How to Sit at the Computer

8/7/2019 How to Sit at the Computer

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How to Sit At the ComputerThe 4 Essential KENTRO Movements


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I invite you to experience the Four Essential Movements foreffortless fitness and natural ease in all your activities. Begin nowwith a free class on sitting at the computerwith a healthy back andfree motion.

The Four Essential movements (KENTRO movement 1-4) areto be practiced before you incorporate the 70 other KENTROmovements into your activities. Begin by shifting the (1) pelvis (2)legs (3) torso/arms (4) neck/head into centered weight distributionwith these Four Essential Movements. Practice the centeringmovements slowly, with an open mind and relaxed attitude. Thisapproach allows your body to create beneficial readjustments and tolet go of holding patterns. Practice at your own rhythm. Sense whatfeels appropriate. For all KENTRO movements, avoid tucking,

tightening, holding or pushing your body. These learned posturalactions constrain joint/muscular function, preventing centered motion.

Expect to feel some blissful aches. These sensationsresemble aches or pulling feelings, comparable to what you may feelafter dancing or playing a sport. This is actually a positive sign thattight tissues are becoming more flexible and strong, in a safe manner.You may feel blissful aches in the back, sacrum, shoulders and theback of the neck. Forget about changing or improving your posture.Profound release of strain happenswhen you view your body aspotent, pliable clay.

Always begin your practice with the First KENTRO Movement,which focuses on the pelvis, the main center for physical strength,fluid motion and subtle energies (dantien, in Chinese, harainJapanese, asanain Sanskrit).


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Movement 1Grounding


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Relax your body, specifically your abdominal muscles andbuttocks, so they can lengthen away from the torso (to be elastic andstrong) as you bend slightlyforward, slowly. Avoid tucking the pelvisor sticking out the buttocks. Place the palm of your hand on the topof the buttocks (near the sacrum). Tell these muscles to relax,allowing them to stretch freely. You will sense agreeable letting go ofstrain in the pelvis.


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Movement 2Little Moon


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Simultaneously, move your legs slightlyfarther back, until youfeel most pressure toward the heel and just slight pressure toward thefront of the feet. Avoid tucking the pelvis, sticking out the buttocks ortightening the abdomen. Instead, simply let your pelvis relaxas yourlegs slowly move slightlyback, to align with the spine. Thecombination of Movements 1 and 2 create the firm foundation for freemotion the grounded pelvis rests on centered legs. Your hands putslight downward pressure onto the pelvic bones. You will sensestability in the legs and centered weight distribution.


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Movement 3Shoulder/Arm Rotation


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In Movement 3, relax the diaphragm and let the base of the ribsmove slightly down, which straightens the lower back. Rotate theupper arm muscles outward (elbow close to body) and let the armsmove slightlyfarther back, centered with the thighs. Avoid pushingthe shoulders back, raising the ribcage and squeezing the shoulderblades together. Your upper back straightens. Sense relief of strainin the shoulders, straightening in the upper back and increasedmobility in the arms - open bodied expression.


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Movement 4Goose Neck


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In Movement 4, Relax your jaw (chin down) and slowly stretchthe neck and head out front and to either side. Avoid clenching thejaw and raising the chin, which arches and weakens the back of theneck. After a moment, slowly move the head slightlyback and up,keeping the chin relaxed and down. This movement straightens theback of the neck and upper back. Sense more lengthening andstability on the back of the neck.

Practicing these KENTRO Four Essential Movements -Elemental Placementfor healthy motion prepares the way forcentering your entire body in all activities. Also incorporateElemental Placementbefore practicing any of the other 70 centeringmovements.


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Preparation forSitting Up

Often, after sitting up for an hour or so, we feel stiff and tired.

