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Alexander Technique and the Full Squatting Posture

edited August 2007 in Alternative views
Hello. I am from the UK and have just joined this forum. I have had Alexander Technique (AT) lessons in the past and I have a radical perspective on it.

It is well known that children naturally squat on the ground as a sitting posture,
but most Western adults have lost this ability and are usually incapable of
squatting. It seems to me that AT is basically a technique intended to regain some
of the things that are lost because of an inability to squat which are naturally
available to children (including a good neck/head relationship).

I notice that most Western adults are capable of squatting on the ground (full squat) for a short time but they nearly always cannot keep their heels flat on the ground so
they do not have good stability. Unusually, I have the ability to squat on the
ground with heels flat and I have managed to do it for up to 50 minutes at a time.
One problem I have is that it is quite addictive and I tend to over do it. I seem
to have a long standing minor joint or muscle problem in my right knee and I get
minor muscle ache in my right knee if I over do it - and it is enough to force me
to stop squatting for a week or two to remove the muscle ache. Two ideas I can try:
1/Make sure my knees are spread out directly over my feet
2/Build up the squatting duration very gradually - say by a minute a week.

Lying down in the semi supine position seems to help with making full squatting
easier for me to do.

Full squatting does wonders for my back and posture. For example, at other times, I find that when I sit down on a chair, my back is very straight and naturally angles
slightly forward so I do not come into contact with the chair back at all. It would
be an ambition of mine to be able to do a full squat for an indefinate amount of
time.

Many things are is based on squatting, for example:
1/ The act of sitting down is an interrupted full squat (about halfway down the
full squat is interrupted by the chair).
2/ "Monkey" is a semi-squat
3/ The semi-supine position is a sort of squat in a horizontal plain.
4/ Lunges are a type of modified squat.
5/ Squatting is physiologically the best position for childbirth and defecation.

It seems to me that the ability to do a full squat for sustained periods of time is a viable alternative approach to learning the AT. However this approach is only available to a small number of Western adults, as few have this squatting capability. I suspect that a higher proportion of non-Western adults could use this aproach as chair use may be less prevalent.

I would very much appreciate any feedback on this.

Thanks

Comments

  • doddod
    edited August 2007
    I find your comments fascinating. I've always thought that nine tenths of what we do in a typical Alexander lesson is a variation on the theme of squatting. I vividly remember once giving a group lesson to a bunch of teenagers and asking them to squat and finding to my astonishment that not a single one could, at least not with their heels down. However, I also remember giving a lesson to a lady from the Middle East, where, so she told me, queues outside shops or at bus stops are formed of people squatting rather than standing; she could squat beautifully but still had back problems. That said, my one year old grandson is basically walking or squatting all day long, in one fluid movement, and I'm sure it does his back nothing but good.

    On the subject of defecation, when I used to travel around Southern Europe in a camper van with limited facilities, I was always on the lookout for what the French called Turkish - ie, squatting - toilets. I could never understand why other people avoided them like the plague. I also had a friend who used to take groups of Westerners on overland trips through Africa. Most of them, he said, had enormous difficulty comprehending that squatting was the natural position for elimination, and the obvious alternative when there was no supporting pedestal available. He said they would go to almost any extreme to avoid having to squat - hanging onto trees or each other, putting their legs as wide apart as they would go, or simply sitting on nothing in mid air with their thigh muscles screaming.

    Recently, in India, I came across an odd compromise in our hotel room. It was a fully fashioned Western style pedestal toilet of normal size and height; but instead of a seat it had two huge ceramic footrests built into the structure of the bowl itself. Squatting on top of this edifice was awkward and slightly disconcerting. It was hard to fathom what purpose it served but I suppose the designer must have been proud of it.

    I live in England, where squatting toilets are unheard of, except, apparently, in the staff quarters at Heathrow airport, where a lot of people of Indian origin work. The story is that those in charge were getting fed up with having to clean footprints from the toilet seats after too many people had squatted on them, so they installed squatting toilets instead.

