What does back tension and back pain have to do with your career, relationship, even your happiness? There are schools of thought that say back pain is related to fear of moving ahead, issues with support, a sense of insecurity.
While these ideas are interesting, the knowledge doesn't much help either your back pain or your wish to work on your personal issues.
One of the most powerful technologies available today that instantaneously addresses both body and mind issues is called the Feldenkrais Method.
This method was developed over 40 years of research to help people move better, feel better and understand the body/mind connection in a stress free environment.
Dr.
Moshe Feldenkrais believed that how you move is how you move through life and that pain is a signal that there is confusion in how you are organized - physically, mentally and emotionally.
He developed thousands of lessons that address every function of the human being.
There are certified Feldenkrais teachers all over the world.
Most of the lessons are done lying down on a comfortable mat, or on a padded table if it's a private lesson.
However, you can also relax your back sitting in a chair as well.
Before we begin the lesson however, let's take a moment to think about how we use the word "back" in common language.
"I got your back", "Back stabber" "Back against the wall".
My favorite is "So what's holding you back?" If you wish, take a piece of paper and write that question down.
Maybe you'll be able to think of some obstacles you're encountering right now in your life.
Maybe you can't figure it out, and you just leave it blank.
When you've finished writing, sit forward on your chair, so that your back is away from the chair back and your feet can be flat on the floor.
Notice how this feels - is it comfortable? Stressful? Turn your attention to your sitz bones, the two bones that press into the chair under your buttocks.
If you have a cushioned chair it may be hard to sense them.
Feel free to put your hands underneath and sense the weight on your palms.
Notice if the two sitz bones rest evenly on the chair or on your hands.
Is one in front of the other? Heavier than the other? More defined? Or are they symmetrical? If you have your hands underneath, remove them.
Imagine your torso and head are connected, as if you were a tree trunk.
Begin tilting forward and back.
Feel your head moving forward and back as your entire trunk tilts forward and back.
Back and forth, rocking on your sit bones.
Pause.
Now try the same thing side to side.
Feel how the weight shifts from the right sit bone to the left.
Does one press more easily into the chair than the other? Rest.
You can lean back in your chair if you like.
Come forward to the edge of your chair again.
Think of the four directions you tilted.
Can you now circle around those four points? Tilt forward, side, back side.
Notice your head.
Can you picture that your body describes a shape like a cone? Your pelvis makes a small circle on the chair, your head describes a large circle parallel to the ceiling, and the rest of you tilts around, like the Tin Man.
Repeat this several times.
Notice how the two sides touch differently.
With Awareness Through Movement, it's not about trying to fix something, it's about noticing what is taking place.
The changes happen as a result of paying attention, not by forcing something to conform to an outside idea.
Reverse.
Is it different in this direction? Rest.
Come forward in your chair again.
You're going to do the same movement with your pelvis and sit bones, but this time, instead of tilting like a tree trunk, we'll add a bend at the waist.
Tilt backwards several times as you did before.
Now, each time you tilt, pull your stomach in a little and round your back.
Look down as if you wanted to see your pubic bone.
Rest.
Reverse your tilt and arch your back.
Push your stomach out and look up a little.
Try going forward and back.
Do you sense a pattern? Your head goes the opposite way of your pelvis, your back rounds and arches.
Rest.
Try going left and right.
Now as you shift your weight to the left, let your head tilt to the right.
Your right hip comes up.
What do you feel in your ribs? Go side to side, letting your head go opposite.
Exhale as you shift.
Let's connect these dots.
Make a circle with your pelvis as you did before.
But now, take the time to let your head always be opposite where your weight is.
What is the shape of your spine at an moment? Reverse the circle.
Get up and walk around, see how your back feels.
Now that your back feels a little freer, go back to your piece of paper.
Are some answers appearing about your personal obstacles? Here's your next question: what will support me so that I feel I can move ahead? Have fun!