The Alexander
Technique is a method that works to change (movement)
habits in our everyday activities. It is a simple and
practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement,
balance, support and coordination. The technique teaches
the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular
activity, giving you more energy for all your activities.
It is not a series of treatments or exercises, but rather
a reeducation of the mind and body. The Alexander Technique
is a method which helps a person discover a new balance
in the body by releasing unnecessary tension. It can be
applied to sitting, lying down, standing, walking, lifting,
and other daily activities.
The Alexander Technique is an intelligent way to solve
body problems. Many people are mystified by their own
back pain, excess tension or lack of coordination. They
often see problems in their joints or muscles as structural,
unchangeable. As an Alexander teacher, I hear clients
say things like, "I've always walked like a duck," or
"My posture is just like my father's." But, as they learn
the Technique, they are surprised that they really can
make lasting changes in the way they walk, their degree
of muscular tension or the shape of their posture. They
learn how dynamic and changeable the body really is. They
find that, by learning the Technique, they can improve
their overall movement and achieve optimal health for
both body and mind.
We all have unconscious movement habits. Without realizing
it, we put undue pressure on ourselves. We use more force
than we need to lift a coffee pot or a weight bar. We
slouch as we sit, unaware that our way of doing things
gives our bodies a certain look. We blame body problems
on activities -- carpal tunnel syndrome on computer work,
tennis elbow on tennis. But often it is how we do something
that creates the problem, not the activity itself. An
Alexander Technique teacher helps you see what in your
movement style contributes to your recurring difficulties
-- whether it's a bad back, neck and shoulder pain, restricted
breathing, perpetual exhaustion or limitations in performing
a task or sport. Analyzing your whole movement pattern
-- not just your symptom -- the teacher alerts you to
habits of compression in your characteristic way of sitting,
standing and walking. He or she then guides you -- with
words and a gentle, encouraging touch -- to move in a
freer, more integrated way.
The Technique's basic idea is that when the neck muscles
do not overwork, the head balances lightly at the top
of spine. The relationship between the head and the spine
is of utmost importance. How we manage that relationship
has ramifications throughout the rest of the body. As
the boss -- good or bad -- sets the tone for an organization,
the head / spine relationship -- compressed or free --
determines the quality of the body's overall coordination.
Our neuromuscular system is designed to work in concert
with gravity. Delicate poise of the head sparks the body's
anti-gravity response: a natural oppositional force in
the torso that easily guides us upward and invites the
spine to lengthen, rather than compress, as we move. Instead
of slouching or holding ourselves in a rigid posture,
we can learn to mobilize this support system and use it
wherever we go -- in the car, at the computer, in the
gym.
