Can I stop thinking now?

I recently taught a workshop to a group of teachers. Several wanted to know what they could say or do to immediately improve the functioning of the students they taught. I gave them some ideas, but it wasn’t until I left that I realized they were looking for an action to take that would solve the problem they were experiencing so they could move on.

I wish it could be this simple. Unfortunately, in most cases, it takes time to change a habit. First, it can be difficult to call attention to a person’s habit without them feeling self conscious. Most people are sensitive to a direct observation of their use. Some might even feel mortified. Also, a habit can stem from a wish to physically cope with an emotion. That habit could be tied to fear or anger or sadness. Letting go of a habitual pattern of tension could make a person feel vulnerable.

So what can be done? Go slowly. Pause and then come back to FM Alexander’s directions again and again. Allow your neck to ease, lengthen and widen your back, allow your legs to release, notice your breathing.

When I first began studying the Alexander Technique in an effort to be able to return to the flute (I had injurred my jaw), I found I couldn’t even look at the flute without tensing. I had to retrain my thinking—which took time. I quickly realized that I wasn’t just tense when I played the flute but all the time. I began to see that I could be doing less with almost every activity in my day. I was hyper-vigilant and being so had always served me—until I couldn’t play my instrument. I learned to slow down, pause, begin again, and breathe. For someone as tense as I was, it took a very long time to trust my body to function with half of the force I was using. It took time to learn to be gentle with myself. Applying the Alexander Technique certainly isn’t this hard for everyone and I should note that I did find some immediate relief when I first began taking lessons. However, for a long time, I needed an Alexander teacher to guide me back to that state of ease… repeatedly.

After a year of private lessons and the three-year, 1600-hour Alexander Technique teacher training program, I was able to experience life differently. I could move throughout my day with more freedom. I could remember to use my thinking to affect change. Even after all that work, it didn’t become automatic. And 16 years since I graduated, it still isn’t. I cannot eradicate my habits. I will always have to use my Alexander thinking to let go of them. And that’s okay. I have tools that I can use no matter what stressful situation may come my way.

So, can I show you something right now that will stop a habit immediately? No. I’m sorry. I can, however, show you the simple steps that—if applied—will gradually improve the overall quality of a life.

Where is your pain, really?

I haven’t been around in a while. I’m sorry. Please visit because I promise to have more content! After a few rough months, I am here and I am teaching more and running into more people who are interested in the Alexander Technique. It doesn’t matter where I go, there’s someone in pain or perhaps just uncomfortable. Yesterday, I spoke with someone who is regularly experiencing lower back pain. The day before, I talked about how the Alexander Technique might help someone with Parkinson’s. No matter a person’s age or size, the Alexander Technique can help without harming. This is because the Technique uses a person’s thinking to release unnecessary tension. Therefore, it will not hurt or make a situation worse. I don’t mean to imply that it is a cure all. Some people out there might not find it helpful—although I’ve never met a person who didn’t benefit from at least one Alexander tool.

What I would like to share with you today is some Alexander Technique advice about pain. While you may feel pain in one part of your body, don’t assume that the part that hurts is the source of the discomfort. For example, you may wake up with a headache, but the source of the problem is that you were clenching your jaw as you slept.

If you are sensing pain at this moment, pause. If you are seated, make sure that your feet are on the floor. Move closer to the edge of your chair so that you are sitting on your sitbones, or the rockers at the bottom of your pelvis. Need help finding them? Sit gently on your hands and rock slightly until you feel the bones most prominently. Gently wiggle your hands out.

Now that you are supported by your sit bones and your feet, rest your hands on your thighs, palm up. Let your gaze soften; let your jaw soften. Is there anything you notice as you are sitting? Is your attention drawn to a certain painful part of your body?

Let your attention return to your breath. Allow your neck to soften. Notice if your pain is traveling anywhere else along the highways of your body. Can you think of anything you did during the day that might have contributed to the pain you’re feeling now? This is not a judgement! Backtracking through your day is an opportunity to find ways to alleviate your pain. This may seem silly, but how often do you take the time to retrace your steps? It’s possible you might have a revelation by pausing and really being aware of how your body has moved throughout the day.

