In the book "Body Work: What Kind of Massage to Get and Make the Most of It," Thomas Claire explains that the Alexander Technique, first discovered by F. Matthias Alexander, an Australian actor, is a technique for re-educating the mind and body to facilitate a healthy spine, good posture, better mobility and improved health. When you use the Alexander technique to improve the spine, you will have a greater range of motion, and any chronic pain you might experience is diminished.
Alexander Technique
The Alexander Technique involves the use of hands-on guidance from a trained professional knowledgeable about the technique, as well as your ability to model the trainer that guides you. You will be given verbal instructions and cues that you have to follow, and the cues are designed to intensify your awareness of harmful habits that affect you physically and mentally. This technique is a popular form of study among artists, musicians, singers and actors who want to improve their poise and grace during movement. Through your trainer, you will master an understanding on the unification of body and mind and will further be instructed on learning pay attention to how you use and/or misuse your body.
Primary Control
The Alexander technique involves learning achieve primary control over your body: the concept of primary control means that your body is able to function at peak performance, that you are free of bad posturing habits and automated responses and that you can move freely and with grace. You will have to gain control over the positioning of your head, spine, neck and the way you sit, stand and walk at all times in order to achieve a state of primary control. How long you train in the Alexander technique depends on your ability to develop bodily awareness and primary control. Upon achieving primary control of the body, you will improve spine health, learn breathe correctly, reduce muscular tension and possibly prevent potential injuries to your head, neck, back and body in the future.
Head Positioning
As you are instructed by your Alexander trainer, your awareness will be purposefully aimed at the position of your head relative to your neck and spine. When your head is positioned correctly, your spine will be able to lengthen correctly. Your head is positioned directly above your neck and is not forced forward, backward or to either side. Your chin is level with the floor and your spine is straightened. Your muscles in your back have to be loose and tension-free.
Spine Positioning
You will develop an awareness of how your spine and body are positioned through assessing how you currently sit, stand and walk. As you do Alexander exercises, you will have to monitor your breathing: as you draw in each breath, you will inhale from your diaphragm instead of drawing in shallow breaths. This will help you relax and oxygenate your body. When you are sitting, the instructor points out any postural habits you have that deviate from the correct sitting posture, which will allow your spine and body maximum mobility. Your feet should be placed solidly on the floor, and your torso must rest comfortably over your pelvis. Your spine should be straight, your shoulders should be back, and your head should be positioned with your chin parallel to the floor. When you are standing, you need to place your body weight on both legs instead of one or the other. Your spine remains straight, and you must remain in full control of your head, neck and shoulders to maintain optimal posture as you stand and walk.
Challenges
The challenges that you face when learning the Alexander technique include the development of kinesthetic awareness and the development of the ability to hinder habitual responses. First, kinesthetic awareness involves an understanding of how your body moves: you should pay considerable attention to this, and kinesthetic awareness develops over time with practice. You will then need to learn to hinder the automated responses your body has to external stimuli, or when engaging in activity, so that you can implement bodily movements that help you keep greater control over your spine, neck, shoulders and head. Again, gaining control over automated responses and replacing them with new behaviors takes considerable time to achieve.
Tags: your body, your head, control over, Alexander Technique, automated responses, kinesthetic awareness