It's Not About Posture! Oh, but it is.

Alexscovery teachers love to diss the idea that our work is about "posture".

Many teachers even despise that word, because they see how much crap is attached by ordinary folk into its meaning. I get it too. Say "posture", and almost immediately people try to sit up straight, or stand taller (while making themselves shorter) or any number of preposterous and ignorant responses that have little to do with the truth of it. Frustrating.

So I understand why many teachers do not like the word.

However, I think it is one of the best words we have.

How did I come to think like that?

Many teachers are challenged to find an easily understood answer to the question:

"The Alexander Technique - what is that?"

Our Profession has no universal agreement on any answer. At all.

Ask a dentist what dentistry is, and you have universal agreement. It might vary from person to person, yet at its core, it is essentially the same.

Can you say that about our Profession's reply to the "What is AT?" question?

Hell no. Why, even Alexander teachers disagree among themselves, forget the public. Hopeless.

However, most "non-AT-enlightened" people know what posture is. They may not understand HOW they can improve their posture, and they may not think it is that important, but they do know if they use themselves in a particular way, it's won't feel good after a while.

Just about everyone knows that.

And they pretty much all agree that they need to "improve" their posture.

Posture is a universally known term that situates our work quite close to where it needs to be in a person's mind.

When I answer the question: "What is the Alexander Technique?" by saying:

"It is a method to improve your posture," most people get that, and quickly.

They won't get HOW it works, but they will get WHAT it can do for them.

And that's a good start. Instead of glassy eyes and tilted head, at least Sarah Public understands the domain of our work.

Here's a page all about Posture in Japanese. Use google translator; it can be fun to read.

https://www.alexandertechnique.co.jp/workshop/1805-jeremy-decider-ws/

Posture is a perfect way to start.

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