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    Alexander Technique
    Alexander Technique
    Alexander Technique
    Ebook204 pages1 hour

    Alexander Technique

    By Richard Brennan

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    About this ebook

    The Alexander Technique is a simple method of improving posture and body movement in order to reduce the physical and mental tensions that we all accumulate throughout our lives.

    Developed at the turn of the nineteenth century by F.M. Alexander, this practical system has been used by millions of people to help relieve common ailments such as backache, headache, arthritis, depression, insomnia and stress, and to enhance general health and well-being.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateJan 28, 2016
    ISBN9781911163237
    Alexander Technique

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      Book preview

      Alexander Technique - Richard Brennan

      Illustration

      INTRODUCTION

      ‘Know Thyself’

      SOCRATES

      What do John Cleese, Roald Dahl, Aldous Huxley, Paul Newman, George Bernard Shaw, the Duchess of York and Sting all have in common? ‘Not a lot’ may be your first thought, and yet they have all spoken of the great benefits that they have received from practising the Alexander Technique.

      But why do people of such varied backgrounds and lifestyles all praise the Technique so highly? What benefits have they gained? I shall try to answer these questions at a later stage.

      Many people today have heard of the Alexander Technique, and more and more articles in magazines and newspapers discuss it. ‘But what is the Alexander Technique exactly?’ I hear many people say. There seems to be an air of mystery surrounding it, and this is the very reason why I have written this book.

      I hope to present the Technique in such a way that it can be understood by anyone, because I feel that it is everyone’s right as a human being to understand themselves more fully. The Alexander Technique has far-reaching consequences in our lives, and not only on a physical level – it can greatly change our mental and emotional outlook on life, too. I suggest that you read through the book and then study each chapter until you feel you have grasped the contents.

      Illustration

      WHAT IS THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE?

      CHAPTER ONE

      Many people believe the Alexander Technique to be a technique of breathing and posture, but this is only a small part of what it really involves. It is, in fact, a method of becoming more aware of ourselves as we go about our everyday activities. As a result we can soon begin to notice, when performing the simplest of tasks, that we may be putting an enormous strain on our bodies without realizing it.

      With the help of a teacher the Alexander Technique enables us to let go of many tensions that may have gone unnoticed for months or even years. These tensions are often responsible for aches and pains that accumulate with age. As any doctor will tell you, stress can be the root cause of both physical and mental disease, yet we do little to find out how these tensions first come about.

      BAD HABITS

      Simply sitting or standing in an unbalanced way will cause certain muscles to be constantly under stress. If these ways of standing and sitting become a habit then, sooner or later, we will have to pay the price and sometimes it is a very expensive one indeed.

      One of the most common consequences in developed countries is backache, with many millions of sufferers incapacitated every week. Other possible effects of bad posture and mal-coordination are high blood pressure, migraine, asthma, arthritis, depression and insomnia, to name but a few.

      Illustration

      POISE AND FREEDOM WHILE SITTING HELPS TO REDUCE MUSCULAR TENSION.

      Illustration

      HABITUALLY SITTING IN A SLOUCHED POSITION CAN LEAD TO ALL MANNER OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISCOMFORT.

      TREATMENT

      Many of our modern methods of dealing with such problems involve the use of powerful drugs to suppress the painful symptoms; these drugs often have unfavourable side effects. We very rarely look for the reason why we have the ailments in the first place. The Alexander Technique can do just this; by putting into practice the principles of the Technique we are able to learn how to move in a balanced and coordinated way so that tensions are not retained in our bodies.

      CHILDREN

      It is easy to see the natural grace of young children at play; but we slowly start to lose this agility of movement as the pressures of life mould us into our clumsy adult form. By the age of nine or ten the process is often under way, to the extent that I have often treated children as young as ten or eleven for backaches and headaches.

      Illustration

      CHILDREN MOVE WITH NATURAL GRACE AND POISE, BUT AS THEY GROW OLDER BAD HABITS DEVELOP.

      BENEFITS

      By moving in a different way we can soon regain ease of movement that had been forgotten; many people report feeling lighter and freer after a course of lessons in the Technique. How we physically feel will directly affect our mental and emotional states, and I often find that people become less irritable and much more at ease with themselves. This can have a rippling effect on those close by, and family and friends alike have remarked on the improved temperament of people who begin to practise the Alexander Technique.

      An Alexander Technique lesson consists of two parts:

      1   To help the pupil become aware of and let go of excessive muscular tension in the body.

      2   To help the pupil find different ways of moving that are easier and more efficient, thus reducing wear and tear on the body.

      Illustration

      THE TECHNIQUE IS FOR PEOPLE OF ANY AGE. THE ELDERLY CAN OFTEN BE HELPED TO OVERCOME PROBLEMS WITH ARTHRITIS.

      YOUR FIRST ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE LESSON

      At first you may be asked to lie face up on a table; there will be no need to remove your clothes apart from your shoes. The teacher may then ask you neither to resist nor help while he gently moves your head and limbs. It never hurts, as is sometimes the case in other therapies, since the movements are often very slow and gentle. When the teacher finds some resistance due to muscular tension, he or she will then ask you to release the tension in the affected muscles; he or she may suggest ways to help you to do this. At the end of a half-hour session, the difference in how you feel may well be quite dramatic. You may feel much lighter, as gravity will be working on you in a very different way. Sometimes, even long-standing aches and pains have been known to disappear completely, much to the pupil’s amazement.

      The teacher will often then take you through a series of movements in order to find out when you are tensing your muscles unnecessarily. You will explore new, more naturally coordinated, ways of moving. This will produce a greater sense of well-being and you may well have more energy left to do the things you want to, instead of collapsing in front of the television. Have you ever wondered where children get all their energy from? It is often that their actions are much more efficient than ours and therefore they still have lots of energy left when we feel exhausted.

      Illustration

      YOUR FIRST LESSON WITH AN ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE TEACHER WILL INVOLVE THE GENTLE MOVEMENT OF YOUR HEAD AND LIMBS.

      The Alexander Technique is referred to as a re-education rather than a therapy, because the practitioner is teaching you how to help yourself. If any ailment or illness is cured in the process then it will be you that is curing yourself.

      Although the effects of the Technique can be far reaching it is, at the same time, simple and easily understood. The important qualities to have are patience and a willingness to learn about oneself. In some cases people find it hard at first to grasp some of the basic principles because they are looking for something more complicated.

      MUSIC AND SPORT

      If you play a musical instrument or are involved in a sport of any kind then the Technique will be especially helpful as it will increase your ability to perform for longer without the usual tensions. Many of the major music and drama colleges have resident Alexander teachers because they have found that many students are forced to give up their careers due to chronic tensions that arise from the way they hold their bodies while performing. Not only have a great many students reported feeling much better, but they also say it has improved their performances. In the case of professional sportsmen and women in every field, the Alexander Technique has also proved all important when trying to break world records.

      Illustration

      AS WELL AS BEING GOOD FOR YOUR BODY AND MIND, THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE CAN ALSO IMPROVE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE.

      HOW IS THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE DIFFERENT?

      The Alexander Technique is often grouped with various forms of complementary medicines, but it stands in its own right, being quite unique. This is because it gives each and every one of us the responsibility for our own well-being. We are encouraged to think for ourselves, so it is a useful tool for awareness and self-development.

      When we begin

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