It is the body that is the hero, not antibiotics, nor machines or new devices. The task of the physician today is what it always has been, to help the body to do what it has learned so well to do on its own during its unending struggle for survival – to heal itself. It is the body, not medicine, that is the hero.
Dr Ronald J Glasser
Once you have started to take more time over your everyday activities, you will need to become aware of the unnecessary tension that you may be holding within your muscles. This tension is very likely to be impeding many of your movements, and it is not until you become aware of such tensions that you change anything. Alexander saw that many people were trying so hard to get good posture that they were practically paralysing the parts of the body that need to work. Self-awareness is the fundamental tool that will help you to become conscious of the postural habits that have arisen as a result of life’s stresses and strains.
When I finally found a solution to my long-standing back problem, I could not understand why all the people who had tried to help me over the years had missed the obvious. It soon dawned on me that it was simply because they are not trained to do so. Their training involved learning about treatments intended to fix or alleviate symptoms, without first finding out why these had come about in the first place. Despite significant medical and scientific advances in recent years, the emphasis on treating symptoms rather than root causes is just as strong today. But knowledge of the Alexander Technique changes our expectations: in simple terms, why should we expect the medical profession to cure us of a problem that we ourselves are causing? We need to become aware of which muscles are over-tense and causing us to be pulled out of shape, with such painful consequences for us.
The fastest, most efficient and effective way to do this is to have a course of Alexander lessons. I am sure I would never have worked out my problem without help. I know Alexander did, but it took him ten years, and required enormous patience, persistence and very creative thinking. It is generally easier to consult a trained teacher, much as we would when learning a musical instrument, horse-riding, driving, etc. So if we want to learn how to let go of the tension that is causing poor posture, it is very advantageous to go to an Alexander teacher. To my mind, to go to a doctor or other medical person and ask them to cure a problem that is directly caused by poor posture is like taking your car to a vegetable shop and asking them to fix your engine. But is the same the other way round: I would not have a clue how to help someone who had multiple injuries from a car accident, and I would be a fool to try.
“Instead of feeling one’s body an aggregation of illfitting parts, full of frictions and deadweights pulling this way and that so as to render mere existence in itself exhausting, the body becomes a coordinated and living whole, composed of well-fitting and truly articulated parts. It is the difference between chaos and order and so between illness and good health.”
Sir Stafford Cripps, British Labour politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer (1947–50)
Although it can be very helpful in the first instance to learn the principles and philosophy of the Alexander Technique from this book, it does not take the place of individual lessons, where a practical understanding of the Technique can be achieved. Each of us has a posture that is unique and therefore we have individual habits to recognize and let go of. The number of lessons needed will vary from person to person, depending on how ingrained their postural habits are and what they are hoping to achieve from the lessons. Many teachers recommend a course of between 20 and 30 lessons, but I personally believe that you can still learn a great deal about yourself in a basic course of as little as six to ten lessons. I always recommend a minimum of six lessons to give the person a chance to see the benefits. The Technique is not a ‘quick fix’ and it does take a few weeks to work, but the changes and benefits that occur are long-lasting. In my opinion, it is beneficial to have two lessons a week for the first two or three weeks. Later on, when you have grasped the principles of the Technique, you will be able to apply them on your own and you may find that a lesson once every two to three weeks is enough. Like any other subject, it is important to put into practice what you learn in a lesson in your everyday life.
What takes place during an Alexander lesson will vary depending on your own requirements and your teacher’s teaching style. If the teacher has not been personally recommended to you, it might be worth having one lesson from two or three different teachers to see who suits you best. Various organizations will supply a list of qualified teachers (see pages on 179–80).
The experience of the Alexander Technique can never be described in a book or conveyed in words. It is a wonderful feeling of lightness and ease that is brought about by all the parts of the body working in unison rather than in conflict. It gives many people a sense of peace and oneness that they had forgotten was possible, and some people describe this feeling as ‘walking on air’, or ‘having well-oiled joints’. This feeling is natural: it is simply the feeling of letting yourself work as nature intended without any interference. Although the experience can differ from person to person, many feel a sense of lightness as they sit, stand and move, while others experience a sense of calmness or tranquillity, or feel as if their concerns and worries have been suddenly lifted from them. This feeling may last for only a short time after your first lesson, but with subsequent lessons the feeling of freedom, peace and ease will last for longer and longer periods of time as you learn to apply the Technique to all your daily activities. The Alexander Technique not only releases tension, but also redistributes the tension in the body, and you could describe it as a rebalancing of the entire system. Often, some muscles have become far too tense while others are not doing enough. During the process of learning the Technique, some muscles will become less tense while other muscles may in fact be required to do more work. Occasionally, after a lesson, people may feel an ache or discomfort in a different part of their body from the original problem area, but this is quite normal and will soon pass.
