Musings

Laura Try's experience of the Alexander Technique

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 09:17:52 GMT

Watch Laura's first AT lesson and her response

This is a eally interesting video by social media influender and athlete Laura Try. It's 10 minutes long, and you see her having her first Alexander lesson. She describtes how it feels as it goes through, noticing how she feels more present during the lesson. Her teacher is Anthony Kingsley, who is based in London.

See video here .

You, Me, Us

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:16:47 GMT

Exchanging and sharing

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'Non-physical' benefits of the Alexander Technique

lisaharrismstat@gmail.com (Lisa Harris) — Tue, 03 May 2022 13:03:11 GMT

Exciting new research

A recent article published in a scholarly journal has shown that the Alexander Technique can have many benefits, including those beyond the physical ones for which it has historically been researched. These include confidence, well-being, self-acceptance and optimism, as well as decreased anxiety, fear and depression. You can link to more information about the study at Alexander Studies Online , which includes a free link to the full article. Happy reading!

Movement-Based Embodied Contemplative Practices

lisaharrismstat@gmail.com (Lisa Harris) — Wed, 19 May 2021 15:38:00 GMT

... a good description of the Alexander Technique

Well, this cheetah is certainly movement-based and embodied!

I saw the words 'movement-based embodied contemplative practices' in a journal I was reading recently. The authors included Alexander Technique, Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga and Aikido among others in their description. I liked the phrase, because it is a good explanation of the Alexander Technique, which can evade description at times. (He who tastes, knows!). The Alexander Technique is not about being overly relaxed or too tense. It is about being calm and alert and ready in the moment to respond as appropriate. Think of a cat sitting with its ears pricked up as it watches someone rolling a ball of wool (or, to get a bit more up-to-date, the red beam of a laser pointer!) at its feet. It has a stillness, and yet you know it could pounce in an instant. It is a skill that takes time to develop, but helps you maintain an unflustered presence in life, whatever is thrown at you.

The authors of the paper, from 2014, are Smalzl, Crane-Godreau and Payne .

Remembering self-compassion

lisaharrismstat@gmail.com (Lisa Harris) — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 17:26:04 GMT

...in 3 small statements

After that lovely snowy weather, I slipped on ice on Monday and now have a fractured wrist bone all splinted up. As I felt shaken up and my whole hand was painful, I was reminded of the self-compassion break I discovered researching for my MSc in Positive Psychology. That is, at a time of pain, discomfort, negative self-judgement or other form of suffering, to stop and say to yourself:

This is a moment of suffering;

All humans suffer;

May I be kind to myself.

With the ongoing demands of lockdown, homeworking, children at home and so on, I think we could probably all do with some self-compassion right now. This is a practice taken from Buddhism, I believe, and more information on self-compassion and some free downlands can be found at www.self-compassion.org.

Warm wishes,

Lisa

How far do you live from your body?

lisaharrismstat@gmail.com (Lisa Harris) — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:31:05 GMT

As far as Mr Duffy...?

I recently heard this quote from James Joyce's The Dubliners:

"Mr Duffy lived a short distance from his body."

I think many of us quite often live a short distance from our bodies! We get bound up in what we are doing, and can forget we've even got a body at all. I find that when I'm studying this can happen. Yet coming back to the body is like coming home. I do believe that when we are in our bodies, our innate wisdom can come to the fore and this will help us in life. At the moment, when we are spending so much time online, I think it's even more important.

There are many ways to come into your body - tai chi, yoga, meditation ... or you could try the Alexander Technique!

Conquering

lisaharrismstat@gmail.com (Lisa Harris) — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 15:07:35 GMT

Ourselves?

Well, as we can't go on holiday at the moment, I was reminiscing by looking through some photos from a holiday at the end of last year in Gran Canaria.

I came across one I had taken of a quote by Antonio Padron, a Canarian painter, in a museum dedicated to his work. The reason I took it was that it made me think of the Alexander Technique! He wrote that, once he'd finished a painting, he considered it "conquered territory". Presumably, he then started another one!

I'm not sure that with the Alexander Technique we ever conquer ourselves! But FM Alexander did say "The experience you want is the process of getting it. If you have something, give it up. Getting it, not having it, is what you want."

I find that really inspiring!

Alexander Technique and mobile phones

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 08:31:46 GMT

How not to get 'text neck'!

Well, my use of screens, both the laptop and my mobile phone, has shot up during these days of Corona lockdown! And if we're not careful, that can lead to an aching neck. I wrote in my last post about computer use, and today I'm thinking about mobile phone use.

Firstly, we need to be sat or standing in balance. So, double check your weight - is it spread evenly over both feet? Let them be fully supported by the floor. And if you're sitting, how are you sitting? Uncrossing legs is useful, both feet flat on the floor.

What tends to happen with a mobile phone, is that we hold it somewhere around our midriff, and then allow our heads (and neck column) to sink towards it. What we want, however, is to keep our heads above our feet (or pelvis if sitting), and raise our arms to bring the phone closer to our eyes that way! Think of your arms coming out of and being supported by your lower back. The shoulders don't need to raise to do this. Think of your neck releasing and your head balancing. Notice what's in your periphery vision. And remember to breathe!

I've noticed the same head-sinking behaviour happening when people drink a cuppa ... so maybe pay attention to how you do that too. Bring the cup up to your lips, and not your lips down to your cup.

Best wishes, and keep safe :-)

Alexander Technique and Using Computers

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 15:42:59 GMT

How to look after yourself

Well, I'm using my laptop a lot more than usual in these interesting times! Meetings have gone online, so has seeing friends and some hobbies!

I suspect it's the same for many of you. So, I'd just like to share these Alexander tips with you. (I won't go into ergonomics, as I expect you know about workstation set up already - and if not, a quick internet search will give you lots of information!)

When you're sitting at your desk, make sure your feet are flat on the ground (you may need to place them on something).

Make sure your back is supported by your chair (you may need a cushion behind you so you aren't learning back).

Don't let your eyes lead your head to your screen - make sure your head stays above your sitting bones.

And every now and then just ask yourself

am I fully receiving the support my chair and the floor offer to my sitting bones and feet?
am I breathing and not holding my breath?
can I see around me, rather than being entirely focused on the screen?

And do remember to take regular screen breaks! Focus on something further away to give your eyes a rest - maybe even get up and walk around for a little.

In the meantime, good luck with your online life, and stay safe!

Alexander in the time of COVID

lisaharrismstat@gmail.com (Lisa Harris) — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 11:32:37 GMT

Using Alexander active rest to destress

Many of us feel anxious at the moment, and understandably so. The future is uncertain, and uncertainty is stressful.

I can share a practice that is calming that's called active rest. Now, you do have to do it! So you can't self-sabotage by saying you've got too much to do, or you don't have time and so on. Looking after yourself is important so that you can support others if need be. And if you really don't have 20 minutes - just do 10 - it's all good.

You need to find a time and place where you can be undisturbed.

Then you need to lie down on your back on a carpeted floor with 2-3 paperback books under your head. (If you find it difficult to get down to the floor, lie on a bed, though you will still need books under your head). Your knees need to be bent so they point to the ceiling, and you can place your hands on your tummy. Kind of in the position of Mr Bones above!

