Some people describe the Alexander Technique as “applied mindfulness”. How can we bring mindfulness practice into lifting the kettle, typing, going up stairs, speaking in front of an audience?
In AT lessons, the teacher helps us remember that we are whole, psychosomatic beings even when we perform the most compartmentalising of tasks. People recommend AT lessons for a series of seemingly different things, which might cause scepticism. In reality, it is because a number of every day issues can get better if we learn to consciously choose to look after ourselves in activity.[1]
The most well known association with AT is posture. People start lessons to help with postural problems or with neck/back pain.[2] There are ergonomic accommodations an AT teacher may suggest, and they are very important. However, before investing in an expensive anatomic chair, it’s worth looking into what prevents us from sitting upright. Are we expecting to sit still for hours at a time? What is our reaction to answering emails and can we interfere with the impact it has on our bodies? Finding a place of more ease, even when work becomes demanding, is one of the things we can practice with the Alexander Technique.
My route to AT lessons, like many others’, was performance. For years I worked on performance related injuries and anxiety through yoga and mindfulness. I have found a lot of common ground between them and Alexander. However, AT pointed out with more clarity the things that I would ignore and all the discomfort I would put myself into when concerned with precise, intricate finger choreographies.
Apart from the changes in my performance, AT had an impact on my overall wellbeing. Having a tendency to live in my head and disconnect from my body, I managed to find ways of feeling stronger and more resilient when faced with challenges. The fears and worries might persist, but they can coexist with feeling present, possibly –even-empowered at the same time.
Follow the first link for published research on AT and posture, Parkinson’s, performance and more
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