Alexander Technique Helps Back Pain

http://www.viddler.com/explore/atbmj/videos/1/





This is one of the best short videos on the Alexander Technique I've seen, and it details the results of the study done on over 600 people with back pain. In about 50 more years, it may be obvious to more people that the technique is very useful, but if the spine is out of balance due to structural misalignment at the atlanto-occipital joint, you can be more successful in every area of health once you correct that.

The principle in both disciplines is the same, and rooted in vertebrate physiology - the relation between the head and the body is important and determines the workings of the rest of the organism. The link with chiropractic is that Alexander addresses the emotional and self induced trauma that causes the vertebral subluxation and can reduce (but not eliminate) the affect of the spinal subluxation on lives.

Contact 1st Step Chiropractic to begin the move away from back pain. 815-398-4500

Tension and the Performing Artist

"What happened to you during the performance?" she asked..."your sound changed dramatically in the middle!"
I thought back to what I was doing during the violin recital and realized she was talking about a particular moment when I figured, "I'm so nervous anyway, why don't I try directing?"
In the Alexander technique, when we apply a bit of our awareness to ourselves in a constructive way, it's called directing.
So I remember doing so at that moment in the recital and noticed I felt a little better. But I didn't realize it changed the sound. "You sounded more...interesting," she admiringly admitted.
I was about one year through the teacher's training course in the Alexander Technique, back in 1980, and was playing again after losing my hands to a horrible tension problem. But does it really take that long to regain ability when it is lost? This is a review of one masterclass I led for music students at Rock Valley College. Michael Beert, cellist and head of the program, had some astute observations to share...
"In each student, it was obvious to hear and see the difference in their performing after just a couple of minor adjustments to the head and neck relationship. One student after another, it became apparent that this technique was beneficial to their sound and tone production. Another thing that was apparent was that one size did not fit all. Each student had different issues that needed addressing and Dr. Schalow was able to pinpoint each and work on the area that was most in need of attention.
The reactions from the students were most positive as they commented on other student’s performances or their own improvement. A couple of the students from the workshop have gone on to inquire about further Alexander Technique sessions with Dr. Schalow and have commented on its effectiveness in their lives, work and performance."
Wow. "Can I have some of that?" you might ask. You certainly can. Contact Rockford Alexander Technique at 1st Step Chiropractic. 815-398-4500.

Norwegian Woods @ 1st Step Chiropractic

Is Chiropractic a substitute for Alexander technique? Is it the other way around? Check your neurology of the central nerve system and you'll see that upper cervical chiropractic fixes the problem that Alexander cannot; when the head isn't on straight, a specific vector is required to get it corrected. That is a different issue from correcting the use of the self. Both set up conditions favorable for healing, but you have to distinguish when to use either.
Careful craftsmanship! That's what we do in either field. Look at what we are doing today in my office, October 23, 2010.

Unsure What IS the Alexander Technique?

At the Womanspace Campus here in Rockford, IL, I led a wonderful group of people in a short tutorial about the Alexander Technique last month - while they were eating lunch.

You cannot learn this work in one 45 minute group session, but you can give some motivated people enough information to begin playing with this work on their own, especially the attentive musician. I wanted to share some of their comments with you...

"Excellent," "Meaningful," "Holistic," "Hands-on, very meaningful," and my favorite, "Unsure what Alexander Technique is!"

When I was a violin teacher I found that those students who couldn't understand me raised my level of awareness more than others. Differences in learning styles, communication methods, or some other mysterious impediment made it unescapably necessary to find a more appropriate way to communicate to this person.

I like a challenge. Especially when it does not involve dangerous animals in the jungle.

So let us answer the question, "What is the Alexander Technique?"

Well, IT isn't anything at all, really. Maybe a door opening, maybe a ladder to climb up metaphorically.

There is no IT, there is only YOU! And when YOU malfunction, YOU need to ask YOURSELF what YOU did to create that malfunction. Alexander simply says quietly in the background (with and Australian accent) "Stop doing that with YOUR neck!"

You have to ponder that problem...the Alexander Technique is not a trinket, not a drug or a multi-level marketing scheme, it is YOU.

And the teacher helps YOU to discover how you have been interfering with YOURSELF so you can give yourself other options.

Give yourself the opportunity to learn more. Alexander Technique in Rockford, IL

FM Alexander for Posture?

