Alignment

align·ment 1: the act of aligning or state of being aligned; especially : the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts (as of a mechanical or electronic device) in relation to each other

i.e. wheel alignment in a car, vertebrae alignment in your back, the alignment of the stars.

As humans, we like to see patterns. We like to draw lines through things, and from one thing to another. We love symmetry.

It's no wonder when we're malaligned or something is misaligned that we feel out of sorts. Even the tiniest bit of being misaligned can make our whole universe feel off kilter.

I studied the Alexander Technique as part of my training for being a singer (opera). The goal of the Alexander Technique is not to always have perfect posture or alignment, but instead to know what alignment feels like and how to return to it. Alignment was the effortless "ahh" of your body not straining.

I am going to venture a huge guess here that most people reading my blog have at one point had an alignment problem -- not regarding posture, but regarding diet and exercise.

For most of us, something was very off kilter before we began our LCJ. And worse of all, we did not know we were off kilter until we perhaps did something regrettable (a binge, overexercising, taking it out on our body some other way). Most of us did not have the tools to return to a healthy stasis.

Or in the case of many people, there was a "well fuck it" attitude, and if you were going to go a little off balance, why not go all the way off balance. You feel bad about eating 2 slices of pizza, so if you're going to feel guilty, why not eat 3. You feel bad about not going to the gym one day, so why put it off another day?

But the thing is when you are unbalanced like that, often the corrective measure is just as extreme. If you go a little off balance and are able to note it, the correction is much smaller. The guilt is much smaller. The fall is not as far. The climb back is not as treacherous.

I just wanted to say this about alignment -- take the time to know yourself. Take the time to figure out where your alignment feels right -- in your body, in your mind, in your diet, in your exercise plan. Constantly check this alignment (HINT: it is NOT measured on a scale) via a quiet meditation on the state of yourself. Like a good friend calling someone they haven't heard from in a few days, just check in. Make subtle corrections as needed and without judgment.

There is much peace to be had in knowing all is right, or within a few degrees of being right.