When you have learnt how to change the patterns of muscle tension, you will find that your posture has changed without any conscious effort on your part. This beneficial change in posture is bound to feel strange to begin with because we have become so accustomed to our poor posture over many years. It is similar to the experience of driving a different car than the one you are used to. Often the controls are in different places and you may have to push harder or less hard on the clutch and brake to operate them. However, if you drive this car for a week, it will begin to feel quite normal, and your own car may well feel a little strange when you drive it again. In the same way, you will need to give yourself time to get used to the new way of being, and after a few lessons you will become accustomed to the easier, freer way in which you sit, stand and move – and this will soon feel quite normal.
In all my 21 years of teaching, I have not come across one person who did not feel very odd when they first adopted new ways of sitting and standing. In fact, most people are amazed when I show them their new posture in a mirror at the end of their lesson as they are totally convinced that their shape is worse than before. They all have the impression that they are twisted or off balance, when they are really standing, sitting or moving with more grace and poise. This phenomenon is entirely due to the fact that many of us, like Alexander himself, are suffering from faulty sensory appreciation. It is impossible to rely on our kinaesthetic feelings (see page 102) because the very system that creates and evaluates these feelings is already going wrong. Because this is so common, Alexander often said to his pupils, ‘Don’t come to me unless, when I tell you you are wrong, you make up your mind to smile and be pleased.’
During a course of lessons, you will learn how to apply the Technique during your daily activities and be taught how to become aware of the excessive effort you are using. By changing the way we perform all our actions, we learn to move with greater ease and balance, and learn to prevent the tension from returning. This amounts to a re-education in which you learn new ways of walking, standing, sitting and bending that put less strain on you. If you have an occupation that is causing specific problems, like working at a computer, driving or playing a musical instrument, your teacher will go through those activities that may be causing the problems and show you how to perform them in a more conscious way that involves less effort. It is important to realize that you do not have to do anything to achieve a better posture or an improved way of using yourself while in activity. Learning how to do less leads to re-establishing harmony and ease in your life. This harmony and synchronization affect the mind and emotions too, and result in a more harmonious and conscious life. Ultimately, we need to stop being ‘Human Doers’ rather than Human Beings and start again to enjoy that deep part of ourselves that is still and present, and the Alexander Technique is a practical way to bring that still, alert consciousness – your ‘Being’ – back into everything we do.
This following procedure will help you to become more aware of the excessive muscular tension and you will begin to use thoughts (directions) to release some of that tension. Many people have found that this procedure can also be very successful in reducing stress, increasing vitality and reducing a wide variety of aches and pains. If it is done regularly, it can help to align the spine and improve your overall posture. For most people, the best time to do the lying down is in the morning, to get you observing your use of yourself before you start compressing your spine and tensing up. Second best is lunchtime, or mid-afternoon, but if you are at work or away from home, just do it as soon as you get back home. Some people who suffer with insomnia, however, find that they have an improved night’s sleep if they lie in the semi-supine position just before going to bed, while others feel that starting the day in this way suits them better, and claim that they can feel the benefits throughout the rest of the day. Just do whatever works for you. Note, though, that it is better not to lie down after a heavy meal, as this will probably feel quite uncomfortable.
48: The semi-supine exercise is an excellent way for you to start to reduce muscular tension after a busy day.
Lie down in the semi-supine position, as described below, initially for ten minutes each day, and lengthen the time progressively by adding one minute a day until you have reached 20 minutes. Remember, as I have said before, that real and lasting change does take time so perseverance and patience will be needed. Make notes each time you do it, as this will help you to see the changes. Never push yourself: it is not an endurance test. As you learn how to release tension, the lower back will gradually flatten on to the ground; this might take weeks or even months to happen, so please be patient with yourself. Make sure you do not push your back down onto the floor, as this will only make matters worse. Many of these tensions have taken years to accumulate so they are not going to disappear overnight. Some people say they do not have enough time to do this for the full 20 minutes in their busy working day; if this applies to you, just do it for whatever time you have. If for any reason you become uncomfortable, stop doing the exercise and consult your Alexander teacher.
The way to do the semi-supine exercise is simply to lie down on your back with some books underneath your head, your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor near to your pelvis without strain and your hands resting gently on either side of your navel or by your sides. Make sure you are lying on a carpeted floor and are warm enough, because it is much harder to release tension if you are feeling cold or lying in a draught. If necessary, place a blanket over yourself while you are lying down. The number of books beneath the head will vary from person to person, and it is better to use magazines or thin paperback books rather than hardbacks. If the books feel too hard, place a towel or some thin foam on top of the books. The best way to find out the right number of books is to ask your teacher when you start having Alexander lessons. If this is not possible for some reason, it is probably best to use a pillow or cushion until you can. As you are lying down, make sure that your head is not falling backwards or pushed too far forwards because it is crucial that your breathing and swallowing are unrestricted. The reason you have the books underneath your head is to give it support and to help combat the habit of pulling the head back, which can put pressure on the spine. Note, however, that it is still possible to pull your head back when you are simply lying there.
