The Alexander Technique: A Skill for Life 9781861262868, 1861262868

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Alexander Technique

k SkJ I florLlf'zPedro de Alcantara

l=>~cl The Crowood Press

First published in 1999 by The Crowoo d Press Ltd Ramsbur y, Marlborough Wiltshire SNS 2HR

© Pedro de Alcantara 1999 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or tran smitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanic al, includin g ph otocopying , reco rdin g, or any inform atio n sto rage and retrieval system, without permission in writin g from the publi shers.

British Library Cataloguing -in-Publication Data A catalogu e recor d for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 1 86126 286 8

Typefaces used: Galliard and Franklin Gothic. Typeset and designed by D & N Publi shing Membury Business Park, Larnbourn Woodlands Hungerford , Berkshire. Printed and bound in Great Britain by WBC Book Manufacturers Ltd , Mid Glamorgan.

Photo Credits and Acknowledgements Drawings ©Alexis N iki, by permission, with warmest thanks. Photographs of F. M . Alexander ©1999 The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique. Cheetah: ©Fritz PoLking/ Agence Jacana, by permission. Baseball players: ©Frank GLU11i/ AP, by permission. Caro line: courtesy of Catherine de Chevilly, with warm thanks. Iolane Luahine: ©Topgalant Publishing Co., with warm thanks to Sandra KwockSilve. 'T he World is a Harmony ofTe nsions': ©H assan Massoudy/Editions du Desasu-e, by kind permission of the artist, with warm thanks. 'Jumping over a boy's back': fro m Animal Locomotion by Eadweard Muybridge, ©Dover Publications, Inc. , by kind permission. Boy in a deep monkey: with warm thanks to MicheL!eand Bernard. Girl lunging: courtesy of Brigitte Cavadias, with warm thank s. Boy at the beach: courtesy of JoeL!eSchneider, with warm thanks. lvo playing soccer, and at the end of the book: courtesy of Magdalena Pasikowska, with warm thanks to Jorg Schnass. Stills from "Min Ag! Hobbi " and "Risalat Gharam" : ©Institut du Mo nde Arabe, by kind permission of Films Regent. Aung San Suu Kyi:©To m Pilston/The Ind ependent, by permission, with thanks and much affection to Marjorie H odg e. Artur Rubin stein: ©Lotte Meitner-Graf , courtesy of die Rubinstein family. Annie, aged six: courtesy of Richard Beavin and Aimie Robin son, widi warm dianks. Despit e his best efforts, die aut hor was unable to contact die copyright holders of d1e pho tos of Alfred Co rtot and Yuk.iyoshiSagawa. Excerpt from World of Wonders by Robertson Davies (Pen guin Books, 1977), publi shed in The Deptford Tril ogy( Penguin Books, 1983 ), copyright ©Ro bert son Davies, 1975. Reproduced by permis sion of Pen guin Boo ks Ltd. and Pendr ago n Ink. Portions of Phyllis Richmond's essay, The Actor and the Character, appeared originally in Curiosity Recaptured , edited by Jerry Sontag (San Francisco: Mornurn Tim e Press, 1996 ).

Contents Acknowledgements Introduction

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

4 5

First Principles The Use of the Self Inhibition and Direction The Lesson Emotions Health and Well-Being Sports and Exercise The Performing Arts The Teacher Conclusion

8 20 27 34 49 66 84 100 113 118

Bibliographical Notes Further Reading Index

122 124 126

Acknowledgements

In the sum mer of 19941 received an invitation from Editi ons Dangles, a French publishing hou se, to write an intr od uctory book on the Alexander Teclmique for their catalogue . I owe this invitation to my colleague Annie Mote"i, and the existence of my French book, La Technique Alexander: Principes et Pratique, to the perseverance of the late Jean-Yves Anstet-Dangles, who prodded me along - no, who threatened me - when I started doubting that I could write a book in Fre nch. Since The Alexander Technique is a younger brother to Principes et Pratique, I owe its existe nce too to Annie and Monsieur Anstet- Dangles. Several of my pupils and friends, including Ap1il Cowan, Katherine Fredr ickson, Melanie Meunier and Edward L'l.mont, read excerpts from my manuscript and offered invaluable comments. I have received notarized statements from most of them swearing that they are not responsible for my book's glaring defects. My wonderfully literate friend Claire de Obaldia midwifed both the French and Eng lish versions

4

of this book; without her intervention I would have given a coUective heart attack to the members of the Academie Frarn;:aise.( Co me to think of it, that wou ld not be such a bad thing.) My friend Alexis Niki has played a pivotal role, supplying drawings for the book, a testimonial abo ut her Alexande r experiences, and her unwavering support for my work. I wish to thank Jean 0. M. Fisher for putting me in touch with The Crowood Press. Mr Fisher's company, Maur itz, publishes some of the finest books abo ut the Alexander Technique. When I set out to write this book, I had the clever idea of asking my pupils and my feUow Alexander teac hers to write most of it for me; their generous cont ributi ons have become the backbone of the book. To Alexis, Alison, Edward , Genev ieve and Liz, and to Malco lm Balk, Patricia Bou lay, Catherine de Chevi lly and Phy llis Richmond I wish to dedicate The Alexander Technique. Paris, 30 January 1999

Introduction

'My back is hurting me, I think my bed is too soft .' 'My son is so stubborn, he never obeys me.' 'You breathe badly; you shou ld do some breathing exercises. Go on, take a deep breath.' 'That man is irritating.' 'My shoulders are tight. ' 'I have scoliosis.' 'Grandma is getting older; it is natural for her back to become a bit round.' 'Life in a big city is so stressfu l, I wish I cou ld move to the cou ntr y.' 'I hate my body .' 'I love my bod y.' 'T hat is just the way I am, there is nothing I can do about it.' 'He is so intelligent, what a pity he beats his wife.' 'Relax.' 'Sit straight.' 'Swimming is the best exercise.' 'My mother -in-law is horribly unpleasant. I detest her.' 'I try my hardest, but I lack willpower.' 'Stop crying, for heaven's sake 1' You have undoubtedly used similar phrases, and heard them used : by a friend, in schoo l, at the gym, at the doctor's surgery. Such phrases describe a situa tion, a person's character, or an attitude . Many of the phrases evoke a problem; some of them point to a soluti on too. In certain phrases , the problem is explicit, whi le the solution is implicit; sometimes it is the

ot her way around. Each phrase is based on objective observations and highlights a fact, a reality or a truth. It is true that life in the count ry is easier than life in a big city. It is true that old people are naturall y round-backed. It is true th at a soft bed can cause back a·ouble. It is true that everybody shou ld sit up straight. It is true that deep breathing is good for yo u . Obser vations , thoughts, words, and actions are all intimatel y connected. People observe this or that fact - a reality or truth - and draw conclusions from their observations, such as 'x' causes 'y'. They then act upon those conclusions: 'My mother-in-law is mean. Eveiybody knows that. Well, I have to defend myself, and the only way with her is to be as mean as she is.' 'My back is hurting me. My bed is obvious ly too soft, so I am go ing to bu y a firm mattress.' 'My shou lders are tight. That is because I am under a lot of stress at work . I need a good massage.' In the last examp le, the diagnosis includes a description of symptoms ('shoulders are tight' ), an analysis of their cause ('stress'), and a proposed rem edy ('a massage' ). Nmv it is possible to draw a general principle . For each problem there is a corresponding description, an analysis, and a soluti on. Living mean s facing problems, analysing and understanding them, and finding solutions for them. This

5

INTRODUCTION

may be done consciously or subconsciously, using intuition, reason, imagination, intellect, and other faculties; however it is done, everyone does it constantly. But what if a problem is misunderstood? What if the description of a problem is based on false perceptions, and the analysis on flawed assumptions? What if the remedy aggravates the problem? This book will show how , in fact, the great majority of people's perceptions, suppositions, descriptions, analyses, diagnoses, and solutions are incorrect. When someone says, 'My shou lder s are tight', this is not exactly true. It would be more accurate - and ultimately more useful to say, 'I am tightening my shou lders.' Similarly, when people complain about back pain, it is they who are hurting their backs, not tl1eir backs tliat are hurting them. 'My work is a lot of stress.' Four people in tl1e same stressful situation will reaction in four different, if not oppos ing, ways. For example, in a typical office after tlie boss announces a new development, Peter becomes mute, Jean worries, Harry gets to work, while Anna rings her sister to gossip and laugh for a minute. Stress is not a stimulus, but a reaction to it, whetl1er it is a situation, a person, or an idea. (The imagination is tl1e source of many trou bles. ) Peter and Jean react in a manner tliat is neither constructive nor practical, and are therefore likely to consider tl1emselves to be 'under stress'. Anna and Harry react differently, and would probably talk differently about the situation as welJ. 'I need a good massage.' At tl1e end of an hour under tl1e massage practitioner's hands, you feel deliciously relaxed. Next morning , you go back to work to find tl1at your boss is still alive and kicking . How do you deal witl1 that? Some people react to certain situations by contracting their shou lders. A massage may help you feel good temporarily, but it will not alter tl1e root cause of your tensions, which

6

are your own reactions to the world around you. Indeed, you will not succeed in loosening your shoulders and, most importantly , in keeping them loose, until you change the way you react. Alexander would describe this as the way you 'use yourself'. 'Sit straight.' T his simp le command reflects a world of assumpt ions. There is a good position tl1at you must hold, which is, of course, straight . It implies a certain relationship between tl1e body and the will, and a course of action that flows from their interaction. If you have a physical problem ('bad posture' ), take care of it by doing sometlung ('sit straight' ). All you have to do is app ly you r will to it. If you cannot manage to sit straig ht , it is because your will is weak. Frederick Mattl1ias Alexander - actor and pedagogue, savant and visionary, rogue extraordinaire - says, first and foremost, that body and mind are inseparable. We used to tl1ink of the body as a car, and the mind as its driver. Today, we compare the body witl1 a computer, and tl1e mind with a programmer . Botl1 metaphors are wrong. For, in human beings, the thing contro lled, the force tliat contro ls it, and tl1e control itself are one. T herefore, the mind cannot be master of tl1e body; rather, the mind is tl1e body, and the body is tl1e mind. Regardless of the problem ('bad pos ture'), a will that is weak or insufficient cannot be the cause of the problem. Ne itl1er can strengtl1 of will be a soluti on in itself, as long as problem and solution botl1 imply a separation between tl1e body and the mind . ( See especially Chapter 1.) On tl1e subject of 'sitting straight', Alexander says tl1at tl1ere are no good positions, but only directions , which make a given position healtl1y or unhealthy. The idea is not to seek a position ('sitting straig ht ' ), but a direction ('upwards', for example). He would add that a problem cannot be solved by doing the right thing, but by stopping doing tl1e wrong one.