When you're in active rest, the idea is to bring you to a gentle awareness of your body. So it's not about lying down and worrying about other things. This may happen, and if it does, just gently bring your attention back to your body:

You could notice which parts of you are in contact with a firm surface - the back of your head, your shoulder blades, parts of your spine, the back of your pelvis, parts of your feet, each elbow.
You could be curious about any sensations you notice.
You could see if you can spot any tension - for example, in the jaw, the brow, the shoulders, the ankles, anywhere(!) and invite it to evaporate.
Remember to breathe!

You are a witness to any changes occuring within you, as you unwind and destress.

You are allowing your body to be supported fully by the floor,

You can find mental chatter quietens down and you can allow your self to just 'be'. It's also fabulous for your spine to be in that different relationship with gravity. Plus it's free ... and you can do it at home!!

Happy resting!

Hope and Resilience

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 11:46:11 GMT

"He who has hope, has everything"

As part of my Masters, I am considering hope and resilience. And I've been reflecting on the fact that learning the Alexander Technique uses both in action.

At first, it was through knowing that the Alexander Technique had helped others, that gave me the hope that it could help me. And that hope gave me the resilience to keep going in learning the skill. And I see no reason why hope and resilience can't be considered ways of being that, with practice, can become more second nature to us.

For the palm trees in the picture above, their resilience is made possible by their flexibility - an oak tree in a tropical storm would crash! The Alexander Technique can help us increase our flexibility - both physically and mentally. And this can make us stronger and more able to deal with "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune".

Of course, there are times when we feel less strong than others, but having hope helps us work through those. Perhaps hope and resilence are like muscles!

Man's Search for Meaning

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 16:53:46 GMT

I've been reading the above classic book, written by Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl.

In it, he states:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Wise words! The Alexander Technique deals very much with the space between stimulus and response, and the choices we make in it. In an Alexander context, this is a choice of what to focus on in a simple movement. Made again and again over time, that choice will embody itself in us and help deal with pain we may have. It will also bring our thinking to a present-moment awareness, which, like meditation or mindfulness, can make us feel much calmer. What joy!

Transferable Alexander Skills

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 23:00:00 GMT

A friend recently lent me a book about spirituality, which I’ve forgotten the title and author of!!

However, I did write down skills that the author thought were key to spirituality:

Pause and be mindful
Relax, centre and ground your body
Observe what is happening in a kind and good-humoured way
Yield to the feeling of connection

And as I was reading, of course I thought, well, that sounds like the Alexander Technique! And the beauty of it is, you can do those things largely anywhere. You can do them when you’re alone over a longer period, say 5 minutes, like a meditation. Or more quickly, such as when you’re standing in the supermarket queue. I love it!

Alexander Technique - an easy way to de-stress!

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 23:00:00 GMT

I attended Salisbury Coaching Circle on Thursday, which is a group to support those in coaching work. Which I am! I introduced myself and I noticed people were not sure what Alexander Technique is – and that’s often the case!

It’s a way to de-stress by bringing your attention back to yourself. As you sit or stand there, notice your bottom on the chair or feet on the ground. Your head is above your sitting bones or feet, and there is space above it that you are allowed to be in. There is space behind you and to your sides that you can be in too. (We often forget about that because we can’t see it as easily as what’s in front of us!) Really feel your feet or sitting bones (but don’t try to push them down; just notice the contact with the surface). You are allowed to gently expand into the space around you! Just acknowledge there is that possibility; that, before you noticed, you might have been ‘holding yourself together’. Let your head balance on top of your spine.

Check you are not holding your breath as you think about these other things. Also, notice what’s in the periphery of your vision – don’t get sucked in to the laptop / iPad / phone. That might allow your head to float back a little bit instead of being drawn forward to the device, which in turn might allow your shoulders to be less hunched. And know that you are balanced on either your sitting bones or feet, not locked. Balance always involves small movements – think of a highwire artist, where those movements are augmented! And now, let your eyes focus away from whatever it is you’re reading this on, to something in the distance. Notice it’s shape, colour, texture, movements and so on. It’s really good for the eyes to look in the distance, and we tend not to do enough of it!

You can do all this any time, any where to bring your attention back to you for a moment before carrying on with your day. And that is de-stressing!

Alexander Guided Rest

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 23:00:00 GMT

Below is a link by a London-based Alexander Teacher, Penny O’Connor, for a guided Alexander constructive rest session. I think it’s rather lovely to have a guided lie-down (Penny calls it semi-supine), and it is offered free with the chance to make a donation to Alzheimer’s Research through Just Giving.

Enjoy it!

Balanced Resting State

Philosophy

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

I’m reading a book called ‘Mindfulness – 25 ways to live in the moment through art’ by Christophe Andre. It takes 25 different paintings and uses them to draw out an aspect of mindfulness in a very poetic way.

The chapter I’ve just read is called ‘Let Go’ and the painting is “Hope” by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824 – 1898). In it the author quotes the philosopher Simone Weil:

‘We have to try to cure our faults by attention and not by will. […] Inward supplication is the only reasonable way, for it avoids stiffening muscles that have nothing to do with the matter. What could be more stupid than to tighten up our muscles and set our jaws about virtue, or poetry, or the solution of a problem?’

So, how does that relate to the Alexander Technique? Well, with the Technique we use our awareness and attention to notice what is going on in the relationship between head, neck and back. If we find that relationship isn’t as we’d wish it, we ask for it not to be, or decide not to do what we don’t want. So, if we are tightening our muscles, we ask ourselves not too. (If banging your head against a wall is giving you a headache, you just have to stop!) This is a lot easier than it sounds … firstly, recognising what’s happening is a skill that takes time to develop, and then being able to do something about it is a different skill! But with the help of a teacher who’s been through the process herself (and is still going through it; like peeling an onion there are many layers, just smaller and smaller ones) you can make progress on a journey of self-discovery and self-mastery. I love it!

Letting go of Control

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Or, letting yourself be vulnerable

I’ve been reading a book by Brené Brown called ‘Daring Greatly’, which is about vulnerability. And with the Alexander Technique, you do have to ‘dare greatly’ in order to find a different way of being.

If you want to learn the Alexander Technique, you have to embrace being a different you. And that means letting go of control (the way you used to move) and letting yourself be vulnerable (exploring the possibility of a different way of moving). It’s like crossing an ocean from continent to continent. You have to leave the shore of certainty in terms of how you move, and aim to steer yourself though the sea of not-quite-knowingness, whilst recognising it could get choppy, until you reach the other shore, moving in a different way.

Here are a couple of TED talks by Brown – I think they’re really interesting.

The Power of Vulnerability

Listening to Shame

The Golden Rule

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

"Treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself"

I’m reading a book by Karen Armstrong called ‘Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life’. In it, she talks about the Golden Rule, above.

She says:

“Sceptics argue that the Golden Rule just ‘doesn’t work’, but they do not seem to have tried to implement it in a wholehearted and consistent way. It is not a notional doctrine that you either agree with or make yourself believe. It is a method – and the only adequate test of any method is to put it into practice. Throughout the centuries, people have found that when they behaved in accordance with the Golden Rule, they experienced a deeper, fuller level of existence and they have maintained that anybody can achieve this state if they put their mind to it.

But it will be a slow, incremental and imperceptible process.”

Food for thought … and it sounds very much like the Alexander Technique!

