F. Matthias Alexander
Mr. Alexander created what may be truly called a physiology of the LIVING organism.... Philosopher John Dewey
Ten years of careful self-observation by F. Matthias Alexander led to the discoveries that became the Cornerstone of the Alexander Technique. While attempting to solve the vocal problems that were ruining his career as a Shakespearean recitalist, Alexander discovered that he was creating a pattern of tension that was interfering with the harmonious relationship between his head, neck and back. Alexander, and the teachers he trained in his technique, have been demonstrating empirically over the past 100 years how to change this pattern of tension and establish in its place more calm and poise, even in stressful situations.
We are so accustomed to the tension we carry with us throughout our day that, unless we are in pain, we rarely notice it. Yet it has a powerful impact on every goal we set out to accomplish. Our Internal feedback system, or kinesthetic sense, which would normally tell us when something is going wrong, is no longer reliable, making it practically impossible for us to make changes in ourselves without causing new problems.
With the Alexander Technique a naturally healthy condition can be restored and brought under conscious control.
What sensations do you feel? What changes? How does your activity change? How do you think this principle could change the way you dance? Could it have other influences on your life?
See you Monday!
Louis
I engaged the Alexander principle while brushing my teeth this morning. I realized that I was especially tense in my arms and shoulders, and that my neck was really sort of crunched down as I began brushing my teeth. After moving my head forward and upward, I felt relief all over my body, and brushing became much more enjoyable. Most noticeably my shoulders and face relaxed, which made the rest of my body become much less tense.
ReplyDeleteI tend to get nervous before dancing at times, and I think that using this technique before I start any movement will really help me to relax, making it much easier for my body to move.
I also think that in my everyday life this technique could, and will, help me to relax in stressful situations, and many other instances.
I tried the Alexander principle while I was typing. I noticed I was feeling tense trying to think about what to write. I was biting my lip and my shoulders were tense. When I moved my head forward and up I felt less tense. It was a very small movement, but it kind of made me smile. I'm not sure my lessening of tension was from the technique or my amusement. Either way, I think it will help, because smiling helps me relax.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletemy godmother introduced the concept to me this summer when i told her about how working a the computer so much is killing my back. so i was really happy when u brought it up for me again in class. this time, i hope to actually begin using some of the concepts on a regular basis.
ReplyDeletetoday i focused on my posture while i worked on a couple class assignments... and in fact, i’m doing it right now :-D! in the process of working on my back alignment, i really think about in what position my arms, legs, spine and head should be so that gravity is pulling down on me as little as possible. in contrast to my normal positioning (often hunched over and legs crossed), i placed my feet flat on the ground, raised my chair slightly so that my wrists weren’t as awkwardly positioned, and made a conscious effort to keep my shoulders relaxed as I worked. these changes clearly eased the stress and tension in my back, neck and wrists. just because i was curious, i did a quick search to see if any study’s have been done on this technique and found the following article published just last year:
Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/aug19_2/a884
so it’s official! Alexander Technique is a great way to alleviate backpain :-) now, the next thing i need to do is get a ergonomic chair &/or keyboard so i don’t have to put so much of a conscious effort into positioning my body correctly (i’ve found that when i’m really focused on my work, i forget completely about my posture and i’m back in my regular slump.. tisk tisk)
When I engaged this technique I felt my body fall away from my head instead of my head lift away from my body. I felt quicker and more agile, like I could do things with more ease. I seemed to worry less about what I was doing. I seemed to arrive at decisions faster, and stick with them as opposed to changing my mind. I even felt like smiling more, even for no reason. And as crazy as it may sound, I really did experience all those things.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that using this technique in dance could help me greatly, particularly in being able to move with more freedom and quickness, and perhaps with less strain on the body, which also equals to efficiency. The principle could also have other influences on my life, of course, for example being able to relax if under too much stress.
- Alisa.
I have a specific memory of being maybe 8 or 9 years old and my ballet teacher trying to get me to loose tension in my neck and shoulders. He told me to shrug my shoulders up really high and then release them completely. Since then, I have heard a number of theories on how to relax while dancing, including a teacher who made us hum through all of barre and insisted it caused the neck muscles to relax. While all of these ideas have their time and place, I feel that just telling some one to “relax” or “loosen up” never works. When I try to focus on relaxing a certain part of my body I usually gain tension instead of loosing it.
ReplyDeleteThe Alexander technique worked better than I thought it would. Conceptually it was hard for me to believe that by just telling myself to lift my head forward and up it would influence my dancing at all. To my surprise, I felt a difference in my movement almost immediately. The placement that we spend so much time perfecting felt like it took half the effort it usually does to maintain.
