“Stand up straight”, “don’t slouch”! Words of wisdom from
mothers across continents, and right they are.
Whether you come to my MELT classes or are working with
me one-on-one, the most often used phrases are ‘neutral pelvis’, ‘shoulders
relaxed’, ‘good form’ and derivatives thereof. So why is good posture so
important even if I disregard the fact that it looks a lot better?
A body in ideal alignment is a balanced body. The
relationship in length between muscles is optimal, and movement is effortless
because all the players know their role. The central nervous system is like a conductor,
and just as in an orchestra, everybody must be well-tuned and know the score to
create a harmonious performance.
If a body is out of alignment, then some parts have to
work harder and still don’t get it done right. The result is that some parts
wear out sooner than others, and this can start a pain cycle that only
perpetuates the problems and adds to them. Even though medical science has
given us replacement parts and perfected the techniques to implant them, we
would do a lot better looking after ourselves as well as if we were our own
car.
Did you ever hear of anybody, who would change the tires
on their car, not get them balanced but then take the car out on a 1,000 mile
road trip with heavy cargo and a hanger? Me neither.
When I start my MELT classes, I describe the position of
ideal alignment, and just about everybody raises their hand when asked whether
they felt discrepancies. Soon into the class, those discrepancies diminish and
sometimes disappear altogether, and my students walk out straighter and often in
less pain than when they walked in. After having taught MELT for almost 5 years
now, I see permanent improvements after just a few months with regular MELTing.
Aren’t you worth it?
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