| The Alexander Technique |
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THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE Free your mind and body The Alexander Technique not only helps alleviate back pain (proven by recent research published in the British Medical Journal1), but it helps you to overcome postural habits which cause stress, resulting in freedom of movement and enhanced quality of life.So what is this intriguing technique taught by over 2500 teachers worldwide? The Alexander Technique is about change, releasing unconscious layers of muscular and mental habits. Frederick Matthias Alexander (1864 – 1955) was an Australian actor who developed the Alexander Technique to heal himself from vocal strain and in so doing, changed the use and functioning of his whole being, physical and mental. The technique enhances our quality of life and general health. It is not a treatment but a means of learning how to make changes to help yourself. Are you aware of how you hold your pen? The physical and mental are inseparable: our thoughts influence the use of our muscles. We learn to notice how we might stress our bodies unnecessarily by: · holding a pen with too much tension It doesn’t help to try to sit up straight The Alexander Technique is not about having “good posture”. It’s finding the balance between bracing and slumping, and discovering an effortless strength in remaining upright. Stopping the wrong thing allows the right thing to emerge. This is a powerful tool for change. An Alexander teacher can show you how. How do you react to a looming deadline? It is easy to develop postural, mental and emotional habits in response to the stresses of daily life: we might stiffen our necks in response to stress, hold our breath in response to performance anxiety, tighten in response to strong emotions, or slump on the sofa from exhaustion. The Alexander Technique releases such habit patterns and reawakens the possibility of natural movement and co-ordination. Find the space in your thoughts and your joints The Alexander Technique is not a relaxation technique, although it can release deep levels of tension so that every cell in your body is functioning optimally. Life can be so different when you feel spacious in your thoughts, joints and muscles: for example, letting go of tight shoulders can help difficult emotions to shift or help to broaden perspective.
How can the Alexander Technique help you? The Technique is immensely helpful for:
How do you learn the Alexander Technique? The best way is with a trained teacher in one-to-one lessons. The teacher works with a combination of hand-on guidance and verbal prompts. You remain clothed. It’s not a “quick-fix”, more a process of gradual re-education over a period of months. The Alexander Technique is empowering: you learn how to make it your own, continuing your journey of self-discovery with the skills learned from your teacher. Here are some examples of how the Alexander Technique can help: STRESS“My experience of the Alexander Technique was the overwhelming relaxation the first lesson gave, spurring me to keep practising methods taught. My husband, a retired headmaster, was dying of cancer, and the household was just so busy, the phone ringing constantly. Nurses were here in the morning and I was on call every night. The Alexander Technique helped me to survive a most demanding time, coping with deep emotional stress.”
BACK PAIN“After three years of hard slog on a lifestyle block my back gave in. Constant pain. The pain became so bad, it was not only affecting my ability to do physical activity around the property but my quality of life and self esteem were suffering as well.A friend suggested Alexander Technique. Now that I know how to look after my back, my posture has improved dramatically and I feel much more confident in my body and my self.”
RSI (OOS) & ASTHMA “My first contact with Alexander Technique came about almost by accident…I was suffering from a repetitive strain injury, lifelong asthma and an increasingly poor posture. After about 3 months I was definitely standing straighter but felt self-conscious and a bit stiff with (my) new posture…Then one Friday evening, two days after a lesson I felt the most extraordinary internal 'release' in my lower neck…It felt as if I was dragging my neck ever upwards from within my upper torso, where it had been sunken and collapsed like a closed telescope for years. The overall impact was very emotional and liberating. I felt that I had been hiding inside my 6'3'' body, self-conscious of my height. I was now growing up to my full and natural height. I can honestly say that having Alexander Technique classes…has changed my body and my life around. I feel more confident, happy, my breathing is better. The RSI has almost disappeared…A lifetime of hunching, slouching and increasing stress due to day to day living have (also) been to blame. My asthma has vastly improved and my posture is a million times better. And I feel good about myself and confident in my body when I move and walk.” MUSIC"I had been playing clarinet and saxophone all my life and then suddenly it all went sour. All the notes began to sound wrong, Mozart sounded more like Schoenberg; I seemed to have lost all control over my fingers on the keys. I developed an increasingly painful response to extended performance, moving up my right arm from fingers to shoulder, eventually with such intensity that I believed I would have to give up playing. Fortunately I began learning the Alexander Technique and began a steady recovery, to the point where I am once again able to play for long periods and remain pain-free." SINGING“Alexander Technique helps me with my nerves. Before I go on stage I often feel a bit jittery, so I try and recall some of the things that my teacher took me through in our lessons. I think about elongating the connection from the top of my head through to the soles of my feet and this helps me breathe more openly which in turn, creates more vibrancy in my voice. All of a sudden I’m feeling more confident just by simply being aware of the way I’m standing. It’s great!” 1. British Medical Journal, August 2008. See http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/aug19_2/a884
For more information see her website www.alexandervoiceworks.co.nz For further information about the Alexander Technique, see the ATTSNZ website www.alexandertechnique.org.nz
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