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Alexander Technique, Stress, Posture, and Change.

Alexander Technique, Stress, Posture, and Change.

Human beings have the (unfortunate) ability to experience stress, with all its physical manifestations, even before a stressful event has taken place. And, just by thinking, we can re-experience the stress response months or years after a past event.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Perhaps because it’s oddly comfortable. It’s how we know who we are. It’s an addictive mind/body habit. Our…

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Alexander for a Yogi

Alexander for a Yogi

by Alex Curtis

  Just as my life was getting better, my body got worse.

I was new to New York this September, and as I arrived I did the requisite looking-for-a-day-job and finally had pulled together enough odd-jobs to make my rent. I was a yoga instructor by day, a cater waiter at night, and an actor at whatever time I would make for myself in between.

As I started working more,…

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Meditation Posture—Alexander Technique

When speaking of awareness, in Alexander Technique terms, we commonly speak about the body side of the mind/body continuum. Your body is most available for observation and change. And, the body tells the truth.

Meditators often begin their session by becoming aware of their breathing, body tension, and meditation posture. The Alexander Technique helps all three. It does so in a more…

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5 Alexander Technique Exercises

5 Alexander Technique Exercises

When you see the word exercise, do you imagine exercises like lifting weights, jogging, or calisthenics?

Those exercises increase strength and endurance, and you can use the Alexander Technique as you do them, but Alexander Technique exercises have different goals.

Alexander Technique exercises reduce stress and tension, rather than increase it.

“No pain—Only gain.”

Alexander Technique exercises…

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Alexander Technique—The Missing Link

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 have mental and physical components. The Alexander Technique entry point is primarily on the body side. When we speak about our habitual responses in Alexander…

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7 Tips for Better Computer Posture

7 Tips for Better Computer Posture

Tip #1.  Don’t slump, and don’t sit up straight.

  Sitting up straight doesn’t work. You know cause you’ve tried it.

Forget all that “stomach in, chest out” “tuck your chin in” junk.

It might work—for a second. It adds unnecessary tension, and it’s unsustainable.

  •   Let your head and body move up, while your two sit bones go down into the chair.

•   This natural opposition will lengthen your…

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Alexander Technique and Rubber Bands

Alexander Technique and Rubber Bands

Alexander Technique-Oh, Snap

Boing, boing, gone.

Our habits are like rubber bands, exerting a constant pull.  The deeper the habit, the stronger the pull of the band.

  Oh, snap.

But, with motivation, instruction, practice, and time, the Alexander Technique helps loosen the pull. And, a constant pull on a rubber band will weaken and snap it.

Habits weaken when no longer practiced, and new habits…

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Alexander Technique and Two Arrows

Alexander Technique and Two Arrows

Buddhism offers the idea of “two arrows.”, which has relevance to Alexander Technique.

The first arrow strikes when pain comes upon us; an inevitable occurrence. The second arrow is the mental anguish we experience, or put ourselves through, because of the original pain. Mental pain enhances and prolongs physical pain. It’s as if when shot by an arrow, we respond by shooting ourselves with a…

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Don't be bicepual

Don’t be bicepual

Is bicepuality basically biological?

  Bicepuality starts at an early age. We are not born that way, but neither is it a choice. It just sorta happens, and then becomes our habit (like slumping.)

Whenever we preemptively, prematurely, overly engage our biceps, shoulders, and other large powerful muscles, we’re acting bicepually.

  We’re bicepualists.

  Employing more muscular effort than…

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The Alexander Technique Connection

The Alexander Technique Connection

I was recently reading two books, and coincidentally they both referenced asthmatic attacks—with differing approaches for relief. The first book was “Explaining the Alexander Technique—The writings of F. Mathias Alexander—In conversation with Walter Carrington and Sean Carey. The second book was “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott.

In the Alexander Technique book Walter Carrington states: “Alexander…

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Your neck isn't free

Your neck isn’t free

and neither is mine. And, your posture isn’t perfect; neither is mine. Even F.M. Alexander, the originator of the Alexander Technique, didn’t “have”  perfect posture, or a free neck. We don’t “have” a free neck, like we “own” a free neck. If anything, we rent or lease a free neck, with no option to buy. And,  lease expires and and we re-sign countless times a day.

(This rent/ lease/own analogy is…

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Alexander Technique Relaxation

Relax, but don’t make a habit out of it. Make a habit out of relaxing with direction— and often the direction is up, though…

Sometimes parts of you will be going down, or out,

left, right,

or

a w a y;

Towards the window, the wall, the floor, the ceiling, or the sky. Sometimes combined. Sometimes contracting, most times expanding. Sometimes primary, some times secondary.

It’s done with your…

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