Eleven years ago, I led an information session about the FM Alexander technique at a friend's house in Charleston, IL. Among the reviews were one that astounded me. "Fairly standard point about posture." was all it said.

Reflected in that comment was the sad image of a person who had been so harangued by his superiors that he couldn't hear anything else except the most irritating of them. Maybe it was his music teacher from fourth grade. Maybe an older sister. "Sit up straight! Stand up straight! Stop slumping!" might have been the incessant imperatives.

Although the FM Alexander technique has implications for posture, blood pressure, back pain, vocal production, sound production on any instrument, and other diverse realities of living, it is no more about posture than going to the movies is about burning gas in your car. While it's true that you use up gas by going to the movies, it is just a side effect.

When I was an orchestral musician, people wondered why I sat up so straight. I didn't think I sat up straight, it was just a side effect of the head/neck/back system working well. When it does, my hands worked well and freely and I felt physically comfortable with my instrument.

The vertebrate mechanism doesn't work well when you sit or stand up straight. It works well when you mind the head/neck/trunk dynamic. If you are an actor in a devious character with a twisted posture, your posture HAS to be bad, but you can still manage your head/neck/back dynamic in a constructive manner.

So I still ponder the tendency of the newcomer to jump to a conclusion about the Alexander technique as being about posture.

In England, the common equation is: Alexander = Back Pain Relief. In other places across the planet, the questionable drift is toward the equation: Alexander = Relief from Symptoms.

How about we just let it be itself? The Alexander Technique is about learning to use yourself in a conscious, constructive way!

Alexander Technique - Lessons?

A simple quote from Sophocles -

"The ideal condition would be, I admit, that man should be right by instinct; But since we are all too likely to go astray, the resonable thing is to learn from those who can teach."

Pain? Uncoordination? Sensory deficits? Learn from those who can teach!

Alexander Technique and Biology

Considered the father of psycho-biology, CL Herrick stated shortly before he died in 1904, "Structure is a snapshot of behavior." He saw the future of forensics...

But more importantly for human behavior studies, he saw that there is a link between behavior and structure.

One of his students, GE Coghill spent his career studying the behavior of the newt, making important observations about the role of the head in animal movement. When he met FM Alexander, he readily caught on to what Alexander was doing since it agreed with what had been discovered by scientists up to that time. The beautiful thing was that Alexander had transformed this observable fact into practical reality.
Alexander Technique - practical science!

A Technique for Musicians

Ran across this paragraph from Frank Pierce Jones between managing laundry and children's practice sessions... "In teaching the principle (Alexander's work) to a musician (or to anyone else, for that matter), the aim is to increase the pupil's awareness of himself as a whole, until he can detect the interference in the head-neck relationship, which is the first link in the reflex chain of "getting set" to do something - to sit down, to pick up a bow, or to strike a chord. In order to accomplish this, the teacher helps the pupil to carry out the activity without the habitual interference, and to realize by actual experience the lightness and freedom of movement that come when the primary control operates normally. Through repeated experience of this kind, the pupil gradually builds a new standard of kinaesthetic judgement. With this standard he has the power at any time to know whether he is obtaining the maximum of freedom and control in what he is doing."
From "Musical America," January 1, 1949.
Jones' comment that you can know whether you are free or not conflicts with Alexander's comment from the 1930's, "The only thing you'll ever really know is that you're wrong." The fact that they conflict only means we have a great playground for inquiry. That's what we do in Rockford with the Alexander Technique!

Rockford Alexander Technique: Is it About Posture?

Recalling that Alexander's work is about education and unlearning the habits that are getting us in the wrong, let's look at a quote from his first book, Man's Supreme Inheritance.
"The first step in re-education is establishing in the pupil's mind the connection that exists between cause and effect in every function of the body."
Now that's not hard to do, especially if you did yard work all day and have sore muscles all over your body. But what if it's in the area of a sore wrist from too much computer mousing? Or what if you HAVE to produce a big paper/recital/any-kind-of-stressful-project, and you develop a nervous tic in your face?
Alexander simply says, "You did it and are actively engaged in producing those symptoms, so just stop it!"
Fine, you say, what shall I stop?
Just stop.
That's right, stop.
Now for a game.
Decide on a "stimulus" that you react to. Examples include, the telephone ringing, a particular person's way of addressing you, a dog bark, or even your own desire to stand up straignt. Now take a few days to watch how you react to that stimulus. Make notes of what you observe. The more you observe, the more you are going to have ultimate control over how you choose to respond. Do you pull your head back? Do you feel a downward pressure on your ribcage? Do you jump?
Good! Now that you have followed in Alexander's footsteps, you will want to come back to the main controlling issue for vertebrates - stop doing that neck stiffening thing.
It took Alexander about ten years to sort that out. Havinf a teacher helps considerable. Look one up. If you're in the Rockford area, here we are!

