Use affects functioning affects structure. (And the other way round)
Do you know your structure? Do you know how your body is build up? The way you think in terms of your structure affects the way you use yourself.
Crucial Questions:
Where does the head rest on top of the spine. Where is it? Can you show me?
Where is your nek located really?
What about your shoulders, how are they connected to your torso?
How does the movement of the ribs look like?
Do you know about the bones of the underarms? They can rotate over each other. It is a delicious and truly amazing movement.
How long are your fingers, where does your thumb start?
Where is your back or where does your back stop? At your waist? Sorry, wrong answer.
How does your pelvis look like? Your sitting bones? How are the legs connected to your torso?
Let's talk about your feet. how does the design of your heel look like?
I could go on like that.
These are all things I did not know before I became an AT teacher. To be conscious about the structure and functioning helped me a great deal in using myself in a less restricted, more balanced way. It helped me to use my body as it was designed to be used! It made a massive difference for good.
Not being clear about ones structure and design could result in a faulty use of nek and head, in restricted breathing, in a shortened back, stiff shoulders, stiffnes in arms, tight hands and fingers, tightness in the pelvic area and lots of tension in the feet.
Being clear (!) about structure and design will result in a freely balanced head on top of the spine, a lenghtened soft nek, a long and wide back, great range of the shoulder movement, full and deep breathing, ease in the arms, soft yet firm hands, legs that move with ease, freedom in the hips, feet that spread on the ground yet firm up naturally against the resistance of the ground.
What would you prefer?
P.s. That's what the Alexander Technique can teach you ;).