Ann Rodiger is an Alexander Technique teacher in New York City and the author of How to Sit Your Body at Work: A guide to sitting at your workstation based on the Alexander Technique.
Robert Rickover interviews her.
Robert: “A lot of people today spend a lot of time sitting. Usually when the topic of sitting comes up, it comes up in the context of ergonomics, which discusses what kind of chair you’re sitting in and where to place computer terminals, etc.”
Ann: “If they could expand to include the person and how they’re moving, that would help. I think that people think that the way they are is a given and that they can’t change themselves.”
“The three big problems I see the most are back pain, carpal tunnel and headaches. I think they have to do with how they’re working. People often say that they don’t have time to think about that, but when they just give themselves a little attention to what they’re doing, things can change quickly.”
“The place to start is how much can you ease up the pressure on your body, particularly the head and the neck. Can you allow your three-dimensional neck to be easy and then to allow your head to balance on top of your spine?”
Alexander Technique teachers never advise someone to “sit up straight” or to “stand up straight.” You can sit up straight and be incredibly tense. This does you more harm than slumping a bit and letting go of that unnecessary tension.
Ann: “It’s useful to have a variety of chairs to sit in so you don’t get stuck and you give yourself recuperation from one chair with something else.”
Galen Kranz (an Alexander Technique teacher and a professor of architecture at U.C. Berkeley) wrote the book The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body, and Design. She recommends sitting in a stool 50% higher than a regular chair.
Ann: “I like to sit on a high cushion. I can keep my feet on the floor more easily that way. It helps me to stay more upright.”