The soles of your feet should have an even contact with the ground and your knees need to be pointing towards the ceiling. Your feet should be near to your pelvis, but not so near that it is uncomfortable. If you find that your legs are falling in towards each other, or out away from each other, please follow one of these instructions, which will help to reduce muscle tension in the legs:
1. If the legs are falling inwards then move the feet closer together.
2. If the legs are falling outwards then move the feet further apart.
The back should be resting on the ground, but make sure you do not do anything in order to flatten it. One of the reasons that the knees are pointing to the ceiling is to enable the lower back to release onto the floor in comfort, but this may take some time.
At first, follow the same procedure as for the observation exercises on pages 131–33. Just be aware of any tension you can feel, making sure that you keep your eyes open throughout the exercise, as this will help you to stay focused.
Compare the left side of your body with the right to see if you feel symmetrical, but do not change anything. Now give yourself the following directions, which need to be repeated from time to time throughout the exercise:
• Allow your neck to be free.
• Think of your head going forward and up away from your spine.
• Allow your back to lengthen and widen onto the ground.
• Think of your shoulders widening away from one another.
• Think of your knees pointing up to the ceiling.
It is easier to let go of tension when lying down because gravity is working on your body in a different way and there are fewer balance issues and distractions to contend with.
This procedure is also known as ‘active lying down’, and although your body will be in a state of rest, it is not merely about resting, as you should be fully alert. If you find that your mind wanders off into other thoughts, try not to get annoyed with yourself, just bring your attention back gently to the present moment.
It is important to remember that you must not do anything or try to find the right position, as the emphasis for this exercise is on doing less. The directions listed above are just a few suggestions you can think about, but there are many more. Be creative and try to imagine others; as long as your thoughts involve allowing one part of the body to move away from another part, it will encourage a release of muscle tension. It may take a few days or even weeks before you feel totally comfortable with this new way of thinking, so please be patient.
In my first year of teaching the Alexander Technique, a man came to me who had been suffering from back pain for over 25 years. When I met him on his first lesson, he got a little notebook out of his top pocket and explained that he had spent over £87,000 trying to alleviate his back pain. For example, he had spent over £25,000 on operations and visits to the orthopaedic surgeons, another £15,000 on chiropractors, osteopaths and physiotherapists, a further £10,000 on complementary therapies and over £10,000 on back chairs that were sold to him on the basis that they would provide a solution to his pain, but actually did not help him. His travel bill came to a small fortune, as did all the gimmicks and gadgets he had purchased over the years, and he had kept a record of every penny he had spent.
“The many obvious benefits that the technique afforded us as actors included minimized tension, centredness, vocal relaxation and responsiveness, mind/body connection and about an inch and a half of additional height. In addition, I have found in the ensuing years great benefits in my day to day living. By balancing and neutralizing tensions, I’ve learned to relieve as well as to avoid the aches and pains caused by the thousands of natural shocks that flesh is heir to.”
Kevin Kline, actor
On his first lesson, I showed him how to do the active lying down exercise and told him that he would need to do it every day for the next month. He became slightly agitated and asked me, ‘Are you trying to tell me that I didn’t need to spend the £87,000 on my back and that all I needed to do all along was your semi-supine exercise?’ I thought for a moment and then said, ‘Yes, that is what I am saying.’ He became more agitated, even a little angry. I was unable to see him for two weeks after this lesson, as I was away on holiday, so when he returned for his second lesson he had been doing the lying down for a full three weeks. There was a visible change in him, and he seemed much more relaxed. He told me that he had not missed a day, and in fact on most days he had done the lying down twice, and since he had started he had had no pain whatsoever. After a few more lessons, his posture had completely changed and friends and relatives often commented on the visible difference in his posture. His story was quite exceptional, but it does illustrate the power of the semi-supine position.
Alexander teachers have observed that this activity:
• Improves overall posture.
• Allows the intervertebral discs to absorb fluid and helps to increase height.
• Helps to straighten the spine by helping to lessen the curves that have become exaggerated.
• Lengthens the spine so that it can support you better when you are upright.
• Releases muscular tension throughout your whole body.
• Improves your breathing by helping to release the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm.
• Improves circulation because the blood can flow better when the muscles are relaxed. Some of my pupils have found that their hands and feet have become warmer.
• Puts less pressure on the nerves that have become trapped due to over-tense muscles.
• Helps to prevent deterioration of the bones and joints of the spine and can even rejuvenate parts of the skeleton that have been worn from misuse of the body.
• Allows the internal organs to have more room to function.
• Helps to revitalize and re-energize you.
• Brings about an overall reduction in stress and tension physically, mentally and emotionally.
It is important to realize that these benefits will arise only if this exercise is done on a regular basis, once a day for at least ten minutes, and over a period of some weeks, though do not worry if you miss the odd day.
REMEMBER: At first you may not feel the changes that are happening, so be patient and do not try to force anything.