Long before I began to study the Alexander Technique, I had tremendous jaw pain. If I had taken the time to retrace my steps, I would have understood that clenching my jaw to cope with stress was a contributing factor to my pain. At the time, I thought my pain was caused only by playing the flute, but it was also caused by clenching my jaw off and on throughout the day and while asleep.

While you may not be able to solve the mystery of your pain, you can become aware using this exercise. And once you know, you can make new decisions. Maybe you need to adjust the seat in your car, maybe you need to ask a friend to let you know if they see you doing the thing that will cause more pain later? Or like me, I set the hourly chime on my watch to remind me to soften my jaw. At least there would be 12 times a day when I could do less, I figured. It worked!

Let me know what happens.

The Position of Mechanical Advantage

The Position of Mechanical Advantage is a term F.M. Alexander used to describe a way of organizing your body so that you are ready and able to change direction at a moment’s notice. It is actually not a static position, but a way to be relaxed and poised as you respond to a stimulus.

For example, you can use the Position of Mechanical Advantage when you are moving in and out of a chair. Imagine you are halfway towards sitting and your phone rings. It’s across the room and now you have the option to pause and then return to standing in order to move toward your phone. You were able to do this because you were balanced. Without the POMA, you might have plopped into the chair and then used smaller muscles (like your neck) to quickly pull yourself back up to standing. There isn’t anything wrong with this, yet, life might be a whole lot more comfortable if you don’t use more force than is required. The POMA helps you do that.

By letting your legs bear the weight of your body, your upper body lightens. When your feet are slightly wider apart, making full contact with the floor, you will be in balance. The POMA gives you the gift of being able to change your mind.

Athletes of every sport use it and most of them have probably never heard of the Alexander Technique. How is this possible?

F. M. Alexander didn’t create the POMA, he just gave it a name. The POMA comes naturally to us all. It’s how we first began to stand and learn to be upright. It helped us prepare to walk. What was an ideal way for us to move then is still good for us today!

Here’s how to use the POMA:

1. Notice your breathing and let your feet sense the floor.

2. Pause and do nothing but notice where you are in space and the tension you are currently using to remain standing. Can you do less?

3. When you are ready, move your feet so they are slightly wider than hip-width apart.

4. Pause and notice what’s changed--if anything.

5. Allow your knees to bend slightly as your tailbone points behind you and your nose drops slightly.

6. Breathe into your back and try moving forward, backward, and side to side. Try bending your knees more and then less. Do you find that it’s easier to move this way?

It may feel strange if this is not how you usually move. It may help to look in a mirror since sometimes we are not moving the way we think we are. It’s most useful to learn this from an Alexander teacher. The POMA can improve your life.

Sitting in School

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

When my daughter was in first grade, her teacher told me she wasn’t paying attention. My sweet girl who had gotten in trouble once during Kindergarten was now regularly getting in trouble for being inattentive. She had a wonderful teacher who liked her very much but she still struggled. There were many probable causes for her distraction:

• First Grade was more serious than Kindergarten and class sizes had increased

• There was less free time and more time spent sitting in chairs and on the floor learning lessons

• Recess was 15 minutes

• My daughter was small for her age and therefore her feet didn’t touch the floor when she sat in her chair

I could not do much about most of the things on that list, but I could help with the chair! I sent her to school with a yoga block and a sitting disk.

My daughter sat on the disk and put her feet on the yoga block. Within a day her teacher noticed a difference. Was she attentive all the time? Of course not, but there was an improvement. My daughter appreciated the change, too.

What happened?

Since her feet couldn’t reach the floor when she sat in her chair, she felt ungrounded. She did not have stability and she was constantly fighting the sensation sliding down in her seat. That alone would make it difficult to concentrate!

The sitting disk is an air-filled cushion that allows for mobility while sitting on a flat surface or chair. The disk helped my daughter get vestibular input by balancing and rebalancing in her seat. Even though she needed to remain seated for long stretches of time, she could still have a small amount of movement on the disk. The ability to move was subtle enough to not be a distraction to her teacher or her peers. We talk about this in the Alexander Technique: Having openness and freedom in your joints so that you move slightly even in stillness. We call it the “standing dance.” In this case it was a sitting dance.

