From my early teens I was suffering from lower back problems. When I wasn't stooped over a desk, I was slumped before a computer. By the time I was 16 I was kayaking Internationally, a sport where again I was in a seated position. All this physical exercise had helped me develop stronger back and 'core' muscles, so I presumed this would have helped with back pain. Yet, the pain I was experiencing only got worse. Sitting was uncomfortable, standing was quickly exhausting.
I was told to try 'back strengthening exercises', which only exasperated the problem. Some stretches offered temporary relief but it was very temporary, other stretches made it worse. I gave up trying to relieve the problem. By my twenties, I had back pain constantly. I was constantly shifting around trying to 'get comfortable'. Working at a computer in an office, I also began to develop Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) in my wrists, which would send shooting pains that sometimes caused me to drop whatever I was holding. I tried different treatments for relief, but nothing changed.
In 2004, I tried the Alexander Technique. I had no information about it, other than a vague description as it being a 're-education' and something about posture. During my first session, the teacher got me to notice what I was doing in my normal movements. He worked with me for a while, then took me back from standing to sitting. It didn't register immediately, but it slowly dawned on me that I sat on the chair with what felt like no effort. I didn't even feel a need to lean back, or slump. The teacher emphasised I would need to continue what I was learning between sessions, to make the change last.
I left feeling more grounded than I had ever remembered. I was glad that finally there was someone who could explain and show why I was in the condition I was, and how I could change it. That alone was such a revelation that I began taking regular sessions. I eventually became free from the pain that first brought me to take Alexander Technique sessions. In 2006, fuelled by interest in sharing the Alexander Technique's benefits with others, I enrolled in the 3-year teacher's training course in Galway.
These days I am liberated from the back pain and discomfort that first took me to sessions, the RSI has long gone. Aches and pains no longer dominate my life. But I haven't just been freed from pain, I have more energy since I waste a lot less. Standing, walking and moving in general can be a pleasure in and of itself, where before it was just awkward and uncomfortable. I enjoy my recovered sense of freedom and always try make the most of it.