INTRODUCTION

When you 'sit straight', you are trying to do the right thing, but this is sure to lead to failure , as everyone who has ever tried to improve his or her posture would testify. (Chapter 2 discusses po sture , while C hapt er 6 offers a testimonial from a woman who once laboured und er the notion that her posture was bad and her will weak.) Instead of sitting straight (so mething that you do), it wou ld be better to stop slumping (somethin g that you stop doing) . Stop doing what is wrong, and the right thing will do itself. A source of great revelation and equally great difficulty, this principle - which Alexander named 'Inhibition' , thereby perple xing the uninitiat ed - is the cornerstone of the Alexander Technique. (I nhibition and its counterpart, direction, are discu ssed in Chapter 3. ) Alexander would also reco mmend that yo u do not try to change the habits of someone else - a member of your family, a colleague at work, a close friend - by nagging, and giving instructions such as 'sit up straight', 'relax', 'calm down', or 'use your brain'. All your relationship s start with the way you present yourself to others, and you should therefore aim to become a living model of that which yo u wish to see in others. This golden rule, made all the more resplendent by your non do ing , is bound to change the dynamics of your relationships, thereby indirectly affecting the behaviour of the peop le around you. (Find out tl1e trutl1 about your motl1er-in -law in Chapter 5. ) The fundamental unity of every human being; our habits , behaviours, suppositions, and judgements; tl1e difference between 'normal' and 'natural'; ergonomics and physiotl1erapy; posture , attitude, movement, tension and relaxation, inhibition and direction; social and professional relationships, sports and exercise, music, theatre, and dance : in sum, healtl1 and well-being are tl1e objects of tl-us study. My aim is to convince you that your prob lems

are not what you think tl1ey are, and to pro pose simple and efficient solutions wl-uch bear witness to tl1e genius of a great man: Frederick Matthias Alexander.

7

CHAPTER

1

First Principles

A MISDIAGNOSED

PROBLEM

To und erstand the principles of the Alexander Technique, it is useful to look back at what F. M. Alexander himself set out to do. He described his journey in detail in the first chapter of The Use of the Self, the third of his four books. The ethologist Nikolaas Tinbe rgen, winner of the 1973 Nobe l Prize for Physiology or Medicine, dedicated part of his Nobel oration to Alexander and his work. Alexander's story, T inb ergen wrote, 'of perceptive ness, of intelligence, and of persistence, shown by a man without medical u·aining, is one of the true epics of medical research and practice'. 1 Frederick Matthias Alexander was born in 1869 in Tasmania, off the sout h coast of Australia. A young man of promise, he hoped to pursue a career as a professional actor. His great passion was Shakespeare , which he declaimed in the dramatic recitals that were popular at the time. Despite his acting talent , his career was threatened by a recurring vocal problem - on stage, he tended to become hoarse, sometimes even losing his voice. Alexander soug ht med ical advice and was told to rest his vo ice. While his voice was protect ed as long as he refrained from using it, the hoarseness returned as soo n as he began to work on the stage again. He was then advised to under go surge ry, the diagnosis being that his uvul a was too long. Resting the voice is sensible if it is over used. An operation is equal ly sens ible if there

8

is a structura l probl em somewh ere in the vocal mech anism. However, Alexander sus pected that his voca l problems were due nei ther to his over- using his voice, nor to a defect of his vocal mechanism itself. Rather, he rea so ned that the source of his difficulties was actually the way in which he used his voice. This may seem obvious to the modern reader, but in turn-of-the -century Ausu·alia most people would eith er have persisted with the rest cure or agreed to undergo surgety, with out daring to contradict the view of a doctor. Alexander's outlook was well al1ead of his time. Second, even today many people are still reluctant to accept that tl1e cause of their problems is somet hin g that tl1ey do to themselves. In this instance, medicine plays a role, as it did a cent my ago. One example is carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful and possibly disabling condition that affects musicians, keyboard operators, and ot her people in various occ upati ons and circumstances. When diagnosing carpa l tunnel syndrom e, doctors speak of over-use of the wrist, and prescribe rest. If rest fails, medicine offers tl1e choice of surgery or injections of cortisone. Cortisone acts temporarily upon a sympto m of the disease, namely the pain, and it may have dangerous side-effects too. Surge1y is not free from risk and does not offer guaranteed results. In any case, doctors' current understanding of disease and cure shows tliat Alexander's insight - original and revolutionary as it was a hundred years ago - today remains as pertinent as

FIRST

ever. Even more 'modern' solutions to carpa l tunnel syndrome - physiotherapy, in the form of exercises for the wrist, and ergonomics, which alters the work env ironm ent - fail to diagnose and treat the problem adequate ly.

THE UNITY OF BEING To have a better appreciation of Alexander's und erstandin g of the cause and effect in vo lved in his voice loss , it is useful to read his own words:

PRINCIPL

ES

to the whole person at once. Even to speak of body, mind, and spirit working together implies some separateness between the parts. This has imp ortant practica l consequences. If yo u think that you are composed of separate parts, you are likely to conce ive of the source of some difficulty or shortcom in g as one of those part s and to seek solution s spec ific to each part, and in iso lation from the workings of the who le.

When I began my investigation,I, in common with most people, conceived of 'body' and 'mind' as separate parts of the same organism, and consequently believed that human ills, difficulties, and shortcomings could be classifiedas either 'mental' or 'physical' and dealt witl1on specifically' mental' or specificaJJy'physical'lines. Alexander went on to say that he soo n abando ned this point of view, stating that his experiences led him to believe that 'it is imp ossible to sepa rate "mental" and "physica l" process es in any form of human activity .' 2 In its tl1eory and its practice, the Technique highlight s the ever-present connection th at exists between body and mind - ind eed, their very insepara bility. Alexander was keenly aware of the links between the way we tl1ink and the way we speak, and he avoided - in his teaching as well as in his writings - using terms such as ' body mechanics' or ' mental complexes'. Instead, he referred to the human psycho -phy sical organ ism in its ent irety as 'the selr, and spoke of how this 'self' 'reacts' and 'functions '. The term 'self, as emplo yed by Alexander , does not have the connotations tl1at are now attributed to it by psychoanalysts (as in tl1e opposition between 'se lf' and 'o tl1er', for instance ). Ratl1er, it is a simple way of referring

Deeply rooted , the plant grows ever upwards.

9

FIRST

PRINC IPLE S

Tak ing lessons in the Tec hnigu e will give you a practical und ersta ndin g of your wholeness, which may escape you if you Iimit your stud y to reading about the subj ect. However, all stude nt s of the Technigue can get off to a good start by cultivating the habit of thinking and speaking not of the way they use their bodi es, but of the way they use themselves. Grasp ing the meaning of 'the self' may be made easier by considering an example of'the use of the self'. Imagine yourself in a concrete situ ation - walking dow n the street, playing tennis , making love. In any of these, every part of your being is present, whether the part plays a passive ro le or an active one. T he ten nis player cannot lift a racket (thereby making a physical gesture) without issuing a command from the br ain to the mu scles via the nerve s (thereby enga ging the mind ). Body and mind act together, at once, always, whether they do so efficiently or not. Similar ly, when yo u make love, every fibre of yo ur being plays a role. T he int ense ph ysical pleasur e of making love has egua lly int ense psycho logica l, emotion al and intellectual counterparts. Perhaps you are unaware of th e intim ate connection between bod y and mind as you make love; still, your lack of awareness does not den y t!1e existence of the con nection . Beco min g aware of tl1e wholeness of your acts will reinforce their beauty and int ensity, whether you are making love, playing tenni s, singing a lullaby to a child, or eating an ICe-cream . The integrity of your being means that your whole body, from head to toe, plays a role in every activity . Different parts play different roles - some roles are more passive, ot her s are more active, some are very imp o rtant , and otl1ers are less so. For tl1e integrated lover, the entire body is erogeno us; for the inte grated sportsman or mu sician , the entire body is an instru ment. Indeed, in all human end eavour, every body part plays a ro le, at all times. 10

Alexander's vocal troubl es were tl1e root of his approach to tl1eTech nigue. The cause of his hoar seness on stage was not misuse of his voice, but ratl1er tl1eway he co-ordinated himself as he spoke . In The Useof the Self he wrote tl1at, as he declaimed, he pulled his head back and down, depr essed his larynx, shortened his torso, and tensed his legs and feet. In orde r to eliminate his vocal problem, tl1en, it was not enoug h for Alexander to change the use of his voice; he had to change tl1e co-ordination of his whole being - tl1at is, the way he used himself.

