The Position of Mechanical Advantage is a term F.M. Alexander used to describe a way of organizing your body so that you are ready and able to change direction at a moment’s notice. It is actually not a static position, but a way to be relaxed and poised as you respond to a stimulus.
For example, you can use the Position of Mechanical Advantage when you are moving in and out of a chair. Imagine you are halfway towards sitting and your phone rings. It’s across the room and now you have the option to pause and then return to standing in order to move toward your phone. You were able to do this because you were balanced. Without the POMA, you might have plopped into the chair and then used smaller muscles (like your neck) to quickly pull yourself back up to standing. There isn’t anything wrong with this, yet, life might be a whole lot more comfortable if you don’t use more force than is required. The POMA helps you do that.
By letting your legs bear the weight of your body, your upper body lightens. When your feet are slightly wider apart, making full contact with the floor, you will be in balance. The POMA gives you the gift of being able to change your mind.
Athletes of every sport use it and most of them have probably never heard of the Alexander Technique. How is this possible?
F. M. Alexander didn’t create the POMA, he just gave it a name. The POMA comes naturally to us all. It’s how we first began to stand and learn to be upright. It helped us prepare to walk. What was an ideal way for us to move then is still good for us today!
Here’s how to use the POMA:
Notice your breathing and let your feet sense the floor.
Pause and do nothing but notice where you are in space and the tension you are currently using to remain standing. Can you do less?
When you are ready, move your feet so they are slightly wider than hip-width apart.
Pause and notice what’s changed--if anything.
Allow your knees to bend slightly as your tailbone points behind you and your nose drops slightly.
Breathe into your back and try moving forward, backward, and side to side. Try bending your knees more and then less. Do you find that it’s easier to move this way?
It may feel strange if this is not how you usually move. It may help to look in a mirror since sometimes we are not moving the way we think we are. It’s most useful to learn this from an Alexander teacher. The POMA can improve your life.