    For what it's worth, we have two pedestal toilets in our house. One is in a slightly dingy back room, cold and uninviting. I always squat barefoot on the seat of this one, and have done since I can remember. I try and steer visitors towards the other, so they don't have to sit unknowingly where I have put my feet, but whether it's really preferable to sit where others have put their bums, I don't know.

    Although the inability to squat is clearly a manifestation of poor use, I don't know if it necessarily follows that being able to squat means our use is good. I imagine it's possible to squat with heels on the ground while still maintaining a stiff neck. I suspect athlete's do this in training.

    Nicholas
  • Hello Nicholas

    Thanks for your interesting comments. I think the use of chairs usually completely undermines a child's ability to squat as they grow up. The problem most adults have with not being able to squat with heels down, is because the achilles tendon usually becomes much shorter due to lack of squatting and poor "use". I think it is impossible for Western adults who cannot squat with their heels down to do anything to rectify this.

    Your point about athletes - they often do dynamic repetitive exercises such as squat thrusts, squat lunges but I am not aware of any athletes doing a static full squat posture as part of their training. There is also no reason why most athletes would normally have the ability to squat with heels on the ground except I would have thought many gymnasts or ballet dancers would be able to do this.

    I forgot to mention that full squatting is also apparently good for the heart and blood circulation.

    The AT is a technique that works for many people but surely the idea of "use" is just a construct. It seems very logical to me that if you can squat with heels flat with ease for sustained periods of time, the poise and balance of your whole body (including neck and head) will benefit greatly and replicate the poise that young children have - and therefore replicate the beneficial affects of AT.

    Although squatting is quite often mentioned in AT literature, this idea that a few adults may be able to squat as well as young children seems to have been overlooked. Doubtless Alexander himself couldn't squat with heels down so this angle was never explored. As I mentioned, there are probaby many non-Western adults who can do this but not many Western adults, but I am one. But you can either do it or you can't.

    David
  • Hello David,

    It's certainly possible for adults to unlearn their inability to squat with heels down. I've witnessed it many times after giving enough lessons. Whether they can then squat for long periods or in sustained comfort is another matter.

    I believe Alexander could squat easily. I've either seen film footage of this or read about the ease with which he did it. Unfortunately, I can't remember the source.

    Chairs (and pottys) are a curse for children.

    I believe there's an Arab proverb along the lines of: Why stand when you can squat.

    Here's a couple of interesting links:

    http://www.relfe.com/toilet_seat_constipation.html

    http://ezinearticles.com/?How-You-Can-Learn-How-To-Squat-Again&id=627560

    Nicholas
  • Hello Nicholas

    I still think my perspective is basically intact. I just tried a squat with heels up and it is very difficult to keep balance and sustain it for any length of time and it gives no benefit to the rest of the body.

    I did know that Alexander initially squatted when he first started doing first lessons for other people, but squatting ability was never a core part of his teaching. I dont think anyone knows if he could squat with heels down or not, or if he could maintain it for long. You could think of the semi-supine position as a cheating way to squat but in a horizontal plane for people who cant do sustained squatting in comfort with heels down. The semi-supine position certainly has benefits in its own right but so has sustained squatting with heels down.

    I would be surprised if your students who had been taught to squat with heels down could sustain it for very long. Perhaps that is something you could ask then to try !

    Thanks for links. I notice that neither of them mention whether heels are down or not.

    It would be interesting if any other AT teachers or luminaries could comment on my perspective. Is there a good chance that others will comment on this forum or do you know anyone I could email my ideas to ?

    David
  • Just to add that Alexander taught semi-squatting as "monkey" or sitting down on a chair but not full squats as far i am aware.
  • Hello David,

    I'm afraid this forum is not the busiest in terms of imput. I wish I could be more sanguine. Let's wait and see is anyone responds.

    In the meantime, I'll think a little more about what you say.