Awakening Possibilities

Wed, 24 Oct 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Ted talk by Benjamin Zander

I’ve just watched a TED talk by the orchestral conductor Benjamin Zander. In it, he talks about his role as a conductor, and how, to have power, he has to give power to musicians.

He stated “My job is to awaken possibility in other people.” And he said he could always see when it happened, because people’s eyes began shining. ‘Awakening possibility’ resonates with me in terms of teaching the Alexander Technique, although I could say ‘reawaken possibility’ is even more appropriate.

My job is to reawaken in people the possibility of being something other than that which their habits dictate they be. It’s also an ongoing commitment to myself to practise the same! This invariably changes posture, which may be giving us pain, and this is why many people come for Alexander lessons in the first place. And less pain improves mood too. In fact, I think practising the Alexander Technique is a great mood enhancer in itself.

Benjamin Zander also said he asks the question of himself “Who am I being, if their eyes aren’t shining?” What a fabulous question to ask ourselves!

Leonardo da Vinci

Sat, 01 Sep 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Thoughts of Leonardo da Vinci

My husband has just come back from the car boot sale, the proud bearer of a book called “Thoughts of Leonardo da Vinci”, printed in 1907.

I opened it randomly, to find a section heading “How One ought first to learn Diligence rather than rapid Execution”. Well, I thought, that sounds like the Alexander Technique!

In an Alexander lesson we do slow things down so that we can observe what is going on, and then we can do something about it if it’s not what we want to be going on! It is only by slowing down and paying attention that we can notice if, for example, we are pushing our pelvises forward, as we sit or stand. And that slowing down and noticing is more important than the sitting or standing itself.

It is diligently paying attention, learning how to pay attention and what to pay attention to, as I have heard it quoted.

That doesn’t mean we spend life in the slow lane; just that first we learn diligence rather than rapid execution.

Food for thought on a sunny Sunday morning!

Chocolate!

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Alexander Chocolate

Well, I had to buy a chocolate bar called Alexander Chocolate (not much pausing to think about it!).

It was delicious, and it turns out it is from a local chocolate company here in Salisbury. I think it’s good to support small, local businesses, so here’s the link: Alexander Chocolate . I shall certainly be buying more.

It was also good to see an article on the Alexander Technique in the Waitrose Weekend paper a couple of weeks ago. You don’t often see things about the Technique in any paper, so it’s always a cause for celebration when you do – perhaps I’ll need to buy another bar of chocolate!

Alexander Technique for Parkinson's Disease

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 23:00:00 GMT

I have a new pupil with Parkinson's Disease

She told me that in the week since her last lesson, she’d been seen by the Parkinson’s Nurse. The Nurse had been watching her walk, and my pupil started thinking about her neck being free. And apparently the Nurse told her that her posture was improving. My pupil said to me “So it works!”. And I said “I know it works!”

Yes, the Alexander Technique works – but you must remember to put it into practice!.

Mindfulness for the Body

Wed, 11 Jul 2018 23:00:00 GMT

That’s what one of my pupils calls the Alexander Technique.

I didn’t have a deep understanding of mindfulness, so I got a book from the library by Jon Kabat-Zinn called ‘Mindfulness for Beginners’. It was an interesting book, and I have even done some mindfulness! In one chapter, called ‘Bringing Mindfulness Further into the World’, what he said really struck an Alexander chord with me. It goes like this:

“You could think of it as teaching them to tune their instrument (of learning, creativity, and social connectedness) before expecting it to work optimally when they play it. This tuning and the actual playing that arises from it in all the forms that learning and inquiry, investigation and imagination take, reinforce each other over days, weeks, months, years and indeed, an entire lifetime. The music keeps getting richer.”

OK, so I probably quite liked that because I’m a musician, but it also expresses beautifully my experience of the Alexander Technique.

Other similarities included teaching people “the how of paying attention and to encourage them to cultivate greater awareness of the body, of their thoughts, and of their emotions” and how it can “nurture greater emotional balance and intelligence ” and “foster greater stress resilience”.

Roman Holiday

Wed, 30 May 2018 23:00:00 GMT

We’re recently back from Rome, where we visited Ostia Antica, the ancient Roman port. It is a town that was abandoned in the 9th Century, with wonderful ancient buildings, frescoes and mosaics. I couldn’t resist photographing this mosaic!

Oh it's working!

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 23:00:00 GMT

This is a lovely short video about the Alexander Technique and singing:

Kindness and Respect

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 23:00:00 GMT

Yesterday I visited the Alexander Re-education Centre , where I trained to be a teacher. And how lovely it was to be back working with other trainee teachers and post-graduates. As always, the two main teachers there treat everyone with kindness and respect all the time.

It is my intention to do the same to people who come for a lesson with me. And in fact, the rest of the time too! So in a lesson it’s not about being afraid of getting something wrong. And it’s not about striving to get something right. It’s just about learning from what happens, without judgement. Just noticing what’s going on. Then you can make a decision about what you want. Can you notice whether your head tips back as you move from sitting to standing? If so, do you want that to happen? If yes – OK! If not – what can you do about it? Just a series of questions about the facts of the matter, and a chance to make a decision about whether they are what you want. Nothing more and nothing less.

Alexander Technique and Singing

Sun, 08 Oct 2017 23:00:00 GMT

National Youth Choir

Here’s a lovely little video about teaching of the Alexander Technique with the National Youth Choir. The last little bit with the Sofia singing is especially interesting, though the whole thing is too, and it’s only a few minutes long.

https://www.nycgb.org.uk/news/oh-its-working

Alexander Technique is not just about dealing with a bad back!

Poetry

Sun, 17 Sep 2017 23:00:00 GMT

Feeling poetic, I’ve been reading T S Eliot’s Four Quartets. Some of his lines do make me think of the Alexander Technique! Such as:

“at the still point, there the dance is”.

Life is movement. But the Technique is allowing that movement to come out of a stillness where there is no unnecessary tension or fear or anxiety. Just an acceptance of yourself as you are. Knowing you have the time you need to do what you need, no more and no less.

To find that stillness, mental and physical and in all parts of yourself; to come to a quietness within your system; this allows you to be better able to deal with the challenges life throw at you more serenely.

For me, practising the Alexander Technique does this … and in turn this affects my posture, the way I use my body, the way I walk and so on. But it is secondary … it is, if you like, the manifestation of the thought process that is the Alexander Technique.

NICE Guidelines: Alexander Technique and Parkinson’s disease

Wed, 09 Aug 2017 23:00:00 GMT

Great news! The new guidelines were published in mid-July. They contain the following statement in the section called ‘Non-pharmacological management of motor and non-motor symptoms’:

‘1.7.4 Consider the Alexander Technique for people with Parkinson’s disease who are experiencing balance or motor function problems.’

To see the new guidelines, ‘Parkinson’s disease in adults’ please click on the logo below:

Motivational Quotes #2

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 23:00:00 GMT

Another one

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” C.G.Jung

The Alexander Technique is definitely about making the unconscious conscious. Those learned unhelpful habits we have – they can’t change until we can perceive them, look at them and decide whether we want them or not. It’s not about getting something right or wrong in an Alexander lesson, it’s about deciding whether what we have is what we want, and, if not, what we’re going to do about it. (That’s usually along the lines of a good head, neck and back relationship.)

