Frequently
Asked Questions
How
many lessons will I need?
A few lessons can make you aware of some chronic tensions and poor
postural habits. Ten lessons can help you understand how to react
to your daily activities in a way that is better for your body.
Thirty lessons can allow you to approach an activity in a whole
new way: with consciousness of mind and clarity of motion.
Is it a set of exercises I can do on my own?
It is not exercises. It is a skill you apply to the activities you
already perform. You will be taught how to maintain the ease of
movement you achieve in lessons during your own activities by inhibiting
poor postural habits and inappropriate reactions. Students are expected
to apply what they learn in lessons to activities on a daily basis.
If it helps back pain, is it like Physical Therapy?
The main goal is not therapeutic, but educational. As you begin
to identify what it is about how you use yourself that creates specific
tensions, and start to move in a way that is better for your body
as a whole, you may feel relief from chronic pain. You will learn
how to decrease the intensity of existing injuries, and prevent
potential injury related to poor postural habits.
Is the hands-on aspect of the work like massage?
No, we do not manually force tension out of your body, but enable
you to become aware of how to use only what tension is necessary.
The hands are used in a subtle, non-manipulative way, along with
verbal instruction, given to convey a new kinesthetic experience.
How
does Alexander's work differ from other mind-body disciplines?
Many somatic practices are adept at showing clients what is wrong
with their use, but provide only temporary relief, or short-term
"fixes." It is much easier to show someone what they are
doing wrong than to teach them how to do it right. Alexander's work
gives students a practical method of consciously inhibiting patterns
of poor "use," allowing the student to continually improve
their posture and coordination on their own.
What do you mean by posture?
Posture is the ability to stand poised yet at ease, to sit without
fatigue, and to transition gracefully into movement. It is not something
that can be attained by adjusting certain body parts (ie. pulling
your shoulders back) or strengthening certain areas of the body
without attention being paid to the whole. Nor can it be maintained
by holding your body a certain way. It can only be attained by consciously
changing your own reactions: not pulling your head forward to look
at the computer screen, not locking your knees when standing in
line, not bending at your waist to lean over. By changing your ideas
about what posture is and how to "fix" it, and instead
sending clear directions to your body about how you want it to move,
you can find a sense of posture that supports and is supported by
your whole body and mind.
What do you mean by coordination?
Coordination is the body's ability to produce complicated, integrated
movement. This is not accomplished by learning to have control of
many different body parts all at once (ie. point toe, extend leg,
drop shoulders, lift elbows, look left). This is accomplished by
teaching the body to work as one unit, so that movements such as
walking and squatting are not a combination of different movements,
but as Alexander students would attest, one movement that seems
to "do itself." Watch any small child; their movements
are not overly controlled like the movements of adults, yet they
are complex and powerful. They are coordinated.
How do you treat specific ailments?
Everyone displays their own "poor use" in different ways.
Although a Teacher's hands are adept at sensing what is happening
in a student's body, we do not dwell on pathology or analyzing specific
symptoms. Instead, we teach each student how to come to an improved
state. Just as small children can accomplish great feats with little
fatigue and effort, so can students learn to use themselves in a
way that will not create isolated areas of tension and pain. As
general "use" improves, specific ailments disappear or
become less relevant.
How do I find an Alexander Teacher?
You can contact the American
Society for the Alexander Technique to find a teacher in your
area. In Western Massachusetts, you can contact Molly Johnson at
the Integrated Motion Studio.
The
mental and physical are so inextricably combined that we cannot
regard one without the other.
-- F.M. Alexander
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