Mitzvah Technique - The Mitzvah Exercise

The Mitzvah Exercise

The Mitzvah Technique contends that activating and practicing the Mitzvah Exercise and mastering its discipline are what corrects faulty posture and, by extension, many of the aches and pains associated with it. The Mitzvah Exercise is a set of movements involving sitting, standing, and walking. The Exercise requires no special equipment other than a chair or stool and space for walking around. The seat should be firm and flat and low enough so that the feet will be flat on the floor when the body is seated. Loose clothing and no shoes are suggested. This is to allow freedom of movement at the hip joint and the transfer of energy through the feet.

The Exercise should be performed under the direction of a suitable Mitzvah Technique teacher and does not substitute for necessary professional health care. It is best described in a booklet prepared by the founder of the Technique, M. Cohen-Nehemia: The Mitzvah Exercise and Its Principle.

The Mitzvah Technique is designed to improve posture and release tension and stress through exercises and therapeutic table work. It is based on the "Mitzvah Mechanism", an upward rippling motion that gently reinforces the body’s balance with gravity. It realigns, rebalances and exercises the entire body during sitting, standing and walking. As a result, this mechanism is readily applied to daily activities.

The technique was developed by M. Cohen-Nehemia of Toronto, a Yemeni-Israeli immigrant to Canada. It was originally derived from the Alexander Technique, but has independently developed since the early 1970s.