Rockford Alexander Technique: Who Can Benefit?

It is normal to wonder about what sort of problems can be alleviated with lessons in the Alexander Technique, or Work as we prefer to call it. There really isn't a definitive answer, simply because problems don't always follow a linear pattern. If I said my hand was hurting because I had been hitting it with a hammer, you would say, "Then stop hitting it with a hammer!" That's an example of a linear pattern. But if you came to me and said, "What can I do to fix the pain in my foot that occurs when I play the piano?", and if I told you to stop stiffening your neck, you would think I'm crazy. It is hard to see the connection between the foot and the neck.
Nikolaas Tinbergen, who received the Nobel Prize for his work in animal behavior, discussed his study of Alexander's work in his acceptance speech. After he and two other members of his family subjected the work to scientific scrutiny, he was able to say, "we...notice, with growing amazement, very striking improvements in such diverse things as high blood pressure, breathing, depth of sleep, overall cheerfulness and mental alertness, resilience against outside pressures, and also in such a refined skill as playing a stringed instrument."
That sounds like the process of lessons is actually triggering events that manage essential adaptive functions. If these essential functions are operating well, can you see that nutrition, elimination, oxygenation, rest and self control all have the potential to improve. Does this sound like an overall decrease of stress in life? Are there any problems that people face that don't relate to one of these areas?

Rockford Alexander Technique: What is the Point of Lessons?

If I were a violinist, which I am, or if I were a golfer, which I'm not, I would want to have a coach at least sometimes who I would trust to tell me how I'm doing. So I would play my violin and listen to the coach go, "Eh, you sound like a mosquito..." (which is what Jascha Brodsky used to say, notice I left out the end of the sentence), but then the coach would say something truly useful about my position and stance and help me do better.
So there is to be an actual goal in the Alexander lesson - to do better.
But what?
Raymond Dart, the anthropologist, lectured on Alexander's work in 1970. He had been a student of the work for decades in South Africa, having been attracted to it initially by, in his words, "my consciousness of the imperfections in my posture." Simply being aware that there is a problem is a great starting point, but part of the problem is thinking that it's all about posture.
Dart later points out in one of his conclusions, "We all have the same quota of head and body segments whether we totter about like children, run around the sports field, or perform programs on public platforms or in olympic contests. The way we use them depends on the degree of neural organisation or bodily and intellectual skill attained individually."
So here we have an answer to the question, "What are we trying to do better?"
We are trying to use ourselves better, all the parts of the self, brought together into one whole functioning vertebrate organism.
And here we have to make clear that there really is an end point in the lesson, and it is only that the individual becomes more fully himself as a coordinated person, not interfering with the natural abilities given to the vertebrate.
Now that's a big open question..."what is this natural ability?"
Just watch your cat pouncing and the baby learning to crawl and walk (assuming there is no structural interference with normal nerve system development). It's all right there in front of your face. Take a look at a portrait of the elder Ralph Vaughan Williams hanging in one of the museums in London. You'll see a fine example of a really badly coordinated individual. He didn't look well.
Lessons restore normal nerve system patterns that determine development and control of the parts. Who can be helped? We'll talk about that later.

