In some ways the Alexander Technique helps us get better at doing less. Doing less? This goes against the general vibe of New York City; the City that never sleeps, or even takes a nap. The Alexander Technique challenges the general vibe of NYC and other large cities in many ways. Many of us have been taught to 'do more', 'push yourself', 'no pain no gain', and 'always try harder'...
In Man's Supreme Inheritance by F.M.Alexander, (the 'Alexander' in the Alexander Technique) writes..."a human being functions as a whole and can only be functionally changed as a whole." In my Alexander Technique teaching here in NYC this is illuminated countless times. People get the mistaken impression that their back pain has nothing to do with their neck, their neck pain has nothing to do with their jaw, their hand pain has nothing to do with their overall tension, and their shallow breathing has nothing to do with their job...
Soft focus. A wider view. The big picture. Draw back. Back off. Hold up. Pause, wait, stop, relax, ease up, chill. Lengthen. Widen. Take a step back and see the whole rather than just the parts. Alexander Technique, especially in NY. Sometimes too much involvement can draw us in, and down, collapsing into ourselves. Too much involvement; too much riding on it. Even our jaw muscles tighten and shorten. Too important, as if it's life or death. It makes us want to lean in, anyway we know how; usually by shrinking, compressing. Breathing shallows. We get tense, and then we stay tense. It happens to us someplace, then anyplace, then everyplace. Some times to almost all the time. Then it becomes "that's the way I am", or, "I'm a tense person"...
"It's not what you do, it's how you do it. The Alexander Technique is the how of how you do anything." Those phrases have been spoken countless times by Alexander Technique teachers at Alexander Technique lessons. The Alexander Technique is the how of everything you do. It's how you sit at the computer, more than just that you're sitting at the computer, that might lead to bad posture, neck pain, back pain, or shoulder pain. As an Alexander Technique teacher I help people sit at the computer, stand, and walk, with more ease and less tension. This results in improved posture, pain relief, and an overall sense of well-being. There is also another angle, however, regarding how you use the Alexander Technique; it's what you don't do...
