I was talking to a group of psycho-therapists the other day. I said every emotion requires a particular alignment of the body. Lose that alignment and you’ll lose the emotion. For instance, when you take up your full space in the world, your full height and width, it’s hard to be overcome by the disabling …
Monthly Archives: November 2016
Give Up Your Sticks!
A familiar and painful emotion I feel frequently is shame. It got instilled in me early in life that I was bad. That I didn’t measure up. That I was a real rotter. I was letting everyone down. I was selfish and slovenly. I learned to talk to myself in this harsh way and to …
Here’s Where You’re Wrong!
Fewer than one percent of the world’s Alexander Technique teachers teach the Technique full-time (more than 25 hours a week). Almost all Alexander teachers have fewer pupils than they’d like. Alexander pupils are scarce and therefore particularly precious to the teacher. So it hurts when you lose one. So why do Alexander teachers lose students? …
Exercises You Can Do At Home To Learn Alexander Technique
Many Alexander teachers hate the question, “So can you give me some exercises to do at home to get good Alexander Technique?” Alexander isn’t so much a set of things that you do as a letting go of needless postures. Still, there are Alexandrian things you can do at home or in the office or …
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Can You Teach Anything To Your Spouse?
Most Alexander Technique teachers can’t teach family members. They can’t teach their spouse. They can’t teach the kids. There’s too much emotional baggage. But some can. Why? What enables some teachers to teach their lover? What makes some relationships open to this kind of learning? In what things, are you open to learning from your …
Physical Therapy Vs Alexander Technique
I’ve become much more active over the past three years. Rising cholesterol and blood sugar levels convinced me I had to get more exercise. So I’ve been taking yoga and riding my white steed across the internet, doing battle with dark knights and rescuing damsels in distress. During the course of my adventures, I’ve tweaked …
Activate You! Alexander Technique Teacher Jennifer Mackerras Interviewed
Jennifer Mackerras writes the popular Alexander blog Activate You. She’s from Armidale, Australia and now lives in Bristol, England. She has a PhD in Drama. Here are some highlights: Jennifer: “Most students when they walk through the door want to be given things to do to make whatever it is that hurts to stop hurting. …
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How The Alexander Technique Can Help To Release Wrinkles
When you tense your face, you make wrinkles. Your brow gets all furrowed and the skin around your eyes and lips becomes tight and scarecrowy. By contrast, when you release unnecessary tension and let go of postures of your face, you can become alive to the moment. When you read one of my witty blog …
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Boom!
An Alexander teacher emails: “Alexander Teachers Spend Raucous Afternoon Validating Each Other” is really excellent writing. How the hell did you keep this kind of righteous commentary stuffed for three years of training? Did no one suspect that they had a “suicide bomber” in their midst?
Why Is Change So Slow In Alexander Lessons?
When I started taking Alexander Technique lessons in 2008, I became frustrated that change was so slow. I remained frustrated for a couple of years until I finally felt at ease. In this podcast, Alexander teachers Robert Rickover and Eileen Troberman discuss the rate of change. A 20 year old kid asked Marj Barstow why …
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