Motivational Quotes

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 23:00:00 GMT

“Thinking before doing is wisdom, thinking while doing is awareness, and thinking after doing is foolishness” – Unknown

The Alexander Technique is about thinking, or awareness, in activity.

“Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, but involve me and I will understand.” – Chinese proverb

The Alexander Technique is about being involved in a new awareness of yourself. It’s learning, by doing, by being and not by reading books!

Allowing. And striving.

Wed, 10 May 2017 23:00:00 GMT

A key word within the Alexander Technique is ‘allow’. ‘Allow your back to lengthen and widen’ for example. The trouble is, we seem to strive for that instead of allowing it – we want that long, wide back so much! But striving for something isn’t the same as allowing. In fact, I think it’s the polar opposite…

So, what about the word ‘acknowledge’? Acknowledge that your back can lengthen and widen. Does that make it easier? Somehow, it does for me (I think).

Whatever it is we want in ourselves, we want it to arise out of a happening, rather than a doing. In Alexander terms anyway.

Body Language

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 23:00:00 GMT

I’ve borrowed a book from the library about Body Language. It contains a quote by Mark Twain:

“Habits can not be thrown out the upstairs window. They have to be coaxed down the stairs one step at a time.”

How true! The Alexander Technique is concerned with changing our unhelpful habits. As such, it does take time. Somewhat understandably, we want a quick results when we begin Alexander lessons; but change takes the time it takes. Just because we don’t want to hear that, doesn’t mean it isn’t true!

Ruby Wax on Radio 4

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Ruby Wax is talking about mindfulness here. I have to say it does remind me of the Alexander Technique … and maybe the ‘thing you enjoy’ could be practising the Alexander Technique!

Inspiration

Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

As I went to the swimming pool this morning, I noticed a card in the window of the office with the words “Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live’.

It turns out this is a quote by someone called Jim Rohn. It looks like it’s often used to encourage people to exercise more.

As an Alexander teacher, I’d like to change the ‘body’ to ‘self’ because we are each one complete being. But as as quote, well, it’s an accurate observation. And, again, being an Alexander teacher, I’d say the Alexander Technique is a fantastic place to start taking care of yourself. And taking care of yourself can involve many things, from accepting where you are now, to not striving so hard at the cost of your sanity, and learning to just ‘be’ in such a way that you are able to achieve what you want in the most effortless way possible.

Sounds desirable? Well, why not start your Alexander journey with the first step of booking a lesson?! Who knows what you will learn about yourself!

Wishing you a happy 2017.

Change. And time.

Fri, 23 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

I’ve just read a really life-affirming book by Matt Haig called “Reasons to Stay Alive”. Haig experiences panic disorder and depression, and the book is testament to the fact that time can heal.

In the book is a section called “How to live (forty pieces of advice I feel to be helpful but which I don’t always follow).” Here is one of them:

“38. Remember that the key thing about life on earth is change. Cars rust. Paper yellows. Technology dates. Caterpillars become butterflies. Nights morph into days. Depression lifts.”

This is, of course, all true. As an Alexander teacher, I know that sometimes the change happens more slowly than we wish – for example, we are striving to have less back pain, or a better posture. But, as sure as night follows day, if you allow yourself to be transformed by the Alexander Technique, you will be. That does mean you have to stop striving and allow it to happen … no easy task! And, of course, change can be like a pebble dropped in a pond – it ripples outwards and can change other things in life. We can’t change and stay the same, after all. And if we want our back pain gone, we do want to change!

“39. Just when you feel you have no time to relax, know that this is the moment you most need to make time to relax.”

As an Alexander teacher, I would substitute ‘active rest’ for ‘relax’. On starting Alexander lessons, I ask people to spend 10-20 minutes a day lying on their back with their knees bent up towards the ceiling. It’s often difficult to find the time to do this. But you have to proactively create the time – and when you feel you haven’t go the time, this is when it must be done!

A sense of well-being ...

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Hurrah! Alexander Technique lessons have now been recognised by the Advertising Standards Association (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) as a method that can benefit those with chronic neck pain. Click here to see what CAP says.

Learning Italian, music and the Alexander Technique

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

I’ve recently started to learn Italian, and have been trying to remember the alphabet! And it struck me how letters are only marks on a page, and I only ‘know’ what they are because I have been taught that – they are part of my habit pattern. Which goes to show that some habits can be good.

But it’s interesting to note how difficult it is remembering what some of the letters are called in Italian; especially ones that sound like different English letters. For example, in Italian ‘e’ is pronounced like an English ‘a’, and ‘i’ is like ‘e’. It can send my brain into a bit of a spin.

As I was thinking about this, it occurred to me that music is exactly the same. Having played the piano as a child I can read bass and treble clefs. Again, the written notes are only representations of sound and I know them by convention. Having in the past few years started reading tenor clef for bassoon my brain definitely gets in a spin when I look at a written note and can’t work out which one of 3 possibles it could be … and that’s without even thinking of the fingering for it!

And with the Alexander Technique, of course, I am challenging your (and my own) habitual way of doing things and suggesting at alternative – but it can be remarkably difficult not to go down the old track because that has served us in the past. Maybe not well, if we now have pain, admittedly.

Just remember, with all the above, you have the time you need to practise something new.

Happy Hallowe'en

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Dancing skeletons for Hallowe’en, and an interesting video by Kathleen Porter.

Alexander Technique ... and rainbows!

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 23:00:00 GMT

In the Alexander Technique, we learn that there are a set of thoughts to be applied before and during activity, concerning the poise of the head and the lenthening of the spine: I wish to allow my neck to be free, in order to allow my head to release forward and up, and to allow my spine to lengthen and my back to widen so that my knees can release forward and away. Quite a mouthful!

It is an attempt to describe how we want to be, in entirety, and words, by their nature, have to be linear. Alexander said that his ‘directing orders’ should be thought one after the other and all at the same time. And, once you have had Alexander lessons and have an understanding of this primary influence in movement it can happen all at once.

In considering how I could explain this, I decided it was a bit like trying to describe a rainbow to someone who’d never seen one. You might describe it as an arc, with the colours ranging from red through orange, yellow, green, blue and indigo, to violet. If you liked being rather more technical than me, you might also include information about differing wavelengths being the cause of the colours. However, that is all cumbersome, and still doesn’t accurately describe the visual phenomenon. But for those of us who have seen a rainbow, we can admire its beauty in its entirety and at the same time recognise the constituent parts.

And so it is with the primary influence. Once you have had (usually quite a bit) of experience of this, the words – which we can only think one after the other – do happen all at the same time!

Elephants

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:00:00 GMT

I was listening to “Natural Histories: Elephants” on Radio 4 on Monday (3rd October, 9pm).

It was reported that a Sri Lankan vet who looks after elephants who are in transit back to the wild said that the most dominant elephant in a group wasn’t the biggest, stroppiest or one that causes pain.

It was the one who was best at reassuing the others in the group, calming them, touching them and taking care of the others is the one who naturally became most dominant.

Lessons from nature!

Text Neck

Sat, 17 Sep 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Here’s a nice little video about text neck:

Tips on Writing

Sat, 10 Sep 2016 23:00:00 GMT

I was looking through an article of tips to get you started on writing the other day (not that I’m intending to write a book!).