USE AND FUNCTIONING T he way you use yourse lf affects every aspect of your functioning, inclu ding yo ur mann er of speec h and t!1e timbr e of your voice; your breatl1ing, digestion, and circulation; your psychomotor skills and reactions to stress; yo ur int erpersona l relati onship s, emotion s, and sexuality. T he relati onship between use and functioning is un do ubt edly the most practical of Alexander's discoverie s. If you wish to impro ve any aspect of your functioning , yo u must improve your use. If you use your whole self well, every one of your activities will contribut e to your greater well-being. If you use yourse lf badly, all tl1at you do will harm yo ur health. In Chapte r 2, the characteristics of good use of the self are described . In subseguent chapters, tl1e relationship between use and emo tions, genera l healtl1, dietary habits, spo rt s and exercise, and otl1er areas of your life are discussed. However, tl1is is a good point at which to atte mpt a definition of 't he use of tl1e self' . The way yo u use yourself is the way you react, with your entir e being, in every situ atio n of your life. In some situati ons you react well, healthil y, with efficiency, inte lligence, and elegance. In oth er situ atio ns, you react less well. Whet her you react well or badly,

FIRST

your whole being is present in all your reactions, and your body - from head to toe - is always inseparable from the thinking that an imates it. 'Talk about a man's individuality and character,' Alexander liked saying. 'It's the way he uses himself.' 3

PHYSIOTHERAPY ERGONOMICS

AND

In comparing modern medicine with the approaches that were common in Alexander's time , I mentioned physiotherapy and ergonomics as two sciences that offer new solutions to old health problems. As they are generally practised today, both tend to overlook the fundamental indi visibility of the human being - the concept on which Alexander built his entire work.

Physiotherapy Faced with a patient who suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome, for example, a physiotherapist may prescribe a series of wrist and hand exercises. Nevertheless, the real cause of the syndrome is not over -use of the wrist, or even its misuse. Rather, the badly used wrist is a symptom of the patient's misuse of his or her whole self. This misuse is inextricab ly linked to a series of perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs. If the sufferer performs wrist exerc ises with o ut having changed the attitudes that animate his or her gestures, the situation may well be aggravated instead of alleviated. Further, no exercise is beneficial in itself; its capacity to do good depends up on the way in which it is practised. Because of faulty sensory awareness (see later in this chapter ), a patient or student risks carrying out well-designed exercises ineptly, despite his o r her best intenti ons. A clever exercise ineptly performed can ofte n be more harmful than beneficial.

PRINCIPLES

Ergonomics The young science of ergonomics has brought interesting innovations into many fields, including furr1iture and machinery design and the organization of work routines . Nevertl1eless, some of its precepts must be considered with circumspection, as received wisdom is sometimes ·wro ng. For instance, tl1ere is a widely accepted notion tl1at a very firm mattress is good for the back, yet a matu·ess tl1at is too firm will not follow the natural curves of tl1e hum an body. Many people are uncomfortable in bed, but persist in tl1e belief tl1at tl1eir over-hard mattress is good for tl1eir back. Since human beings are so different from each other, morphologically as well as psychologically, it is impossible to find a universal solution to every postura l difficulty. An armchair may be perfectly suitable for one person and quite awkward for anotl1er. More importantly, what is comfortable is not necessarily healthy. Ma ny pieces of.furnit ur e are designed to accommodate not tl1e ideal use of tl1e self~ but ratl1er the habitual use. Many people col lapse into their armchairs and sofas; although they are tw isting and compacting tl1eir bodies, tl1ey ,.,viJl tell you that tl1ey feel very comfortable indeed. Inversely, some chairs and sofas are designed to direct your body into a wellbalanced state . Iftl1e seated person is not used to such a state, however, he or she may well find these pieces of furniture uncomfortable. Some pieces of furniture make it more or less easy for you to direct your use, while otl1ers make it more or less difficult. However, no piece of furniture can force you to assume a naturally healtl1yposition; indeed, tl1at would be a contradiction in terms . In sum, tl1e usefulness of ergo nomics ,vill always be limited by a large number of factors: tl1e enormous differences from person to person; tl1e gap between what is comfortable and what is healtl1y; and, above all, tl1e difficulty of benefiting from a well-

11

FIRST

PRINCIPLES

designed and well-constructed piece of furniture if yo u lack th e necessary ability to direct yourself. It is certainly cost-effective for yo u to deepen yo ur knowledge of the principles of good use before replacing your furnitur e, at work or at home .

THE CAUSES OF MISUSE Alexander equated a perso n' s individualit y and char acter with the way he or she uses the self. He might well have said that a person's character is the way he or she misuses the self, for most people misuse themselves most of the time, there by causing themselves much discomfort, and even disease and disability. What causes misuse? T he answer to this simple question again attests to Alexander's genius. Most peop le wo uld readily blame ed ucation , civilization, mode rn life, stress, religion, the lack of religion, family life, ot her people. Alexande r believed ot herwise, recognizing that the problem lies not in what is done to the individual , but i11 what the individual does to him self. Faced with the constant stimulation of life, you can react healthily ( using the best means any situati on requires of you), or unhealthily (neglecting the means whereby your end may be achieved, and goin g straig ht for your end regardless of the price you may have to pay). The final cause of misuse, in Alexander's view, is the univer sal habit of'e nd -gain.ing'. Imagine a father and his child. The child is upset and crying . T he father's single wish is for the child to stop crying . Yet, rath er than finding out why she is upset and consol ing her, he yells at her to stop crying, wh ich only makes her cry hard er. By end -gainin g - that is, by go ing directly to his desired end whi le disregarding the best means of getti ng there the father make s a bad situ at io n worse, both for the child and for h_imself.

12

It wo uld be easy to make a list of hundr eds of in stances of end- gainin g in aUspheres of human activity. End -gainin g is so prevalent and insidio us that most people do not realize that they, and othe rs, are doing it alJ the time . Business, politics, medicine, art , daily life, and personal relations hips are all subject to th e damages of end -gaining thought and behaviour. Examples of this will be found throughout tJ1is boo k. End-ga inin g causes misuse, and misuse causes po o r functi o ning. To improv e your functioning, you need to stop misusing yourself; to stop misusing yourself, you need to stop end -ga inin g . T his point s to anotJ1er of Alexander's brilliant insights . To change the way you use yourse lf, me imp orta nt tJ1ing is n ot what you do, but what you stop doing and what you preve nt yourself from doing. T his is the cornersto ne of tJ1e Alexander Tec hniqu e, referred to in o ur technical vocabulary as 'inhibiti on' (wit h a different definition from mat of the psychologists). Alexandrian inhibi tion does not mean rep ressing or suppr essing yo ur feelings, but, rather, refraining from reacting in a habitu al, unr easo ned, and harm ful manner. To inhibit is to stop end -gainin g . When you end-gain, you do too much too soon; when yo u inhibit , you stop doing. Inhibition (or non-doing) sets the Tec hniqu e apart from the majority of ot her approac hes to problem-solving, which are normall y based o n trying to do the right tJ1ing. Inhibition is discussed at lengt h in C hapter 3.

THE PRIMARY CONTROL When Alexander made his series ofl inked discoveries, he co ncluded that direct co ntr ol of any aspect of hum an functioning- breathing, digestion, or tJie use of a specific mu scle, for instance - is, depending on th e case, unn ecessary, possibly harmful , or just plain impo ssible . But if we are n ot to control tJ1e

FI RS T PRI NC IPL ES

The Head Leads, the Body Follows T he chee tah demon strate s to perfection th e work in gs of th e Prim ary Co ntrol , which all vertebrates share. In brief , th e o rient at io n of the head in relation to the body esta blishes the coo rdin atio n of the whol e body. Note that 'or ient at ion' and ' po sition ' arc two different matt ers; the cheetah m ay place its head in an infinite number of quickl y changing positio ns, but it o rients it in a nearl y un varying direction, forwa rd and up away from the bod y. Eve n when it turns its head back and dow n in space, the cheetah never allows the weig ht o f its head to co ntract its neck o r shorten its sp ine . In this ph oto, th e cheetah's head is no t st raig ht in relation to the body, showi ng that symm eu-y of position need not be a co ncern of well co-o rdin ated animals, be they feline o r hum an . ln oth er words, to ho ld yo u r he ad

stra ig ht will not imp rove your co-ordinat io n ; but to dir ec t it in a suppl e and dynam ic mann er certainly will. When yo u first attempt to direct yo ur Prim ary Contro l co nscio usly, yo u are likely to overtens e yo ur neck; while attempting to rela x yo ur neck, yo u are likely to ove r-slacken yo ur spine. The chee tah 's move ment s are characterized by well-distributed tension, no t relaxatio n. It s limbs arc all powe rfully co nnected to its he ad and spi ne; in th is ph oto, this is evident particularly in th e line that run s from th e head to the end of th e rig ht front paw. T o appreciate th e imp o rt ance of th e Prim ary Control, im ag ine what wo uld happ en if, while huntin g, th e cheetah co ntr acted its head backwards int o t he spin e: D inn er would esca pe, and the spec ies wou ld be doo med .