The nice thing about the sitting disk was that my daughter could take it to the floor with her when the teacher was reading or teaching a lesson while the class sat on the rug. This is something Alexander teachers fret over--children sitting on the floor while the teacher sits in a chair or stands to use the board. This is because it can be difficult to have poise while sitting on the floor. Children will  kneel to combat slouching but the teacher will ask them to sit “criss-cross-applesauce” so that the students behind them can see. So the students’ backs grow more rounded the longer they sit and their necks shorten as they look up from their hunched positions. A sitting disk raises their hips and gives them the support they need to have a lengthened posture for the duration of their time on the floor. Enabling them to maintain the length of their spines will allow them to breathe and move and be more open to learning.

It would be better if children were allowed to move more in school. Until that happens, they can use a sitting disk and study the Alexander Technique.

Is your child having difficulty sitting in school? Is desk too big or too small? Does the chair slant back? Is the seat curved and slippery? Is the chair connected to the desk? Is your left-handed child sitting in a right-handed desk? Is your child straining to see the board? There might be a simple solution. An Alexander lesson can be a helpful and quick way to solve your child’s discomfort.

Teaching Flute Lessons with Alexander Principles - Part 4

It is a very common habit to bring one’s head to the flute by distorting the neck. Sometimes the flutist is thinking (in tunnel vision) only about the music and playing at the appropriate time. It is easy to become anxious to play. Other times a flutist distorts his neck not in an effort to reach the flute, but because he is straining to see the music. The visual cortex is in the back of the skull. Invite the student to see the music from this point—see from the back of his head. In this way, the student inhibits his habit by thinking of something new. Ask that he let the music come to his eyes and not his head to the music.

        Standing while playing can pose several obstacles. In order to have the finest projection, the flute must face your audience. Aiming your instrument in such a way means that your head will also be poised with your face towards the audience. Your neck will be poised in a neutral, natural way. There should be a slight spiral, or rotation beginning with your shoulder girdle. This rotation accommodates expansion through the shoulder girdle. Without the spiral, the right shoulder blade will push into the ribcage. The flutist that does not allow the shoulder girdle to have its natural rotation must fight against it by tightening and holding the shoulder girdle still. This will interfere with breathing and may cause her neck, shoulders, and upper back to become sore.   

        Once the shoulder girdle is released into its own natural pattern of movement, the spine can accommodate the spiral by lengthening into a slight spiral, too. The pelvis will also turn and so your legs may need to change to a new stance. Your right leg and foot may follow the spiral to the right with the right foot slightly behind the left foot. Do not swivel your torso so far to the right that you feel your left knee twist. This is a gentle rotation that should feel easeful.

        Since your head and neck face the audience, your left leg and foot should face it as well. If your shoulder girdle, torso, and both legs were to face slightly to the right, it would be very difficult for your head and neck to face a different direction and it would require force, which is unnecessary in this case. By allowing your left leg and foot to face the audience, you establish a lengthening base of support for your head and neck to face the audience. With your right leg and foot facing slightly to the right (following the slight rotation of your shoulder girdle and torso), and your head, neck, left leg, and foot facing the audience, you will feel more easeful and open as you play.

        This spiraling technique can also be applied to sitting and playing. It may help to turn your chair a bit to the right. You may find it more comfortable to let your right heel come off the floor.

VI. Lesson Structure

A way to cut down on the risk of Repetitive Strain Injuries is to incorporate breaks into lesson time. Spend the break stretching or take a walk around the room. By including a pause into the lesson, the teacher and the student can become aware of their desire to fixate on the music and inhibit that habit in order to return to a state in which they are aware of their entire surroundings. The longer we perform a single task, the easier it is to lose our sense of awareness, and the more likely we are to rely on our habits. Hence, in addition to finding an expanded form of awareness, the teacher and student may prevent themselves from falling back into habits. By pausing, they will both feel refreshed and easeful. With their whole selves energized, they can use their directions to continue the lesson.

