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Observation
• Direction
• Inhibition • Sensory
Appreciation • Body Mapping •
Constructive Rest
Introduction...
While different approaches
to teaching the Alexander Technique exist, all qualified teachers base
their work on the methods developed by F.M. Alexander, and his first
generation of teachers.
Below is an outline of the
process of learning the Alexander Technique, based upon Alexander's
writings, my own experiences and my professional training. This is not
intended to take the place of going to Alexander lessons with a qualified
teacher, but will give some idea of what may be involved in learning.
Another useful source of learning information is at alexandertechnique.com.
Scroll down your page, or
use the links provided to navigate.
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Direction
• Inhibition • Sensory
Appreciation • Body Mapping •
Constructive Rest • Top
of Page
Observation
Alexander demonstrated that
"Use affects Functioning", if
you misuse yourself in the activities of your life, your functioning
will deteriorate. People suffer the consequences of this everyday, knowing
that they are doing or feeling something harmful, but not knowing
what it is.
The first step to creating
change is to begin observing yourself, to regularly and often ask the
question, what am I doing? This can be harder than it sounds, and indeed
most people find it
is easier to observe what others are doing at first.
There is a basic coordination,
a basic pattern, in the way people move. Everyone has it, though each
person develops, builds upon, or interferes with it in some way. (See
Alexander's Story to
find out specifically what he discovered).
Example
For example, observe someone
standing up out of a chair. Is there a tendency to jerk, or pause,
or push with great effort at some point in the process. Does the person
appear to be moving their body downward, at the same time as they
are beginning to push upward with their legs, or do they appear to
smoothly, continuously and easily flow upwards?
I have been told by students
“I am not strong enough", when in fact, excessive strength
is being applied - applied in a manner which fights against itself.
The greater the tension, the harder the task.
Studying the technique
involves an awakening of your self-awareness in activity. Your ability
to observe, both visually and proprioceptively (in your body) develops
as the teacher uses his or her hands to guide you in a new manner
of moving.
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Observation
• Direction
• Sensory Appreciation • Body
Mapping • Constructive Rest • Top
of Page
Inhibition
As you begin to discover
that your manner of using yourself contains pressures, tensions, twists,
pushes and pulls that are both unnecessary and harmful, your teacher
will coach you in beginning to "say no" to these elements.
This involves
choosing not to do what you normally would do, when it comes to initiating
an action.
Alexander discovered he could
reintroduce the element of choice into his behaviour, by consciously
choosing not to respond automatically to any particular stimulus.
Example
Take catching a ball as
an example...
What do you need to do
to catch a ball? Different people will answer differently, yet it
is commonly understood that you need to "keep your eye on the
ball" in order to catch effectively. Most people will react immediately
to a ball coming their way, by moving their arm and hand in order
to catch it.
However, it is entirely
possible to consciously choose not to catch the ball (and let
it fly past). Choosing not to allow movement of your hand or arm,
inhibits part or all of your usual reaction to what can be a strong
stimulus.
Some people find this easier
than others.
In an Alexander lesson you
are more than likely to be given the stimulus to stand up out of a chair,
and to be asked not to respond in your usual manner. (To inhibit
your response). The teacher will ask you to consciously direct (see
below) the movement of your head and body while they assist you with
their hands to carry out the actual movement.
It has been said the first
thing you learn in Alexander lessons is to "get out of the teachers
way", the second thing, to "get out of your own way"....
the meaning of this will become clearer in the next section, and of
course, with practical experience.
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Observation
• Inhibition • Sensory
Appreciation • Body Mapping •
Constructive Rest • Top
of Page
Direction
It is often a surprising
experience to discover that your body will respond to your intention to
move without the application of any conscious effort. The mechanisms that
lie behind this are beginning to be demonstrated in scientific research,
but for now our understanding is that the supporting mechanisms of your
posture and movement are essentially organised through automatic reflex
actions in your musculature.
Every movement has a element
of reflex action, involuntarily acting to support the movement. It is
a complex system, but the experience of movement supported effectively
with integrated reflex actions is one of extraordinary ease and simplicity.
When you see someone who
is very skilled in a particular activity, they make it look easy to
achieve. In fact, if you ask them, you'll find that their experience
is that it is easy - even though it may have taken years of training
and work to reach that skill level.
Example
You may be familiar with
a child's game, where you stand in a doorway, and press your arms
out against the frame for a minute or so. Most people, (but not all),
on doing this will find it an interesting and enjoyable experience
when they go to lift their arms out to the side afterwards. If you
have no arm or shoulder problems, go and try it now...
Having experimented with
that, now try just standing, with your arms hanging easily at your
sides, and "directing" or telling your arms to move out
to the sides. Once you have the thought clearly in your mind, go ahead
and lift your arms... for many (but not all) people, an interesting
experience ensues...
Alexander devised a series
of instructions, which he termed "directions" to assist him
to inhibit the harmful aspects of his movement habits, and to facilitate
what he saw as the right conditions for a good use of himself in activity.