13

FIRST

PRINCIPLES

Two Minnesota Twins: Alex Ochoa, an outfielder, and Todd Walker, the second baseman as show n below. Co mp are th ese at hletes with each other, and both with the cheeta h. Ochoa, behind Wa lker, holds himself asymmetrically; yet, since his head remains beautifully directed, his co-o rdin ation does not suffer from the asymmetr y. In his case, the neck belongs to the spine, not to the head; the sho uld ers belong to the back, not to the arms; and th e pe lvis belongs to the back , not to the legs . The o nly apparent flaw in his stance is the over-tense right hand. T he impr ession we have from looking at Walker, though, is that he leads with his chest

14

when he leaps forwards and upwards; by sheer inertia, his head gets thrown back. The down ward pu ll of his head breaks the line between neck and spine , causing his back to shorte n and narrow and his pelvis to tilt too far backwards in all, a strik ing illustration of how the misdi recte d Primary Co ntrol affects the co -o rdinati on of the who le body. Had Walker led with his head, not his chest, he wou ld have been able to afford an asymmet rical position of his head in relation to th e body, like Ochoa and the cheetah. As it was, dinner escaped: Walker bobbled the pop fly and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Twins, 6-0.

FIRST

functioning of o ur organisms, how can we change and grow, and achieve good health and well-being? Alexander observed that in all human beings - and, indeed, in all vertebrates - there exists an ever-changing, dynamic relationship between the head , the neck, and the back. He called it the Prima1y Control, and demonstrated that the way you use your Prima1y Contro l determines your total co -ordination directly, and your functioning indir ectly. In otl1er words, tl1e better you use your Prima1y Contro l, the better your total co -ordination will be; and tlie better your co-ordination, the better your functioning. Inversely, if you misuse your Prima1y Control, you are likely to suffer a deterioration in your co-ordination, and, consequently, in your health and well-being. The Primary Contro l is not synonymous with a single position. Given the right coordinative conditions, all positions of the head and neck can be healthy. Someone such as Fred Astaire - a fine examp le of elegance, suppleness, and well-directed strengtl1 cou ld put his head in any position witl10ut harming himself. In tl1e absence of the right co-ordinative conditions - which, for example, made Astai.re a great dancer - most positions of the head and neck are unhea ltl1y, some more so than ot hers. For example, pulling the head back and down is particularly harmful, as the weight of the head then bears down upon the neck and spine, shortening and narrowing the whole back . A particular position - of the head, of a limb , of tl1e whole body - becomes 'r ight' or 'wrong' according to the directions that precede and accompany it. (This proposition will become clearer when directions are discussed later.) If you are well co-ordinated - that is, well directed - you need not concern yourself with positioning your head. However, if you wish to improve your co-o rdinati on, you need to become aware of the positions in which

PRINCIPLES

you place your head, so tliat you are better able to understand the mechanisms by which you co-ordinate your whole self. Once you become aware of how you direct your Primary Control, you can then let go of any concerns about positioning your head and neck. In human beings of average co-ordination, misuse of the Primary Control is so prevalent that it has become difficult to appreciate the beauty of its workings. Anim als, botl1 wild and domesticated, are better models of good co-ordination. When a cat jumps up on to a table, its head leads, and its body follows. When a horse is jumping fences, its whole body is taut with strength and joy, from tl1e head downwards . Its head leads, and its body follows. At all times its spine remains fully stretched, and its head po ised strong ly on top of the neck. When a bear forages for food, its head leads, and its body follows, even as the bear becomes occasiona lly upright. When a seagu ll glides in the wind, its head leads, its body follows. Its whole spine is stretched and in a state of high ton us, and tl1e seagull thus becomes aerodynamic. Indeed, it wou ld be impossible for a bird to fly or to glide if its spine were too relaxed. Eve1y healthy small child displays tl1e same state of co-ordination and high tonus. It is fascinating to watch a baby learning how to crawl or walk. The way the baby uses her head and neck determines whether her movements are easy and elegant or awk\vard and labour ed. The same app lies for the older child learnin g how to ice-skate or ride a bicycle. Soon, however, most children lose tlieir natural , animal-like po ise, tl1rough imitation, education, and simp le end-gaining. Once you begin to understand Alexander's tl1e01y of the Primary Control, you will see how eve1y adu lt who displays real composure and freedom uses his or her head, neck, and back like tl1e baby, the child, the cat and the dog, tl1e seagull and the bear. In effect, it is

15

FIRST

PRI NC IP LES

When Caro line, eightee n mo nth s old , leans forwards, her head plays a doubl e ro le. Before, during, and after her every move, Carol ine points her head up away from her body, thereby

allow ing her spine to remain op tim ally elo ngated. When she lea ns forwards in space, Ca roline initi ates th e moveme nt with her head, which carries o n allow ing the su·etc h of the spine. In othe r wo rds, she points up to move for 1vards, and in both insta nces - in th e pointing and in th e moving - her head leads and her bod y follows. Her Prim ary Co nu ·ol works in an ent irely insti nct ive manner , like th e cheetah 's. The late Iolani Luahin e, a great Hawaiian dancer, also po ints up to move forwards. O nce up o n a time she too was eight ee n month s o ld , and we can easily supp ose th at at the tim e she used her Primar y Co ntro l in an instinctive manner, similar to Caro line's. T hrough th e co nscious app lication of her kinaesthetic int ellige nce, she en hanced what was inn ate and made it intuitive, rat her than instincti ve, thus accomp lishing the passage from childh ood to master y.

16

FIRST

thanlcs to the poise of the Primary Contro l that such an adult is able to master himself or her self, and to be well co-ordinated and healthy. The goa l of the Alexand er pupil is not to learn how to control the body or its function ing. Instead , the aim is to stop int erfering with the natural wo rkings of the head , neck, and back , and to prevent this interference from happenin g again . Re-dir ecting the head, neck, and back do es not entail doing the right thin g; it mean s stopping doin g th e wrong one . Think again about the cat, the seagu ll, and the bab y. Their goo d co-ordination, their freedom and well-being are not the result of a conscious mu scular effort, but th e absence of such an effort. When you stop misusing your Primar y Contro l - when yo u sto p doing th e wrong thing s - yo u allow your org anism to assume its optimum state , which is dynamic , vigorous, elastic, and strong . Let us imagine that you seek an Alexander teacher becau se you suffer from asthma , or tendonitis, or stage fright. Rega rdle ss of yo ur initial moti vatio n to study the Technique, yo ur teacher is likely to avoid working direct ly on yo ur complaint. Instead , he or she will help you bec o me aware of how you use yo ur Primar y Co ntrol - or, rath er, of h ow you misuse it. T hen you will be helped to stop thi s misuse and to prevent it from recurring. As a result, your tot al co-ordinat ion ( or the way yo u use yourself) will improve, ther eby miti gat ing or eliminating the condition for which yo u so ught the teacher in the first place. T he above is an indirect approac h. It has man y merits , which are discussed through out this book . It is enough to note here that when you stop misusing your Primary Co ntrol , tl1e resulting changes in co-ordination and attitud e are all-encompassing and , to a degree , automatic. According to Alexander, 'In cases where tl1e lrnowledge of how to direct the primary control has led to a chan ge for the bet ter in th e mann er of tl1e use of tl1e mechani sms

P RI NCI P LES

throughout tl1e organism, tlie results of tliis "co nditi o11ing" can safely be left to take their own form' .4 Very man y people approach an Alexander teacher trying to rid th emselves of a single specific complaint - backach e or a breaming problem , for instance - and end up improving every facet of their life, and ridding themselves of the complaint in th e process.

SENSORY AWARENESS AND HABIT Alexander recog nized that tl1ere are several obstacles to change. Two of tl1ese are int errelated . First, most people are unaware of tl1eir uses and misu ses. They are unlikely to perceive accurate ly what tl1ey are doing and how tl1ey are doing it. For instance , when most people see picture s or videos of th emselves, tl1ey exclaim , 'This can't be me! I'm not like tl1at!' T here is a gap bet ween what th ey do and what the y thin k tl1ey do, and betw een who th ey are and who th ey feel themselves to be. Alexander called this 'fau lty sensory awareness', an alm ost uni versal phenom enon tl1at plays a fun damental ro le in th e Technique. We all learn in schoo l that we have five senses: sight, hear ing, smell , taste, and touch. Yet we have an other sense , of which we are less aware, desp ite its great imp ortance to o ur health and well-being. Ind eed, being ob livio us to this all-imp ortant sense is one of the reaso ns we become unhealth y. Muscles, joint s, and tend ons have sense organs called proprioceptors, which send feedback to tl1e nervous system about th e position of a body part relative to the rest of the bod y. Proprioception is the body's sense of itself. Laymen refer to it by the somewhat vague term of' mu scle sense'. The neck mu scles are particular ly well supplied with proprioce ptor s. By misusing your head and neck,

17

FIRST

PRINCIPLES

you cause such distortions to your proprioception that it ceases to be reliable, thereby affecting your sensation of position, movement, balance, tonus, tension, relaxation, effort, and fatigue. A vicious circle then deve lops: the more you misuse yourself, the less reliable your sensory awareness becomes; and as your sense 1mpress1ons grow ever more inaccurate, your use deteriorates accordingly . Alexander developed an imaginative and effective way of breaking this vicious circle; this is described in detail in Chapter 4. Closely intertwined with sensory awareness is a second obstacle to change: habit. The brain tends to place new thoughts and new perceptions in the foreground, and to push old information to the background. We get so used to om gestures, om voices, and our smells, that we end up taking them for granted, and finish by ignoring them. We do not pay attention to what is habitual, in the vain hope of being better able to process and understand what is unfamiliar. This lack of attention leads in time to neglect and distortion. As it turns out, the way we perceive ourselves colours, and often determines, the way we see others. Therefore, by neglecting, ignoring or distorting the information we have about ourselves - by pushing habitual information to the background - we end up misjudging and misunderstanding information that we receive from others and about others. Habit, sensory awareness, and the use we make of ourselves are, then, three distinct but intimately connected manifestations of a single entity.

