Comments

Alexander Technique Help for Computer Users – Part 4: Legs and Feet! — 10 Comments

  1. Great legs/feet advice! I just wanted to add that in my experience there’s a great deal to be gained by using a stool that’s about 1 1/2 times as high as a typical chair. Ideally the stool will have rungs between the legs where you can rest your feet at various angles. You can get nice “foot feedback” that way and the added height of the stool seems to encourage an easy upright posture.

    I wish I could claim this as my own discovery, but it actually comes from the wonderful book “The Chair” by Galen Cranz, a professor of architecture at the University of California Berkeley – and a teacher of the Alexander Technique.

    • Robert – you are anticipating a future blog in this series where I’ll consider options on how we can set up our desk and chair to best support us!
      I didn’t have quite the same experience with you using a stool like the one you describe. My main problem was that my keyboard became too far away from me (of course I could raise that up too) – but I definitely raise my chair to higher than normal. I will have to conduct some more experiments!
      And I agree about Galen Cranz’s book (which I have too) – it is great!

  2. Thanks Imogene. I think the only time I’m aware of my legs when I’m working at the computer is either because my foot is falling asleep or the sleeping cat in my lap has adjusted herself with her claws out. 🙂 I probably don’t have the best posture when I’m sitting at my desk. Thanks for the reminder. I’ll try to follow your advice.

    • Just becoming a bit more aware of the whole of your body (including legs and feet) as you work can go a long way in making positive changes. Perhaps your cat is actually providing you a useful service! 🙂

  3. I am quite short in height, so getting the right furniture to let my feet sit naturally on the ground has been important. I feel much more balanced and less stressed when my legs are relaxed and my feet are on the ground. What do you think of those little stools you can buy that are meant to support your feet and reduce the stress on your back/body?

    Judy Stone-Goldman
    The Reflective Writer
    http://www.thereflectivewriter.com
    Personal-Professional Balance Through Writing

    • Hi Judy. You question is perhaps not as straight forward as it sounds, and it might be the height of your chair that could be changed. Strangely, raising the height of the chair can often solve the problem (and making sure the seat of your chair is not tipping you backward), as your legs are able to drape down at a bit more of an angle allowing the feet to touch the floor more easily. I would definitely recommend that your hips are a little higher than higher than your knees, which makes it easier to stay on the sit bones, too. I’ll be going into more detail on this later in my series. However, if your feet still don’t touch the floor then a support under them is fine, but surprisingly most people don’t need this once they’ve sorted out the chair to better support them.

  4. The Alexander Procedure can be significantly useful to musicians and actors considering the fact that lots of of them unknowingly maintain far much too a great deal tension when taking part in their instrument or when playing a certain character. The musician, for instance, can be unconsciously gripping his or her instrument whilst the actor might also be using on the postural characteristics of a certain character even when they are off phase. Scores of of the leading music and drama faculties throughout the entire world hire Alexander Technique instructors to facilitate to fight these forms of issue.

    • You’re absolutely right, Jon, the Alexander Technique can be tremendously useful for musicians, and many top music schools, including Juilliard have it as part of their program.

  5. Pingback:Alexander Technique Help for Computer Users – Part 7: Our Work Station | Body Intelligence

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