Here’s actor Hugh Jackman describing the benefits he got from learning Alexander Technique. He describes the mix of ‘incredibly good posture with incredible relaxation’, and says what he learned was ‘beautiful, an art…it was about being still and relaxed in order to 100% listen to someone, to be present’.
Of course, this isn’t just good stuff for actors. It’s good stuff for anyone.
Here’s one of my favourite videos. It’s psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist explaining his research into our divided brains. It’s densely packed with information and deserves watching a couple of times.
How does this relate to Alexander Technique? In two ways.
Firstly I believe that the Technique is a way to reconnect with the broader quality of attention that McGilchrist describes as associated with the right hemisphere of the brain.
Secondly, he says at one point that for the left hemisphere, the body is ‘an assemblage of parts’. In Alexander Technique, working with the body as a whole is fundamental. In fact, once we fall into the trap of thinking of our bodies as collections of parts, we get into all sorts of trouble.
When I was training to be an Alexander Technique teacher, I was made aware that one of my habits was to hold my head tilted over to the right. I’d been doing it for years and was completely unaware of it. Many people have similar habits. But why does it matter? Read the rest of this entry »
Stefanie Buller, an Alexander Technique teacher in the German town of Bremen, contacted me saying she had translated my blog post Alexander Technique and Pain Part One into German to share with readers of her blog (click here to have a look). So I thought you might like to read it here too. Thank you Stefanie. Read the rest of this entry »
In Part One we discussed how pain, despite being unpleasant, is in fact a defender, a protective function. In Part Two, we saw that persistent or chronic pain does not indicate persistent damage. Chronic pain is less structural, more about the sensitivity of the nervous system. Read the rest of this entry »
In Part One, we looked at a new way of understanding pain: as a protective mechanism, a defender. In this post, we’ll look at what that means for chronic or persistent pain. Technically, that’s pain which persists for more than 3 months. Read the rest of this entry »
I cut my finger. My nervous system sends pain messages up my nerves back to my brain to tell it that I have injured myself, and the pain centre in my brain registers that the pain is happening.
Right?
Wrong.
Pain is not what we think it is. Understanding the truth about pain can help you manage it. Here are three key points you need to know. Read the rest of this entry »
Prepare to have your beliefs challenged. Here’s a fantastic 5 minute video from Australia that gives you the main points of a modern understanding of pain – and no, it’s probably not what you think!
Alexander Technique fits beautifully as part of a plan to get you out of pain, it would be under item five on the ‘Pain Plan’ list they suggest, at around 4 minutes on the video.
Bonza!
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This is my favourite Alexander Technique game. It helps with posture and with walking, and it lifts your mood on even the darkest days. You work indirectly to trick your perceptual and balance systems into making subtle but powerful changes. You can do this indoors, but it’s best to try outside. Read the rest of this entry »