THE PRINCIPLES THE TECHNIQUE

OF

At this point, it is useful to summarize the main principles of the Alexander Technique so far discussed. You will find that all other aspects of the Technique, theoretical as well as

18

practical, follow naturally and logically from these main points. • To highlight and enhance the fundamental who leness of a human being, Alexander spoke of 'the self' rather than the body or the mind. • To highlight and enhance the fimdamental dynamism of a human being, Alexander spoke of'the use of the self' rather than body mechanics, posture, mental states, or mental complexes. The self 'reacts' and 'fimctions'. • Alexander demonstrated that the way you use yourself affects all aspects of your functioning. By misusing yourself, you cause a deterioration in the way you function . It follows that, to improve functioning, you must improve the way you use yourse lf. • Misuse, in turn, is caused by the universal habit of end-gaining . To improve your use, you need not 'do the right thing', but stop doing the wrong one - that is, stop endgaining. This is called 'inhibition', and it becomes operat ion al through the use of directions. Remember that you do not inhibit misuse; instead, you inhibit the end-gaining of which misuse is an effect. • Alexander established that the orientation of the head in relation to the neck, and of both head and neck in relation to the back, determine total co-ordination. He called this relationship the Primary Control. The better you direct your Primary Contro l, the better your whole co-ordination (and consequently your functioning) will be. • Faulty sensory awareness and the force of habit are two of the greatest obstacles to change and growth. (All these principles interact in ways that make it difficult to discuss tl1en1 separately. As tl1e following chapters foc us on each principle, constant references will be made to the other principles. In an introductory discussion of a

F IR ST PRINCIPLES

new subject, repetitions will be inevita ble and are, perhaps, desirable. In fact, you shou ld find the repetition more and more usefu l as you progress through the book.)

THE TECHNIQUE METHODS

AND OTHER

People who have not had practical exper ience of the Technique ofte n try to assess it by comparing it with somet hin g they know already, such as yoga, tai chi, biofeedback, and so on. There may well be po int s of contact between the Technique and these oth er disciplines, but what defines the Technique is what is

unique to it, rather than what it shares with other systems. If you practise yoga or another discipline and wish to compare it with the Alexander Tech nique, draw a list of its basic principles, and compare them with the princip les of the Technique as discussed throug hout this book. You will then see what they share and what is uniqu e to each . Ideally, yo u shou ld acqua int yourse lf with the Alexander Tec hniqu e with o ut pre-conceived id eas. Go through the practical exper iences offered by lessons in the Technique with an open mind, and let your int ellectua l understanding of the Techn ique and its principles flow naturall y from these experiences .

19

CHAPTER

2

The Use of the Self

POSTURE Take a few moments to think about posture. What does 'good posture' mean? Can you thinJ, of a few examples of people with good posture? Describe one such person in detail . Contrast, in your mind, 'goo d posture' and ' bad postur e' . Can you pinpoint the differences between th e two? How is good posture acquired? How is it lost? What are the effects of postme, good or bad, on heaJtJ, and well-being? The way you answer the preceding question s reveals much about your und erstand ing of how human being s move, react, and live. More usefully, it gives us some pointers on both how yo u live yourself and how you think you should live, for your conception of 'posture' entails a model of daily living. For tl1e sake of argument, ima gine that yo u think that you have bad posture, and that you believe that classical dancers always have good posture. Now imagine that you think that yo ur bad po sture may be causing some health problems - backache, for example and imagine too that you feel that your posture is bad because your back mu scles are weak. If you start wishing to improve your po st ure , you may well be tempted to imitate the way a dancer stands or mov es. You may even take dance classes or join a gym, witl1 the express purpose of strengthening your postural mu scles. The above scenario illustrat es man y current attitudes about the body, as well as 20

posture, tension, relaxation, strength, exercise, and health. Innocuous as they may seem, these attitudes dete rmine a practical course of action - taking dance classes, for instance, or joining a gym. If one or more of these attitudes are mistake n, how ever, the course of action itself risks being mistaken and perhaps even harmful. Whether yo u share these attitudes or not , it is useful to discuss them, for Alexander's views of the issues are in direct contrast to assumptions that are commonly perceived as being 't rue'. By changing or discarding certain attitudes, you would logically change or discard your course of action. Therefore, this discussion has all-important practical consequences. One dictionary definition of posture is 'the position or bearing of the body whether characteristic or assumed for a special purpose'. It is a simple definition that serves o ur purposes admirably. Other people may define po sture more narrowly , as 'tl1e position of the body'. Two prob lems arise when we consider pos ture as a bodi ly position. The first is that thi s approach does not allow for the fact that ther e is no separation betwee n the body and th e mind , or between the 'physical' and the 'mental' (see Chapter 1). Post ur e, good or bad, is simply the outward manifestation of a series of convictions and beliefs. In truth, po sture is synonymous witl1 attitude. This is implicitly acknowledged by language: we speak of somebody's political posture, or use

THE

the word to describe the attitude of a musician at his instrument. It is useful to make this connection exp licit, and always think of po sture and att itud e int erchan gea bly. Th is will help yo u conceive of posture as an aspect of yo ur who le being, not relating to your body alone. Suc h a concep tion may in turn lead yo u to seek 'good posture' in a more co nst ructive manner th an yo u wou ld by simpl y thinking of bodily positions.

MOBILITY AND RESISTANCE When you co nceive of po stur e as a bodily position, you face a seco nd prob lem - it assumes that there is an opposition between pos ition and movement. You may think, for instance, that while stand ing you are in a position, and while walkin g you are moving. The risk then arises that you will seek good posture by holding yourse lf in a fixed position, changi ng it only long eno ugh to assum e a different (but eq ually fixed) position - from sittin g to stand ing, for exampl e. The Ame rican biologist George Cog hill, a supporter of Alexander, wrote in one of Alexander's books that 't he distinction between mobility and immobility is re lative, and no abso lute distinction can be made between them'. He gave the examp le of deep sleep, a co nditi on illustrative of im mobility, and pointed out that, even then, 't he individual is mobi lized in regard to its viscera l, circular, and respiratory functions and the like'. Un less you are physica lly rest rain ed, posture and move ment are just two aspects of the same state of mob ility. Cog hill wrote that 'i n posture the individual is as truly active as in move ment ... One phase passes over imperceptibly into the ot her'. 5 T he pianist and teacher Heinrich Ne uh aus wrote that 'the best pos ition of the hand on the keyboard is one which can be altered with

USE OF THE

SELF

the maximum of ease and speed.' 6 I bel ieve th at this app lies usefu lly to all positions of th e bod y, or to 'good posture', wh ich is not a state of fixity, but one in which mob ility is eit her latent or realized . T his doe s not mean that yo u sho uld move incessantl y. Indeed , so me pe op le move too much, in harmful ways, and often without being aware of th eir movem ents - perhaps to cow1teract an uncomforta ble rigidity. Late nt mobility means simply that you should be able to mo ve easily and elega ntl y at all times, if you wish to, or if tl1e situation demands it. Latent mobilit y also means that yo u may be co mfortabl e not moving at all, even for exte nd ed periods of time for examp le, sitti ng liste nin g to a lecture. Finally, late nt mob ility means that yo u may pass from rest to movement and to rest aga in wit h ease, slow ly or quickly, consciously or by reflex, in innum erable ways accord ing to need, desire, impulse, intuiti on , and imagination . Mob ility is not the be -all and end-a.JI of good posture. Imagine an ab le basketball player in the midst of a competitive game. Eve n as he moves, he always reta ins th e ability to resist other players' attempts to stop him , to unbalance him , or to push him o ut of the way. In effect, his mobility springs from a well of deep stability, and is in no way contradictory to it. Good posture, then, ent ails late nt or realized mob ility and latent or realized resistance. Imagine that we are walking along together. Suddenly, you lean o n me , putting your whole weight o n my body, perhaps because yo u slipp ed and lost your balance momentarily. I am ab le to take your weight, not lose my own balance, and help you regain yours, however sudd enly and heavily yo u have leant on me. Th is is because I use myself well, and I am perman ently ready to resist a fo rce that acts up on my body; that is, I have latent resistan ce. If you lean on me, thi s resistance -

21

THE

USE

OF THE

SELF

fully operational at all times - becomes realized. I need it to push a door open, to carry a rucksack on my back or a heavy weight on my arms, to head a soccer ball into the net, and, ind eed, for most activities of daily life, for work, rest, and play. I do not need the presence of an outside force acting upon me to use my capacity to resist. Chapter 1 introduced the idea of the Primary Contro l - the orientation of the head in relation to the neck and back. For my spine to be as powerful and elastic as that of a seagull in flight, I direct my head forward and up, away from my back. At the same time I also direct my back backward and up, away from my head, thereby creating an opposition between the head ( which goes forwards and up) and the back (wh ich goes backwards and up ). All parts of my body are in constant opposition to each other: the head to the back, the back to the arms, the elbows to the wrists, the wrists to the fingers, and so on . This opposition gives tonus to my body, lengthens and widens my back, and increases my strength, balance, and agility. Even as I sit quietly, not doing anything, I set antagon istic pulls throughout my body - in a sense, I resist myself.

As practised in the Alexander Technique, resistance, opposition, and antagonistic pulls are health-giving life forces, free from the negative connotatio ns that these words may suggest in a different context. However, it is important to keep in mind that these pulls are not the result of something that you do, but rather of something that you stop doing. For more on this, see Chapter 3.

