Mental & Physical Balance
Whatever your age, lifestyle or occupation, the Alexander Technique can help you safely learn how to look after your body and mind. The Technique proactively teaches you how to recognise patterns of tension for yourself – by doing this it gives you the opportunity to choose a more ergonomic way of moving, without all the stressful habits that we often unconsciously use. The connection between how you use and move your body and your mental state is becoming more widely acknowledged – here is an article entitled “Sit Up Straight!” The Mental Health Benefits of Good Posture from the Huffington Post. The body awareness that Alexander Technique lessons teaches you, can therefore help you to discover both a mental and physical balance in your life.
An Owner’s Manual for Your Body
I like the analogy – that if you put four new tyres on a car and don’t have them balanced or tracked, the chances are you’re likely to get some wear on at least one area of a tyre. While the tyres are all new this wear won’t affect how the car runs, but over time it would become more pronounced and eventually the car’s performance will be affected. This is essentially what we’re doing by asking our bodies to work with unnecessary areas of tension, created by unconscious habits.
What the Alexander Technique isn’t, is a quick fix. It’s not popping a pill or having a massage – please don’t get me wrong, both of these are important and have their place. However, to return to the car analogy, if a physiotherapist is the car mechanic putting the body right when it goes wrong, an Alexander Technique teacher would be the driving instructor showing you how to use the body in the first place. In fact, it’s like being given the Owner’s Manual to the human body.
What Happens in a Lesson
Every lesson is tailored to individual needs, but you can expect to explore the way you use your body in everyday tasks. This can help you become aware of habitual patterns that cause tension and therefore help you to find a more natural way of moving. You might also lie down on your back on a treatment table, while the teacher gently moves your body to allow it to release unnecessary tension and re-balance.
To book a lesson and discover how the Alexander Technique can help you, click on this button: