Alexander Technique Therapy
New York seems to have shorter and shorter Springs every year. It’s April 19th, 2009 and one of the first warm weekends of the year. So I decided to spend it in the Emergency Room at Elmhurst Hospital.
I stubbed my toe pretty badly on Saturday and now it has the color and size of an eggplant. The Alexander Technique comes into play here in a variety of ways. Firstly, I stubbed it because I was rushing around my apartment, late for an appointment. There was also an emotional component to the day, but if I had been thinking more of some Alexander Technique principles, I’d be outside enjoying the beautiful beaches of Elmhurst, Queens instead of this emergency room. If I had been more aware, I would have had a little more control, but not in the controlling sense.
But, here I am. I’ve been limping for a day and a half now but, because of the Technique, I haven’t let my ‘protecting’ the toe adversely affect the rest of me. I’ve become aware of how the pain has impacted my breathing, ‘making’ it a little more shallow. I consciously moved my breathing mechanism in a way that my breath became slower and fuller. (Anyone can do this) I am more able to notice and change tension in my face, jaw, shoulders, neck, legs, and that altered my breathing again. I freed my neck. I became aware of my spinal compression, and let myself lengthen and widen.
There was a pretty good, (though stupid) movie playing in the emergency room that day.
Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC
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