Exactly why should I not correct my semi-supine position?

It doesn't matter how skilful you are. Bend a bent piece of wire to straighten it and you've got an extra kink in your piece of wire.

If you bend a young tree over, it gives. It bends supply and pliably. It makes no attempt to keep straight.

But stop bending it and, suddenly, it's straight again, swaying effortlessly in the breeze.

So which do you want to be like?

Stiff like the wire or supple like the young tree?

If you're stiff like the wire and trying to straighten yourself out, adjusting yourself may be the way to go. You'll be stiffer and have more kinks in you — but may appear straighter.

That's the classic posture advice we all know so well
… and much good did it ever do anyone.

Better to stay crooked

Better to stay crooked until whatever is making you crooked lets go.

You need to just lie there and notice that you feel crooked. Notice the tightness that seems to be pulling you over. Notice the details. Notice your temptation to straighten out.

… and see what happens.

But of course nothing will happen

If you wait and do nothing, nothing is going to happen. How could it?

It can and it will

First, what's bending you?
Your own muscles.

Why are they bending you?
Because you're telling them to

“But I just want to be straight”.
I'm sure you do but …

Do you know when you're straight?

“What do you take me for? Of course I know when I'm straight!”

No you don't. Neither do most people. If they did they wouldn't have bad posture. How many people do you know who have good posture? Not many, I'm sure.

So why do most people have bad posture?
Mostly because they're trying to have good posture but don't know when their posture is good and when it is bad.

They don't know what straight is either. So you're in good company.

An example

Dave Robinson (name changed) thinks his left shoulder is higher than his right. So he pulls it down to compensate.

Actually his right shoulder is higher than his left … and the more he pulls his left shoulder down, the more out of alignment he gets.

His attempt to straighten himself only makes him more crooked

He knows he is bent. So, just as he would do with the piece of wire, he bends himself again in order to straighten out.

If he were to stop struggling to become straight he could be like the tree and just be straight.

Dave simply needs to stop twisting himself like the wire.

Then he'll just swing into shape — like the young tree.

It's easy for the tree.

For a person, it requires more than just semi-supine. What's needed is the patient learning, and application of, Alexander lessons.

… but semi-supine certainly helps.

So the trick to semi-supine is to lie as you fall

Don't correct your position. Don't wriggle. Just let your body decide where straight is. Let it fall into place.

… as easily as the young tree does when left to its own devices.

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