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Laurie Currie
16 Red Brook Road
Mahopac, NY 10541
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845 621 4677
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Welcome to Heads Up! 
There is always something new and exciting happening in the Alexander Technique world. Whether it is articles in the news, programs or podcasts, new research being published, or local workshops to attend, I created this Newsletter to help you stay informed - to give you a "heads up" about what's happening. I also want to share information with you about the technique that may have been around awhile, but that you might not be aware of. I hope you find it interesting and informative.
Those of you familiar with Alexander's work will also understand the other meaning of "heads up" - that is, allowing your head to release forward and up from your lengthening spine! Go ahead and see if you can allow that to happen right now, at this very moment. Let your torso gently expand into length and width, so that your breath can flow easily in and out. Allow your legs to ease out and away from your hip joints, and allow your shoulders to float apart from each other. If you are holding the newsletter in your hand, hold it lightly, not tightly, with your fingers. Let the images you see on the page, or computer screen, come toward your eyes, rather than letting your eyes (and neck and head) be pulled toward the page. Now see if you can keep renewing these thoughts as you read, and . . .
Enjoy! |
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Focus On Breathing:
As a lot of you already know, the Alexander Technique improves the coordination and functioning of your body as a whole. That means that it affects you on every level of functioning - musculoskeletal, neurological, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, you name it. In this issue we focus on the Alexander Technique in relation to respiration.
When Frederick Mathias Alexander, the originator of the Alexander Technique, first began teaching, he called his technique "respiratory re-education". He was known as the "breathing man", because his technique helped his students, many of whom were actors, to greatly improve the use of their breathing mechanisms. |
What Health Professionals Say About the Alexander Technique:
"Habitual patterns of scrunched and tense use of the body are so ingrained in our lives that the concept may seem extraordinary
that unlearning these patterns can actually relieve pain and discomfort--but lessons in the Alexander Technique not only
succeed for many people, they also allow a welcome sense of
new ease in performance of all physical activities, e.g., playing a sport, using a computer keyboard, or playing a musical
instrument. Research in which I have been involved has also
shown enhanced strength of the muscles of breathing after a
course of lessons."
John H.M. Austin, MD, Professor Emeritus of Radiology,
Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
See "Research Findings" below for details of Dr. Austin's research. |
Research Findings: Enhanced Ease of Breathing with the Alexander Technique
Dr. John Austin (see "What Health Professionals Say" above) conducted a study of respiratory function in adults instructed in the Alexander Technique. Subjects received 20 private AT lessons at weekly intervals. Following these lessons, spirometry tests demonstrated that subjects showed significant increases in all test parameters, indicating that the study of the Technique improves respiratory muscular function.
The above study was published in CHEST, 102:486-490, 1992, and can be viewed HERE.
You can listen online to a Podcast of Dr. Austin discussing this study HERE. |
"Listen,
are you breathing just a little,
and calling it a life?"
Mary Oliver, Poet
(from "Have You Ever Tried To Enter The Long Black Branches?)
To read the entire poem, click HERE. |
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To become a Certified Alexander Technique Teacher requires the successful completion of 1600 hours of intensive and challenging training. That's 3 hours per day, 5 days per week, plus independent study work, for 3 full years. I received my training at the American Center for the Alexander Technique in New York City. It is the oldest Alexander training program in the United States, having been in existence for over 45 years. |
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I hope you've enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you!
 Sincerely,
Laurie Currie
Alexander Technique |
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