Apply the Movement Principles
In the last week, I have talked about seven different principles involved with the movement. The sole purpose of posture-movement education is to teach you how to live life with the least effort and generate the most power. It’s learning how to be comfortable while doing anything. I have been going live on Facebook every single day and sharing updates regarding my 60-day wellness cleanse. You can check out these blog posts HERE.
Now it’s time to apply the movement principles to your daily activities. For the next couple of days, we will talk about how you can put these principles into action for your routine tasks. Today, let’s discuss the activity of getting in and out of a chair. It is an everyday activity that we don’t think much about, and a super activity to learn how to move better with more power.
Getting In and Out of a Chair
You can only focus on one feeling at a time. So it’s best to slow down a movement or keep it simple to see how it feels. Simpler actions can be assessed better than complex activities like walking and running. Here are the two different ways I know to get more comfortable while sitting and getting off the chair:
1. The Embodiment Method
I learned this method from my mentor, Dr. R. Grant Ramey. You can learn more about him HERE. In this method, he talks about actually looking down the track as you get off the chair. This technique suggests rounding your back slightly (vertebrae flexed forward), bending at your hips, and tracking your eyes from your feet to where you are going when leaving the chair. See the video below with Dr. Ramey’s expert instruction.
2. Alexander Technique
Alexander focuses on minimizing the movement without coiling your back or looking at your feet. This technique suggests keeping your back and neck long as you pivot at your hips until your trunk is better leveraged over your feet. It helps you to lift off easily, focusing on your center of gravity. See the video below to understand more.
Why Learning To Get Off the Chair Is Important?
As I have said before, there is no right or wrong position for your movements. You can get on and get off the chair any way that suits your body. But of course, the purpose is to engage in all activities with power and grace. Remember to connect your feelings to your movements and pay attention to how you feel as you get off the chair. The goal is to do this with the least effort, so it doesn’t cause overstrained postures that lead to more imbalance and dysfunction, pain, and disease.
Learning to get off the chair might seem a little thing. But how you do anything is how you do everything. As you practice getting in and out of a chair, always see how you feel as you go through the motion. If you understand how to be more comfortable here, that will transfer to other activities and life will be better with more comfort and power.