USE AND POSTURE Alexander's concept of the 'use of the self encompasses posture and goes beyond it at the same time. We know that language 22

shapes thought as much as thought shapes lang uage; the way you think, speak, and act shows their mutual influence. Precise ly because of the dangers of think ing of posture as represented by rigid bodily positions, it may be useful for yo u to think and speak not of good posture but of good use; and not of the way you use your body but of the way you use yourself. It is possib le for somebody to have bad posture (as 'posture' is generally understood), but to show good use as defined by Alexander. By virtue of a birth defect or an accident, a man's back may be bent and asymmetrica l. Yet, if such a man directs his energies intelligently, he will be healtl1ier tl1an somebody who looks straight and symmetrical (and is therefore cons idered to have 'good posture'), but end-gains and over-reacts in a given situation. Many classical dancers appear to have good posture. Nevertl1eless, as you become better acquainted with ilie principles of the Alexander Technique, you will begin to notice that dancers do in fact use themselves quite badly, both on and off the stage. They also have to contend with serious health problems, during tl1eir careers and after retiring . If you are to abandon a rigid and narrow notion of posture, you will also need to give up seeing dancers as models of good posture . It goes without saying iliat iliere are marvellous dancers who use themselves exceptionally well; as previously mentioned, Fred Astaire was a paragon of elegance and good healtl1 into his old age. It is possib le to have good posture yet behave in an unintelligent manner. A serious Alexandrian wou ld consider that such a person uses himself or herself badly. Here is a case in point. Imagine a meeting, in which six or eight people are talking about politics. One of the participants sits quietly. He listens to everybody else carefu lly, thinks twice befor e sayin g

THE

anything, asks the meeting's chair for per mission before he speaks, addresses the issue at hand without raising his voice or attacking other participants, makes his assumptions explicit, defines his term s precisely, and refers specific points to genera l principles. In sum, he behaves in a constructive and intelligent manner. Another participant fidgets throughout the meeting, talks to his neighbours, interrupts other speakers, raises unimportant points, speaks inarticulately, and makes personal attacks on people with whom he disagrees. The first person may have a curved back and slumped shoulders (seen as 'bad posture' ), while the seco nd has square shoulders and a straight back ('good posture'), yet it is the first who is using himself well, and the second who is using hims elf badly. The first ' inhibit s and directs' - two Alexandrian concepts discussed in Chapter 3 - while the second end-gains. It is worth making the point again, that thinking, speaking, and acting together constitute the way you use yourse lf, wh ich goes well beyond posture, and all that 'posture' means.

INTELLIGENCE The examp le above may lead to another con clusion about use, posture, and intelligence. Defining intelligence is ve1y difficult. For a long time, intelligence was eq uated with academic ability, as measured by IQ tests. More recently, tl1e concept of multiple int elligences, first advocated by Howard Gardner of Harvard University, has began to earn wide acceptance. By tl1is measure of intelligence, Beetl10ven, Einstein, Freud, and Isadora Duncan , to name four outstanding people, wou ld all be regarded as ve1y intelligent . However , each would represent a particular type of int elligence: musical, academic, interrelational, and kinaes-

USE OF THE

SELF

thetic. (According to Gardner, there are otl1er types of intelligence as well as tl1ese.) A broad and multi-layered definition of intelligence is both more true to intelligence itself and more useful for the practical purposes of change, growth, and the fulfilment of human potential. For the serious Alexandrian, intelligence in its multiple manifesta tions is a function of the way you use yourse lf, and a concrete phenomenon rather than an abstract concept . You are intelligent if you live intelligently ; and yo u live intelli gently if you use yourself well, like the first participant in the hypothetical meeting described above. Incidentally, such a person is more likely to examine himself and the world around him dispassionately , therefore accepting new ideas more openly. Even if he is an inept dancer or sportsman, he ,vou ld still make a better Alexand er pupil than a cocky athlete who lacks a measure of composure or detachment. The way you use yourself affects your entire emotional state (see Chapter 5). Negative emotional states - bad moods, let us call tl1em - are notorious for tl1eir keen effects on a person's int elligence. Do you do foolish tl1ings when you are in a bad mood? You may burn a piece of toast, drop a plate, cut your finger , forget your appointments, or say sometl1ing you regret later. If you 'do' dumb tl1ings, it is because you have temporarily 'become' dumb. Logically enough, if under certain circum stances you can 'become' dumb and 'do' dumb tl1ings, und er other circumstances yo u can 'become' int elligent and 'do' int elligent tl1ings. By using yourself well you will be, if not always in a good mood, tl1en at least in an even one. Therefore, even if you do not become more intelligent after lessons in tl1e Alexander Techn iqu e, at least you will start doing fewer foolish tl1ings.

23

THE

USE

OF THE

SELF

~

?-

'/

(

' _,/

~ '._"),--i.~)~;-•

_,,.

-·

__,.~=~~..::t ~~ 1?n-c1:~::u u t; qtr

·

'T he World is a H arm o ny of Tensions' - Heraclites of Ep hesus. Drawin g and calligraph y by Ha ssan Massoudy .

24

THE

TENSION

AND RELAXATION

T he person who thinks about body positio ns almost inevitab ly thinks of ten sio n and relaxation too. Just as received ideas about po stur e may harm yo u as you seek to imp rove your health , so wou ld com mon conceptions of tension and relaxation. 'I am tense, I need to relax .' A simple stat ement ofa simpl e o bservation, thi s little phra se - readily und erstoo d by all - co ntain s a couple of assumptions that may sta nd in the way of your ow n health and well-being. T he first assumpti o n is that ten sion is inh ere ntl y negative; in th is case, ' to be tense' wo uld always be wrong and und esirable. The seco nd assumption is that, inversely, 'to be relaxed' wo uld always be co nsidered a positive th ing. And a third assumpti on follows natur ally: th e remedy for tension is relaxation. Ima gine a ho rse being ridd en by a man of medium bui ld who weighs aro und 70k g (ove r 11 sto nes). Despite this h eavy load on its back, the horse can run lo ng distances at fast speeds, jump ing ove r high fences and wide d itches, and up and down a mo unt ain . Imagine a vio lin . It has four strin gs, attac hed to pegs in a peg box up o n the scro ll of the instrument and to tl1e tail piece wrapped aro und tl1e violin's base . These str ings bear upo n the brid ge of the violin with eno ugh force to strangle a man if appli ed to his throat. Besides the tension of the strin gs themselves, the vio lin also receives the pressure of th e violinist's bow arm. Yet th e vio lin thrives under this eno rmou s tension , lastin g unh armed for hundr eds of years. Picture a suspe nsio n br idge over a wide river. Every day, thousands of cars, trucks, and buses cross over it. At any one time, there may be several thousand tons bearing down up on this bridge. Yet it sta nd s, stro ng and safe, year afte r year, witl1out buckling o r ever giving way.

USE OF THE

SELF

The ho rse, the violin , and the bridg e have several tlungs in co mm on . They are able to withstand eno rmo us pressure. The y are strong and dur able. Although tl1e rider , tl1e violinist , and the engine er have different criteria, each wou Id speak of the horse, the violin, and tl1e bridge as being 'healtl1y' : a healtl1y a11imal, a healtl1y instru ment, and a healthy construction. Have you ever run your hand down the vertebral column o f a cat or a dog? When yo u apply pressure upo n its spine, ratl1er than yieldin g to th e pressure, tl1e cat will firm itself up , perh aps arching its back upwards , or per haps just standin g still and strong , pur ring contentedly even as you apply considerable force. Th e feeling of a spine tl1at is firmed like tl1is is not one of relaxation, but of proper tension - tl1e right kind of tension, in the right places, in th e right amount , for tl1e right lengtl1 of tim e. Ind eed, what gives a cat its stren gth, agility, power, supplene ss, and speed - its overall health - is tl1is proper tensi on. The hor se loves its rider. Every day as it is taken out of th e stable, the horse kicks its legs with joy in anti cipation of being ridd en - th at is, of being made to bear great pre ssur e o n its back. If its rider were to stop riding it for a while, th e horse wo uld suffer as a result. If you were to undo the tension of the violin su·ings and keep the instrument locked in a cup board, tmt ouched, for a few years, it would lose its capacity to vibrate to th e touch of a bow. Musicians talk of their insu·uments as being 'happy' or 'unhappy'. My cello, for instance, 'loves' humidity , and is ' unh appy' in dry, heated rooms in winter. A su·ing ii1su·tm1ent, like a cat or a horse, is happy when it is unde r ten sion, and unhappy othenvise. Like a cat and a horse, like a mag11ificent Stradivar ius or a gleaming Steii1way, like a great suspension bridge , you will be happy and healthy not when you are relaxed, but when you have witl1in you tl1e right tension. T hat tension will make you vibrate

