Alignment Sessions - What To Do Between The Sessions

08. Jan

alina Tudor

The posture alignment sessions are a project of realigning your body, educating your kinesthetic sense, and reclaiming your whole bodily self from the many alienating influences we have in our culture

It is recommended that you keep a journal during the posture alignment sessions – you may be surprised at the changes as evidenced by your sensations, dreams, attitudes, or experiences. Think back to the things that have affected your body shape and body image. Accidents and surgeries, incidents and imitations, your parents and your heroes have an impact on our body.

Leave time for a walk before and after your session. This will give you a chance to feel the ‘before’ and ‘after’ in your body, and in the familiar kinesthetic experience of walking. The walking will help you integrate the changes from the session as well.

Between sessions, listen to your body. We are accustomed to dictating to our bodies from above. It’s time to listen for the messages coming up from below. Your body may want you to use it more. You may feel restless, for instance, so go with it: dance or do some stretching. Your body may give you signals of needing more rest as it repairs itself – go with that if you can.

Break up long periods of sitting with movement. Give yourself a few minutes of break during every hour of driving for instance. Or do some stretching during long bouts with the computer. Long-held patterns of sitting can be very damaging to our structural integrity.

You may notice odd stresses and strains in your body in the days following a session. As your body readjusts its tissues to the changing forces, it is normal to feel changes. These feelings or pains should be passing – we will want to know about anything that lasts more than few days, or anything severe or worrying.
Likewise, you may feel odd emotions between sessions, coming seemingly from nowhere. This is normal and these too should pass. As much as you can, just accept and watch them happen. Again, anything lasting should be reported to us.

Avoid imposing an ideal on your body – holding yourself into what you think of as a ‘proper’ posture. We design sessions that bring you toward a better balance without effort. Pinning your shoulders back or tucking your tail under to where you think it ‘should’ be will only get in the way. Your body has its own wisdom – allow it to unwind toward its own natural length and balance. In the end, this may conform to some plumb line or grid, but it very well may not.
We may give you exercises or awareness designed to help overcome old habits between sessions. This awareness should be tried on gently and frequently, not imposed or held for long periods of time. Holding someone’s (even your own) idea of ‘good’ posture will only substitute a new set of strains for the old ones you left behind.
Many times, the most helpful thing that the client can do is to notice when old patterns of holding are creeping back in and drop them. Noticing them as they reassert themselves is easier after they have been released in the sessions, but they do have a way of creeping back in. Your job as a client is to notice these holding patterns and just let them go, as often as necessary. After a period of watching the tendency come and go, it will simply relent and the new position will be your ‘natural’ place. Remaining gently sensitive to what your body is doing is your chief responsibility in this process.

The body will also give you messages about your environment. Your way of standing over the sink, or, as mentioned, sitting at your desk may need to change to be consonant with your ‘new’ body. Your practitioner can help you with these adjustments, but you can also stay alert to when you are using yourself in a way that no longer works.
You can expect that the novelty of the changes you feel right after the session will feel less pronounced toward the end of the week. They are still there – it is just that your body has become more used to them and integrated them. The alignment sessions are carefully worked out in a sequence. It is designed this way to prevent you from regressing. In fact, you can expect positive changes to keep developing in the months following the end of the series.

A warm bath on the evenings after a session is often a treat. Adding Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) to the bath will reduce any residual soreness.
Finally, enjoy yourself! The alignment series is a wonderful way to explore your body posture and movement. We look forward to sharing this voyage of discovery, healing, and ease together with you.