Lauren Hill's Alexander Teaching Studio
Alexander Technique in the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota
If you have nagging neck, shoulder or upper back pain one place to start making changes is with the stuff you lug around daily.
And what you lug that stuff around in.
Yes ladies, I am talking about your bag. Continue reading “Is Your Bag a Pain in the Neck?”
The story of how I ended up an Alexander teacher is not unusual.
It started with chronic pain. Continue reading “My Story – The Alexander Technique and Chronic Pain”
Last week I shared a short video about a young woman with chronic pain on the studio’s Facebook page. To manage the pain, Raquel needs to lie down on her back frequently during the day. This is not an issue if she is at home or at a friend’s house.
The problem arises when she is in public, for there are very few good places to lie down.
And then there is the issue of it not being socially acceptable to lie down in public. At least in our Western culture. Continue reading “Managing Chronic Pain and Social Norms”
My life has a way of repeatedly providing me with opportunities to practice what I need to practice.
I recently injured my right hip. I basically overstretched some of the muscles and ligaments in the area. The result being that walking has proved quite uncomfortable (interestingly and thankfully—since my recital is coming up—tap dancing does not).
I had been training to walk a ½ marathon in late May. This injury happened two weeks before. The ½ marathon didn’t happen.
I continue to walk and move gently, get help from my massage therapist, use the hot tub at the gym as often as I can and listen to my body so I give myself time to heal and don’t injure myself again.
This injury has been a reminder of the power of pain to hijack my attention.
A student came in this week and told me that a few days ago, she had had sit through a seminar in the front row of an auditorium. In order to be able to see the presenter’s screen she was forced to pull her head back uncomfortably onto her neck.
If you have ever sat in the front row of a movie theater you get the picture.
My student had spent the whole time alternating between pulling her head back uncomfortably onto her neck and looking at the screen and looking away and trying to undo the tension in her neck.
I should add that this student has problems with neck tension.
I asked her, “did they have assigned seating in the seminar?”