Posture and the Alexander Technique
This article is about the Alexander Technique and it approaches the Alexander Technique from a specific viewpoint which will be obvious. For one, the Alexander Technique was originally developed by an actor skilled in recitation and you may ask how can such a technique have anything to do with ergonomics. Still this article aims to write about the Alexander Technique from the ergonomic viewpoint. What indeed is the ergonomic viewpoint? What indeed is ergonomics? What is the human body? Indeed, since the body is so personal and so directly related to who we are as persons, we can ask what is my body? Can I have better sensory awareness of my body? Sensory awareness is important and this may be different to body awareness. In the modern world, it is clear that the body is more than just a collection of senses. It is really central to our world. Think of things like cosmetic surgery, exercise, diet, design re: anything body-related and you can think of the body as something conceptually central to many areas of study and work in the world. And here we have the term work and the body and work go together. It is best not to go into the philosophical and analyse what is the body as compared to the senses. This article is an introductory article to ergonomics and what can be termed concrete areas such as the Body, Posture, Designing for the Human Body etc.The origin of the Alexander Technique is interesting and it aids, inter alia, in a study of what posture is and a proper definition of posture. Frederick Matthias Alexander was an actor and Shakespearian orator who began to lose his speech. He gleaned that this was connected to the way he posed, the way he used his body. He saw that he was stiff. He was making his body stiff. This could be described as a holistic approach because it aimed to connect the body as a whole with a specific problem. Still this is not correct either. It is not holistic in the sense that the solution to the problem doesn't require a holistic understanding but it does see that the body can be understood not just from a medical angle but from other angles I.e. from an ergonomic angle and this latter angle is directly connected to posture, Designing for the Human Body etc. Alexander noted that most actors tightened their upper torso before speaking. He noticed various signs where there was not proper body alignment. Body alignment, this is a term that is important in Ergonomics and posture but it will not be defined in this introductory article. He noticed too certain tension before the act of speaking. Here the act of speaking is mentioned but in the Alexander technique, it is really the act of phonation. Thus as a beginner in ergonomics, it is important to be clear about the act that is happening. The act that happens is phonation rather than speaking. The tightening of the body also would refer to tightening of certain areas of musculature. Alexander noted too that the tightening in the upper torso affected the head movement which then affected the spine. A knowledge of musculature in the body is certainly important for ergonomics and posture. Alexander noted that the head was not moving or rotating correctly in recitation. The effect of recitation is thus influenced by a whole range of causes. And in a way, Alexander aimed to understand the cause of why he was losing his voice. It was a causal analysis of which posture was central. We see then that there is no express medical solution but if there is a medical solution, it is not what Alexander was looking for. Alexander was aiming to understand the body in a specific way. A knowledge of musculature is important but it is not overly important. Posture is not directly medical. Correct posture involves something else. A study of posture treats the human body in a way that Medicine and related disciplines doesn't. In a way, Posture and Pose (which is related to it) is directly connected to an artistic and cultural view of the human person or body. See how the human body can be understood. Obviously the Alexander Technique was not fully analysed and described above but you can see how the Human Body is viewed in Ergonomics and related areas such as Posture and the Alexander Technique.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Posture and Position
This article was written by me. It was submitted to some article sites but I removed it.
Posture and Position
This article is about Posture. It aims to define Posture from the viewpoint of ergonomics as well as design in general. Posture is certainly a key concept in ergonomics but it is a concept that is important to understand re: design in general. A proper definition and understanding of posture would tell us a lot about the human body. I have written an article on photography and my interest in posture comes from a wish to understand the human body in a scientific and objective way. If you want to understand what posture and position is, you are approaching the study of the human body from a particular viewpoint. I think this viewpoint is the viewpoint of areas like ergonomics and design in general.
You can find definitions of Posture and Position in dictionaries. Position and Posture are concepts that are necessarily linked because some definitions of Posture use the concept ‘position’. Thus, firstly, one can say that ‘position’ is a more general term than ‘posture’.
