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 Learning to See
This is a picture of F.M. Alexander pouring what could be a glass of Champagne. I couldn't wait to share this with you to ring in the New Year. But there is more! Take a moment and simply enjoy: the balanced head, the poised arm, the widening shoulders, and my favorite - the flexible open wrist and easy fingers. Pouring a drink from a bottle might not be noteworthy. But we can appreciate how such articulation of joints would benefit anybody holding and moving a bow in relationship to a string instrument - or for that matter holding any musical instrument. I love images to aide my understanding of principles of good use and recenly created a new page on my website called Art and the Alexander Technique, please check it out, alexandertechniquect.com
In our daily lives we see so much physical misuse that we have become quite dull in our visual perception. But for the majority of people the visual sense provides the most direct way to understanding. I want to invite you to watch this informative Alexander Technique Video. Watching the whole video will take about 20 minutes, but after watching for the first 7 minutes or so you will begin to trust your visual perception again and allow your judgement of postural habits to rise to the surface of your awareness. |
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One Student Highlighted
Occasionally I want to share stories of students who touch me deeply.
Lisa came to me last spring with a history of head injury that caused severe headaches and neck pain, which persisted even after surgery on eye muscles to realign the eyes. Understandably, years of pain had lead to a lot of fear and muscular fixing. Lisa didn't move her head much, nor her eyes. No wonder she had headaches and neck pain! With Alexander Technique lessons she learned again to free her neck muscles and to allow the head to balance without fear that something bad might happen. We also worked on releasing eye muscles and freeing of eye movements. Lisa is a wonderful Alexander student, because she is readily able to change her beliefs about what's possible. Being someone who always wanted to reduce pain medication, the awareness education fell on fertile ground and she is often able to change her level of pain by changing her expectation about what is going to happen, by trusting her body again and having the mental tool to let go of fixed muscles. |
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Try This
For a moment interrupt your activity. At the computer, while driving, knitting or watching TV let your eyes widen in the head, let the eye muscles soften and the eyes fall back in their sockets. Let yourself see with a soft gaze, allow the images to come to you. Images, created on the retina at the back of your eyes, travel through your optical nerves all the way to the occipital lobe of your brain at the very back of your head, where the image is interpreted. For a moment allow this thought to affect the way you see. Let your eyes rest from their habitual way of seeing. Make sure to try this again when you are not sitting in front of a screen. |
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 Book Recommendation
And one more personal note: With more than a little trepidation I ordered my first progressive lenses today. Everybody assures me I will love them, but I know that I will not allow my glasses to dictate how my head is balanced on the spine.
If you have any questions, comments or recommendations in this area, please share them for mutual support and exchange. You can email me at [email protected]. |