    I'm certainly with you in seeing little if any value in being able to squat with heels up!

    Nicholas
  • I did 15 minutes of full squatting last night for the first tme for ages and it gives your back a delicious stretch. This morning the effect was still apparent because i found I stood in a different way and more composure - I can stand composed and still on the same spot for ages If I so wished. This is exactly the same outcome I got from Alexander lessons.

    Another reason why people's achilles tendons get shortened is the prevelance of heels. I guess if you made a habit of wearing heelless shoes or no shoes then that might lengthen the achilles tendon.

    For stabiliy, to get down to ground level people frequently kneel on one leg and do a squat with heels up on the other leg, or alternatively kneel on both legs.

    David
  • Hi Nicholas, I've been reading this discussion about squatting with interest as I have recently been taught how to crawl in two time (can also be done in four time, I understand). Certainly the head/neck/back relationship is paramount when crawling and reminded me very much of the position I am in whilst swimming front crawl (Shaw Method). In the crawl position this is taking the squat even further, as certainly the monkey position is adopted from the horizontal position before one is on all fours.
  • Hello,

    It's good to hear from you again.

    I've come to appreciate recently the importance of the way the hips work. The degree of fluidity and freedom in the hip joint directly affects the pelvis and back (and neck and head) in a way that I'm beginning to suspect doesn't work so well in reverse. In other words, paying attention to the head/neck/back relationship doesn't necessarily guarantee freedom in the hips. I'm going to write something about this soon because I've had an experience this summer with my walking that has shaken my understanding of how rigid it is possible to become while believing I am anything but.

    I'm sure the same applies to swimming. Unfortunately, I'm a lazy swimmer, who can't manage more than a few lengths without getting bored. I tend to wallow rather than make strokes.

    The key to the matter of freedom seems to me to depend on a greater willingness to experience something new than is typically available through inhibition and direction. I'll explain this more fully at a later date.

    Nicholas
  • Thanks Nichaols, look forward to reading your comments.

    I have a swimming lesson this evening - front crawl has now been mastered to the point of the full stroke with breathing, so I'm delighted. I'm sure you would enjoy a few lessons in the Shaw Method as it's far from boring and certainly changed what I previously thought of as swimming. My hips are certainly crucial to the front crawl in terms of the kick and the rotation.

    I attended the Alexander Technique workshop in Tuscany last month with Michael Frederick, Elizabeth Walker and Steven Shaw, amongst others. Feeling a human neck (Michael Frederick's) go from a slump to full height for the first time (not once, but twice) was all very exciting, at least to me, who had never felt this in someone else before. Also visited the Constructive Teaching Centre upon my return & have an invitation to return at some point.
  • I've outlined some recent experiences with my hips in this article here:

    http://at.dodman.org/discussion/53/the-use-of-the-hips/#Item_1

    It may be of interest to those following this thread.
  • I was reading Teach Yourself Alexander Technique (?) and it discussed squatting and the fact that your body uses pressure on the feet to determine whether it is standing or laying down. If it is standing than it autmotaically cues the postural muscles to work. The theory seems to be that squatting is good because your body will relearn to use the postural muscles. Normal sitting on the other hand is deemed to be bad because although the feet are on the ground the body is allowed to rest in some ways like lying down the end result is that you use voluntary muscles to support yourself.
    Not all of this makes sense to me:
    I specifically wanted to find out more about the foot indicating certain muscles to fire but the book included no references.
    Other places I have seen have indicated that the problem with chairs, especially for children is that their feet don't touch the ground.

    Other notes:
    There seems to be some discrepancy about what the postural muscles are. In some locations they seem to be synonymous with antigravity muscles. The antigravity muscles are often clearly volutnary muscles: gluteus maximus, hamstrings, etc.

    Heels up
    So, (according to the theory in the book) I am wondering if people who squat with the heels up are getting the benefits that they might get from putting them down and sitting on a book?
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