March 2012
Alexander Technique—The Missing Link
Alexander Technique-The Missing Link Although best known for improving posture and diminishing back pain and neck tension, the Alexander Technique involves changing one's habitual responses. Mind and body are inseparable, and our responses [...]
Best Way To Improve Posture
There is really only one way to improve posture, and I can say it in one word: The Alexander Technique. Ok, that’s three words, but one idea. Most people think they know how to improve posture, but it is not the best way to improve posture, nor is it a permanent way to improve posture. Here’s what most of us know about improving posture: ‘stand up straight!’ ‘Sit up straight!’ We’ve all heard things like ‘suck your stomach in, push your chest out, put your shoulders back, stick your chin back’ etc. This is not the way to improve posture. This is a way to have military posture...
The Alexander Technique and the Museum Walk
In 1998, just prior to learning the Alexander Technique, I developed severe, debilitating neck pain. This pain, which started in my hand, lasted months. It was caused by hunching over my musical instrument, for decades. I tried just about everything for relief, and was even contemplating risky neck surgery. One of the worst times during the day was when I had to walk. Although I was walking as smoothly as possible, every step brought spinal compression which was excruciating...
How Much Do Alexander Technique Lessons Cost?
The cost of Alexander Technique lessons varies greatly. The first variant would be location. There are Alexander Technique teachers all over the world. The money systems are as varied as the countries. Here in the United States, location is again one of the determining factors. An Alexander Technique teacher from a small town will probably charge less than a teacher from a large city...My fee is...
The Alexander Technique and Happiness
I think F.M. Alexander (1869-1955), the developer of the Alexander Technique, would be fascinated by the emerging evidence of how thinking affects our brain, how our brain affects our body, and how our body affects our brain. Detailed brain imagery demonstrates that thinking is not a purely mental process; it is physical as well. Measurable, physical changes occur in our brains 'just' by thinking. In other words, we don't just think. We change our brains, in function and structure, with our minds and bodies...
The Alexander Technique is all Homework
After their first Alexander Technique lesson people ask: "Is there anything I could do at home?" There is everything you could do at home! Moreover, there is no thing, no action, no situation at home or anywhere else where you can't exercise the Alexander Technique. You use the Alexander Technique at home, at work, and anywhere. The Alexander Technique homework is not homework in the traditional sense; where you block out an hour or two to do work. You don't have to do the Alexander Technique one or two hours per day. You just do it every waking hour of every day, and every night as you sleep. Weekends too. Also vacations...