Thus ‘position’ is a term for a so-called ‘configuration of the human body‘. Think of positions too in choreography or choreographic positions. You may have difficulty thinking of positions and you can think of positions in dance or performance. Remember dance or performance routines and think specifically of the so-called position of the human body before the actual performance. Think of specific positions of soldiers as they guard a building. Now a problem here is that the former positions referring to dance and choreography also can possibly be called ’poses’.
‘Position’ is an important concept in choreography as well as designing and directing. ‘Position’ can be understood thus in an artistic way. Note models as they turn their necks to emphasise the throat and perhaps to emphasise the drape of an accessory e.g. a scarf,. This latter so-called element of posture which is apparent in a ‘turn of the head’ must be carried through to the rest of the body. The whole body has a posture, you might say, or it is better to say that this particular human body has a posture. It is not perhaps wise to use the term ‘whole body’. Maybe indeed, you can say the whole body has a certain position and even you can say that the individual here is striking a pose. Thus the terms ‘position’ ‘ pose’ and ‘posture’ are certainly linked.
So when we talk about the model turning her head in a specific way, is this a position or a posture? Maybe it is better called a ‘pose’. Remember that ‘position’ describes a so-called configuration of the human body. It is important indeed to define what configuration is but when defining these two terms, ‘position’ and ‘posture’, it is better to describe particular instances, or particular ‘positions‘ of the human body and then you can ask whether it is better to call the latter ‘postures‘, ‘poses‘ or even just ‘positions‘. It is not wise to talk about posture and position abstractly especially if one is looking at these terms an ergonomic or design viewpoint or maybe you want better information about the nature of the human body.
Note specifically that ‘position’ is a general term. ‘Position’ then is a general term and it refers to the body and its configuration. The body can be still and it can move. Position, some might say, is an attribute of the human body but in some way this is too philosophical or abstract. And there is a danger of defining terms like position, posture and pose in an abstract way. One can easily get mired in an abstract definition of ‘position’ and related terms. It is better to look at what we have. How are terms like ‘posture’ and ‘pose’ generally used? Are ‘postures’ and ‘poses’ just types of ‘positions’? In ordinary speak, for example, we can ask what a good posture is. Thus posture relates to health and ergonomics. Posture relates to a position taken habitually or intentionally. If the posture is taken habitually, this refers to the way we position ourselves without thinking at desks and workplaces.
Thus, health workers and ergonomists can say what a good posture is. Health wise, a good posture is a so-called good position for a human body to assume. Posture thus seems to describe something intentional or habitual. These are good words to use and of course these words ‘intentional’ and ‘habitual’ are specifically used in definitions for ‘posture‘.
One can in some way equate ‘position’ with ‘posture’ but ‘posture’ is a word that is used re: health issues and ergonomical issues . A term such as ‘pose’ refers more to something artistic and a pose can be intentional too. However, when a model poses for an artist, you don’t say that the model is deliberately or intentionally doing something. Thus ‘pose’ seems to be something particular; it refers to a particular position within a specific domain e.g. modelling. ‘Posture’ refers to something more concerned with ergonomics and health related issues.
Posture seems to relate directly to position but when one discusses posture in an area like ergonomics, one is obviously concerning ourselves with specific scientific issues e.g. a certain configuration of the human body. We may stand straight and this standing straight can be categorised as a pose perhaps. We might call this a ‘straight pose’ or a true perpendicular demure pose but re: ergonomics, it is a ‘posture’ too. This shows how a pose can be linked to a posture. Posture then is deliberate in the sense of deliberately configuring the body in a way that the human can. Maybe it is not possible to take a posture without some guidance but you can still say that you are deliberately trying to configure the body in some way. For example, if you are standing straight, you may be paying attention to the curve line at the back. (This, of course, is not technical language and I am not a technical expert) . This curve line refers to so-called body curves such as the cervical curve, thoracic curve and lumbar curve. In this ‘straight’ posture, you pay attention also to your legs and your knees in particular perhaps. And there is a specific line called the vertical gravity line that one should pay attention to also.
