Tip 94 – Rising from a Chair like Snow from a Bamboo Leaf

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A bus shelter window will have to do…

As you can tell, I was very excited when I saw the snow starting to move on the window of the bus shelter and couldn’t help thinking of Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. The falling snow is the essence of seamless movement that does not telegraph its intent. It is the same quality that allows the archer to release the bow without disturbing the arrow.

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Tip 92 – Avoid Tipping Your Chair Forward

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Reduce excess tension by avoiding tipping your chair forward.

More on Pulling Down

Avoid Pulling Down to Go Up

Point Your Spine when Bending Forward

Improve Computer Posture

Video – Improve Computer Posture

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By |2014-06-13T23:34:55-04:00June 13th, 2014|Comfortable Sitting, Sitting, Weekly Tips|2 Comments

Tip 86 – Video: How to Lean Back in a Chair

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Point your spine when leaning back in a chair.

For more information on this tip, take a look at Tip 9.5.

More on sitting in a chair:
Your Lively Spine
Bending Forward Is the Same

Video: Think of the Chair as Your Legs

Your Waist Is Not a Joint

 

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By |2019-04-27T21:43:28-04:00January 7th, 2012|Comfortable Sitting, Weekly Tips|11 Comments

Tip 82 – Video: The Chair Is Incidental

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The chair (and most other objects) is incidental to the movement.  

This is a video representation of Tip 34, and the last in a video series on Inhibition and Direction. To get an idea of what is going on here, also take a look at Tips 31, 32, and 33.

Or, for a more practical approach:
Three Tips on Bending

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Tip 65 – Video: To Rise More Easily from a Chair, Go Up

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To rise more easily from a chair, go up and not down.

This video comes from a lot of different tips, but mostly Tip 16 where you can see a commonly reproduced Alexander influenced drawing. Clarifying our relationship with the chair, as well as the difference between up and down, are fundamental concerns of the Alexander Technique.

And here are a few more tips on going up.

Avoid Pulling Down in Order to Go Up

Bending Forward? Use Your Hip Joints

Improve Computer Posture

Extra
Alexander Technique in the New York Times Sit Up Straight, Your Back Thanks You

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By |2017-02-04T21:05:02-05:00June 25th, 2011|Comfortable Sitting, Weekly Tips|2 Comments

Tip 64 – Video: Think of the Chair as Your Legs

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To sit more comfortably, try thinking that the chair is your legs.

This video comes from Tip 46, where you can see two diagrams, a slightly different description, and the answer to the ultimate Super Bowl question.

And here are a few more tips on sitting.

A Totally Different Idea on Sitting

Point Your Spine

The Waist Is Not a Joint

Extra

A Podcast from Robert Rickover Negotiation and the Alexander Technique

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By |2014-08-23T10:28:11-04:00June 18th, 2011|Comfortable Sitting, Weekly Tips|6 Comments

Tip 60 – Video: Improve Computer Posture

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Improve Computer Posture

This post is originally from 2011 but I remade the video on 5/31/14. Visit  Tip 20 for a graphic explanation of the concept.

More tips on desk posture. Don’t use them all, just find one that you like.

The Chair Is Your Legs
Bending Forward? Lead with Your Head

Bending Forward? Use Your Hip Joints

Extra

A wood craftsman who likes the Alexander Technique

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By |2019-01-16T16:50:06-05:00May 14th, 2011|Comfortable Sitting, Weekly Tips|2 Comments

Tip 49 – Point Your Spine when Bending Forward

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Bending forward? Point your spine instead of pulling it down.

Leland Vall Alexander Technique Tip 49

Still even more sitting (and bending) in chairs. For reaching, point your spine and bend at the hip. Your back will grow stronger over time and you will have more room for breathing. Bending at the waist pulls your spine down, restricts breathing, and shortens your reach. Visit the resources below for more on your pointing spine.
More resources for comfortable sitting:

Seated Bending, Use Your Hip Joints

Point Your Spine As if You Are Pointing Your Finger

Lie Down to Find Your Pointing Spine

Finding Your Hip Joints

The Chair Is Incidental

Video: The Chair Is Incidental

Video: Improve Computer Posture

Improve Computer Posture

How to Lean Back in a Chair

Seated Bending? Use Your Hip Joints

Video: How to Lean Back in a Chair

Video: Think of the Chair as Your Legs

Seated Bending, Lead with Your Head

Reaching While Sitting

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By |2019-01-16T15:33:44-05:00March 2nd, 2011|Breathing, Comfortable Sitting, Weekly Tips|3 Comments

Tip 48 – Seated Bending, Lead with Your Head

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Seated bending? Lead with the crown of your head.

Leland Vall Alexander Technique Tip 48

For reaching while sitting (and not sitting), lead with the crown of your head, not your chin. It’s more comfortable, reduces neck tension, and you will be able to reach farther.

More resources for comfortable sitting:

The Chair Is Incidental

Video: The Chair Is Incidental

Video: Improve Computer Posture

Improve Computer Posture

How to Lean Back in a Chair

Seated Bending? Use Your Hip Joints

Video: How to Lean Back in a Chair

Video: Think of the Chair as Your Legs

Point Your Spine when Bending Forward

Seated Bending, Use Your Hip Joints

Reaching While Sitting

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By |2019-01-16T16:07:59-05:00February 26th, 2011|Bending, Comfortable Sitting, Head/Neck, Weekly Tips|7 Comments

Tip 47 – Seated Bending, Use Your Hip Joints

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Bending forward? Use your hip joints.