25

THE

USE OF THE

SELF

and kick your legs in the air with joy . Once you have the right tension within you, you will be happier and healthier, and this will enable you to respond to all sorts of stimulations that engage and heighten your inner tension. As you read these arguments in favour of ten sion, you may be inclined to counter that you think of cats - as well as dogs and horses, and other animals - as being petfect.ly relaxed. You might imagine t.l1at,if we humans should draw inspiration from iliem, it is t.l1eir marvellous capacity for relaxation iliat we ought to imitate. Because a cat has t.l1esupport and vitality of a strong spine, its neck, shoulders, and lin1bs need a minimum amount of effort to do t.l1e work t.l1eya.rerequired to do. If we could artificiallywealcen the spine of a cat, it would have to use its neck , shoulders, and limbs more actively and forcefu.lly t.l1anit does naturally . In such a state, t.l1ecat would give a fair imitation of a badly co-ordinated human being at work awkward, inefficient, and inelegant . Rela.,\'.ation, in an animal or in a human being, is a side-effect of proper tension. Conver sely, too much tension is a side-effect of t.l1eabsence of proper tension. A seemingly perfectly rela.,\'.edcat is in fact in a state of perfectly balanced tension. Picture a recent occasion when you felt that you were too tense, perhaps an afternoon at the office when the workload was too heavy and you felt 'under stress', a long day's shopping in a crowded department store, typing at a computer, driving or riding a car, or a Sunday evening after a game of competitive soccer with friends. Perhaps, even as you read this book (maybe you are sitting in a ea.ff), you feel uncomfortable and distracted by a nagging pull in t.l1eback of your neck. In any of t.l1esesituations, if you clunk t.l1at too much tension is t.l1ecause of your di.scorn-

26

fort, you a.re Wcely to pursue its contrary relaxation - as an antidote. Yet, as you work, shop, play, ride, and read, you misuse and overuse certain parts of your body (your neck and shoulders, for examp le) to compensate for misusing and under -using oilier parts ( t.l1e back and legs, for example). It is t.l1eabsence of t.l1e right kind of tension in the right places for t.l1e right lengt.11of time t.l1atcauses too much tension of t.l1ewrong kind in the wrong places for the wrong lengt.11of time, as illustrated by the weakened cat in our imaginary experiment. If, as you try to rela.,\'.wrong tensions in t.l1eneck and shoulders, you further relax your spine, you are likely to create even greater wrong tensions. Badly conceived and directed, relaxation is then a problem, not a solution. Let us recapitulate briefly . The way you use yourself encompasses posture and goes beyond it. Your posture is inseparable from your attitude; indeed, the two a.re synonymous. It is possible to use yourself well wlu.le giving the impression to others iliat you have bad posture. Inversely, it is possible to appear to have good posture and yet use yourself badly. A good position is that which you can alter wit.11t.l1egreatest speed and ease. If you use yourself well, you pass from posture to movement and back to posture a.gain easily, quickly, and imperceptibly. You have latent resistance and latent mobility at all times, and you activate each as needed, in turn and together . 'Too much tension' is better expressed as 'too much wrong tension', that is, wrong in kind, amount, place, and time. The cause of wrong tension is the absence of right tension, and true relaxation is a sideeffect of t.l1e latter. Finally, to be intelligent means to live intelligently, and to live intelligently means using yourself well.

CHAPTER

3

Inhibition and Direction

REACTING

TO A STIMULUS

I am giving my pupil Estelle an Alexander lesson. I ask her to watch me as I take three juggling balls in my hands and juggle them for ten or fifteen seconds. Without any further instruction s, I hand the balls to Estelle and ask her to juggle . 'I can't do it,' she replies at once. 'I haven't got a knack for this sort of thing.' It is obvious from her demeanour and her tone of voice that she is terrified of juggling, or, more precisely, of the idea of trying to ju ggle. Yet Estelle is a professional singer who can perform complex musical pieces in front of an audience. In her daily life she is perfectly able to drive a car in hectic traffic and talk with a passenger at tl1e same time. She is comfortable riding a bicycle in tl1e countryside, sometimes canying her shopping or one of her children witl1 her. She tends a large garden where her co-ordination is challenged in many different ways, and she often accomplishes admirable botanical feats balancing herself in acrobatic positions for a long while. In short, her current psychomotor abilities are quite impressive. Why, then, is she so sure tl1at she i 1ill not be able to perform the simple gestures tl1at juggling requires , and why does she express her certainty witl1 such anxiety? Most people judge tl1emselves all the time, and, perhaps without being aware of it, think also tl1at tl1ey are being judged by otl1ers all tl1e time . Think about tlus for a moment: if most

people are constantly worrying about being judged by others, they will not be spending very much time judging others. Thinking that otl1ers are judging you, and fearing their judge ments, are two symptoms of an unwarranted and unhealth y self-centredness. Estelle 's unconscious fear of being judged by me wlule she tries to jug gle is not justified. In fact, I do not judge Estelle; rather, I observe her. It is true that, as I observe her juggling , I could easily arrive at certain conclusions about some otl1er of her behaviours , perhaps even about her whole being. After all, juggling stands as a sort of metaphor for life; tint is the reason why juggling is so useful in an Alexander lesson. Even then, however, Estelle's fear of juggling and of being judged would not be justified. I know her well, I have often expressed my appreciation of her many attributes, and I always speak to her with respect and affection. She knows that I am 'for' her , not 'against' her. Still, despite all the rational arguments that could be presented in this situation, Estelle is afraid of juggling because she is afraid of being judged. Anotl1er reason why Estelle is so anxious is her fear of failure. Indeed, she is absolutely convinced tint she will fail. However, in this instance, she is convinced of a fact tl1at has not come into existence, for she declares her inability to juggle before throwing a single ball up in the air. In a sense, it might be possible to say that she 'wa nts' to fail. To explain tlus point, I must make a detour. 27

I N HI BI TI ON AN D D I RECT I ON

I was an extremel y awkward and sedentar y child , and only learned to ride a bicycle as a youn g adult , at th e tim e when I was startin g to take lessons in th e Alexand er Tec hniqu e. After receiving some instru ction from my girlfriend , I went to practi se, wo bblin g on th e bike aro und a publi c squ are . O nce, I tried to cross th e squ are instead of go ing aro und it. Th ere was a lamp post right in the middle; I saw it from a distance and started to wo rry abo ut ridin g int o it, despit e all th e emp ty space around it. I found myself saying, in my mind , 'I'm go ing to hit it! I'm go ing to hit it!' T his was an expression of my fear of hitti ng it, but my word s indic ate not only that I want ed to hit th e post, but also th at I was determin ed to do so - as I inevitably did. Estelle is anxious for a thir d reason : she is afraid of th e unknow n. She has never juggled in her life, and namr ally knows not hin g abo ut the mechani cs of ju gg ling. A numb er of oth er situations might trigge r in her a similar disqui et, such as findin g herself in a gro up of people she has not met before, suffering from some illness with out knowing its diagnosis or prognosis, or moving house. Faced with ju ggling for th e first tim e, Estelle is not so much afraid · of ju ggling itself as of so methin g she has never enco un tered before. Alexan der liked to say that, at th e very heart of his techniq ue, th ere was th e jo urney that th e pu pil mu st make from the know n into th e unknown, the known being wro ng and th e un know n right . Estelle' s fear of ju gg ling, of being jud ged, of failing, and of facing th e unkn own all cause her to tense up in such a way th at she makes it hard for herself to learn how to ju gg le . Juggling beco mes trul y difficult, there by justifying her fear of it in so me way. My job as an Alexander teacher is not so muc h to show her how to ju gg le, but to help her lose her fear of th e unkn own . Alexand er neatly su mmed up tl1e natur e of a lesson : 'Yo u are not here to do exercises, or to learn to do so methin g right , 28

but to get able to meet a stimulu s th at always put s you wro ng and to learn to deal with it. ' 7 When I ask Este lle to juggle, I am puttin g her somehow ' in th e wro ng', but only so th at I can start helping her learn to deal with it . H ere we co me to an imp ort ant reaso n why Estelle is so afraid. Because of her habit of end -gainin g, she has misun derstoo d th e pur pose of th e exercise. T he basics of ju gg ling are very simp le. T he numb er of tl1ings that you can do with a ju gg ling ball is limite d: you can thr ow it up in the air, catch it vvith eitl1er hand, th row it sideways from one hand directly int o tl1e otl1er, hold it in yo ur hand - and not mu ch else. It is tru e tl1at, once you start perfor ming tl1ese mo tions witl1 thr ee balls in altern atio n, in co mbin ation, and in seq uence, tl1e possib ilities are vast, yet one fact remains. T his is tliat tl1e basic motions are all extremely simp le. Wh en you co mbine tl1ese mot ions in twos, thr ees, and more, tl1e resultin g act ivity is comp lex rath er tl1an complicate d . At its core it retains tl1e simplicity of tl1e first, easy straight forward tl1row . If you can pass a ball from one hand to tl1e oth er, you can ju ggle . Yet, simple as ju gg ling itself may be, th e main purpose of the exercise is not for yo u to learn how to juggle. Befo re cons idering tl1e real reaso n why I have asked Este lle to jugg le, let us first loo k at how Estelle goes abo ut it.

