“It has not been realized that the influence of the manner of use is a constant one upon the general functioning of the organism in every action and during every moment of life, and that this influence can be harmful or it can be a beneficial one.” 
 
F.M. Alexander

Alexander Technique Tip #11: Standing And Posture

People are sometimes surprised as they become aware of what they are doing with themselves when they are standing. They may notice for the first time that they lock their knees, or they thrust their hips forward and collapse the front of the torso. For neutral we want to distribute our weight down to our feet evenly, left and right. We want to be evenly distributed front to back, though most of the weight goes down from the heels into the ground. We want to think of the opposition of the feet releasing down to the ground while the rest of the body is moving up from the ankle joints. There are oppositions within oppositions however. Think of the legs flowing down away from the torso and the torso moving up away from the legs. Another way to think of this would be leg/torso separation. As a general principle think of the knees forward and the hip joints back. The knees are unlocked. Within all of this the neck is free, the head is forward and up and the head is leading the spine into length.

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Alexander Technique Tip #12: Constructive Rest Position

Constructive rest position is a whole lot of nothing. Doing nothing isn’t as easy as it sounds though. What you want to do is find a place to lie down on the floor. A carpeted floor is fine, as is a yoga mat. You’re going to be lying down on your back with your head on a few paperback books. The height of the books should be high enough so that your face is parallel to the floor. Your forehead could be slightly higher than your chin. A little extra book height is better than not enough.
Either have one or both feet flat on the floor, to help ease tension in the lower back. Your hands could be by your sides, or resting on your torso.
You could think about your primary directions: allow your neck to be free so that your head can move forward and up, so that your torso can lengthen and widen, and your legs can move away from your torso, and you shoulders release out the sides. Take five or ten minutes, and enjoy gravity as it helps lengthen and widen you. See if you have tension somewhere, and let it go.
You could also take this opportunity to do some whispered  ah’s.

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Alexander Technique Tip #13: How We Look Up

If you want to have your head rotated forward, for neutral, how do you tilt it backwards so that you can look up? What if you want it rotated backwards to drink water or look at the night sky?  Problems come when you tilt your head back and down. This is what can shorten your spine, collapse your torso and roll your shoulders forward. If you have any kind of neck, shoulder, hip or back pain, this is not a great scenario. So, how do you look up without creating negative conditions? By using joints made for this purpose; the atlanto-occipital joints, which are way up high where the spine meets the head. If you stick your fingers in your ears (and I’ll type louder as you do) and you imagine a rod in between your fingers, you want to pivot over that rod. With your fingers still in your ears, if you look up or down without collapsing, you’ll notice that your fingers aren’t moving down. This way you’re not losing height to look up or down, so your spine isn’t compressing.  

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Alexander Technique Tip #14: Arms And Hands

How many times do we lift our arms and use our hands throughout the day? Countless times, and every time we lift them from our sides, we want to utilize principles of the Alexander Technique. Firstly, the primary directions: I wish my neck to be free, to allow my head forward and up, my torso to lengthen and widen, and my legs to move away from my torso, and my shoulders to release out the sides. We want to start any movement with releasing muscles; releasing into length. As you keep the directions going, think of lengthening the arms down to the fingertips. Then lift the fingertips a few inches. This will cause the elbow to bend. Notice if your neck or shoulders have become involved. Notice if you are prematurely using your biceps. The idea is to do as little as necessary to lift your hand. Are you aware that every time you lift your hand, even a few inches, the movement is slightly different? Involve you arms as little as possible, though you want then lively, not dead weight. After you do this with one hand, you could do the other. You might find the second hand easier because you’re really working with your thinking, rather than just your arms or hands. At some point, still thinking of all these ideas, you could lift your hand all the way up to the computer keyboard, or anywhere else, with a minimum amount of tension.

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Alexander Technique Tip #15: Alexander Technique primary directions

I wish to let my neck be free … so that my head can move forward and up…so that  my torso can lengthen and widen and…my legs can move away from my torso and…my shoulders can release out the sides.

