Climbing stairs backwards

[gavinmccloskey2007]

I have recently been experimenting with some more of John's type specific imagery,  and am finding that there is definite value there, they bring very noticeable changes in how I am holding myself. 

The attached exercise has inspired a few thoughts. Details of how to do it can be found here: 

http://posturereleaseimagery.org/and/johns-blog/

One is about the usefulness of imagining doing an action without actually carrying it out. For example,  when visualising yourself with the muscular tonus of the yellow arrow figure, you are supposed to also imagine that you are walking backwards down a set of stairs. 

Of course,  Alexander spent a lot of time doing this kind of thing,  imagining performing actions without carrying them out. What I have learned more recently is that there is a long tradition of this kind of thing in Qi Gong/Chi Kung practise. For example the set of exercises called Da Mo Wai Dan involves things like holding you arms out and imagining clenching your fists,  but not actually doing it. 

I would be very interested to know whether Alexander had any exposure to these Eastern ideas,  or whether he arrived at his ideas totally independently of any influence from the Eastern traditions. 

The second thing I want to mention is the value in actually making a regular practise of walking backwards,  and particularly when going up and down stairs. 

I think I mentioned in a recent post that you do see people doing this sometimes in parks here in China,  and that they do recognise that at least part of its value is in how it affects the neck and shoulders. I find it an incredibly powerful practise for bringing about good use, and I think that using stairs is more powerful than doing it on even ground. Even a few minutes of this backwards stairs walking has a very noticeable effect of bringing about freeing of the neck,  lengthening and widening of the back,  etc. 

Anyone who is trying to do AT alone may find great benefit from it. It would,  I find,  also be enhanced by sensing the tonus opposite to your type, in John's system. And some people may find more benefit by walking upstairs, some by going down. 

I would like to mention that it is important when doing this backwards walking to do it mindfully and while paying attention to the primary control. 

I am still trying to think what the difference would be in the results of purely imagining the walking,  rather than actually doing it,  as in John's exercise. But one thing is clear, that AT, Feldenkrais, and Qi Gong all find value in imagining doing things rather than doing them. Imagining walking backwards might work more on manner of use,  or on subtle neurophysiology connections,  while doing it might actually improve conditions of use more? Any thoughts? 

Gavin