Alexander Technique Posture Exercises
Some Alexander Technique teachers are fond of saying ‘there are no, or very few Alexander Technique exercises. I’ve said that myself, though suspending that idea in the last few years. The word exercise is just that; a word. But it’s a word people understand, not unlike the word ‘posture’. Now I think that believing that there are no Alexander Technique exercises is an exercise in futility.
Is the Alexander Technique a ’series of exercises?’ Yes. And no. What might be implied with the word ’series’ is that there are exercises one does in a certain order, and they’re the same for everybody. That would not be the Alexander Technique.
Although the similarities far outnumber the differences, everyone has their own set of challenges to work out. Some people’s jaw’s are tighter than others’, some people carry more tension in their hands or legs, though the majority of people I see have tension in their necks, backs and shoulders. Some people breathe more shallowly than others, so that might be an effective entry point. However, the basic directions and principles of the Alexander Technique remain the same. The principles of awareness, inhibition and direction are for everyone, as is the idea of oppositions.
Exercise doesn’t always mean working out or lifting weights. A difficult crossword puzzle might be considered a mental exercise. Creating an improvisational jazz solo utilizing mostly the intervals of fourths or fifths is a musical exercise, as is playing scales with a certain rhythm and tempo. Creating a story with a set theme is a writing exercise. Moving from standing to sitting thinking about freeing your neck and jaw, possibly incorporating the whispered ah, is an exercise. Allowing yourself to experience your arm as dead weight is an exercise. Lying down and noticing your breathing can be described as an exercise. Pivoting forward while seated, not creating a hinge in the waist or lower back but instead using the hip joints, is an exercise. You can exercise authority, exercise discretion, exercise the intellect, exercise power, exercise free will or exercise choice.
Standing up, while tensing your neck as little as possible, is an exercise. Instead of tensing your muscles, the exercise is to move with the minimum amount of muscular exertion required. Letting your entire ribcage contract and expand as you breathe is an exercise, as is inhibiting your initial reaction before any movement. Becoming aware of your response to the stimulus of a ringing phone is an exercise, as is walking and thinking of moving your head away from the top of the spine while allowing a spiral. Lying on a table or floor and letting your shoulders widen and your legs move away from your torso can be considered an exercise.
One of the big difference between many of these Alexander Technique exercises and what we might usually think of as exercise is that that you don’t have to spend any extra time ‘doing’ the Alexander Technique. (You also don’t have to change clothes, sweat, think no pain no gain, or shower after the lesson.) You incorporate Alexander Technique exercises into your life, helping you replace unwanted habits, including consistently shortening the spine and over-tensing muscles. If you want to spend an extra few seconds here and there, you may. You just don’t have to spend a half hour a day doing the Alexander Technique. It just becomes part of your life.
Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC
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