The last part of this article aimed to particularly discuss posture. Posture is something important in the world of ergonomics and design.
Posture and Position
This article is about Posture. It aims to define Posture from the viewpoint of ergonomics as well as design in general. Posture is certainly a key concept in ergonomics but it is a concept that is important to understand re: design in general. A proper definition and understanding of posture would tell us a lot about the human body. I have written an article on photography and my interest in posture comes from a wish to understand the human body in a scientific and objective way. If you want to understand what posture and position is, you are approaching the study of the human body from a particular viewpoint. I think this viewpoint is the viewpoint of areas like ergonomics and design in general.
You can find definitions of Posture and Position in dictionaries. Position and Posture are concepts that are necessarily linked because some definitions of Posture use the concept ‘position’. Thus, firstly, one can say that ‘position’ is a more general term than ‘posture’.
Thus ‘position’ is a term for a so-called ‘configuration of the human body‘. Think of positions too in choreography or choreographic positions. You may have difficulty thinking of positions and you can think of positions in dance or performance. Remember dance or performance routines and think specifically of the so-called position of the human body before the actual performance. Think of specific positions of soldiers as they guard a building. Now a problem here is that the former positions referring to dance and choreography also can possibly be called ’poses’.
‘Position’ is an important concept in choreography as well as designing and directing. ‘Position’ can be understood thus in an artistic way. Note models as they turn their necks to emphasise the throat and perhaps to emphasise the drape of an accessory e.g. a scarf,. This latter so-called element of posture which is apparent in a ‘turn of the head’ must be carried through to the rest of the body. The whole body has a posture, you might say, or it is better to say that this particular human body has a posture. It is not perhaps wise to use the term ‘whole body’. Maybe indeed, you can say the whole body has a certain position and even you can say that the individual here is striking a pose. Thus the terms ‘position’ ‘ pose’ and ‘posture’ are certainly linked.
So when we talk about the model turning her head in a specific way, is this a position or a posture? Maybe it is better called a ‘pose’. Remember that ‘position’ describes a so-called configuration of the human body. It is important indeed to define what configuration is but when defining these two terms, ‘position’ and ‘posture’, it is better to describe particular instances, or particular ‘positions‘ of the human body and then you can ask whether it is better to call the latter ‘postures‘, ‘poses‘ or even just ‘positions‘. It is not wise to talk about posture and position abstractly especially if one is looking at these terms an ergonomic or design viewpoint or maybe you want better information about the nature of the human body.
Note specifically that ‘position’ is a general term. ‘Position’ then is a general term and it refers to the body and its configuration. The body can be still and it can move. Position, some might say, is an attribute of the human body but in some way this is too philosophical or abstract. And there is a danger of defining terms like position, posture and pose in an abstract way. One can easily get mired in an abstract definition of ‘position’ and related terms. It is better to look at what we have. How are terms like ‘posture’ and ‘pose’ generally used? Are ‘postures’ and ‘poses’ just types of ‘positions’? In ordinary speak, for example, we can ask what a good posture is. Thus posture relates to health and ergonomics. Posture relates to a position taken habitually or intentionally. If the posture is taken habitually, this refers to the way we position ourselves without thinking at desks and workplaces.
Thus, health workers and ergonomists can say what a good posture is. Health wise, a good posture is a so-called good position for a human body to assume. Posture thus seems to describe something intentional or habitual. These are good words to use and of course these words ‘intentional’ and ‘habitual’ are specifically used in definitions for ‘posture‘.
One can in some way equate ‘position’ with ‘posture’ but ‘posture’ is a word that is used re: health issues and ergonomical issues . A term such as ‘pose’ refers more to something artistic and a pose can be intentional too. However, when a model poses for an artist, you don’t say that the model is deliberately or intentionally doing something. Thus ‘pose’ seems to be something particular; it refers to a particular position within a specific domain e.g. modelling. ‘Posture’ refers to something more concerned with ergonomics and health related issues.
