All of us adults have debauched kinaesthesia (a favorite phrase of the Alexander Technique to indicate a faulty kinaesthetic sense). Through paying attention to your habits and letting go of ones that hurt you (such as unnecessary tightening and compression), you can develop an increasingly accurate kinaesthetic sense. It’s rare to unheard of to find …
Monthly Archives: November 2016
Alexander & Chronic Pain
After a car accident at age 19, Lauren Hill developed chronic pain in her neck, shoulder and back. She went to the doctor and got some tests. She searched for somebody to fix her pain problem. She went through physical therapy, chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, acupressure and the like. Nothing helped long-term. Six years later, Lauren’s …
The Perils Of Giving Free Lessons
It is very tempting as a new Alexander Technique teacher to offer your friends free lessons because you just love teaching so much. It rarely works out. Alexander Technique demands a lot from the student and somebody taking a free lesson is unlikely to do the work necessary. It’s not just that people will show …
The Strain Of Repeated Precise Movements
I’m listening to a great interview by Robert Rickover with dentist and Alexander Technique teacher Martin Goldman of the San Francisco Bay Area. This interview will be of interest to anyone who has to work in odd positions doing precise work. Martin: “The Alexander Technique is a 100-year old method for streamlining how you perform …
How The Alexander Technique Can Help Musicians
Laura Klein is an Alexander Technique teacher and professional jazz musician in Berkeley, California. Laura tells Robert Rickover: “In a way, musicians and singers are athletes. We don’t think of ourselves as athletes, but we are athletes of small movements. We need optimal coordination. If you are doing something that is even a little bit …
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Alexander & Anxiety
Even though I keep telling my students I am not a therapist, some of them use me in that way. As we work with Alexander Technique, they find themselves releasing unneeded tension and at the same time releasing emotions. The two work well together. Emotional release tends to lead to tension release and vice versa. …
The Dissolute Life
I’ve never done any kind of illegal drug. I’ve never smoked marijuana. I’ve never felt tempted to indulge this way. I’ve never led a dissolute life. While I’ve hung out with dissolute people at times, I’ve not participated in that life. When I took up the Alexander Technique, I learned a term called “debauched kinaesthesia.” …
Alexander Technique And Beauty
Thinking about writing on this topic, I Googled “Alexander Technique and beauty” the other day and found no consequential results. Nobody that I can find has written on this topic. Call me shallow, but I not only prefer to look at beautiful people rather than ugly people, I much prefer to be around beautiful people …
How To Sit Comfortably
Alexander teacher Ariel Weiss tells interviewer Robert Rickover: “I want to debunk the myth of sitting still. We’re not designed to sit still. People get in trouble when they stiffen themselves and make themselves still when they sit.” “I ask people to take a break. Set an alarm on your computer. The computer is a …
Don’t Crack Your Neck
Many of my students have a habit of cracking their neck. I know this brings momentary release but it damages your neck in the long run. It’s best not to crack your joints. Report: If you often crack or pop your neck yourself, it probably means that the joints are hypermobile. The ligaments are a …