Posture & Body Language
Posture is a large component of body language. Often people think that posture is something static, but it is not. Often people think that posture can be changed in an instant and at will, but usually it cannot. I've already mentioned the issue of habits surrounding posture in an earlier blog. John Dewey, the American educator/philosopher puts it really well when he says, " It is as reasonable to expect a fire to go out when it is ordered to stop burning as to suppose that a man can stand straight in consequence of a direct action of thought and desire. The fire can be put out only by changing objective conditions; it is the same with rectification of bad posture." To read the complete selection, please go to
http://www.posturepage.com/alexander/dewey/index.htmlThank you for stopping by,
Sydney
Meditation
I have been experiencing mild joint pain again. Nothing like I did 2 years ago. Back then I had excruciating pain in all of my joints that lasted for 3 months. At that time I changed my diet and made other lifestyle changes. The activity that had the most holistic impact was my meditation. In that meditation, I would have a conversation with my joints to discover what they might be saying to me. I discovered a pattern of intense self-criticism that seemed to allow and encourage others, especially my family members to criticize me as well. I felt that I was under constant attack. This led me to spend time everyday meditating, mentally releasing my need for criticism. I also stopped allowing others' habitual criticism to go unchecked.
This morning I returned to my meditation. The joint pain has a different message today. It seems to be about the new direction in my work. I have always had a quiet little private practice in the Alexander Technique. Now, I am moving toward a larger stage, incorporating other areas of expertise. My elbows tell me that I don't have enough elbow room. At the same time, my knees seem to be weak with stage fright.
I'm sharing my process with you in hopes that it might give you a window into one of the ways that you can explore the messages from your body.
Be Well,
Sydney
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The Body is the Messenger: a body language workshop
The date for the next Body Messenger workshop is May 12, 9 - 1 pm. It's being held at the UC Santa Barbara Extension in Ventura, CA.
This is an introductory workshop that will explore different aspects of body language. It will include beginning work with the Alexander Technique. It' a great way to start Mother's Day Weekend!
You can go to my website to read more
http://www.alexanderusa2.com. For anyone reading this blog I am offering a 25% discount if you email me
sharris@alexanderusa.com.
Thanks for stopping by,
Sydney
Body Language Plus in
Les Triplettes de BellevilleI recently had the opportunity to watch
Les Triplettes de Belleville, an animated film written & directed by Sylvain Chomet. I watched it with my fourteen year-old son. Although the colors were subtle and there is almost no dialogue, it was able to hold his attention. We were both delighted by the unusual storyline and the remarkable depiction of the characters. Briefly the story is of a sad little boy, his grandmother, and their dog. The boy grows up to be a bicycle racer who is kidnapped in the middle of a race.
The incredible details of the body language of the characters spoke to us on so many different levels. I didn't know that the articulation of fingers could be so expressive or captivating. The fingers of the aged triplets (former singing stars) expressed such strange pleasure eating frogs in one scene, expertly played percussion in another & gave distinct disapproval whenever their belongings were touched. The block-shape of the villains and their block-like movements make them more than physically threatening. The shrinking and expanding of the loyal dog's body gave us instant recognition of his "thought" processes. We loved the exaggeration of body parts too: the huge calf & thigh muscles partnered with the thin torso of the bicyclist, the alcoholic noses, the extraordinarily long noses, the enormous derrières... even the set pieces took on personalities.
This is an extraordinary little film in which the animation relies on the unique body language of its characters more than most everything else to tell its story. And it does so very successfully. It's worth renting at your local dvd rental location or
www.netflix.com.
Sydney
Another Way to Look at Body Language
Most of us are concerned with how others see us, hear us, etc. Equally important is what is going on in our communication with ourselves. The body not only communicates to others; it can tell us about ourselves if we pay attention. So body language is not just non-verbal gestures and movements, it's the language of the body.
I remember when I was first teaching the Alexander Technique (almost 30 years ago), I had the opportunity to meet Louise Hay when she was visiting the West Coast. She had a little book that we all referred to as "the little blue book". It was the first version of her book
Heal Your Body. It's a list of diseases and physical problems with their correlating psychological causes.
http://www.hayhouse.comWe can learn a great deal about ourselves by listening to the messages that our bodies our giving us. I teach a workshop "The Body is the Messenger" in which I guide and support people to discover these messages
http://www.alexanderusa2.com/Body.htm . Once we begin to see and understand these messages, then we can make changes. The changes can heal our bodies AND they can help us to live more fully and authentically.
Thanks for stopping by,
Sydney
What is a slump? a depression, a going down, a collapse, a drooping posture...
In the body, it is a collapsing of the spine. It happens when the head is pulled back & down on the neck. The chest drops down from the pressure of the head. The shoulders round forward & sometimes get pushed up around the the ears.
How can we change this? In the Alexander Technique we start by changing the head's relationship to the spine. If the head moves forward & up a little bit in relationship to the neck, space is created for the spine and the spine responds by lengthening.
The movement is simple, but not always easy because we often have a faulty kinesthetic sense of ourselves. We may think that we are moving our heads forward & up when we are actually lifting our chins up instead.... and that actually sends the head back & down.
So in the beginning, you want to just observe yourself... to see if you can discover what you are actually doing.
Thank you for stopping by.
Sydney
Don't forget to visit my website.
http://www.alexanderusa2.com
What are you saying?
Usually when we think of body language, we think of the non-verbal gestures, movements, attitudes & facial expressions that we use to communicate with one another. I have heard that when we communicate face to face (as opposed to on the phone), that most of what we communicate is through body language. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Mehrabian.
But what if you have no idea what your body is saying to others? What if the way you hold & move your body is a set of habitual patterns that don't really communicate what you intend?
For example: What does slumping say?
"I don't care."
or "I'm depressed."
or "I'm not confident"
Do you even know when you are slumping?
What is slumping? Come back tomorrow for more on the slump.
In the meantime, please check out my website
http://www.alexanderusa2.comThanks,
Sydney
Welcome to Syd's Body Language Blog
Hello,
Welcome to Syd's Body Language Blog. My name is Sydney Laurel Harris and I've been teaching the Alexander Technique for almost 30 years.
The Alexander Technique is a holistic body-mind method that helps people to change habitual patterns of movement and posture to help them look better, feel better & perform better. You can read more about it at my website
http://www.alexanderusa2.com and at
http://www.alexandertech.org.
Even before the Alexander Technique, I had been observing and thinking about how and what our bodies communicate... about our feelings... our attitudes, etc.
Thanks for visiting. I hope you come back soon.
Sydney
