I'd like to introduce you to the ‘Inhibition concept’, it is part of the Alexander Technique & can apply to anything, anywhere. It’s all about pausing just before we would have done something that we wouldn’t have otherwise had to think about. This could be bending over to put the washing in, adjusting your car / office seat or even signing off that paperwork - something that would have come as ‘second nature’.
Our bodies consist of a series of inbuilt reflexes that co-ordinate our muscles & joints to move in the most energy efficient & healthiest way; lets call this ‘first nature’. Through various activities & postures these reflexes can become suppressed and ‘bad habits’ become our norm or...wait for it....'second nature’. By developing the presence of mind to sometimes stop before we move (like the way a cat pauses or a toddler crawls intermittently), we can perhaps then proceed with a better option that doesn’t put as much stress on the body. It is likely that this action will match one of our suppressed reflexes, so in fact we are not developing a new behaviour but re-learning an old one.
The Inhibition concept isn’t just limited to physical movements; many senior mangers involve its principles when making important decisions. In roles that involve a lot of responsibility or pressure it can be very useful to stop and look at your work patterns & behaviour. Think of it like a personal risk assessment, ask yourself ‘do I always follow the same methods?’ ‘How could I address this differently?’ or ‘do I always get the same outcomes?’ Hopefully you will conclude that you are already operating in the best way in light of everything concerned, but others may find they are able to make a small change that improves their health & productivity.
Hopefully you found this blog entry slightly thought provoking, & if you did – nice work, that was your first recognised instance of inhibition! Remember to ‘inhibit’ all different parts of your lifestyle on a periodic or rolling basis.
Have a great weekend!