At our meeting this month, the membership received a very basic introduction to the Alexander Technique. We sat. We stood. We observed. We inhibited. We thought our directions. Then we jammed out all while observing, inhibiting, and directing.
Who was F. M. Alexander? (from https://www.alexandertechnique.com/)
“F.M. Alexander (1869-1955)was an Australian actor who began to experience chronic laryngitis whenever he performed. When his doctors could not help him, Alexander discovered a solution on his own. He had not been aware that excess tension in his neck and body were causing his problems, and began to find new ways to speak and move with greater ease.
His health improved to such an extent that his friends and several of the doctors he had consulted earlier persuaded him to teach others what he had learned. Over a career span of more than fifty years, he refined his method of instruction. After teaching for over 35 years, he began to train teachers of what has now become known as the Alexander Technique.”
What did he do?
According to legend, Alexander stopped performing for about three years. He began to observe himself in a mirror. He discovered that at the moment that he THOUGHT about speaking he would pull his head back and down, shorten his neck, and pull his shoulders in. After making this observation about his HABITS, he then set about to UN-DO his habits. After three years, he went back to performing to critical acclaim.
What is the Alexander Technique?
The Alexander Technique is listed as a somatic therapy. According to psychcentral.com a somatic therapy is: an holistic therapythat studies the relationship between the mind and body in regard to psychological past. The theory behind somatic therapy is that trauma symptoms are the effects of instability of the ANS (autonomic nervous system). There are many somatic therapies including: Feldenkrais, Body Mapping, certain types of massage, yoga, Reichian work, etc. AT differs from many of these therapies in that it seeks to UN-DO habitual movements, thoughts, etc. so that new movements can emerge. AT seeks to bring unconscious habits to the conscious mind so that the individual can CHOOSE whether or not to continue the habit.
How do you start?
We start with thinking NOT moving. Alexander discovered that movement started at the moment he THOUGHT about speaking.
1. Observe the chatter.
2. Quiet the chatter.
3. Think about your spacial directions: Head moves forward and up, neck lengthens and softens, shoulders release wide. The short hand is: up, forward, and wide.
4. Observe-Move-Observe.
5. Repeat.
What is with the walking, standing, sitting and lying on the floor?
These movements and postures are common to all people and are used as as basic movements to begin observing one’s habits.
Resources and Bibliography:
Alexander, F. Matthias, and Edward Maisel. The Alexander Technique: the
Essential Writings of F. Matthias Alexander. Carol Pub. Group, 1995.
Alexander, F. M. Use of the Self. Spring Publications, Incorporated, 2019.
Gelb, Michael. Body Learning: an Introduction to the Alexander Technique. Aurum Press, 2004.
Vineyard, Missy. “How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live: Learning the Alexander Technique to Explore Your Mind-Body Connection and Achieve Self-Mastery.” Amazon, Marlowe & Company, 2007, www.amazon.com/How-You-Stand-Move-Live/dp/1600940064.