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Alexander Technique Tip #16: Stay in the game with books

Reading about the Technique can be a nice addition to taking lessons, which is one reason I send out Newsletters. Books really add quite a lot to the process. Plus, they keep you ‘in the game’. People ask me about books on the Alexander Technique. At this point, there are probably thousands of  books on this and related topics. I’ve listed a few of my favorites here.

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Alexander Technique Tip #17: Alexander peas are everywhere

Within one week of teaching, one student told me he finds himself plopping into the chair where he slumps. Another told me that the Alexander Technique has given her a sense of poise and pride, even though she originally took lessons for her posture. So I thought:

Poise, pride, posture, slump, plop, poor posture…

Because I don’t hear words in color I didn’t notice anything. Then it hit me like a punch, or some other projectile: P words!  There’s tons of themp! Click here!

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Alexander Technique Tip #18: Habits and our brain

‘Use it or lose it’ is a phrase commonly heard when speaking of the desire to build muscles, or when speaking of not letting muscles atrophy. This term applies to the brain and the mind as well. The critical importance of creative thinking and renewed learning throughout our lives has been documented. The Alexander Technique is something new to learn, and new neural pathways are created with the Alexander Technique process.

Specific parts of the brain control various functions, down to smallest of details. This has been called localization. The brain is also capable of changing these areas or developing new neural pathways, and this amazing capacity is known as plasticity.

‘Use it or lose it’ has applications to the Alexander Technique. The part of the brain concerning itself with forming new habits might have been dormant for years. We get up, do our morning routine, our afternoon routine and so forth. “We plastically reenforce our habits through repetition”, says Norman Doidge in The Brain That Changes Itself.

The Alexander Technique, however, helps you do your morning routine or any other routine in an un-routine way. The way you’ve sat down, stood up, walked, and so on might not have changed for decades. In the utilization of the Alexander Technique principles all these simple movements will be thought of differently, and performed differently. Developing and possibly changing the part of the brain dealing with these habits (localization) might lead to developing other areas (neuroplasticity).

So, if your back hurts or you have bad posture, take some Alexander Technique lessons. One day it might help you remember your phone number.

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Alexander Technique Tip #19: Practicing the Alexander Technique is allowed

If  you have a little time you could spend it with the Alexander Technique in the front of your brain, just at it is during an Alexander Technique lesson. The ways you could practice are countless. You could practice looking up and looking down, pivoting forward and backward in a chair, rising from a chair, sitting from standing, sitting at the computer, walking down the street, doing dishes, riding to work all with the Alexander Technique principles in the foreground. Then, let it go.

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Alexander Technique Tip #20: The mind in mind/body

From the biggest ideas about freedom and flexibility of thinking, to the smallest about ankle joints and jaw muscles, the Alexander Technique is a toolbox, a bag, a palette, a choice to be used anytime, anywhere. You do the Alexander Technique whenever and wherever you want, and Alexander teachers show you how to practice it yourself. You get better at the Alexander Technique during and in between lessons.

When you do the Alexander Technique, you might find that you are actually doing a lot of undoing. You actually use the Alexander Technique. You learn and experience the principles of the Alexander Technique. You may then use it to do less collapsing and slouching, yet use it to decrease tension and uprightness. People may tell you your posture has improved, or ask if you have lost weight or have been working out. It may feel like you’ve gained height, poise, lightness, and confidence, as you present yourself differently both outwardly and inwardly.

Some Alexander teachers refer to the habitual slouching, collapsing and compressing we do as ‘pulling down’. Pulling down can happen physically as well as mentally.  Walter Carrington, one of the great Alexander Technique teachers said: “It is expedient to emphasize the ‘mental’ side of pulling down. Which is why confidence and a positive attitude is so important.”  People often speak of the lightness you feel taking Alexander Technique lessons. They mention the improvement of posture and reduction and elimination of pain, but less is mentioned about the Alexander Technique’s affect upon our mood, attitude, and our habitual thought patterns.

Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC

Mark@MarkJosefsberg.com

(917) 709-4648