What was interesting was how, as I read it, I kept thinking – that sounds like the Alexander Technique! The advice was along the lines of, you learn most from doing it, patiently and regularly. There was advice to do it at the same time every day, for the same amount of time, so your subconscious gets used to the idea. And advice to experiment, and play. And if it isn’t working, be confident to start again. (Thank you to Naomi Alderton and Jeanette Winterson for those snippets.)

So, if you are practising the Alexander Technique, do your lying down each day and see what you observe. And if you are thinking about the Alexander Technique while brushing your teeth, for example, experiment with how much tension you need to hold your toothbrush. It is an investigation and you have to keep seeking – you may well find out something about yourself you didn’t know before.

Kind Words

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 23:00:00 GMT

I have been involved in creating a leaflet to use at the Arch Clinic in Fordingbridge, where I also teach. The manager there asked me if I had any recommendations I could use, so yesterday I asked a lady that I gave a lesson to, who’s a nurse, if she could give me a recommendation to quote. This is what she wrote:

“What Lisa does is very simple, very gentle and very relaxing and yet every time I’ve had a treatment I feel like I’m walking taller, my movement is more fluid and, amazingly, my back is pain free.” Mrs E Edmunds, Southampton.

The Olympics

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 23:00:00 GMT

With the Olympics just around the corner, I thought I’d share this piece about the men’s coxless 4 winning gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Two of the rowers had had lessons in the Alexander Technique, as this piece explains:

Remembering the Olympics

The Seasons

Sun, 10 Jul 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Watching ‘Forces of Nature’ last night, Professor Brian Cox said something about the passing of the seasons, and how the changes are so subtle day by day we don’t necessarily notice them, but we do notice the changes over a longer period of time.

And so it is with the Alexander Technique. You may not notice changes in the immediate short term – though after a lesson you may notice a feeling of being relaxed, or taller (two comments I’ve received from pupils this week). But over a longer period of time the changes become more evident – whether that is less pain, a widening of the shoulders from a more rounded position, or feeling more calm and confident.

I don’t think we can predict precisely what those changes may be, though they are probably broadly the same for most of us. But unless you start the journey, you won’t find out!

Kindness

Sat, 09 Jul 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Today, I just want to share a quote from an article by Clive James:

“Kindness, in the end, makes the difference.”

Well, yes. And that’s kindness from one to another as well as kindness to oneself.

I don’t think I want to say any more about it, but to just let it be there.

Embodying Knowledge

Mon, 27 Jun 2016 23:00:00 GMT

An interesting TEDx talk by Dr Joe Dispenza.

Change

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 23:00:00 GMT

I saw this quote by Carl Rogers (a psychologist) in the paper the other day:

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”.

That sounds to me like the Alexander Technique….

So if you notice in a shop window that you walk like one of the characters below, the first step is to accept that’s how you walk. If you’ve got aches and pains, it could be because of your posture – any maybe you can accept that, too. Now, if you want the pain to go away, something has to change. The funny thing with change, though, is that it is a process that can have unexpected consequences. So you have to start the process and see what happens. And once you’ve decided that, you can get in touch!

(Used under permission from Direction Journal.)

Look after yourself first!

Wed, 18 May 2016 23:00:00 GMT

A couple of days ago, I heard someone say ‘you can’t pour water from an empty pot’, and I thought how true that is. Sometimes we think it is more important to look after other people, than looking after ourselves. Wrong, wrong, wrong, I think!

The truth is, if we don’t look after ourselves first, then we won’t be able to keep helping others. So whilst it may seem selfish to take some ‘me time’, it is really important to do so. By looking after ourselves first, we are in a better position to help other people. If we keep putting everyone else first, we are soon runnning on empty and on our way to collapsing in a heap!

The Alexander Technique gives us a great way of looking after ourselves, and getting some me time. Spend 10-20 minutes a day lying on your back on a carpeted floor, or floor with a rug on it. You’ll need a few paperback books under your head, and your feet flat on the floor with your knees pointing up to the ceiling. Let your arms rest by your sides, or put your hands on your tummy. Being in a different relationship to gravity like this is really good for our spines (and the rest of us). Then see if you can notice any tension in your body, and if you can, think that you don’t want it – see if you can let it go. For example, you may realise you’re frowning, or clenching your jaw, or clenching your hands. Stay mindful of your body – you may find you’re drifting off and thinking about things to do later! Just notice that it’s happened and bring your attention back to yourself. When you get up you’ll feel refreshed and ready to carry on. Enjoy!

Driving skills

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Yesterday I was giving my husband a lift, and at one point we were both aware of a car on the nearside – we both had the feeling the driver wanted to get into my lane. In fact, that didn’t happen. However, my husband commented that when he was learning to drive, he thought the only thing he had to do was be in control of the car … whereas now he considers it as important to be aware of which lane he’s in, where it’s going to take him, and what the other road users are up to.

And that’s a bit like the Alexander Technique! When you are undertaking an activity – whether it’s gardening, playing an instrument, using a computer, cycling or whatever – bear in mind the activity isn’t the only thing. There is also you: are you hunched over? are you bending in the middle of your back? are you breathing freely? is your mind miles away? and so on…

You need to have a simultaneous awareness of yourself as well as the activity in question. This will help ensure you don’t do something that will cause you pain, in either the short or longer term. That awareness of yourself can come as a result of Alexander lessons, where a teacher will help you identify what you are doing (that you don’t know you are doing!) Why not try some lessons to see….?

Dogs ... and sugar

Tue, 12 Apr 2016 23:00:00 GMT

I was reflecting on habits yesterday. As an Alexander Technique teacher, I would say that many of the habits we have are neuromuscular, unconscious and unhelpful to us. The Alexander Technique seeks to awaken us to our habits and give us a method of dealing with them so we can diminish any adverse effects from them.

The trouble is, the habits don’t want to go away! I went to see a friend of mine the other day, who has 2 very inquisitive dogs – they like to give anyone new in their house a good sniffing over! She is training them, on the arrival of a guest, to sit, lay down and stay. And they do as they are told. However, as soon as they think her attention might be elsewhere, they have a stretch so their front paws are a bit closer to the guest … then they shuffle their back legs to catch up so they’re not at a full stretch. If that’s not noticed, they do it again, so little by little they inch their noses towards where they want them to be!

And this is what our habits are like. They come creeping back if we forget to remind ourselves that we jolly well don’t want them there. And because they are our habits, they feel good and right to us. However, it’s a bit like having a cup of tea with sugar in it. If you always drink your tea with sugar, you will be used to it. If someone gives you a cup of tea with no sugar, you will certainly know all about it after a sip. But this doesn’t mean that tea with sugar is better for you than tea without … just that it’s different from the norm and you notice it. So it is with our habits – just because hey feel right, it doesn’t mean they are good for us!

TED Talks

Thu, 31 Mar 2016 23:00:00 GMT

I’ve been watching some TED talks lately, and saw a couple I thought would be interesting to pass on.

One is by Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist ( here ). She discusses how body and mind affect one another – which is a key part of Alexander thinking. You might start having lessons because of back pain, but you never know where the Alexander Technique might take you!

The other talk is by an Alexander teacher called Angela Bradshaw ( here ) about the Technique.

Happy watching!

The Self

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT

In the Alexander Technique, we often talk about the ‘use of the self’. This can sound a bit strange to people, but it simply recognises that we are unified beings… we don’t just use our fingers to type, we also use our brains and lots of musculature through the arms, as well as all the muscles that are keeping us sitting up!

