I’ve got a different angle on some of this. I’ve had a teacher training in Alexander Technique though I haven’t practiced professionally.
As I understand it, Alexander Technique is not about posture. Not ever. Not even a little bit. The idea is that if you permit yourself to access your kinesthetic sense by releasing your neck, permitting your head to move forward and up, and your back to lengthen and widen, you will move more easily and naturally. This generally results in what looks like better posture, but the Alexander Technique is about movement and attention, not a static image.
AT is also about releasing upward before movements (like getting into and out of chairs, walking, and speaking) which tend to evoke the opposite, deleterious habit of pulling (the back of one’s head) downwards. Some teachers also work with whatever activities the student is interested in improving.
I agree about the difficulty of learning this from books, though modern tools like videoing oneself might help—Alexander was limited to three-way mirrors.
The idea is to use enough books when lying down to get your face to be horizontal.
The problem with posture is what Alexander saw as a pervasive problem—he called it “neglecting the means whereby”—not noticing what you’re actually doing because you’re only focused on a goal. For example, it’s easy to reach for something, focusing only on what you’re trying to get, and not notice that you’re tightening the back of your neck in the process.
I hope I haven’t come off as too sharp about this. I actually think it’s kind of cool that bbleeker got a lot of practical good out of Alexander Technique without getting the theory. To a large extent, AT is about retraining system one, not system two.
If you want something cheaper that has similar good effects, try Feldenkrais Method—it’s got a explicit system of repeated gentle movements which awaken the kinesthetic sense, and which designed to be done without a teacher. It’s also possible to work with a teacher.
I have no opinion about whether Alexander Technique or Feldenkrais Method is better. They’re both very valuable.
You are totally right, Nancy! I was just trying to remember what actually happened during a session, but I didn’t explain it very well at all. Thank you! :-) Maybe I should go back for a refresher...
I’ve got a different angle on some of this. I’ve had a teacher training in Alexander Technique though I haven’t practiced professionally.
As I understand it, Alexander Technique is not about posture. Not ever. Not even a little bit. The idea is that if you permit yourself to access your kinesthetic sense by releasing your neck, permitting your head to move forward and up, and your back to lengthen and widen, you will move more easily and naturally. This generally results in what looks like better posture, but the Alexander Technique is about movement and attention, not a static image.
AT is also about releasing upward before movements (like getting into and out of chairs, walking, and speaking) which tend to evoke the opposite, deleterious habit of pulling (the back of one’s head) downwards. Some teachers also work with whatever activities the student is interested in improving.
I agree about the difficulty of learning this from books, though modern tools like videoing oneself might help—Alexander was limited to three-way mirrors.
The idea is to use enough books when lying down to get your face to be horizontal.
The problem with posture is what Alexander saw as a pervasive problem—he called it “neglecting the means whereby”—not noticing what you’re actually doing because you’re only focused on a goal. For example, it’s easy to reach for something, focusing only on what you’re trying to get, and not notice that you’re tightening the back of your neck in the process.
I hope I haven’t come off as too sharp about this. I actually think it’s kind of cool that bbleeker got a lot of practical good out of Alexander Technique without getting the theory. To a large extent, AT is about retraining system one, not system two.
If you want something cheaper that has similar good effects, try Feldenkrais Method—it’s got a explicit system of repeated gentle movements which awaken the kinesthetic sense, and which designed to be done without a teacher. It’s also possible to work with a teacher.
I have no opinion about whether Alexander Technique or Feldenkrais Method is better. They’re both very valuable.
You are totally right, Nancy! I was just trying to remember what actually happened during a session, but I didn’t explain it very well at all. Thank you! :-) Maybe I should go back for a refresher...