Recently, I have become an avid swing and blues dancer. If you are unfamiliar, blues dancing is typically done to blues music with a partner and is similar to slow swing dancing sometimes, but usually in closer contact with your partner. While I have yet to experiment with the Alexander technique during these dances, I feel that it could have a good impact on my dancing. I foresee this idea allowing me to move more freely while maintaining the correct posture and while still following my partner.
I am very excited to continue to discover how this technique influences my dancing both in and out side of the studio.
~Caitlin Bannan
I practiced Alexander technique when I was in high school in relation to acting not dance. It is interesting to take what I have learned in application to voice work and stage presence and apply it to my dancing. The technique seems pretty fundamental to any dance technique. The idea that while dancing, one must always stand aligned with your head lifted off of the spine, was already a concept that I apply while dancing. However, to consciously think about my head and my spine alignment clearly helps my movement. I can feel a much more relaxed and free range of motion. I have really enjoyed exploring the technique so far and am excited to see where else we go with it. When I practiced it in an acting context, we started by lying on the ground with books under our heads and our feet on the ground (almost in a "giving birth" position). When we stood up we tried to maintain the same posture and speak across the room without straining our voice. It was incredible how much louder and clearer our voices were. The technique obviously works and I like applying it while dancing because I can feel it work!
ReplyDelete-Jessica Fishman
I engaged in the Alexander principle when I brushed my teeth this afternoon. This made me realize how restricting this position can be when you are not relaxing your neck and elongating. I realized that by holding this tension in my neck during dance class it is extremely restricting and prevents me from doing the moves we do in class, but I did not think about how restricting this tension can be from completing tasks everyday that I barely think twice about. Brushing my teeth in this way felt extremely uncomfortable and unnatural and spitting into the sink was a lot harder of a task then it had been before. Before I did this little activity brushing my teeth was an easy and mindless task but after trying it while holding this tension brushing my teeth would be something that I would dread. If I continued to hold this tension in my life it would make tasks a lot harder and it would make my life in general harder and I would have to put more effort into things I dont' usually think about. If I held this tension while I dance all the time I would digress as a dancer and dancing would not be as much as an enjoyment and a release. The only benefit from holding this tension would be that from doing it the wrong way I would be able to elongate more through my neck when I am focusing on holding my body the right way and that would improve my dancing and my posture.
ReplyDelete-Nicole
I experienced the Alexander technique the first time in a modern class last year and since then, I have really enjoyed the experience that it creates for my mind and body. In class, it was nice to be able to feel my head lifting from my body and the energy running from the top of my head and grounding out through my feet. The verbal commands help me to feel the movement in my body rather then just simply thinking it. I can feel my legs moving away from my pelvis and my head lifting off my neck; there develops a relaxed feeling in my neck and I feel that my core and spine become more supported.
ReplyDeleteI find that by incorporating this technique into life and my daily experiences is a very good way to relieve stress. I tried using the technique while doing homework yesterday night. I found that I was able to concentrate and focus better on my reading, and my thought process seemed clearer. Also, I tried it today at work. After being at school and then on my feet for work; I took a moment and used the technique to help me to relax. It allowed me to focus and it relieved the stress, discomfort and tightness that had developed in my back.
Overall, I really enjoy this technique and I am eager to learn and experience more of it in class, and be able to apply it to my life.
-- Katelynn C.
I used the Alexander Technique mainly while doing my homework, but also attempted to utilize it as much as possible at my job where I have currently been spending a lot of time bent over while working on a labeling project. I found that I was able to concentrate on my assignments more adamantly if I stopped to engage the Alexander Technique. I also noticed that I seemed to be retaining more information if I had a clear mind, which was in my experience directly related to the way I allowed my head to move up and away from my shoulders. It was as if my head and mind suddenly appeared above a thick layer of clouds and I could then move forward with my studying very easily. At work, the principle took on a more physical nature. All the time I spent hunched over really made my neck and shoulder muscles tight, and after taking a break to engage the Alexander Technique, I found I could alleviate much of the tension in a relatively short amount of time. I would be especially interested in how this would affect my thinking if I engaged the technique during an extremely stressful situation.
ReplyDeleteAs for dancing, it seems as if the Alexander Technique also correlates with the way we study our breath and phrasing of movement. It adds yet another dimension to the way we incorporate our breathing into our dance to make it more vivacious and tangible. It will probably take some time to get used to automatically engaging the Alexander Technique without thinking about it, and for the idea to be most effective in my dancing I will have to engage in it subconsciously. In the end I think it will make not only dancing a more rewarding and enlightening experience, but ordinary life endeavours will be more flavorful, and being able to live life in a more clear and relaxed manner will be beneficial to our mental as well as physical health.
