The Way of Undoing

The human figure is organised as a whole, and when we distort the body by slumping or stiffening, it can only be restored as a whole by changing those bad habits into good ones.

Natural grace is to be found, for those of us in the Western world, in the Greek and Roman classical tradition, especially in examples of their statuary. We gain glimpses of this natural state on the athletics field, at the theatre, and during the golden age of childhood. In other words, poise is a rarity. This natural poise is our birthright and to lose it seems a great pity.

What is Good Use?

Good use of our bodies promotes good function. What we mean by that is a gentle, unified action of mind and body, and of all the parts on one another. A sharing of loads over the larger muscles and bones that are weight-bearing; no excessive stressing of the joints or inappropriate use of muscle tension; and in accordance with the principles of energy efficiency, a state of maximum lightness achieved with minimal effort.

Children provide a good example of this: they inhabit their bodies lightly and comfortably. They enjoy simply being alive; they are at ease with the world.

Dynamic posture

Posture is a dynamic process, an activity of mind, muscle and nerve. Put simply, we have two types of muscles: 'being' and 'doing' muscles. The muscles that hold us together and hold us up are the intrinsics - the 'being' muscles. The muscles for power as in walking, swimming, climbing, playing are the extrinsics - 'doing' muscles. But human design is not as straightforward as that. For example, some muscles are capable of 'being' and 'doing.' However, we know that the intrinsic muscles are made of non-fatiguable material: they utilize oxygen. The extrinsic muscles fatigue faster because in using glucose they produce lactic acid, which fatigues muscle. If we slump when sitting, or need to lean on something when we stand, it shows that the intrinsic ('being') muscles have changed their state to fatiguable: they have gone over to the other side, so to speak.

When you start a series of Alexander lessons, you will begin to learn to stop the inappropriate patterns and allow the anti-gravity (or 'being') muscles to emerge with ease and do the job they were meant to. Your back muscles begin to support your trunk at the appropriate gentle level, while you release unnecessary tension.

A sedentary lifestyle

A good, easy posture requires strength, coordination and awareness. All of us already have that capability, but we squander our inheritance, so to speak, by misapplication. There are a number of reasons for this; basically we have become a rather sedentary race. Most of us work indoors in closed, artificial environments. We sit on badly designed furniture and we often wear uncomfortable clothing.

To counteract the sedentary nature of their work, many people engage in vigorous exercise. They imagine that all the effort will compensate for the fact that for seven or eight hours they've been at a keyboard or on the telephone. If every time you thwack the squash ball you jam your skull down obliquely on your spine, you are actually counteracting the effect of your exercise. You are also sending massive shockwaves through your whole nervous system. You need to ensure that appropriate muscles groups are being utilised. You need to be well coordinated if the game is going to be good for you and not do you harm.

Other factors are outlined by F.M. Alexander in his four books. They are well worth reading. Two Nobel Laureates in the scientific field spoke highly of Alexander's discoveries: Sir Charles Sherrington (the doyen of 20th century physiologists), and Nikolas Tinbergen. Frank Pierce Jones and John Dewey also championed the work of F.M. Alexander.

You need to know what you are doing

Slumping joggers and contorted weightlifters exhibit what John Dewey called "compensatory maladjustments." In other words, if your system is habitually compressed when you go to exercise, you will simply add to the downward pressure. The beautifully coordinated athlete or performer creates a stable structure around which the limbs weave their magic.

If overall body use and function is to be improved, the long axis of the body must remain free to respond economically and ecologically to the requirements of movement and balance. It must not be fixed, but must be capable of safely deploying strength, speed, and agility when called upon. To do this requires energy and awareness : you need to know what it is that you are doing. Piecemeal intervention without reference to the relationing of the parts and their coordinating functions damages the whole.

The Solution

The solution to common aches, pains, and bodily malfunctions such as the inability to sit upright or stand without hurting, lies in reeducation. By this we mean reeducating the fundamental way we use ourselves - addressing the very mind/body link so downplayed in western thought. To make a positive change we must take the time that learning takes, to address this problem of epidemic proportions.

The study of structure and function in human movement requires more than skillful assemblage of data. The larger part of knowledge derives from practical work and plenty of hands-on experience in the field. As Alexander's discoveries are repeated through the experience of today's teachers, our resource of knowledge grows significantly, hand in hand with ongoing scientific research.

Learning and teaching

A Teacher of the Alexander Technique, working largely with his or her hands, eyes and ears observes a person's use, in much the same way as a judgment of musicality is made with a musician's ear. All these things are instruments of our sensory apparatus whose potentiality can be developed by training. The teacher then assists the pupil to release tension and begin to move in a completely new and more conscious way.

Alexander lessons cultivate a sense of lightness and freedom of movement. When engaged in the Alexander work we learn to generate for ourselves the conscious choice to lighten up and make a positive change or to adopt a narrow, well-worn habitual stance.

When teaching the Technique, an Alexander Teacher must put the principles of the Technique into practice first. In this way the teacher is always learning more and more and never ceases to be a student. Life is a process and so is learning. Learning how to learn is one aspect that helps you to become more resourceful and integrate the Technique into your daily life.

Rediscovering your birthright

The Alexander Technique is the intelligent application of natural laws. It is not an add-on, but rather an uncovering of your birthright - a seamless reintegration of your natural poise and wholeness.

"Everyone wants to be right, but no one stops to consider if their idea of right is right."
(F.M.Alexander)

This is the radical edge of Alexander's principles : that we have to learn to get out of the way and observe the natural law that governs our lives. When you consider that the human race has developed a facility for copying and mimicry, Alexander's discovery is revolutionary.

"To know when we are wrong is all that we shall ever know in this world."

This is one of F.M. Alexander's teaching aphorisms, and a very sobering thought in our goal-oriented world.

Lawrence Bruce

Copyright: Lawrence Bruce. All rights reserved