Puff Your Chest Out
I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. There was no particular rhyme or reason for it. It just happens sometimes.
The feeling of this ‘wrong side’ was a persistent - agitated - buzz running all over. It felt as if time had been sped up and I was internally racing to keep up. Normally I would have gone back to sleep or taken a long walk, but I didn’t have that kind of time.
Instead, I prepped for my morning lessons and took a lie down. My lie down was maybe only 5-10 minutes, but it helped that buzz dissipate.
Every time this happens, I am generally surprised at how effective it is to take the time to lie down and stop.
Blog Housekeeping
Substack has a great app for mobile devices. It allows you to easily find all of my articles, participate in chat threads with other readers, and ask me questions. It’s free and will be a great companion to the video content I plan to produce (sooon)! Check it out!
What About the Puffy Chest You Promised?
Last week’s post walked you through how I took some time to explore the quality of weight of my head by moving it around slightly as I played the saxophone. I did this because I wanted to explore my whole coordination. In particular, I wanted to gain a better understanding of opposition of the head, neck, and upper back. FM Alexander calls this dynamic relationship the primary control of an organism.
If you can associate this word control with matter-of-fact mechanical control rather than something that your willpower bullies into functioning, it’s a fine term. If however you attempt to rigidify yourself to CONTROL THE UNIVERSE, things probably are going to feel pretty jammed up! I introduced the concept to you as an opposition of weight in the hopes of reinforcing the exploratory attitude that I like.
When in doubt, remember that we want be simple, quiet, and additive in our thinking.
In his explanation of the primary control in the Use of the Self, FM Alexander says that even thought he could put his head in a ‘good’ place (aka forward and up), he noticed that he would still “lift the chest”, “increase the arch of the spine”, and thus create a “narrowing of the back”. He goes on to conclude that in order to have his full upright stature, he must prevent these things.
Before you can learn to prevent a lifting of the chest or prevent a narrowing of the back, you’re going to first Do the Wrong Thing!
When I’m talking about lifting the chest, I think there are roughly 2 ways to achieve a lift. The first way is to inhale. As air fills the lungs, you can force the top of the sternum to raise up towards you chin. To me, this feels awkward and shallow in the breath, but I CAN do this if I choose.
The other way I can lift the chest is to create an arch in my mid-back and tilt the whole rib cage. This also feels like general craptitude and let me tell you….I’m an EXPERT at this move!!
I’d like you to take some time - either during a lie down, sitting, or standing - and try to do these things. You may find that there’s a third or fourth way to do this. That’s great! Just bear in mind that you don’t want to play with these things until you’re blue in the face and pass out. Things should feel momentarily uncomfortable and then you should give yourself some time to simply STOP and not do it.
On Breathing
This may the first time I’ve mentioned breathing in an article. I show my private students vocal techniques in their lessons sometimes and the breath can be a valuable tool in developing your Poise. I would advise that you first take the time to understand the basics of primary control, the prevention of the lifting chest, and the prevention of the arching spine before you get into any breathing business.
If you have ever looked into breathing techniques, you will notice that these preventative guidelines are almost always absent from the instruction. While the breathing activities themselves might have something to them, you will discover very little other than stiff/choppy breathing if the head is pressing onto the neck or the back is narrowing. Take your time to explore and work things out for yourself! It’s worth the patience and practice!
First time I have read (well tbf listened) to your Substack. It is so good. I am always thinking about how my body moves as I am a class teacher and find myself marking books in unusual positions. This really makes me think about my own posture and how it impacts on my wellbeing, thank you