Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual. When learning the Alexander Technique we commonly hear about control. F. M. Alexander, the developer of the Alexander Technique, wrote about Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual. He stressed the importance of primary control (the head, neck, back relationship.) He spoke of conscious guidance and control. Yet at one [...]
The stresses and strains of modern living, combined with the ubiquity of the computer, cell phone, blackberry etc., seem to draw us in, collapsing us forward and down and giving us one version of bad posture. (Another version of bad posture would be sitting up rigidly straight. That doesn't work because it won't be maintained, and it's not helpful to add extra tension. Sitting or standing up straight usually means military posture.) So as not to smash our faces into the screen, desk, or floor...
Alexander Technique—the Gold Standard. The Alexander Technique is the gold standard treatment for back pain, or neck pain, and the most effective way to improve posture; by far. If someone is experiencing neck tension or back pain, and it is lasting longer than it should, seeking out an Alexander Technique teacher is the very [...]
One of my Alexander Technique students just returned from Paris. He described visiting a museum called "Musee L'Orangerie". Before you enter the main part of the museum, you enter an entirely white room. The room was designed by Monet to serve as a decompression chamber between the bustle of the city and his work (the Waterlilies). This entirely white, empty, 'pause' room is a great metaphor for Alexander Technique's inhibition...
