Alexander Technique Slumping, Shlumping
On my subway ride to teach some Alexander Technique lessons at the American Center for the Alexander Technique in Mahattan, I noticed a man who could not have been more stooped over. As an Alexander Technique teacher I was particularly aware of how he was seated, reading the paper, his head not very far from his knees. His face was quite tense, and had a scowl I suspected was habitual. He seemed to ‘have the weight of the world on his shoulders.’ I was wondering how the extreme compression of his torso was affecting his musculoskeletal, digestive, nervous and circulatory systems. It was affecting his breathing which was rapid and shallow, and given the configuration he was giving his torso the limited breathing was no surprise. It was evident that this was the way he habitually carried himself.
A woman walked by him and slightly brushed his newspaper. If looks could kill, she’d be dead. He scowled at her for a few minutes, even after she had been seated awhile. Could the combination of tensing, collapsing, compressing, rapidity of breathing and heart rate, and the general unease in his body be adding to his quick irritation?
I imagined this gentleman going to a traditional doctor for a check-up, and possibly receiving a clean bill of health. The blood work and all other tests might come back as normal, for the time being. An Alexander Technique teacher, however, might not give such high marks on his ‘tests’. An Alexander Technique teacher would notice the slump and concurrent compression and pressures, realizing they might be harmful. After all, Use Affects Functioning. An Alexander teacher would know how to help him. F.M. Alexander himself said that no diagnosis is complete which does not consider interference caused by habitual wrong use. Habitual wrong use. We’re all that guy, to a degree.
Mark Josefsberg-Alexander Technique NYC
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One of the disadvantages when you study Alexander Technique is you come to notice those people everywhere who are suffering from what Alexander Technique teachers say is completely unnecessary. It seems to be such a shame that they do not have a clue why…and you know what could help them. Anyone can see this sort of attitude is unnecessarily negative. By their actions, the person doesn’t seem to want to do anything about it, not even be civil to a stranger.
If you care about them personally, with some Alexander lessons, you’ll learn what to say to help them out. Attitude adjustments work from the outside in as well as the inside out. It is true, that using Alexander Technique will make a “bad mood” go away, pretty much immediately.
But you must accept a hard lesson: you can’t change people, even if you’re a teacher. You can’t help them if they aren’t motivated to be helped. It’s a shame, but that is the way it is and you must allow them to be the way they are because you know they are clueless there is a solution.
When you see someone like this, (pretty much everywhere!) all you CAN do is give yourself an attitude adjustment right then and there. Paradoxically, people with a bad attitude can only remind YOU be happier by using Alexander Technique for yourself - right then.
I couldn’t agree more. I sometimes think that oppositions (head away from spine, knees forward opposing heels back and down etc.) could be applied to other people too. When I see someone in a harmful downward slump, I want to use them as an opposition to go up. I also say to myself ‘that’s me’ even if it’s to a lesser degree.
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The Alexander Technique is done as you think about it. If you’re thinking about the principles of the Alexander Technique, you’re doing the technique, or you’re practicing the technique, or you’re performing the technique, or you’re applying the technique, or you’re incorporating the Alexander Technique into your life.
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Mark Josefsberg-AmSAT and ACAT Certified Alexander Technique Teacher
Mark@MarkJosefsberg.com
(269)-POSTURE
or 917.709.4648
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