Posture seems to relate directly to position but when one discusses posture in an area like ergonomics, one is obviously concerning ourselves with specific scientific issues e.g. a certain configuration of the human body. We may stand straight and this standing straight can be categorised as a pose perhaps. We might call this a ‘straight pose’ or a true perpendicular demure pose but re: ergonomics, it is a ‘posture’ too. This shows how a pose can be linked to a posture. Posture then is deliberate in the sense of deliberately configuring the body in a way that the human can. Maybe it is not possible to take a posture without some guidance but you can still say that you are deliberately trying to configure the body in some way. For example, if you are standing straight, you may be paying attention to the curve line at the back. (This, of course, is not technical language and I am not a technical expert) . This curve line refers to so-called body curves such as the cervical curve, thoracic curve and lumbar curve. In this ‘straight’ posture, you pay attention also to your legs and your knees in particular perhaps. And there is a specific line called the vertical gravity line that one should pay attention to also.
The last part of this article aimed to particularly discuss posture. Posture is something important in the world of ergonomics and design.
Stature
Stature is defined as the ‘natural height of a human or animal in an upright position. Note the terms ‘ natural’, ‘height’ and then ‘position’ and ‘upright’. One question that can be asked is whether ‘upright’ can be defined as perpendicular? Can the human being truly stand straight like a perpendicular line? Then there is ‘height’ which is a variable of the human being and we have the term ‘natural height’. Natural height in some way equates to ‘upright position’ in that the human stands as straight as he/she can and this position of course is defined as an ‘upright position’. So in some way stature can be defined as the natural height of a human.
Of course, stature is a position and that is important. Without the mention of ‘position’, we could think of stature as the human being in a horizontal position or as lying down or in a certain pose with knee on the ground e.g. And we could measure the human being in this pose but this would not be the human being’s stature because stature refers directly to the human in an upright position. Of course the human being could be sitting in an upright position but then there is the variable of ‘height’ which supposes that the human is standing.
Note too that there is a specific term called ‘short stature’. Here is a quote from wikipedia:
Short stature refers to a height of a human being which is below expected. Shortness is a vague term without a precise definition and with significant relativity to context. Because of the lack of preciseness, there is often disagreement about the degree of shortness that should be called short.
Here is a definition from Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary
Natural height (as of a person) in an upright position.
Of course, stature is a position and that is important. Without the mention of ‘position’, we could think of stature as the human being in a horizontal position or as lying down or in a certain pose with knee on the ground e.g. And we could measure the human being in this pose but this would not be the human being’s stature because stature refers directly to the human in an upright position. Of course the human being could be sitting in an upright position but then there is the variable of ‘height’ which supposes that the human is standing.
Note too that there is a specific term called ‘short stature’. Here is a quote from wikipedia:
Short stature refers to a height of a human being which is below expected. Shortness is a vague term without a precise definition and with significant relativity to context. Because of the lack of preciseness, there is often disagreement about the degree of shortness that should be called short.
Here is a definition from Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary
Natural height (as of a person) in an upright position.
Ergonomics Notes
ERGONOMICS ARTICLE
It's difficult to design something from an ergonomic perspective because ergonomics is mainly about posture. Posture is something deeply connected to the human body and when you aim to link this human body with objects such as a table, computer screen, chair...or maybe you are using a machine of some sort. But let us say that the person is working at a table. Distance from the eyes to the object is important and this distance can be a straight line. One of the interesting things about posture is whether you should look down at a slant or look up at the object/work tool; The relevant question is whether looking down denotes a wrong posture i.e. the shoulders are slumped. Still the human being may be naturally slumped in some way, so that looking down rather than across is something natural and this is rather a pose than a posture. If a person was sitting behind a desk as e.g. a customer representative, would not a posture be better than a pose?
Yes, posture is certainly important to ergonomics but the question must be asked why there is such a linkage. Ergonomics is concerned with ideal work spaces, ideal products for humans. so why is posture important. Does ergonomics require an analysis of posture or is an analysis of posture of more use to other areas. For example, the Alexander Technique is a technique that is not expressly connected to ergonomics but it is connected to posture in an important way. For the successful application of the Alexander Technique requires an understanding of how Posture and Health as well as Posture and Body Performance are related. It requires an understanding of the nature of the human body from the standpoint of posture and related concepts but it is not clear still how ergonomics fits in. Thus a definition of ergonomics may be appropriate here.