Halting the lesson can at times be disadvantageous. If, for instance, a teacher stops a student frequently, it may trigger the startle response, or the pattern of tension that precedes the “fight or flight” response. It can increase the student’s level of tension overall and it may increase the desire to be right (or, the fear of being wrong and therefore, the fear of playing). If you wait until the end of a piece to critique the student, the student will grow accustomed to playing straight through (which will be helpful during performances) and build confidence. This of course, will mean more work for you, the teacher. It will be a wonderful lesson in inhibition. You will need to develop your memory, have a score, or have a pen and paper nearby to mark mistakes, but in return you will have stronger players in your studio.

Obviously, each student is unique. The style of teaching you use for one student will not necessarily be appropriate for another. Just as there are benefits to pausing the student, there are advantages to allowing the student to play uninterrupted. So long as the Alexander principles are present, both you and your student will improve.

Returning to an Instrument After an Injury

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I've been on vacation and it was wonderful. Let me know if you have had any questions since my last post. 

While I was working on my Master’s degree in Flute Performance, I had to file for disability. The Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD) I had developed made it impossible for me to maintain my rigorous playing schedule. The university allowed me to cut my recital time down to 30 minutes instead of a full hour. After my recital, I put my flute in its case and didn’t take it out for three years.

During that time, I took Alexander Technique lessons and gradually began to feel some relief from TMD. Once I started training to be an Alexander teacher, my body reorganized itself and I could consider playing the flute.

But I couldn’t “go back” to playing the flute. I had to find a new way to play that would not cause pain. When I started, I could only pull out the case, open it, close it, and put it away. Excess tension crept in as I anticipated playing, so I needed to retrain my brain and body to release tension with each action. I did this a few times until I could do so with freedom. Then I added assembling my instrument, and finally playing.

I learned a bit from Alexander Murray (a flutist and Alexander teacher from Chicago) but also from the wonderful teachers at the American Center for the Alexander Technique (ACAT). Eventually, I could play slow passages, but struggled to play fast technical in music. I found that two other ACAT trainees who were musicians experienced the same difficulty. What we found was that our fingers needed to be retrained.

When you apply your Alexander thinking, you move slowly because it’s a new experience. Increasing your tempo without clenching muscles won’t happen on its own. Each finger needs to be retrained by using short, quick movements. One note at a time, one finger at a time.

One note at a time, one finger at a time.

I know you’re thinking this sounds too pedantic to be something you’d want to try. Maybe it isn’t something you need, but for the musician who is returning to an instrument after an injury it might be necessary in order to prevent re-injury. No matter what state your body is in, training yourself to use the right amount of tension will benefit your body, your musicianship, and your career.

If you get stuck, contact me!

Driving and the Alexander Technique

Are you 16 or older? Do you live in a suburb or rural area? Do you have places to go? Chances are, you drive! Have you thought about how you drive? If you’re sitting in a bucket seat, is your back shaped like a “C”? Is the headrest dictating where your head should be? Are your arms tired? Are you sore after a long trip?

You need to consider using the Alexander Technique!

The AT teaches about the head-neck-back relationship and how being conscious of your alignment can alleviate a lot of discomfort. Let’s explore that relationship:

Assuming you are seated, let your feet rest on the floor about hip width apart. Put your hands under your butt. Feel the bones pressing into your hands? Those are your sit bones. Slid your hands out from under your sit bones and see that they press into the chair just like they did your hands. Let your sit bones and feet form a strong base that allow your spine to lengthen. Let your hands rest lightly on your upper thighs. Let your eyes see the room and let your neck undo enough tension that your nose drops slightly. Breathe and look around. You are balanced and poised. You can lean, turn, and reach with minimal effort. You can breathe and have an awareness of what’s going on not only in front of you, but in your periphery and behind you.    

Now that you know how to maintain your dynamic poise, let’s talk about how to experience more freedom of movement while driving. Spend some time just sitting in your car--while it’s parked--to try a few adjustments.

1. Is your seat tilted back?  This might force your neck and head to jutt forward. Try straightening the seat slightly and notice the difference. Do you feel your sit bones beneath you? Is it easier to reach and turn towards the back seat? If yes, then this is a better seat position for you.

