Forward and Up reconsidered ...

Referred to Joe Armstrong’s articles "Reconsidering Forward and Up", and "Forward and Up reconsidered" :
(available online at http://home.earthlink.net/~jarmstrongatech/ )

Why make things unnecessarily complicated?

It is "forward and up in relation to the spine", and it is not a "position".

Mechanical Advantage

I believe that positions of mechanical advantage, or in other words, the "right way of doing according to the Alexander Technique", are not always advantageous.

"Don´t you see that if you get perfection today, you will be further away from perfection than you have ever been."
F. M. Alexander, Teaching Aphorisms

One should be able to carry normal activities under varying conditions, not only "ideal" conditions.

On the other hand, positions of mechanical dis-advantage provide a strong stimulus to coordinate oneself.

Freeing the neck

If your neck feels stiff, that is not to say your neck ''is'' stiff.
F.M. Alexander, Teaching Aphorisms

I) It makes sense the other way around
If your neck feels free, that is not to say your neck is free.


II) Cause and effect
By itself or through the throat (which is an associated part to the neck), the neck is part of several interconnected mechanisms:

• Posture
• Sight
• Breath
• Speech
• Mastication

So that if your neck feels stiff, it might be that it's because your jaw is stiff.

Head forward and up

Free your neck, and the "right thing does itself".

The head leads, and the body follows ...

If the head leads (by "doing") , the body will not follow.
On the other hand, by following the body (i.e. "non-doing") , the head leads.

By following the body, head and body move as one, "altogether". And then of course the head will lead.