Alexander Technique in Milltown, NJ

I don't know about you, but this time of year seems to bring out all of the anxiety in me!  There are one too many projects on my list, and the computer, car, traffic, etc is not readily co-operating.  Some of the problems will be solved with simple time-management tools, but the accumulative effect often takes it's toll.  My body is STRESSED OUT and the not-quite-done list seems to be getting longer.

Does this happen to you?  Do you feel the effects of not finishing your daily tasks, and then watching both the tasks and your body accumulating left-over stress?  Just stop for a moment, and breathe.  Yes, breathe!  This is the very first step to turn things around.  The second step is to consider.  Consider what, you might say?  Consider the possibility that your list is too big, and that there might be a thing or two that could go onto another list.  Think of just one or two top priorities of what MUST get done today, and then set about doing only those things.  After that, take a break and see if you are feeling a bit better.  We spend our time powering through our days, most likely with a lack of sleep, and definitely more stress in the body than ease.  the stress is both mental and physical.  It has to do with thinking you have to do all and everything, and that everything is a priority.  I suggest that in order to find more BALANCE in your life, that you can take a thing or two off your list, and replace it with a few minutes of doing nothing.  Of breathing, and relaxing those shoulders that have pulled up to the ears, the tension that has tightened your neck.  You are not meant to be a turtle pulling down and in on yourself in response to all of the stress.  You are meant to open, to breathe and to expand.  But the first step is really to stop and notice what is going on in your body.  Most likely, there is some muscular tension you can let go of right here and now.  You'll be glad you took the time...it is time for yourself, and the lists can wait!

The truth is, the Alexander Technique is unique among bodymind disciplines.

It is like yoga in that it is a discipline that helps the student look at what he is doing or how he is doing an asana, but more than this, he is learning to become more aware of himself and to expand his awareness to include his environment, his sensing of himself standing and moving. It is not like yoga, because it is not a movement form. 

It is like massage in that the student is learning that his musculature has become tight and unresponsive in daily life, and he can recognize the discomfort, but it is not like massage in that he is learning a new skill and ability to recognize and change habits that are creating the tension.  So the difference is huge. 

The Alexander Technique is a gentle and specific process of learning to engage one's thinking process in order to maximize the comfort and ease for doing all of the daily activities of life.  By the time the person shows up at a massage office, there is most likely a significant amount of habitual tension accumulated.  Surprisingly, it is the most typical actions that we do, like sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time, driving, carrying grocieries, walking up and down stairs, that over time develop the long term habits that contribute to pain and poor posture, and even fatigue. 
Taking a yoga class is a great beginning, and a wonderful resource, as is massage, but we Alexander teachers are most excited for the person when he begins to make the connection that these insideous problems of collapsing while sitting, pulling down on himself while standing in line, tensing the joints while driving...all of these ordinary activities accumulate and lessen the chances of having ease and poise.

I was recently involved in a wellness day at my local library, and after awhile decided to visit the other booths at the fair.  We all had our brochures are were peddling our wares, so to speak, and it was the brochure at the massage table that most struck me.  This center boasted almost the same gains that I was saying in my brochure...less back pain, better posture, stress relief, feeling and looking better after studying...so I really got to thinking about the questions that potential clients ask.  These are important questions because we are always looking for context when considering trying something new. 

So my answer to the questions "Is it like yoga?  Is it like massage?" is the following.  In the Alexander Technique you are going to learn to become freer in body and mind because you are involved in an educational process that brings more wholistic connectedness to your intentions for doing something.  By learning to make better conscious choices, the "how" as opposed to the "what", you begin to discover that you have opportunities for moving and reacting to life's stimuli with less stress and strain.  No exercise form or theraputic model will do that for you.  You are learning to do something for yourself, and changing habits that are no longer useful.  Those habits fall away over time, and you become quite free, looking better, walking taller, having more grace, breathing better, and and enjoying life more fully in the moment.  (Almost) nothing can throw you off your course!

As you can see, I recommend finding an Alexander Teacher in your area!

The first thing you will learn in an Alexander lesson is to quiet your system, to slow down and come present in the room.  An Alexander student is often not sure what to expect in coming to their first lesson, but he is quickly directed, by means of the hands-on gentle touch of the teacher as well as her words,  to bring attention to himself.  What does that mean?  Usually one is running fast just to stand still!  With all of the things there are to do in a day, and all of the pressures facing him, the Alexander lesson is an hour of release from all of that.  Refreshingly, the student is asked to slow down, to take time to notice his breathing, his sense of the floor beneath his feet, as well as any excess tension that could be reduced or eliminated.  Quietly, almost magically there is a qualitative shift of awareness and attention.  Physical as well as emotional tension patterns begin to ease.  Often the letting go of tension is accompanied by a letting go of negative thoughts, worries, and concerns as well.  The student begins to experience himself in a more holistic way, where awareness and experience of being embodied are an intertwined fusion of mind/body unity.  This is an extraordinary occurrence in this day and age.  It is what Alexander teachers call coming present to your Self, the use of which restores a more reliable sensory register so that everything you do is more efficient, more easeful and more pleasurable.  Now doesn't that bring with it a sigh of relief!