This got me thinking about word that start with the prefix ‘self-‘. Some may have negative connotations to us: self-critical; self-conscious. Others are perhaps more neutral: self-employment; self-sufficient.

But there are also lots of words with positive connotations that begin with ‘self-‘. And I think many of attributes these come from learning and practising the Alexander Technique:

self-care; self-esteem; self-possession; self-help; self-confidence; self-discovery; self-empowerment; self-acceptance; self-mastery; self-healing; self-reliance; self-assurance; self-control; self-awareness; self-belief.

The Alexander Technique … about more than just backs (important as they are)!

Introductory video

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Searching the web yesterday, I found this interesting video about the Alexander Technique. I like the way Chris explains how the Technique can help. The video’s about 8 minutes long.

Chris’ video

A Pain in the Neck

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT

With more people suffering ‘text neck’, a new study has shown that the Alexander Technique can help! The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and demonstrates that going about our daily life in a different way can really help.

Two out of three people suffer with neck pain at some point in their lives (source: Patient UK) and most cases involve ‘nonspecific pain’, caused by poor postural and movement habits or minor sprains rather than serious underlying disease or injury.

Symptoms can include restricted movement of the neck, and pain that spreads from the neck or shoulder up to the base of the skull or down the arm. These may begin to improve after a few days and be gone within a few weeks. However, sometimes the pain persists, becoming chronic and difficult to get rid of.

Chronic neck pain is defined as persisting beyond three months and is usually treated with pain killers and/or physiotherapy.

The new study, funded by Arthritis Research UK, was managed by a large research team based at the University of York. It found that participants who attended one-to-one Alexander Technique lessons averaged almost a third less pain and incapacity at the end of the trial than they reported before they started the lessons. They also had significantly less pain than a group who received only usual GP-led care during the study.

That is good news!

Winnie the Pooh

Wed, 02 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Today, I walked past a poster, which said something like:

“How do you spell love?” asked Piglet. “You don’t spell love,” said Pooh, “you feel it.”

With the Alexander Technique, you can read books about it, and do some of the things the books suggest. But to really get the best out of it, you need a teacher to give you the experience. All the words in the world don’t give the experience … they describe it.

And sometimes, you can have the experience without the words. I’m reading a book about Shakespeare by Ben Crystal in which he is talking about Shakespeare’s poetry, and by way of metaphor he says:

“Think about it in terms of Italian opera. I don’t speak Italian, but I could go to an opera sung in Italian and I’d enjoy it on a basic level: I’d revel in the fights, the lights, the sounds and the raw emotions. Or I could … learn a little Italian and maybe read the libretto before I go.”

Back to the Shakespeare and he goes on to say:

“Or … learn a bit of Shakespearian before going to see a play of his, and unlock a treasure chest of life-changing jewels in his work.”

So, if you’d like to “unlock a treasure chest of life-changing jewels”, come and have an Alexander lesson!

Pain and healing

Wed, 03 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMT

On Radio 4 yesterday, I listened to an interesting programme about pain (here). In the last 10 minutes or so Dr Paul Dieppe talked about the musculoskeletal pain with his arthritis. He described how initially he started taking tablets for his knee pain, then contacted a colleague about a knee replacement.

Then he stepped back and stopped thinking that someone else had to do something for him, and he could take control himself. He felt this was a vital mind switch for him and perhaps it activated an inhibitory system within his nervous system, which meant he felt less pain. He believes a lot of pain can be controlled within the body (though not all, such as bone cancer pain). He referred to a natural balance (homeostasis) within the body affecting our chemical, neurological, hormonal and psychological balance. This can affect what pain we feel. We are not divided into mind and body but are fully integrated mind, body and spirit composite beings within the universe. He also believes there is an innate healing response in the body.

From an Alexander point of view, recognising we have responsibility for ourselves is key. So is stopping to allow our composite beings to activate an innate healing response. We may not know exactly how it works, but it does.

This makes me think of something I’ve recently read. It was a statement by Richard Feynman, who was a physicist. He said “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics… Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it, ‘But how can it be like that?’ because you will ‘go down the drain’ into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped. Nobody knows how it can be like that.” I just looked up quantum mechanics in Wikipedia … I won’t pretend to understand it, but it does say it is utterly inexplicable in classical physics!

Passport to health?!

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Having just got back from holiday, I was perusing my passport at the airport and seeing the words ‘to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance’ … and I thought, that sounds like the Alexander Technique! By using the Technique, we want to use use our bodies easily and without difficulty.

Listening to ‘Inside Health’ on Radio 4 on Tuesday, Dr Mark Porter was talking about groin and hip problems and footballers. He was talking to a physio at Southampton Football Club who said that most footballers who had such trouble were using their pelvis as part of their leg. In fact, the pelvis is part of the leg and the leg starts much lower than many of us think. Using the joints properly is a key way of avoiding pain. The Alexander Technique can help you both use your joints properly and thereby avoid pain!

Alexander Technique ... and perfection

Fri, 08 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

OK, so firstly, as an Alexander teacher, I’m not interested in perfection!

However, my husband and I were talking yesterday about his art class, and he said they had discussed the quote “perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away”. And I said, that sounds like the Alexander Technique (except the perfection bit).

That’s because as an Alexander teacher I am not seeking to find perfection in myself or my pupils, but a way to do any task with the least effort necessary. For example, I could pick up a heavy box using unnecessarily raised shoulders, a stiffened neck and legs, possibly bending at the waist, and pulling a face. Or, I could stop first, think about a freely balanced head and generally lengthening spine, and then pick it up with only the necessary level of support in my back, which may radiate down my arms and legs, and no unnecessary tension in myself at all. At least if I stop and think about that first, there is more chance of it happening than if I don’t!

The quote, by the way, was from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a 20th century French writer.

Christmas songs and the Alexander Technique

Mon, 21 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

The song on the radio:

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light. From now on our troubles will be out of sight”

Well, yes. Let your heart be light. Or even, let your self be light. Easier said than done, of course. But give it a thought – perhaps think lightness as you move. Think that movement is easy, rather than difficult. The thought will affect the body – in time. And maybe (some) troubles really will disappear!

Yesterday on Radio 4 there was a scientist called Lauren Heathcote talking about chronic pain, and how in some people the brain seems to learn to overreact to a pain stimulus. This learning can change the structure of the brain. She then talked about how treatment could use the brain’s learning power to retrain it not to overreact so people experience less pain than previously. Here is the link to the BBC , and the piece starts at 29.09, lasting for about 4 minutes.

Well, re-education, learning not to overreact to a stimulus, plasticity of the brain…. sounds like the Alexander Technique to me!

Toksvig, Alsop and the Alexander Technique

Fri, 11 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

On the radio recently, I heard Sandi Toksvig on Desert Island discs. She was saying that after decades of living in her head, she had decided to become aware that she had a body as well, starting somewhere around the neck. Aha, I thought. That sounds like the Alexander Technique! Being holistic in its approach, the Alexander Technique unites each one of us as complete – mind, body, neck and all.

