“Sit straight.” “Don’t slouch.” “Relax your shoulders.” “Chin up.” We receive such a barrage of posture-related instructions in our childhood that it’s easy to believe the wisdom is absolute. Correct posture is associated with upright morality and upstanding character. Slumping, leaning, fidgeting is the preserve of the feckless, while overly tense shoulders and back signal an inability to tolerate stress. If that were true, then controlling your physical deportment would equate to self-control. That’s perhaps why the Alexander Technique has remained popular for more than 100 years. It’s a therapy that aims to change the way you hold and use your body in order to tackle long-standing physical and mental problems, including pain and stress, as well as making you more calm and confident. “Whether you need help with posture, balance or movement, input into skills and interests—or if This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-six Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 43 The Alt-Right Wellness Loop Where alt-health meets the alt-right. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Learn Lenience We were all young once. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Pay it Forward How to be a mentor. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Be Accountable On youth and responsibility. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Think Back A reexamination of nostalgia. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Grow Up In praise of aging.