2. Are you sitting in a captain’s chair or bucket seat? These seats tend to encourage the pelvis to tilt back, forcing the spine to curve and the shoulders to slump. Try sitting on a cushion. If you don’t have something on hand that’s appropriate, you might try ordering a cushion. I have the embarassingly named “Tush Cush.” 

You might want to try something like this. 

Are you able to breathe more fully, reach, and turn in your seat? If so, then this is a good option for you.

     3. Do you need to tilt your seat forward slightly? Give it a try and see if you are no longer

           rolling back on your sit bones.

     4. Now that you are more upright with a long spine and the freedom to breathe and move

           more easily, you will want to adjust your mirrors and possibly the steering column.  

Try this for a day or two and notice if you sense a difference? With any luck, you’ll feel more relaxed and less tired after a day in the car. Let me know how it goes!

This is the sort of activity an Alexander teacher can work on with you. If you are interested in trying a lesson, contact me!

Photo by why kei on Unsplash

The Alexander Technique and Chronic Illness

Photo by Jakub Kriz on Unsplash

Can someone with a chronic illness study the Alexander Technique? Sure, they can! The Technique is gentle and non-manipulative. Alexander teachers can tailor their lessons to meet their students’ needs. What’s more, having a chronic illness can make life difficult and deplete a person’s energy more quickly than normal, so learning to use less energy throughout the day would be a blessing.

As to how much the Alexander Technique will benefit people with chronic illnesses, it will depend on the individual. There are those who will experience relief from certain symptoms and others who might need more lessons to notice a change. You will know in one lesson if the Alexander Technique is right for you.

When you call to schedule a lesson, be sure to let the Alexander teacher know about your condition and any restrictions you may have. Tell your teacher what makes you uncomfortable and what you find downright painful. Lessons usually run approximately 45 minutes, but perhaps you want to begin with a 20-minute lesson to see how you feel over the next few days? Your teacher will most likely be flexible and understanding. Be sure to tell them during your lesson if you aren’t feeling well or if something they are doing brings you discomfort or anxiety. There are many variations and ways for your teacher to work with you that will allow you to relax and enjoy the lesson. Remember, F.M. Alexander worked with many people who struggled with illness--including himself!

Some chronic illnesses with symptoms alleviated by the Alexander Technique:

Chronic Back Pain

Chronic Pain

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis)

Diabetes

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

IBS

Multiple Sclerosis

Your First Lesson

Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

What will happen during your first lesson?

You will arrive wearing comfortable clothing so you are able to move freely. I will spend the first part of the lesson finding out more about you. What made you decide to take a lesson? What do you hope to achieve by taking lessons? What are your concerns? What questions do you have about the Technique?

I will use both verbal communication and hands-on direction to guide you through a variety of everyday activities (like sitting, breathing, talking, and walking). You can let me know if you are uncomfortable with any of my methods so I can stop and try a different approach. As you move through these familiar patterns of movement, you may become aware of excess tension. Together, we will find options for movement that do not involve strain. Activities specific to your lifestyle will also be explored during your lesson.

Future lessons will focus on some of the same activities, and likely something new.  There will always be time for different activities that you wish to consider. You could spend a few weeks learning to possess more ease in your body and mind, or a lifetime. It is important to me that your lessons remain interesting and fun.

The Alexander Technique is non-manipulative. It is not painful because the teacher’s hands are always gentle. Most people report feeling more relaxed and more comfortable in their bodies by the end of the first lesson.

Teaching Flute Lessons with Alexander Principles - Part 1

We can assume that your students want to have a beautiful sound and solid technical skill and you have that wish for them as well. There are two ways to accomplish these goals: 1. By falling into the habit of using excess tension, or 2. Through the use of ease.