Still Ergonomics is not directly related to Posture. Ergonomics is the design of work spaces and tools for the human being. Some definitions mention productivity. You may say however that ergonomics relate to the design of products for the work space and for the human being as the central instrument or element in that work space or the person/human who controls that work space. Still the human being might not control this space. The human being is subordinate to the work space perhaps. Still you must aim to maximise and optimise the product/work area for the benefit of the human so in this way the human is more than just a robot. That is why ergonomics and related concepts like posture are important in that they treat the human body as what it is : a human body and not a machine. Still when one gets into the design of individual products and workspaces, it may be advisable to treat the human body in a specific way. Yes there is the human body but as regards the optimal creation of designs and products, it is necessary perhaps to treat the human as an object. In the design of products also, it is important still to view the human body correctly: is it object or subject ; is it controller or controlled ; is the human meant to control the workspace or be part of the work space in some way? The workspace may be something holistic of which the human is an integral part but only a part.
Ergonomics relates to the correct design of products. Are these products for human use? Yes they are so that the human uses them. They must be fit for use by the human. The human is thus more than a body. We mention the ‘human’ here. And maybe if we mention Posture again, Posture relates to the Human not just the Human Body.
It's difficult to design something from an ergonomic perspective because ergonomics is mainly about posture. Posture is something deeply connected to the human body and when you aim to link this human body with objects such as a table, computer screen, chair...or maybe you are using a machine of some sort. But let us say that the person is working at a table. Distance from the eyes to the object is important and this distance can be a straight line. One of the interesting things about posture is whether you should look down at a slant or look up at the object/work tool; The relevant question is whether looking down denotes a wrong posture i.e. the shoulders are slumped. Still the human being may be naturally slumped in some way, so that looking down rather than across is something natural and this is rather a pose than a posture. If a person was sitting behind a desk as e.g. a customer representative, would not a posture be better than a pose?
Yes, posture is certainly important to ergonomics but the question must be asked why there is such a linkage. Ergonomics is concerned with ideal work spaces, ideal products for humans. so why is posture important. Does ergonomics require an analysis of posture or is an analysis of posture of more use to other areas. For example, the Alexander Technique is a technique that is not expressly connected to ergonomics but it is connected to posture in an important way. For the successful application of the Alexander Technique requires an understanding of how Posture and Health as well as Posture and Body Performance are related. It requires an understanding of the nature of the human body from the standpoint of posture and related concepts but it is not clear still how ergonomics fits in. Thus a definition of ergonomics may be appropriate here.
Still Ergonomics is not directly related to Posture. Ergonomics is the design of work spaces and tools for the human being. Some definitions mention productivity. You may say however that ergonomics relate to the design of products for the work space and for the human being as the central instrument or element in that work space or the person/human who controls that work space. Still the human being might not control this space. The human being is subordinate to the work space perhaps. Still you must aim to maximise and optimise the product/work area for the benefit of the human so in this way the human is more than just a robot. That is why ergonomics and related concepts like posture are important in that they treat the human body as what it is : a human body and not a machine. Still when one gets into the design of individual products and workspaces, it may be advisable to treat the human body in a specific way. Yes there is the human body but as regards the optimal creation of designs and products, it is necessary perhaps to treat the human as an object. In the design of products also, it is important still to view the human body correctly: is it object or subject ; is it controller or controlled ; is the human meant to control the workspace or be part of the work space in some way? The workspace may be something holistic of which the human is an integral part but only a part.
Ergonomics relates to the correct design of products. Are these products for human use? Yes they are so that the human uses them. They must be fit for use by the human. The human is thus more than a body. We mention the ‘human’ here. And maybe if we mention Posture again, Posture relates to the Human not just the Human Body.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)