What you must do to lose your bad back
The Smiling Back Method of the Alexander Technique

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A smiling back is a healthy, pain-free back
So stop frowning with your back
The road that leads to a healthy, smiling back

A smiling back is a healthy, pain-free back

A smiling back is strong and vibrant. It goes with smiling eyes. Just as a person with smiling eyes enjoys being friendly and helpful because it feels good, so a person with a smiling back enjoys doing everything, even the little unimportant things, effortlessly, gracefully and supremely well — because that feels good too.

But that effortless flow that feels so good disappears when your back returns to its habitual frown.

So stop frowning with your back

Why put up with a frowning back that’s constantly in pain? A back that gets irritated with every new little thing you have to do?

Say good-bye to your bad old irritated, uncomfortable and painful back. Then:–

Instead of being irritated when somebody asks you to do yet another thing, you will be able to look forward to yet another job well done.
Instead of sitting fidgety and uncomfortable in front of your computer all day at work, you will be able to be relaxed and alert. You will be able to fly through your work with no sense of difficulty or unease.
Instead of having to pop pills in order to get through the day and then collapsing painfully on the settee in front of the television, you will be able to get back to doing all those things you used to enjoy. All those things you stopped doing because you were too tired and your back was too painful.

So how do you turn your tired, painful, frowning back into a healthy, energetic, smiling back? To persuade your frowning back to break into a smile you must find the road that leads to a smiling back.

The road that leads to a healthy, smiling back

If you been reading some of the over 100 articles on this site, you’ll realise that there’s a lot to find out and a lot to do to develop a healthy back and acquire genuine good posture.

Find the right road

If you don’t follow the right road, you’ll get lost along the way. You’ll remain stuck with your ill-tempered back and slouchy posture.

The right road isn’t difficult if you can get someone guide you along the way. So that’s what I’m doing here, now. The instructions below are your A-Z map from wherever you are to your very own smiling back.

Like anything really worthwhile, you can’t do it all at once, so I’ve divided the route into two stages. Each stage of your journey has many legs. Each leg is at the very least a day’s journey. Don’t take short cuts: short cuts just get you lost. Here’s stage 1.

The Smiling Back Method, stage 1

The first stage of your journey has just three legs: three things you need to know in order to begin turning your own back into a real smiling back.

These three things you you need to know are:–

How and when to lie down.
How to allow the right thing to do itself.
How to over-rule your Demented Mechanic.

1. How and when to lie down

Discovering how and when to lie down is the first leg of your journey.

Start by watching this video. Lying down is widely recognised as very valuable. What isn’t recognised (except in the Smiling Back Method) is how often you should be lying down. That’s because you can’t recognise this need for frequency — not until you see and understand the part your Demented Mechanic plays.

When you’ve watched the video, download and read this booklet: “The Hows & Whys of Semi-Supine”. As you read it, start doing everything it tells you. Read a chapter then do it. Then read another chapter and do what it tells you. Then on to the next chapter.

Make sure you follow the map I’m giving you. You don’t want to get lost do you? When you’ve completed the first leg, sleep on it. You really need a night’s sleep before you’re ready for the second leg of your journey.

2. How to allow the right thing to do itself

Discovering how to let the right thing do itself is the second leg of your journey.

Read this article to get you started. This is the real core of the matter.

Everything else you learn and do with the Smiling Back Method will lead you back to this element. This is the element that non Alexander Technique teachers leave out — or only pay lip service to. Even those few who take it seriously forget this factor when the chips are down and they’re anxious to get results. They start to try to make the right thing happen instead of practising the mindful art of standing back and letting the right thing do itself. (Mind you, if we’re not careful that can happen to Alexander teachers too).

Probably the biggest distraction that can make you stop letting the right thing do itself is your Demented Mechanic. You didn’t know you’re carrying a Demented Mechanic around with you, did you? Well you are. Let me introduce you to him, then you can start telling him who’s boss.

3. How to over-rule your Demented Mechanic

Discovering your Demented Mechanic and learning how to over-rule him is the third leg of your journey.

Recognising your Demented Mechanic is also distinctive to the Smiling Back Method. In fact, it was I who discovered the rascal. Even now, most Alexander teachers aren’t aware of their Demented Mechanics. Those who are mostly still don’t take him seriously enough. He’s a crafty old so-and-so, well versed at misleading you into laying the blame for your dysfunctional back somewhere else.

Yet your Demented Mechanic is the main reason why you work your back too hard all the time, even when sitting in a chair. This article explains what your Demented Mechanic does to you and how to fix it. Read the article and start using the information it gives you.

When you’ve read it, work your way through these other articles. They will help you to understand and outwit your Demented Mechanic.

Summary of stage 1

Stage 1 of your journey had three legs. When you’ve completed it, you’ll have discovered:–

How and when to lie down.
How to allow the right thing to do itself.
How to over-rule your Demented Mechanic.

Now on to stage 2.

The Smiling Back Method, stage 2

This second stage of the journey is much more individual. To move on to stage 2 of the Smiling Back Method, you will need a lot more personal input from me.

If you can’t get to me for in-person Alexander Technique lessons, you’ll need to do both these things:–

Take in-person lessons from another Alexander Technique teacher
Explore the Smiling Back Method itself with me on the Smiling Back Method forum, Repoise.

Your Alexander teacher can take you on an excellent journey but without the Smiling Back Method you still wouldn’t get rid of the frown in your back. As you’ve seen above, there is a lot that your other teacher can’t teach you (and there’s a lot more that I haven’t mentioned here).

To replace the frown in your back with a true smile, you’ll need daily access to me. You can get that through the Repoise membership site.

Your next step

So your next step is to go to Repoise.com and get yourself a membership. If you’ve any doubts or questions after reading the home page of Repoise.com, email me and tell me what’s on your mind. Because, without my direct input, you’re really never going to progress beyond stage one.

If you want personal help with stage one, you can get that too at Repoise.com.