The Education of FM Alexander

For those robust readers, here is a quote from Aldous Huxley, who took lessons with Alexander.
"It is now possible to conceive of a totally new type of education affecting the entire range of human activity...an education which, by teaching them the proper use of the self, would preserve children and adults from most of the diseases and evil habits that now afflict them...I heartily recommend this latest and, in many ways, most enlightening of Mr. Alexander's books. In the Universal Constant in Living they will find, along with a mass of interesting facts, the ripest wisdom of a man who, setting out fifty years ago to discover a method for restoring his lost voice, has come, by the oldest of indirect roads, to be a quite uniquely important, because uniquely practical, philosopher, educator, and physiologist."
They all tended to write with very long sentences back then, and you can tell, with a little math, that he wrote this comment about Alexander's last book in 1945.
To summarize, I have shared with you the name of one of Alexander's books. Also, I have shared with you another person's comment about how broadly you can apply principles of Alexander's Technique - yes, it's not just for posture, back pain, Morton's Neuroma, or any other specific problem.
Now for a game.
Place your little finger above your top lip, between the lip and the nose. Opposite your finger, at the back end of the head, is the atlas, the first bone in the neck. That's where your head articulates. Now gently, very gently, tip your head left and right and feel the slight movement in the back of your head/neck. As you go through your day, give this area a thought once in a while. See if you can tell what you have been doing there.
And while you are at it, PAUSE!
...to be continued.

Posture Control Checklist

Here it is, 2009, over 100 years since FM Alexander discovered not only the existence of the "primary control," but also how to use it well. But who knows about this in the United States?
When I crossed through customs at London's Heathrow airport in 1989, on my way to complete extra requirements for qualification as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, the attendant recognized the area I was studying. "Oh, it's about the back, right?"
My grateful nod of assent was mostly to indicate I was glad someone who could keep me out of the country had a sense of the noble purpose that drew me. I didn't want to engage him in a discussion of the merits of the long-view as compared with the "myopic view." But the question still remains, "What is Alexander's Technique good for?"
Just two years before this, in 1987, George Goodheart, one of the world's most wise, long-lived and knowledgable chiropractors wrote an article about his observations of Alexander's work on a patient. Her foot condition, Morton's Neuroma, cleared when she was "adopting the Alexander posture." Goodheart's article begins with the statement, "Most of us are familiar with the concepts of Alexander...who felt that the postural center is at the base of the skull."
I want to know who "most of us" really was in 1987.
But more importantly to this blog, we can see here another example of reducing Alexander's work to a thing about posture.
So like the customs guy and Dr. Goodheart, we also want to tend to reduce his work to something about a particular thing. Is it about the back? Is it about the posture? If it's about posture, what happens when you are an actor adopting a poor posture to convey character?
Well, as it turns out, FM Alexander's work is about neither, although you can say all maladies can be affected by his technique. Alexander's work is about how you use yourself in activity.
If you call it remedial education, then it is about unlearning poor habits.
If you call it physical therapy, then it is about engaging postural reflexes in a more efficient way.
Whatever you call it, Alexander challenges us to look at what we are doing with and to ourselves, and then to reconsider.
Pause.
Next time, we talk about what happens after the pause.

Learning How to Stop

FM Alexander developed his technique around a demand. The demand was essentially, "Do Something!"
In his case it was the demand to get on stage and project his voice in an acting career. As his voice deteriorated, he learned that what was happening to him was the natural result of the conditions present, and those conditions were being created by HIM. So what do you do? Just change the conditions!
The difficulty here lies in the fact that those conditions have become an ingrained habit...and how do you change a habit? Just stop! The Nike commercial becomes a remedial education commercial with the addition of one word, "JUST DON'T DO IT!"
But then what is a person to do if you're not to do?
Alexander's key was that he stumbled onto the principle in vertebrate physiology called the primary control (his term). Simply, it is the fact that what happens in the head/neck relationship with the back determines how well things work for the rest of the body.
So when FM says "Stop," it means, "stop interfering with the right head/neck relationship."
Just one Alexander lesson can open your eyes to what he means there, but to get it fully, it's a good idea to have a few lessons.
It's not chiropractic, and it's not physical therapy, although it enhances the results in both of those fields. Just remember, the goal with Alexander technique is to help you retrain yourself to avoid habits that interfere with the best outcome.