~Kristen
I tried thinking I'm allowing my head to move forward and upward from my spine right before walking to class. Usually I'm pretty klutzy and trip and stumble quite a bit but this time walking to class I didn't trip or stumble once. Maybe it's a coincidence but I think not. It seems to be tool to make yourself more mentally aware like mind over body. I had to use this a lot when I practiced gymnastics. Before I did my balance beam routine if I told myself I had perfect balance and I wasn't going to fall most of the time I didn't fall, but if I didn't tell myself that before I got on the beam more often than not I would crash.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny I just looked up and saw the comment "seems to be a tool to make yourself more mentally aware like mind over body," and what I was going to say is my experience has been an absence or lessening of thought, and my body is more aware; body over mind. For me this technique has created an experience of my body being more present as my body with very little to no input from my overactive brain. At the same time (as I mentioned in class on Monday) I get dizzy afterwards and I also feel lighter and more fluid. So it's been an adjustment. I think I will continue to find new aspects of this technique and different ways it impacts my dancing.
ReplyDeleteCasually, I sport a slump that I'm not very proud of. It's not going to be good for me in the long run, but slouching has become so habitual, that barely even notice it unless I'm interacting with someone else. However today, I found myself thinking about the Alexander technique on the bus.
ReplyDeleteSomehow, thinking about posture more sequentially and focusing on the relationship of certain parts of my body to other connected parts affects me differently than thinking about "standing up straight" does. Whenever I'm told to stand up straight, especially in dance classes, all I really feel is tension. It's like I'm holding on for dear life to keep this line from my head to my heels. Tucking in my pelvis, sucking in my stomach, and trying to lift my head and torso leave me in such a position that I feel like I can't even breathe. SO not cool.
Back to the bus, I felt like I could stand up straight, BREATHE, and still have enough control of my body to not fall over when the bus was in motion. I've always associated control with some sort of muscle tension. Turns out it's much better to just... relax. And stand like you've been doing it your whole life =]
Putting the Alexander technique to daily practice will probably help me in multiple ways. I want to continue dancing for a long time, but if I don't take care of my body, the less likely I'll be able to do that. By relaxing and just thinking "head forward and up..." among all the other relationships Louis mentioned in class, I think I can prompt myself to reduce a lot of physical stress which could have a huge positive impact on my general health.
I experimented with the Alexander technique a few times yesterday. The first was while I was driving to school. I thought about lifting my head up and forward and instantly my back straightened and the angle of my seat was no longer comfortable, but I felt no tension in my neck or back. Driving can get me very tense at times. At the end of last summer I was involved in a car accident and since then my back, neck, and shoulders tense up at times, especially when cars are turning out of parking lots next to me. I also tried the technique while I was at work last night. Again I lost the tension in my neck and back and felt even more upright. I also attempted to keep it in my mind while in ballet. It had the same affect here as well. I also felt more free. I think that trying to apply this to all areas of your life could really help relieve some physical stress on you body.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting: I've used the Alexander technique before in some of my dance classes in high school. My instructor didn't call it the Alexander technique, but he talked the same kind of mindset with the head up and forward and the shoulders pulled back. It's amazing how a few small thoughts can have such a huge impact on one's movements and feelings. I always noticed that I hold a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders while I dance, so utilizing this technique really helps me relax and be more free.
ReplyDelete- Allyson Wang
Jess - I've been briefly introduced to the Alexander technique in a non-dance setting as well. I encountered in voice lessons some years ago. I'd nearly forgotten about it until it came up in class last week.
ReplyDeleteA really nice image that my voice teacher gave us was to imagine that our spines were a series of ball-and-socket joints (which is obviously not the anatomical case) and that we needed to relax and allow enough air between each joint to allow them to rotate easily around one another. This gave an especially nice lightness and freedom to our heads on our necks. We even held each others' heads in our hands sometimes and moved them around (in a very easy, gentle way) to explore this freedom a bit.
Jalba47 - I totally know what you mean about shoulders. I thought about the Alexander technique with respect to my shoulders in Yoga the other morning. We were all laying on our backs and the instructor came over and pressed my shoulders down gently toward the ground. I did realize until right then just how much tension I had pulling them forward! I tried (and have been trying since) to be mindful of letting them rest further down and back.
Hmm - this is Kristi, by the way - it would seem that I've not yet worked out the kinks of signing in...
ReplyDelete