Making Friends with My Body

Today's Food:
2 slices soy and linseed toast with butter
the usual morning coffee
Ham and veg omelette
Small decaf soy latte
Chicken fricassee
2 cups of tea
3 glasses berry squash

Today's exercise:
1 hour Alexander Technique lesson (not strenuous, but really beneficial)
Walking to a job interview (probs 20 minutes)
Moving Dave's old mattress downstairs

This morning I got up at an ungodly hour. Ok, it was 9.30am and I'd already hit snooze about three times, but hey - such are the challenges of the unemployed. The reason for this was an Alexander Technique lesson. For those of you not familiar, this is a technique developed by a guy called Alexander (surprise, surprise). He was an actor at the turn of last century who was having some voice issues, and he worked out that it was unnecessary tension in the body that was inhibiting him.

I have a crapload of tension.

So I've been going to private lessons where a lovely, well-spoken English lady gets me to walk around the room and then teaches me how to sit. Lest you think I'll be entered in the next All-England Pedigree Dog Show, let me tell you just how much of a help it's been, even after only two lessons. Just being aware of what my body is doing has helped free it up.

I've always had a love/hate relationship with my body. The curves are great but I fall over a lot. My knees are, shall we say, not in original condition. This throws my back out, and my hips and shoulders get really tight. Three years of institutional dance training didn't help an awful lot. I'm having to undo a lot of bad habits. In the back of my mind, I've been afraid to use my body properly, in case it just didn't work or I hurt myself. It was this fear that was actually doing the most damage, causing tension that had a knock-on effect both physically and psychologically.

So now I'm making friends with my body. Learning to let it do what it was designed to do. Not being unconsciously afraid to get up and move around.

Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

(for more about Alexander Technique, visit www.alexandertechnique.com)