrong. Now bring your attention to the contact of your feet with the floor. Without looking at your feet you can gather a lot of information just by placing your attention there.

Do you have more weight on the right foot or the left foot?

Is your weight predominately on the heels (back) or on the balls (forward)?

Bringing attention to the contact of your feet against the floor periodically over the next couple of weeks, checking in at random times during activity, will help you gather some important and useful information about how you habitually throw your weight around. And whether or not you are well-balanced.

Try this—Make sure your weight is distributed equally on both feet. Now take your weight on purpose way back so you are standing on your heels, but not so far back that you fall over! Notice what you do to keep from falling over. Bring particular attention to your knees and thighs, your shoulders, and your neck. Does your breathing change? Now let your weight shift forward at your ankles so you still have contact with your heels but you have some weight as well toward the front of your feet.

Many of us stand with our weight thrown too far back. If you do this, you are literally falling over. And your muscles will tighten to keep you from falling over. If this is your habitual place to stand it will feel normal and you will not notice the extra tension you are carrying around.

7 comments… add one

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  • Barbara Thompson June 24, 2014, 10:11 am

    Lauren, this is so right on! I look forward to your blogs to help me maintain my practice. Hope to see you in August. Barbara

    Reply
    • laurenhill69 June 25, 2014, 1:23 pm

      Hi Barbara, I am so glad that the posts are helpful. That’s my goal. I will look forward to seeing you, too.

      Reply
  • Barbara D. June 25, 2014, 6:18 pm

    Thank you, again, Lauren! These posts are very helpful.

    Reply
    • laurenhill69 June 27, 2014, 8:51 am

      Hi Barbara,

      I am glad that you continue to find the posts helpful.

      Reply

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