| People often complain about rounded shoulders. | | | | probably not limited to your shoulders, but is |
| There are many fitness exercises for correcting | | | | repeated throughout the body. |
| this problem but the Alexander Technique | | | | 4 Don't pull your shoulders back. |
| perspective is a little different. Exercise is | | | | Pulling your shoulders backward narrows the back |
| important, but no matter how many corrective | | | | of your torso and continues the habit of drawing |
| strengthening exercises you do, posture is mostly | | | | the body inward (backward and inward instead of |
| the result of postural habits and how you | | | | forward and inward). Pulling your shoulders back is |
| perceive your body. The following tips can help | | | | also tiring, makes moving your arms almost |
| you make better choices about your shoulders | | | | impossible (you can't move your arms freely while |
| whether or not you exercise. | | | | pulling your shoulders back) and it impedes |
| 1 Rounded shoulders? | | | | breathing because the bones of the shoulders |
| While everyone can benefit from these tips, your | | | | have to move in response to your breath. |
| shoulders may not be as rounded as you think. | | | | 5 Allow your shoulders to drift away from each |
| People often want straight lines in their bodies but | | | | other. |
| there are no straight lines in the body. The body | | | | People ask me what they should do with their |
| is made of curves, every bone is curved, and a | | | | shoulders and where they should put them. The |
| gentle curve across the upper back is normal. I | | | | answer requires some imagination. If the upper |
| like to think of the body as an arch made of | | | | back is a springy kind of arch, then the ends of |
| arches or a spring made of springs. By thinking | | | | the shoulders would tend to go away from each |
| about these tips you might find greater openness | | | | other like the ends of an archer's bow. Instead of |
| and strength within the arch across your upper | | | | actively drawing the shoulders forward or back, |
| back. | | | | or doing anything with them, imagine that they |
| 2 Your shoulders are behind you. | | | | are drifting away from each other. You can also |
| Your shoulders support your arms and their | | | | think of that in several other ways: |
| structure comes mostly from the back of your | | | | - Gently point your shoulders away from each |
| torso, not the front. You may think that your | | | | other as if you are pointing your fingers. |
| shoulders are in front of you, but it helps to think | | | | - Place each thumb on the end of its |
| of them as behind you. Take a moment to feel | | | | corresponding shoulder and imagine a very great |
| both of your shoulder blades with your hands and | | | | distance from one thumb to the other. |
| also feel where your arms attach to your | | | | - Imagine your shoulders filling up the space on |
| shoulders. After that, feel your shoulder blades | | | | either side of you. |
| again and try to be a little more aware of the | | | | Conclusion |
| back of your upper torso. | | | | One of the goals of the Alexander Technique is |
| 3 Where are your shoulders going? | | | | to help you improve your idea about how your |
| Whether or not your shoulders are overly | | | | body works and how the parts of your body |
| rounded, most people do tend to narrow the | | | | relate to each other. Sometimes just a new |
| upper back at least to some extent. This same | | | | conception of your body can foster improvement |
| habit of drawing parts of the body inward is | | | | in how it looks and functions. |