We are frequently told that our furniture is to blame for our discomfort.By shifting howwe sit, we may keep our lifestyle and our favoritechair. Conventional foam wedges have a fixed form, which generallyaccommodates a strained, rounded upper back, arched lower backand tucked pelvis. These wedges act as a crutch and tend topromote further compensations. In contrast, the KENTRO methodfocuses on home-made wedges (a small pillow, folded sweatshirt orpiece of soft fabric). Fabric wedges are re-shapeable and can beadapted to the height and bodily shape of the user and in accord withthe shape of the chair. Seats then become quiet allies in providing us

with a pleasurable, peaceful experience of sitting.Over time, centering our bodies, while sitting up or engaging in

other activities helps us cultivate an exquisitely, practical way ofmoving with comfort and ease. We can become more resilient as weage. We feel at home in our bodies, sense connection, belongingand aliveness.

Four Guidelines for Sitting Up

Begin with Elemental Placement the Four Essential KENTROMovements. Then apply the following guidelines for Sitting Upwithcentered motion. Place a fabric wedge toward the front edge of achair.


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1. Place your hands on top of the pelvic bones. Relax the pelvisand bend forward from the hips as though they were a

hinge. Sensea pleat in the groin area (where your legsstart). To ground your pelvis, let the abdominals and buttocksrelax and lengthen away from the torso. Allow a one-footspace between your knees to center the legs. Keep a littlemore space between the big toes than between the heels forcentering the feet with the legs.


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2. Sit down on the front edge of the wedge. Bring up the torsoslowly, without raising the ribs. Sense most pressure on thefront surface of the pubic bones. Your pelvis is centered(thanks to the wedge) and will support the weight of the torsoand head. Your hands may put downward pressure on the

pelvis, to help you sense the pelvic muscles stretch away fromthe torso. Let one thigh slant slightly diagonally downward(with the foot close to the chair) to place your pelvis and torsointo comfortable, centered weight distribution. Extend theother leg slightly out front so that it acts as a counterweight,allowing you to bend forward or turn the relaxed pelvis easily,from the pleat area.


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3. Continue grounding (relaxing) the pelvis. Move one arm at atime, keeping the shoulder down and relaxed. Rotate theupper arm muscles outward (elbow close to body) and allowthe entire arm to move back, centering it with the torso.

Simultaneously, move the ribcage slightly downward. Sensesoftening through the diaphragm/solar plexus area, with acorresponding straightening in the lower back muscles. Next,stretch your head out front, then slowly bring it back andmostly up, keeping your chin down and shoulders down andrelaxed, away from the ears. Sense straightening in the upperback and back of the neck.


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4. Drop your hands onto your lap and stay in this relaxed

placement for a moment, giving your body time to realign youinto comfort. Avoid holding yourself up and tightening theabdomen. You will sense no muscular effort in your neck,torso and pelvis. Continually ground yourself by bendingforward from the relaxed pelvis the main center for strong,free motion.


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Image of Angie at Computer


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With KENTRO practice you may easily lengthen and strengthen yourback by bending forward and typing from the naturally strong upperback muscles. Avoid squeezing the shoulder blades together andpushing the shoulders back. Instead, allow the back of the heartarea muscles to do the typing by letting the shoulders drop away fromthe ears and centering the arms, which straightens the upper back.

To tone the pelvis, bend slightly forward with one of your legsstretched out in front of you (as in image ?). Rotate the inner thighoutward, to center the leg. Simply tell the foot to lift off the floorwithout actually doing so. Avoid tightening the abdomen. You willfeel toning throughout the buttocks, core pelvic muscles, abdominals,thigh and knee area. Practice this active stretch for a moment, thenrest. Alternate legs.

These KENTRO guidelines reflect the essence of yoga in oureveryday actions. Patanjali (the founder of Hatha Yoga) saidposture [asana] is to be seated in a position which is firm butrelaxed. A centered pelvis can be our firm yet relaxed seat all daylong. Sitting up while meditating, eating, playing an instrument andtyping can all have the same value and centering quality. CombiningElemental Placementwith sitting at the edge of a wedge will free usinto sensing how to sit with vitalizing comfort in any seating position.

How to Sit at the Computer

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