Learning to walk

I’ve been taking lessons over the last few weeks/months to learn the Alexander Technique.  My reason for doing this was to try and improve my posture but mostly to eliviate neck pain.  My understanding of the Alexander Technique is that it should help to improve general well-being, eliviate back/neck pain, muscular tension, stiffness and even improve breathing to name but a few.  Essentially you learn how to move muscles and joints more freely and easily. 

So far the lessons have been going well, they usually include being aware of how to stand properly, the mechanics of how to sit and there’s an exercise which involves you lying down and putting a thought process into lengthening the muscles and freeing the joints.  However, my last lesson I learnt how to walk again!  I had no idea I had the mechanisms of the process so wrong!  It did seem very odd to start with but over the last couple of days I’ve practised the technique on and off and its becoming more natural.

Now to be honest I’ve found it difficult to remind myself during an average day of how to move using the Alexander Technique, especially when busy at work.  The more lessons I have though the better I’m becoming at remembering the movements to use and I’m putting them into practice more.  I’ve also found myself at the beginning having negative thoughts regarding the technique and wondering if its worth continuing, but each time I go to the lesson I find it so invigorating I book the next lesson.

If you’re interested in the Alexander Technique, take a look at my tutor’s website (link below)!

http://www.alexandertechnique-ipswich.co.uk/

FM Alexander

“The Chain” from Lord Celery’s blog

I enjoyed reading my friend’s blog regarding quirky character traits so much I decided I’d participate as suggested.  So below are my six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about myself:

1.  I hate, hate, hate the taste of Licorice.  I’ve always managed to avoid the stuff quite well until I recently bought a bag of assorted toffees.  Of course the bag didn’t say what the various wrapping colours meant and so one of them ended up being Licorice.  I was so annoyed I felt like complaining to the large supermarket in question (although I never did find the time of course!)

2.  I learnt to play a clarinet while at secondary school.  This was mostly to please my father.  I kind of enjoyed it at the time but as soon as I left school, I’ve barely taken the thing out of its case.  I’ve always been average at the clarinet, I definately don’t have a talent for it otherwise I might be more enthusiastic.

3.  I’m terrified of small children and babies.  Yes its absolutely true I’m afraid.  I’ve never had much contact with small children and babies and as a consequence I feel terrified when I’m near them.  A couple of weekends ago I went to a family party of my in-laws.  One of my husbands cousins has a child which took a fancy to me (must have been the leather motorbike pants – thought I looked like a power ranger apparently), needless to say I was running on adrenaline the whole time.  My close friend is expecting her first baby very soon and no doubt I will have the same feelings again – I just hope she’s patient with me.

4.  Every time John and I go on holiday, I spend most of the time worrying about the pets back home.  I’ve always loved animals since a very young age and finally having some pets of my own is the best thing in the world to me.

5. I developed an annoying habit which I simply haven’t managed to quit.  This habit formed while I worked with Lord Celery’s husband at Saffery’s in London, so its been with me for over 10 years now.  Every so often during an email I end a sentence with dot dot dot, as if the sentence could continue.  Whenever I see I’ve typed it in an email I think of it as bad english…

6.  I came 1st in the 1500 metre race while at Junior School during Sports Day one year.  Its the one and only time I’ve ever come 1st in any athletics event.  Every year on Sports Day (even in secondary school) I always came 2nd to a girl called Samantha, but this one year I managed to get off the line quicker than her.  I rarely do anything that energetic these days but I remember being very pleased with myself at the time, I even still have the little yellow metal badge I was awarded.

As Lord Celery has said in her blog, I’m not going to tag anyone in the usual “Chain Letter” fashion.  If anyone wants to participate though please do let me know as I’m as curious as Lord Celery.

Thanks for reading!