New Hope for TMJ Syndrome

When FM Alexander was teaching in England in the early 1900's, he had a man come to him who suffered with severe TMJ syndrome. After a series of lessons, which at that time took many months, the problem vanished. Years later, Walter Carrington, the late dean of the Constructive Teaching Centre in London, happened to meet this man's doctor who gave him (and us) an interesting followup to this story.
Turns out original x-rays of the TMJ showed deterioration of the articular cartilage (that's very bad). After the lessons and the cessation of the TMJ problem, re-x-rays showed that the cartilage grew back. Isn't that interesting? Too bad this wasn't published as a case report!
Here's what we know about cartilage; it doesn't like too much oxygen, it grows better in an environment of lower temperatures and lower oxygen. From this we can see that inflammation caused by high pressure in the joint will eat up the cartilage. If you can change those conditions, what do you think will happen? Right! The cartilage grows back.
The complexity of TMJ Syndrome requires a thorough exam to find out the cause and determine the best course of action. At Alexander Technique in Rockford, IL, we look at the joints, muscles and nerves to find out the best, most efficient way to restore balance to the system.
Here we are, ready to help! 815-670-0245

Help for Fallen Arches

FM Alexander was approached by a London Policeman years ago who suffered with painful fallen arches. FM told him, "I don't know if I can help you, but if you have lessons with me every day for two weeks, we'll be able to find out."
Two weeks later, the gentleman was feeling so good he went for a very long walk, against FM's advice. Without the "tincture of time" to strengthen the feet, he overdid it and wound up in worse shape than before. So what's the moral of the story...?
Simply reducing the abnormal muscle tone in the head/neck region will correct the signaling system to the feet, but strengthening the joints and tendons seems to be an important element for long-term effect.
How many other symptoms can vanish with using the Alexander Technique? Are you ready to find out?
Contact Alexander Technique in Rockford, IL, to find out if you can be helped. 815-670-0245

Getting Rid of Tension

In the beginning, we asked, "How can you teach this FM Alexander Technique to others?"
My teacher, Kitty Wielopolska and her friend, Lulie Westfeldt were in attendance in the first teacher training course in 1929. Lulie was a Southern Baptist, FM was at least "non-religious."
One of the things that FM did to "liven up" the atmosphere was say things to irritate. On one occasion, looking to push Lulie's buttons said, "Belief is a matter of customary muscle tension!"
Can you think of any better way to put down someone's faith?
On the other hand, if we look at this statement without the faith-bashing overtones, thinking about Alexander's main point, we can see that how we do things - speak, work, move - is all in terms of what we believe is important to get the job done. That boils down to customary muscle tension. In the video posted just before this, we see an Alexander teacher who believes that in order to speak convincingly, it is important to pull the head back and stiffen the suboccipital muscles, shortening the stature and creating excess rib compression.
For vertebrates, that activity impairs optimum function. Things don't work right if you keep that up for long. The neat thing about Alexander is that he says, "Stop it!" Having a teacher to help you learn how to stop it is a good thing.
So are you ready to open the door to reducing muscle tension?
Contact Rockford Alexander Technique at 815-670-0245.

Help For Function-Related Headaches

In this well-done video, (I only go into the problems with it with another Alexander teacher) we see three settings where some good learning is taking place. Each of them are work settings where you can see the simplicity and utility of Alexander's Technique. It gives you a structure to do things in a better, less wearing manner. My only warning is that you cannot assume that if you have headaches, it is because you are stiffening your neck. If there is a structural problem causing abnormal hormone balance (which can cause headaches), it is more efficient to correct that with upper cervical NUCCA care.

Are you ready to enjoy more ease with your work in Rockford, IL?

Psycho-physical Education

I've been studying and teaching the FM Alexander Technique for 30 years. As I got further into psychology and neurology in preparing for Board Examination as a Chiropractor, I realized that these fields shed little light on why Alexander's Technique works. There are certainly easy concepts like inhibitory control and reflexes talked about in neurology, and there are simple ideas like volition and making different choices that get talked about in some branches of psychology. But you have to remember that Alexander developed this before any of these concepts were formulated. He discovered a practical working of the self that can be described only partially by other disciplines such as zoology, ethology, psychology, neurology.If you are ready to explore the work that inspired many of the sciences, contact us at Alexander Technique in Rockford, IL. 815-670-0245

Bringing Balance to the Spine

This video shows a musician who used the Alexander Technique to rearrange his relationship with his instrument. In a sense, the technique encourages us to respect ourselves and find a way to work with our instruments and tools in a way that is not self-destructive. Here is a guitarist who actually moves his head freely, breathes freely, and we see the effect in his hands and hear the effect in the organic phrasing of the music. It isn't forced, but clearly flows. One author calls it, "The Freedom to Change."

If you're ready to pursue the benefits of the Alexander Technique in Rockford, IL, call us at 815-670-0245.