What is the Alexander Technique?
What is the Alexander Technique?
And what benefit has it brought me?
Thanks for visiting my Substack! I write a weekly article explaining the Alexander Technique. Reading my weekly article will help you understand more about the technique. Start reading this article, and if this work sounds appealing to you I encourage you to contact me for a consultation or lesson in Williamsburg, NY. My articles are best read in order, but please check out my article on lying down if you’re looking for something to try on your own.
The Alexander Technique is a form of self-help that allows you to discover habits of held tension and gives you tools to both release this tension and prevent it from causing further harm or discomfort. Rather than attempting to alleviate a specific pain point - say knee pain in running or wrist pain while typing - this technique is general and will show you how the restoration of your overall upright poise can alleviate a specific problem. This poise has wonderful benefits for your overall psychological, physical, and emotional well-being and can be experienced by anyone with a curious attitude.
In a typical Alexander Technique lesson, you should expect to spend some time with a teacher guiding you from standing to sitting in a chair with the guidance and manipulation of their hands. These simple activities serve as the basis for examining how you are organising your whole self habitually and how you can invite change. The other portion of a lesson is spent lying down in active rest so that you can deepen your understanding of how to rest physically and mentally, release any unnecessary tension, and experience more of the full volume of your self.
This time spent lying down is the main study tool that you will have after your first lesson. As your understanding of the technique grows, you will begin to have some simple activities that you can do such as standing on toes or the vocal practice of the Whispered ‘Ah’. Each of these practices take no more than a minute to play with and can be incorporated into your day easily.
If you happen to have a specific activity that you would like help with such as holding a musical instrument, swinging a golf club, or public speaking, these may be addressed once you have a few lessons under your belt.
I personally view the simplicity of this technique like that of learning the blues. On the surface, there are only a few simple chords to learn and some basic rhythms. But in that simplicity, you can spend your lifetime playing and discovering new ways of expressing yourself.
Who Am I?
After a rather serious back and shoulder injury at work, I began studying this technique. Before studying, I had difficulty making a grip with my hands and typing. From my lessons I have experienced a significant decrease in joint pain, a near elimination of head aches and muscle spasms, and have learned to have a greater sense of internal quiet. I have had moments of clarity where I see that ‘mental’ deficiencies such as writer’s block are intimately tied to stiffening in my neck. I have even observed that as I am able to take care of my overall poise during a stressful situation, it has the effect of quieting down my co-workers and yielding more productive dialogues. Learning this technique has changed every facet of my life and I hope that I can share what I have learned with others.
If you would like to learn this technique, I strongly recommend finding a good teacher near you for an in-person lesson. The subtlety of the hands-on work and the feedback you get from your teacher are invaluable in conveying the thoughts required to re-establish and refine your poise. The Alexander Technique is devilishly simple and rewarding to learn!
As a teacher of this technique, I am happy to offer you a lesson. If you have questions about the technique, please contact me and I will do my best to help you. Next week, I will write about how lying down daily can change your life.
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Get In Touch
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.