What is it about adulthood that makes us become stiff in our movement? Is it our destiny as we grow older to lose our flexibility, narrow our range of motion and suffer from aches and pains? Luckily, the answer to the latter question is a definite no. We can regain lost flexibility by learning how our bodies are designed to move.

More than 100 years ago, Frederick Matthias Alexander discovered that we all have an inherited organization of the head, neck, and back that works well when we are children, but becomes dull with time, like any mechanism that is not being properly used. Alexander created a method to regain this inherited organization, which he called the Primary Control.

Through studying Alexander Technique, we become aware of our habits that prevent the Primary Control from working properly, and then we guide ourselves back to moving fluidly with less effort, just as we did as children.

Habitual patterns of movement that cause stiffness, discomfort or pain can all be gone with a commitment to studying the Alexander Technique. I’ve been there. I had tension in my shoulders that limited my arm movement, and I had a hump in my back. But after months of lessons (versus years of bad use), my accumulated tension was gone.

Because of my personal journey, I became a believer in the Alexander Technique. Fortunately, there are many opportunities to learn it in New York City. Just stay curious and open to learning, and the reward will be priceless.

Mona Al-Kazemi teaches the Alexander Technique and is a member of Think AT, an Alexander Technique education studio based in New York City. For more information, contact her at 646-632-5181 or visit Think-AT.com.