Leland Vall Alexander Technique Tip 47

More sitting in chairs to follow up on Tip 46. For reaching, use your hip joints instead of bending at the waist. It’s more comfortable (there is no “waist joint”), and you will be able to reach farther.

More resources for comfortable sitting:

Finding Your Hip Joints

The Chair Is Your Legs

The Chair Is Incidental

Video: The Chair Is Incidental

Improve Computer Posture

Video: Improve Computer Posture

How to Lean Back in a Chair

Video: How to Lean Back in a Chair

Video: Think of the Chair as Your Legs

Point Your Spine when Bending Forward

Seated Bending, Lead with Your Head

Reaching While Sitting

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By |2019-01-16T16:10:06-05:00February 19th, 2011|Comfortable Sitting, Weekly Tips|2 Comments

Tip 46 – The Chair Is Your Legs

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Sit on chairs as if the chair is your legs.

I really like this tip.  Try it now, “stand” on the chair as if you are standing on your legs. You’ll sit taller without the trouble of sitting up “straight”.  A comfy couch?  Just do the best you can without trying too hard.

More resources for comfortable sitting:

The Chair Is Incidental

Video: The Chair Is Incidental

Video: Improve Computer Posture

Improve Computer Posture

How to Lean Back in a Chair

Video: How to Lean Back in a Chair

Video: Think of the Chair as Your Legs

Point Your Spine when Bending Forward

Seated Bending, Lead with Your Head

Seated Bending, Use Your Hip Joints

Reaching While Sitting

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By |2019-01-16T16:11:22-05:00February 11th, 2011|Comfortable Sitting, Weekly Tips|3 Comments

Tip 39 – Reaching while Sitting

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At your desk, reach with your arms, not your back.

Leland Vall Alexander Technique Tip 39

Following up on the previous Tip, your arms are the same sitting or standing.

More about Arms and the Back

Your Arms Are Emissaries of Your Back

Arms and Standing on the Subway

Be Like Roger Federer (That arm is sent from the fingertips, up to the shoulder!)

Avoid Pulling on the Steering Wheel

Your Torso Stays Behind Your Head

Reach with Your Arms

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By |2014-08-16T15:30:24-04:00December 25th, 2010|Arms, Comfortable Sitting, Weekly Tips|3 Comments

Tip 34 – Objects are Incidental in the Alexander Technique

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The chair (and most other objects) is incidental to the movement.

Leland Vall Alexander Technique Tip 34

This tip follows up on previous tip’s promise. The above series of images shows that the chair does not have to be an integral part of the movement we generally call “sitting”. The less you focus on the chair, the more you establish your own body’s natural and easy integrity throughout the movement. Generally, people focus too much on the tools we use (notice yourself using your computer right now) at the expense of our own integrity. That is a major cause of excess tension. Experimenting with the exercise described in these last few tips on Inhibition and Direction can lead you toward discovering your body’s natural integrity so that you can reduce excess tension in everything you do.  There’s not really much to do, it’s just getting into and out of a chair as if you are not doing it.  There is a video of this at the top of the list below.

More Alexander Technique Theory

Video: The Chair Is Incidental

Inhibition and Direction in the Alexander Technique

Direction and the Alexander Technique

Video: What Is Direction in the Alexander Technique?

Inhibition and the Alexander Technique

Video: What Is Inhibition in the Alexander Technique?

What’s Wrong with Using Your Hands?

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Tip 20 – Improve Computer Posture

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For improved computer posture, avoid drawing your feet toward your back.

When sitting, avoid drawing your feet toward your back.

More than position, this tip is about avoiding the tendency to draw the body together.  When sitting at your desk, allow for ease between your lower legs and your upper legs. By allowing your feet to rest gently on the floor without pulling them toward you, you may find that your back will settle more comfortably against the back of the chair.

More on Computer Posture:

Video: Improve Computer Posture

The Chair Is Your Legs

For Seated Bending, Lead with Your Head

For Seated Bending, Use Your Hip Joints

Aticle: Improve Comfort at Your Desk

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By |2014-08-16T15:17:57-04:00August 14th, 2010|Comfortable Sitting, Weekly Tips|4 Comments

Tip 9.5 – When Leaning Back, Point Your Spine

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Point your spine when leaning back in a chair.

Point Your Spine when Leaning Back in a Chair

Your torso can act as a bridge from the seat to the backrest.

 

Lots of people ask about reclining or leaning back in a chair.  I think it helps to know the difference between your waist and your hip joints, and to continue to point your spine.

Collapsing in a chair may seem comfortable, but it restricts breathing and causes stiffness.  Proper sitting, even reclining as shown, is a lively activity that is part of the continuum of how we move and do things.  More liveliness means less stiffness. There is a video of this tip here.

More on sitting in a chair:

Bending Forward Is the Same

Video: How to Lean Back in a Chair

Video: Think of the Chair as Your Legs

Your Waist Is Not a Joint

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By |2016-01-08T18:50:01-05:00June 4th, 2010|Breathing, Comfortable Sitting, Spine, Weekly Tips|1 Comment