"Imprinting"

Imprinting is simply putting your hand on a part of your body and thinking. It leaves you with a stronger sense of the body part, and helps you to think about it during self-help exercises. Try it now:

Hold your left elbow in your right hand

Notice your "funny bone" at the back of your arm

Think (just think) of how far your funny bone is from your shoulder

Keep thinking, keep touching, and just wait a minute or two.

Why Do This?

At the end of a couple of minutes, let go of your elbow and just stay still for a moment. Then compare your left and right elbows and upper arms.

Does one feel warmer? Heavier? Easier? Longer?

Do you have a better sense of your left or right elbow?

Type something at the computer. Which hand feels easier on the keyboard?

We tend to abuse ourselves more in those areas we don't know very well. Our "weak spots", the parts of our body that we injure, are often our "weakly-sensed spots".

"I hurt my middle back in a car accident. My middle back used to ache at the end of the day, but after the crash it was much worse. In Alexander Technique lessons I realised I could hardly feel my middle back, and I thought it was much shorter than it really is."

Imprinting and the Self-Help Exercises

Imprinting is used a lot in the self-help exercises on this website. For example, the lower back exercises often begin with finding the bottom of your spine.

Imprinting is one of the most important tools I use to help you change your back for the better. Do it often every day and you'll gradually grow a useful and delightful new awareness of your body. Have fun with it!