The Rubrics of the Alexander Technique
The Rubrics of the Alexander Technique
Another Little Book Preview
If you’re reading this post, then the title didn’t scare you off.
YAY!
Today’s post is yet another excerpt from the book of notes I keep for my private students. Annoyingly, I ask them to snap photos of my hand writing. For those of you who haven’t seen that, I have a tendency to swallow some letters. It’s legible for the most part but it’s high time things start making their way to YOU.
Why Rubrics?
A lesson in the Alexander Technique is a kinaesthetic experience of learning. The experience something that can never be described in writing but what we can do is make a humble attempt to create a high level mapping of concepts so that if we want to talk about something specific like balance or something more general like tempo, you’ll be less tempted to fall into the modern trap of thinking that the Alexander Technique can be learned expertly with Just This One Simple Trick.
Ugh Clickbait… GTFO of my life… 😡 😭 🛌1
What Should You Know to Understand the Rubrics?
If my Table of Contents is meant to help categorise this blog, today’s post is designed to be even higher than that. If you were coming to me for a course of lessons, I would first want you to have a lesson with me and have gotten a taste of what it means to slow down, experience a glacial melt of extraneous tension, and see that this leads to a feeling of balance.
And that this work is NOT a traditional exercise program.
At All.
I would then ask you to read the following posts:
If you’ve done THAT, then around the 3rd or 4th lesson I would hand you today’s document.
The Rubric
Step 0. The General Rules to Live By
When any of these “rules” are violated, the technique stops working. Learning to recognize these things will not make you great at the technique but they will certainly help you see why things aren’t going well! The more you can prevent these things, the better you’ll feel.
No Pulling / No Pushing
Don’t Hold Your Breath
Don’t Sigh Habitually
Do Not get attracted to being “GOOD” or “BAD”. Results are a consequence of an evolving understanding of the technique. Mistakes will be made forever.
Think
This is the simple short thought that I keep in my back pocket that gets the technique flowing for me. With practice and experience, this becomes more internalized.
Stop - Dissolve - Allow Expansion
All with Internal Quiet.
Know
Our Sense of Feeling and our Inner Sherlock help us navigate the space between our habits and choices. The better you can see your habits and how they pull you down, the better you will be able to STOP and let something new happen.
Your Habits
How does pressure pull you Down?
How to Organise
What are the antagonistic pulls and how do they all spring you Up?
Practice
Most of these activities are very simple Rocking Games. In time, I’ll have worksheets for how all of these should be done.
Squats
Hands Like Feet (preparation for Hands on Back of the Chair)
Wrist and Ankle Fulcrums in the Anime Throne (preparation for Hands on Back of the Chair)
Spirals in the Anime Throne (preparation for Hands on Back of the Chair)
Hands on Back of the Chair
Looking Up
Getting Out of the Pool (preparation for Up on Toes)
Standing Uphill/Downhill (preparation for Up on Toes)
Going Up on Toes
Windmills with the Arms
The Commentary
Obviously, you can stray from my practice regimen, but lying down and walking without rushing are an absolute MUST to get started. Some of the others are classical Alexander Technique activities and some of them are not but I have had flavors of all of them in my lessons.
Activities like running, cycling, typing, or solving a math problem are all part of living. The technique can be applied by you at any time you wish. It is essentially the act of thinking before you leap so nothing is off the table!
The keen Alexandre junkie will note that I do not use phrases like inhibition, direction, end-gaining, non-doing and the like very much. These are all baked into my teaching and this rubric. As I fill out the details on these sections, that information will come along.
But before we get into specific topics you should know that we are deeply interested in knowing these high level topics. If you can remember this, you will have a much easier time of getting yourself out of a jam when things feel off.
Get In Touch
Thanks for reading “The Rubrics of the Alexander Technique“! If you’re in NYC, you may learn more about my private teaching practice at johndalto.com.
If you’d like to book any lesson time with me, you can find my booking link here.
I’m angry crying in bed…