More information

Thoughts on Standing Tall

There can be many reasons why we do not stand tall. Sometimes it is due to health, energy levels, sometimes self-esteem, and sometimes just habit. Yet how many of us realise the true benefits?
For a start, there are all kinds of ailments, aches and pains, joint issues etc that can be prevented simply through altering our posture so that we are more in alignment and exerting less unnecessary effort. However, this is often more easily said than done.
As we go about our days, we may not even notice how we are carrying ourselves from A to B. It may just happen in a blur, because our minds may be distracted with other things in the past or the future, so that we find it hard to be in the present moment. 
I have myself noticed a big difference in how I feel about my day when I pay more attention to how I am doing what I am doing. And in my work teaching the Alexander Technique, I frequently get comments from people during a lesson about how surprisingly different they feel when I’ve helped them to stand taller and stop dropping their heads forward and rounding their shoulders. Not only that but they find that they have gained some height and can even look slimmer!
However, should this really come as a surprise? When we think of an image of a happy, confident person, rarely would we think of a person going about all bent over, but instead someone standing tall, poised and open and receptive to what’s going on around them. Not only is it easier for us to feel good when we are in such a mode of being, but it makes us more able to respond appropriately to the situations we encounter in life and as we interact and express ourselves.