Art comes first. Life comes first. Joy comes first. Love comes first. The sushi chef is bent over his work, his art. Right now, this is his life; nothing else matters. He's a human being in the moment. His body forms the shape of...of a guy making sushi. He may someday develop pain, diminish his [...]
"How can I use the Alexander Technique in my life?" I hear this question, and versions of it, frequently at Alexander Technique lessons. It's really a great question and gets to the heart of the matter of the benefits of the Alexander Technique. The Alexander Technique is done as you think about it. If you're thinking about the principles of the Alexander Technique, you're using the Alexander Technique, or 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. As an Alexander Technique teacher I emphasize awareness of initiating movement; how you start actions like moving your hands, initiating walking, so...
Alexander Technique's "inhibition" does not reside exclusively within the realm of the Alexander Technique. Inhibition is universal and timeless. It was not invented by anyone. It just was, and is. Inhibition is used by people from every walk of life, and by animals in every walk, swim, fly, and crawl of life...
In Alexander Technique lessons, I often use the words let and allow, as in allow your neck to be free or let your head lead your spine into length. Alexander Technique teachers often say allow your entire ribcage to contract and expand as you breathe and allow your sit bones to release down into the chair. Let your torso gently spiral as you walk, allow your jaw to release, and countless other examples of allowing... letting... If we need to allow things to happen, perhaps we unconsciously disallow them from happening. The disallowing has become habitual...