Another day, I heard Marin Alsop, the conductor, describing how when she had conducted with Leonard Bernstein, her mentor, listening, he had said he didn’t like what she was doing. So she had had a break, thought about it, and decided that she conducted the way she did and if he didn’t like it, well, he didn’t like it. Of course, after the break, he was much happier with what she did. She felt this was because she had stopped trying so hard to please him, and was just doing her thing. And that is another, deeper, lesson of the Alexander Technique, I think. So, if you come for a lesson with me, stop trying to please me when I ask you to sit, for example. Think about your neck, head, back and knees, a freedom to move, and leave the rest to me.

Alexander Technique ... and laptops

Wed, 02 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

The other day my laptop started playing up – grrr. If I switched it on, it didn’t manage to get itself started, just went round and round in circles trying to start up. So I took it to the chap who sorts these things out, and he did. Apparently, it had got a bit confused over a security update download. So now I’m hoping it won’t happen again – because I have no other course of action but to take it back to him.

I was reflecting on this, and thinking that one reason I like the Alexander Technique is that it is a form of self-help. Unlike going to a therapy session, where you are ‘done to’ and then leave, an Alexander lesson aims to give you the skills to look after yourself even when you aren’t with your teacher – it is empowering. Of course, empowerment brings with it the responsibility of looking after yourself too.

And, talking of the Alexander Technique and laptops, computers of any kind are a real temptation to forget about yourself and be sucked into what’s going on with the screen. But once you know some Alexander Technique, you can decide that you aren’t going to get all hunched over, but instead are going to firstly set it up so that it is at the right height for you, and secondly ensure you give some thought to yourself while using it. Put yourself first, rather than what is on that screen!

Alexander Technique ... and keys

Thu, 26 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT

I was doing my very valuable Alexander lying down work the other day (see how to do it yourself: Alexander Technique lying down work ) and it occurred to me that the Alexander directions are like putting a key in a lock, turning it, and going through the door. So, before you do something (say, clean your teeth) you can stop, think about your head balancing on top of your lengthening, widening spine and then pick up your toothbrush with that thought still going on. Then you will be helping yourself get your gnashers clean with less tension than you might otherwise have done.

And in the news recently was the result of a study funded by Arthritis Research UK that the Alexander Technique can help deal with neck pain – see how to stop that pain in the neck for more information.

A Diving bell ... and the Alexander Technique

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday I watched a film called “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”, and thinking about the diver in his suit reminded me of something Terry Waite said on the radio recently. His advice to Shaker Aamer on release from Guantanamo Bay was to take re-entry to a normal life slowly. Like a scuba diver coming up to the surface of the water, slowness is imperative, or there’s a risk of getting the bends.

And I thought, well, that’s a bit like the Alexander Technique. It does take a while to readjust. If change happens too fast it is unsettling. And that can put people off altogether. And it’s amazing how a small change in our body can feel so big – like a minuscule mouth ulcer that feels enormous.

I heard something else on the radio a while ago, which was about memory not being linear. And, I think, the same is true of learning. Whether that is learning the Alexander Technique or anything else, progress is made in a series of hops, some bigger, some smaller and possibly some sideways. As my Course Director, Ron Colyer, always said, confusion is a higher state than ignorance!

Alexander Technique ... and magnets!

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Being married to a physicist, I sometimes go to talks that sound interesting… but contain a bit more detail than I wish to hear! Last week, for instance, I went to one which had the subtitle “Magnets – how do they work?”.

Truth is, I can’t tell you. But, as usual, thinking about magnets got me thinking about the Alexander Technique. And how if you have some iron filings on a piece of paper, and you move a magnet underneath that piece of paper, the iron filings all move in concert with the magnet. Well, that’s kind of the same as the Alexander ‘up’. It’s as if all the cells in your body want to go up. But there isn’t a magnet above your head, only your will and wish and desire and intention for that ‘up’ to happen. Better than magnets, if you ask me!

During the talk, the presenter referred to a physicist called Richard Feynman, who was asked by an interviewer to explain magnetic force. And his response was “I really can’t do a good job, any job, of explaining magnetic force in terms of something else you’re more familiar with, because I don’t understand it in terms of anything else that you’re more familiar with.” And that also reminded me of the Alexander Technique!

Alexander Technique ... and watercolour painting

Thu, 22 Oct 2015 23:00:00 GMT

My husband is currently doing a course in water colour painting. And as we were on our daily walk he was talking about the discipline of painting what you see, rather than what you think you see. He said, if you are painting a house, and think of it as painting a house, it could well be that you end up with something like a square box with windows and a front door. Rather, do not think of it as a house, but paint what you can actually see; the shadows and and reflections and so on. Then you end up with something that looks more realistic. It’s an interesting thought. And of course it led me on to thinking of the Alexander Technique.

If we try to stop and analyse what we want from the Technique – for example a lengthening spine – we may well end up trying to work out what that feels like and then replicate that within ourselves. Instead, we just have to think that a lengthening spine is what we want and leave it at that; leave our bodies to get on with the process of it and not pre-judge how that will feel or be. Then we really leave ourselves open to the possibility of a lengthening spine!

Parmenides, Eliot and the Alexander Technique

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 23:00:00 GMT

Today I was in the Ashmolean museum in Oxford, and in the Ancient History area I saw a quote by Parmenides, a pre-Socratic philosopher. It said “thought and being are the same”. Alexander famously said beware of what you read, as it may not be what was written (!), but the quote reminded me of the Alexander Technique – whether it’s what Parmenides meant or not!

And as its national poetry day, I thought I would put up part of a poem which also reminds me of the Alexander Technique. It’s by T S Eliot. The set of poems is called Four Quartets, and this one is called East Coker. It’s a long poem which is my defence for only putting up part of it!

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope

For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love,

For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith

But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.

Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:

So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.

Whisper of running streams, and winter lightning.

The wild thyme unseen and the wild strawberry,

The laughter in the garden, echoed ecstasy

Not lost, but requiring, pointing to the agony

Of death and birth.

You say I am repeating

Something I have said before. I shall say it again.

Shall I say it again? In order to arrive there,

To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not,

You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy.

In order to arrive at what you do not know

You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance.

In order to possess what you do not possess

You must go by the way of dispossession.

In order to arrive at what you are not

You must go through the way in which you are not.

And what you do not know is the only thing you know

And what you own is what you do not own

And where you are is where you are not.

How could the Alexander Technique help you?

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 23:00:00 GMT

International Alexander Awareness Week runs from 12 to 18 October this year. And as part of that, I’m giving a talk entitled “How could the Alexander Technique help you? ” at Salisbury Library. It is at 10.30 am on Saturday 17 October, and will last about an hour.

There is no cost, but you do need to contact me to book your place. You can use the website contact form, or ring me.

Why not start the journey to enjoy free and effortless movement in any activity?

In balance: your back, your body, your life.

Wisdom ... and the Alexander Technique

Mon, 14 Sep 2015 23:00:00 GMT

Just over a week ago I did an extremely good Continuing Professional Development course in Brighton, with lots of practical application of the Alexander Technique.

One comment that I overheard someone make was “The body has its own wisdom”. That’s an interesting thought. I interpreted it as, if we can listen to our bodies, without imposing upon them our habits or judgment, they will let us know what they need. The challenge then can be acting upon that if it is not what we want to do!

At a bit of an oblique, that evening, I was reading my book, ‘The Age of Doubt’ by Andrea Camilleri and translated by Stephen Sartarelli. And I read the following:

“A flash went off in his brain. An invented character! A character in a novel!