Every flutist uses tension to play the instrument. By excess tension (as noted in the first category), I am describing those flutists who (usually unconsciously) use more muscle tension than what is needed. It is understandable that we may rely on excess tension to perform. Many flutists have hectic schedules and use extra strain to help them conquer fatigue during a performance. Others may use it because it is a habit that provides comfort and comfort of any kind is welcome during performances. Some flutists feel that excess tension gives them an extra edge or helps them block out nervousness or even to block out the audience itself. The reasons for relying on excess tension are numerous, but does it really help us? For some musicians, the use of excess muscle tension does not cause a problem. However, for others (myself included), relying on excess tension causes repetitive stress injuries. Therefore, for the flutist whose playing habits fit those of the excess tension category, the Alexander Technique plays an extremely integral part in preventing the development of repetitive strain injuries. In addition, the Technique can be informative, invaluable, and even career-saving after a repetitive strain injury has surfaced.

People whose performances fall into the second category (playing through the use of ease) are often called “naturals.” They are amazingly gifted, and yet there is a way that each of us can obtain some of their qualities. Those same levels of grace and fluidity, as seen in people like James Galway and Fred Astaire, can be learned. The Alexander Technique can give you the tools to have more ease in your playing and, should you choose to apply it further, ease within all aspects of your life. The Technique can support your teaching and aid your students.

I.       Beginning

When you teach, consider the whole student (mind and body). This includes but is not limited to: ease within the joints, using the necessary amount of muscle tension, effortless breathing, a mind that is present, and eyes that see their surroundings.  Therefore, teaching the whole student begins by letting freedom in the body take precedence over the quality of sound—over making any sound at all. You and your student must be willing, at times, to walk away from the flute and do another activity instead. This is the only way to diffuse habits of tension and allow more healthful patterns to develop. When ease within your whole system becomes the priority, a new, full tone is allowed to develop. To accomplish this, you can apply the three main principles of the Alexander Technique: Awareness, Inhibition, and Direction.

The Alexander definition of “Awareness” includes knowing how you move your body and having consciousness in and around your body, in other words, having a clear kinesthetic perception. Through awareness you will on occasion discover a habit. You may decide not to continue with the habit, so the next step, according to the Alexander Technique, is to pause. Pausing is necessary to override a habit. If you notice a habit and decide—without a pause—to stop the habit, you will quickly find that you have slipped back into your habit. The pause gives you time to reorganize your system and it is called “Inhibition.” By inhibiting a reaction to a stimulus, you give yourself time to check in with your system. For example: your phone rings (the stimulus), and instead of rushing to answer it (reaction), you inhibit. In other words, you pause and see if you are breathing (or if you held your breath when you heard the phone) and allow your neck to be free. After inhibiting, you are able to pick up the phone in an easeful way. This reorganization does not require much time and yet it will make an incredible difference in how you feel.  The reorganization, itself, is called “Direction.” It is accomplished with a set of instructions not to be carried out. This means that the instructions, or “directions,” are a set of wishes you have for yourself and so you wish for yourself to be free—in mind and body. Once these “directions” have been spoken or thought, you may move in a new, non-habitual way.

FM Alexander’s directions begin with relaxing the neck. Most people have felt neck pain at some time in their lives. To get an idea of what a tense neck feels like, place a hand on the back of your neck and sit in a chair and then stand up. It is likely that you felt some stress. Pause now and direct your neck to relax. You can do this by thinking “I wish my neck to be soft.” When you feel an undoing of tension, sit and stand again. Notice if anything changed.

Alexander’s second direction is to “let your head go forward and up.” This does not mean forward in space, but a forward tilt in the axis of your head. When your neck is free, or relaxed, your head naturally nods forward slightly. This is because your skull is not centered above the tip of your spine. Most of your skull is in front of the spine (if we consider the side with your face to be the front). Hence, more of the skulls weight is in front, and it is designed to nod forward slightly. The up is the space created between the tip of your spine and your skull when your neck is free and your head is poised. It is a feeling of lightness and accessibility. Once your neck is soft, direct your head to move forward and up. Let each wish be in this order.

The third direction Alexander devised was for the back to widen. When you have the desire for your back to widen, you are including the wish to breathe freely and the wish that your spine lengthen within its curves. So, once you have allowed your neck to be free and your head to move forward and up, let your back widen.

Stay tuned for Teaching Flute Lessons with Alexander Principles - Part 2, where I will talk about finding balance and Primary Control.