(See Primary Control,
in Alexander's Story)
These directions are to be
projected or intended, but it is of primary importance that no attempt
is made to do them directly. The directions will assist you to
inhibit or prevent your old manner of doing things, and that they will
facilitate the "antigravity reflex response". You cannot do
a reflex, only provide an appropriate stimulus for it to "do itself".
In an Alexander lesson, this
means your teacher
may emphasise how delicate the movement of your head and body can be,
moving you away from "trying to do" the directions and towards
delicately allowing them to occur, as they assist with their hands-on
skills.
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Observation
• Inhibition • Direction
• Body Mapping • Constructive
Rest • Top of Page
Sensory
Appreciation
How do you know when you
have it right? Alexander said "there is no such thing as a right
position, but there is a right direction" - but is there right
feeling?
Working with a teacher will,
at some point, give you some unusual sensations. Lightness, ease and
freedom are surprising when they appear against the background of our
usual pressure, effort and tension. You cannot, however, succeed by
an attempting to "feel it out". In fact, this is one important
reason for going to a teacher, rather than attempting the technique
unaided.
To use an analogy: You are
traveling in a car at a fast speed for a period of time, say an hour.
You reach the end of the highway and turn into a suburban street with
a suburban speed limit, how fast do you feel you are traveling? We habituate
to the sensations of movement very quickly. When conditions change,
what we experience is the difference relative to what was happening
before. At 50 we feel as if we are traveling at 20.
In a situation like this,
it is clear than we cannot rely on the sensation or feeling of the movement,
if we don't want to speed, or get a ticket, we must rely on an objective
source of information, the cars speedometer.
Our habitual movement patterns
are clearly much more deeply ingrained than this. When your patterns
of movement begin to alter, what you experience is the sensation relative
to what you have been doing for years, and this can feel very odd. In
fact, it can be hard to know what is happening at all. You know you
feel different...
Example
Try an example. Without
looking down at your feet, align them so they are not touching each
other, but are parallel, and even. Now, without moving them again,
take a look. Are they where you felt they were. It is unusual
if in fact they are!
Alexander used mirrors to
be sure that he was doing what he thought he was. You can rely upon
your teacher, but also find other sources of 'objective' feedback.
It is useful to keep this
in mind while experimenting and proceeding with your lessons.
(see Alexander's
Story for more information about sensory appreciation)
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Observation
• Inhibition • Direction
• Sensory Appreciation • Constructive
Rest • Top of Page
Body
Mapping
The term "Body Mapping"comes
from How to Learn the Alexander Technique by
Barbara Conable and William Conable.
As an adjunct to
lessons in the technique, it can be very useful to have good information
about the basic organisation of your body.
Example
How much do you know about
the structure of your body. Try this exercise, on the basis of your
own body, what you know, what you sense, what you think, draw a picture
of your own skeleton. From the front and from the side.
When it is done, find a
reference book, and compare... what did you leave out, where are the
vague areas, the areas you were just wrong about? For each area of
question (could be your whole body!), take some time to investigate
the structure in your own body in anyway you can... look in the mirror,
feel with your hands...
~~~~~~ 
Skeleton
Maps courtesy of students
In particular, knowing the
location of joints in your own body (as opposed to theoretical knowledge)
facilitates the process of reorganising your coordination. This information
must be appreciated in the context of inhibition and direction to be
really useful, in particular, any attempt to make direct or specific
changes on the basis of mapping information is likely to be more trouble
than its worth, until the general conditions of good coordination
have been established.
Some Alexander teachers will
provide you with information of this kind, and there are a number of
good reference books available including How
to Learn the Alexander Technique.
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Observation
• Inhibition • Direction
• Sensory Appreciation • Body
Mapping • Top of Page
Constructive
Rest —
Semi-Supine
Most Alexander teachers
will spend some time working with you lying on a table in "semi-supine"
position. My wife likes to call it "semi-sublime". I often
use the term "constructive rest" as it is such a good description.
Lying on your back on
a firm surface, head supported by a small pile of books, knees up or
supported on a chair, rolled blanket or similar. Fifteen to twenty minutes
each day is recommended. For some people with stress or injury conditions,
just this is sufficient to generate
relief.
See your teacher for instruction
specific to yourself.
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Observation
• Inhibition • Direction
• Sensory Appreciation • Body
Mapping • Constructive Rest • Top
of Page
Conclusion...
Congratulations for having
made it this far... with sufficient practical experience and personal
application Alexander's discoveries lead you to the experience of an expanded
field of awareness in relation to yourself. You become able to inhibit
harmful patterns of coordination, and project, as a whole, the directions
for an improved "use of yourself".
While it takes work, time and
money to achieve this, it is well worth the effort, as you find benefits
in every aspect of your life.
There are many good introductory
and reference books available on the Alexander Technique and related areas.
Visit our online bookshop to find out more...
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