He shot to his feet, dashed inside, and went up to the bookcase. It had to be a book he had read together with Livia.

Almost independently of his brain, his right arm reached up, and his right hand picked out a book with a light-blue cover.”

What the protagonist, Inspector Montalbano, experiences is that sensation when the unconscious self knows something that the conscious self can’t quite recall. You know how it is when you are trying hard to remember something, but, even though it’s on the tip of your tongue, you can’t. Later on, the answer suddenly pops into your head. It’s as if the trying to remember sends the answer further and further from reach. I think Alexander might have had something to say about it!

Insouciance ... and the Alexander Technique

Sun, 23 Aug 2015 23:00:00 GMT

A word that keeps popping into my head lately is insouciance. Somehow, it describes how I can be feeling.

There is something about the Alexander Technique that can promote that sense of lightness, nonchalance, equanimity, composure, relaxedness, call it what you will. So, when you’re in an Alexander lesson, you can ‘care less’ about doing what you think I want you to, and instead give a thought to your neck, head and back. What happens is what happens…. and doesn’t matter.

Somehow it brought to mind a poem called ‘Leisure’ by William Henry Davies. So, give yourself some time, think about your head balancing freely on the top of your spine and your spine lengthening and back widening, and read on:

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Singing

Mon, 03 Aug 2015 23:00:00 GMT

Last night I was watching a programme on iPlayer called Pappano’s Classical Voices. In a section concerning the ‘bridge’ area of a singer’s voice – between the upper and lower registers – the tenor Jonas Kaufmann was talking about a note that he was indecisive as which region, for his voice, it belongs to. He went on to say:

“every performance I do it differently; also depending on the form of the day it just comes differently. I think the more you think about it, the more difficult it becomes.”.

So he doesn’t decide whether to use the upper or lower register of his voice before he sings it – in front of thousands of people! His intention is to sing the note, but he doesn’t try to work it out first.

I don’t know whether Kaufmann has studied the Alexander Technique, but his response reminds me of the Technique: leave the possibilities open. You have an intention; free your neck and allow your body the work out the best way to achieve it.

Curtains ... and the Alexander Technique!

Thu, 30 Jul 2015 23:00:00 GMT

I have just made a pair of curtains.

There was a lot of Alexander Technique involved, and not only because I had to remember to keep a free neck when I was using the sewing machine!

In fact, I had to make the curtains twice. That’s because the first time I just wanted them done. And they were. But the seams were puckered, the hems weren’t straight and I forgot to put the curtain weights in.

Well, I thought. There’s an Alexander lesson in there somewhere. About not ‘endgaining’, and remembering the ‘means whereby’. Which is jargon to express the concept that when we do something we need to remember how we are doing it as well as what we are doing. If we are in such a hurry to cross a road that we forget to look both ways, disaster could strike!

In an Alexander lesson this is about how you use your self. For example, there is something on the floor to be picked up… if this is your sole focus you may bend your back to pick it up without considering how your body is designed to bend (at the knees, hips, ankles). This lack of consideration on can lead to back pain, and so as an Alexander teacher I would be encouraging you to remember how your body works and not be so concerned with picking the thing up quickly.

So again I am reminded that the Alexander Technique is not just about how I use my mind and body but is a life skill. Having remade the curtains paying attention each step of the way… measuring (accurately), pinning (sufficiently), pressing (at all!), they now look reasonably good – not shop-made but OK. And I think there is something in the Alexander Technique about self-acceptance, so I’m celebrating their home-made look. Only two more pairs to go…!

Books, books, books

Mon, 13 Jul 2015 23:00:00 GMT

I take books from the shelves to flick through, and often don’t finish them. But I do often read something that reminds me of the Alexander Technique. I have two offerings today.

The first is from a book called Simplexity by Jeffrey Kluger. He says “Complexity, as any scientist will tell you, is a slippery idea, one that defies almost any effort to hold it down and pin it in place Things that seem complicated can be preposterously simple; things that seem simple can be dizzyingly complex.”

The second is from a book by one Winston S Churchill called Painting as a Pastime. And in describing painting, he says: “Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”

I’m not going to analyse why I think they describe the Alexander Technique. They are just words to reflect upon!

Alexander in education (and in life)

Mon, 06 Jul 2015 23:00:00 GMT

Below is a link showing interviews from school and college students and teachers about the Alexander Technique … everything they say is relevant to adults too! It’s just under 8 minutes long, so think about your head balancing on the top of your spine, and your spine lengthening, and watch away.

Alexander in Education

Expanding

Tue, 23 Jun 2015 23:00:00 GMT

I’ve just started reading a book by Alexander McCall Smith about the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. I like the books because they describe a gentle pace of life in Botswana, and the owner of the Detective Agency has a simple, practical approach to her problem solving. And she’s always up for tea and cake, and sitting under a tree in the shade. The important things in life.

On page 2 of “The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon” McCall Smith describes Mma Ramotswe (the owner of the Detective Agency) reading a business magazine. She reads an article that starts: ‘A business that isn’t expanding will actually be contracting,’ .

And I thought, well, that sounds like a lesson from the Alexander Technique! A person who isn’t expanding will actually be contracting. With the Technique we are always looking for expansion within ourselves and within our pupils. This includes our field of attention, which can easily become narrow and over-focused so that we lose the bigger picture, and contract our bodies in the process. So, when you’re busy doing something, take the time to think ‘up and out’ every now and then. You could even try it now whilst you’re reading this. Be aware of the space above and behind you, and what you can see in your peripheral vision. And remember the importance of having a break for tea and cake!

Good Intentions ...

Sat, 06 Jun 2015 23:00:00 GMT

Of course, I intended to write more frequently than every couple of months…!

The good news is that I heard the Alexander Technique mentioned on Radio 4 on Friday. It was the follow up of an article about people standing to work, and how beneficial this is compared to sitting at a desk. An Alexander teacher contacted the programme and pointed out that standing badly isn’t particularly good for you either, and if you sit with direction that will be better than slumping. So, neck free, head forward and up, spine lengthening and widening… and with feet flat on the floor. Of course I didn’t just move them because they were crossed at the ankles under my chair!!

I also gave an Alexander lesson to someone new a couple of days ago, who commented on how balanced she felt afterwards. And her husband was amazed at how ‘up’ she was. Perfect… just what we’re looking for, really!

About the Alexander Technique

Thu, 09 Apr 2015 23:00:00 GMT

That’s the question that many people ask me when I tell them I teach it. And it’s a very good question!

Some people have heard of it in relation to posture or breathing. I first heard about it when I had lower back pain (again) and a friend told me about the results of a trial that had been published in the British Medical Journal stating that the Alexander Technique could help. This is why I started a course of lessons in the Alexander Technique that would lead to my back pain rapidly disappearing. Thus I was inspired to train to become a Teacher of the Technique.

When I first started that course of lessons, I thought I was being taught how to stand and sit in the best way for my body. Now that I have completed my training as a Teacher of the Technique, done some post-graduate study, and am teaching others, I think it is about recognising my habitual reactions to life’s pressures and giving myself the chance to decide whether I want to respond to them in a different way. This certainly has an impact on posture, and indeed all of me. A key part of Alexander thinking is that we are whole beings, and not broken down into mind, body and spirit.

I wonder what I’ll think the Alexander Technique is in a decade?!