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Don’t Compress Yourself (improving your posture by doing less)

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spring being compressed

One of the skills that students of the Alexander Technique learn is how to Direct themselves or give themselves Directions.

There are a set of traditional Directions that come down to us from F.M. Alexander, the founder of the Technique. They can be a bit baffling at first, especially without the aid of a teacher.

Therefore, I find when initially introducing the idea of Directing yourself it’s much better to start in a simple way with the bigger picture.

Think of it as learning to see the Forest first. Then the Trees. Continue reading “Don’t Compress Yourself (improving your posture by doing less)”

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Christmas in April

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winter street scene

April played a cruel joke on us last weekend.

Just as we were getting excited about spring finally arriving; just as we were beginning to see the grass appear after months of being covered with snow; April delivered 20 + more inches of the white stuff and strong winds last Saturday and Sunday.

“Blizzard!” The weather man declared.

“This is not a blizzard!” my mom replied. She grew up in North Dakota and therefore considers herself a blizzard connoisseur.

“I can still see in front of my face,” she added.

Well, blizzard or no blizzard I got a lot of exercise.

Shoveling. Continue reading “Christmas in April”

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Lighten Up

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white feather

Here is an experiment to try.

I am going to ask you to do something. And that something is to go for a walk.

So, find a large enough space where you have room to walk around comfortably for about 30 seconds. Heck if its nice out, go outside.

Although you are going to walk in this experiment, the experiment is not so much about the activity of walking per se—it is about how changing what you think may change your experience of the activity of walking.

You are going to go for a walk three times.

Each time for 30 seconds.

Each time you are going to think a different instruction for your posture.

Continue reading “Lighten Up”