END-GAINING

AND MISUSE

I show Estelle the eight or ten step s tl1at wo uld take her from throw ing a single ball up in the air to ju gg ling tl1ree balls at tl1e same tim e and con tin uous ly. T he first step is to tl1row a ball up in tl1e air, witl1out even trying to catch it. The seco nd step is to tlu-ow a ball up in the air, an d catch it witl1 yo ur other hand . T he third step is to tl1row a ball up in tl1e air from your left hand ; as it goes up and reaches tl1e highest point of its flight , tl1row a ball up in th e air

INHIBITION

from your right hand , without trying to catch either ball. The fourth step is the same as the previous one, but now try to catch, with one hand, the second ball you threw from your other hand. The steps continue in this fashion, becoming ever more comp lex until you actually find yourself juggling. When Este lle attempts the first, very simple, step, she misuses her whole self as she throws the ball up in the air. She pulls her head back and down into her neck, lifts her shoulders, pushes her pelvis forward, and stops breathing. Needless to say, she is not aware of any of these misuses . Her sole concern is to 'do the right thing' and throw the ball up in the air. She thinks only of the end, and neglects the means whereby she cou ld attain that end. As she goes on to the following steps, her misuse becomes ever worse. Remember the description of the first few steps of juggling: you throw one or two balls in the air without actually trying to catch them. Estelle finds this extremely hard to do; she is so intent on catching the balls that she often fails to throw them up in the air to begin with! Here , Estelle reveals how she end-gains and misunderstands the nature of the exercise. Indeed, she misunderstands the nature of juggling itself. For Estelle - as for most pupils who try to juggle for the first time - juggling means catching balls. She is so eager to do this that she end s up not throwing the balls at all, but she cannot catch something that she has not thrown. The definition that Estelle applies to juggling (' catching balls') prevents her from juggling (in other words, throwin g and possibl y catching balls). More importantl y, however , Estelle misunderstands the nature of tl1e situation in which she finds herself. My asking her to juggle was a prete xt, a ruse and a trap. The true purpos e of tl1e exercise is more subtle tl1an it appears. First, I wou ld like Estelle to becom e aware of her reactions; second, to become aware of her

AND DIRECTION

end-gaining; third, to become aware of her misuses; fourth , to stop her end -ga ining; fifth , to stop her misuse, which is a consequence of her end-gaining; and sixth, to juggle. How ever, even if she is unable to juggle at the end of the lesso n, she may still have accomplished what I hoped for her; if she becomes better aware of her own reactions, the first purpose of the exerc ise will have been achieved. Some pupils, like Estelle, will spend long sessions tty ing to jug gle, during which time they pay no attention whatsoever to tl1eir use. Such peopl e have fallen into the tt·ap. As long as Estelle's main concern is to juggle tl1ree balls ( tl1e presumed end of tl1e exercise), she will neglect the double mean s whereby tl1e end may be achieved . The means include , on tl1e one hand, tl1e intermediate steps of tl1rowing one or two balls witl1out tty ing to catch them, and, on the otl1er hand, Estelle's awareness of tl1e way she uses her self. H er use comprises tl1e co-ordination of her whole body from head to toe, and also her attitudes and beliefs, her reactions , and her habits of tl1ought and action. As she attempts to juggle, Estelle end-gains to an extraordina1y degree, and, because she end-gains, she misuses herself badly. I ask her simply to drop tl1e balls; she always tries to catch them, twisting her body in the process. I ask her not to pick up tl1e balls that fall on the floor, and beg her to let me pick tl1em up for her instead . Again and again, she drop s a ball and immediately reaches down for it. Then I ask her to stop for a brief moment after dropping a ball, and con sider the co-ordination of her gestures before picking it up. Even though the instructions are freshly repeated every minut e, Estelle reacts too soo n and too fast, and 'forgets' to co- ordinat e hers elf eve1y time she drops a ball and reache s down for it. When she drops a ball, she exclaims, angry with herself , 'No!' I po int out to her tl1at her expression of dissatisfaction is disproportionate to tl1e situation; after all, tl1is is on ly a 29

INHIBITION

AND

DIRECTION

game. In addition, Estelle's expression of dissatisfaction - a brusque and emphatic gesture of her head, which shortens her neck and spine - contributes to her misuse and makes it more likely that she miss subsequent catches . (In this matter, she has two choices: not to express her frustration, or not to become frustrated. One of these choices is clearly superior to the other.) Estelle's eagerness to throw and catch the balls 'in the right way' creates such tensions that she throws the balls awkwardly and drops them every time. Because she end-gains, she misuses herself in such a manner that she becomes unable to attain her desired goal. Therefore, for her to be able to catch the balls, she must stop being so eager to catch them; for her to be ab le to juggle, she must give up the wish to juggle.

PAYING ATTENTION THE MEANS

TO

I ask Estelle to slow down her actions and to repeat a simple gesture once, nvice, three times - for instance, throwing a single ball from one hand to the other. At times, I hold her hands and prevent her from juggling, and ask her simply to listen to me as I explain something, or watch me as I demonstrate a technique . I reassure her again and again that she has the right to drop one or more balls without worrying and, above all, without reproaching herself. Este lle is so hypnotized by her wish to do the right thing that she becomes incapable of talking to me, looking at me, or listening to me when I address her. I ask her to keep eye contact with me, to walk around the room, or to move her head as she speaks - anything to break her hypnotic state and to help her recover her reason. From time to time, I stop the exercise altogether, and ask Estelle to clear her mind of her

30

anx1eaes and preconceived ideas about the difficulty of the task and her inability to perform it. To mitigate her frustration with herself, I ask her to alternate her efforts at juggling with other activities that she has mastered, so that she can remind herself of how accomplished she really is. I ask her to hear her own manner of speaking about herself- 'I can't do it,' 'Damn it!,' 'NO!' -and I encourage her to speak to herself and about herself with all the tenderness that she deserves . We tallc, joke, and laugh. I persuade her that I do not expect her to juggle or to 'do well'; instead, all I ask is that she observe herself in all her actions. I ask her to touch me as I juggle, and feel the stability and strength of my body. I give her suggestions on how to use her arms and hands. I use my hands to touch Estelle as she juggles, and direct her attention to various parts of her body - her head, her neck, her back, her shou lders, her pelvis. I use words as well as my hands, and help Este lle associate a set of words, a psycho-physical experience, and the feedback she receives from it. Later, Estelle will use these words as reminders of the phys ical experiences. Little by little we □-ain her muscular memory, so that one day she will be able to move freely by using tl1e verbal instructions we cultivated as she juggled: 'Let your neck be free.' 'D irect yo ur head forward and up.' 'Let your back lengtl1en and widen.' 'Stay in yo ur back.' 'Point up along the spine.' 'Drop your shou lders and point tl1em out, away from each other.' 'Don't sway your pelvis.' 'Don't freeze your eyes, and remember to blink regularly.' 'Don't forget to breatl1e.' 'Don't force your breatl1ing .' 'Stay out of tl1e way.'

INHIBITION

When Estelle tries too hard to interpret my directions muscularly, she misuses herself even more . I say to her, 'Let your neck be free.' Immediately she starts to move her head in an attempt to free her neck, but the more she moves her head, the stiffer her neck becomes. I suggest to her not to do these directions, but to let them be instead. I explain that most of these directions are not orders for her to do something ('lift an arm', for instance, or 'grab a ball'), but orders for her to stop doing something ('release your shoulders' ) or for her to prevent herself from doing something ('do n't tighten your shoulders'). As her will turns away from juggling and towards her own use, Estelle goes through a complete transformation. She loses her anxiety and begins to smile and laugh, even as she drops a ball . Her discourse changes. She stops saying, 'I can't do this,' or 'T his is impossible.' She also stops chiding herself and letting out exclamations of frustration such as 'NO" or 'Damn 1' Instead, she finds herself saying, 'Hey, this is fun 1' She stops making wild grabs for balls that fall too far for her to catch them . She stops nvisting her body into awkward positions, throwing her head back and down, lifting her shoulders, and swaying her pelvis. Instead, she stands still, stab le but not rigid, and uses her arms lightly and elegantly. Watch ing her, one has tl1e impression that she is doing something simple, easy, and enjoyable. To her own surprise, she finds herself catching balls seemingly witl1out tl1e participation of her conscious will; tl1e balls fall into her hands and tl1e jugglin g does itself, so to speak. She forgets tl1e very idea of doing well, of success and failure. Instead of judging herself or fearing otl1ers' judgements, she observes herselfin action, dispassionately , yet full of curiosity and good humour. She acts witl1out concernmg herself witl1 tl1e results of her actions.

AND

DIRECTION

If we compare Este lle as she was earlier on in her Alexander lesson and as she is now, we see tl1at she has become a different person altogetl1er. It is not simply tl1at she uses her body in a more relaxed manner. Her gest ures are now animated by entirely different thoughts and desires. Earlier, her reactions to tl1e situation with which I had presented her - an invitation to juggle - were wholly unjus tified and inappropriate. What shou ld have been a simple exercise in psychomotor skills had been in effect a tl1reatening and painful challenge to her whole person. As Estelle lets go of her first, automatic, habitual impu lses ( of which she was not aware), her reactions become health y, reasonable, well-thoughtout, constructive, and practica l.

INHIBITION

AND DIRECTION

This is a good point at which to recapitulate and define the basic princ iples of the Alexander Technique. • We do not use or misuse our bodies; we use or misuse ourselves. On the one hand, our thoughts, assumptions, supposit ions and beliefs all play a role in our use and misuse. Este lle's use includes matters of will, control, judgement, anger and frustration. On the other hand, our entire body, from head to toe, is present in everything that we do, whether we do it well or badly. As Este lle juggles, she misuses her head, neck, back, shoulders, arms, torso, legs and feet, as well as her eyes, her breathing mechanisms, and much else besides. Inversely, when she stops endgainin g and invests herself fully in the means whereby she may achieve her ends, she uses her whole self well. • We misuse ourse lves in most of what we do . We do so habitu ally, and wimout being

31

H IB I TION

•

•

•

•

•

32

AND

DIRECTION

aware of it . In pr evious chapt ers we discussed propriocepti on, misuse, and habit, and we can now includ e 'will' in this equ ation . Estelle is not aware of her behaviour s, hypn otized as she is by her 'will to do well'. Th e more she misuses herself, th e less aware she become s of her misuses, and th e more unawar e she is of her misuse, th e wo rse th e misuse becomes. We misuse ourselves for many different reasons. Yet th e most imp ort ant reason for our misuse - import ant beca use of its pra ctical consequ ences and because we can do somet hin g about it - is o ur habit of endgaining. When she juggle s, Estelle misu ses herself because she goes dir ectly and int ensely for a desired end (catchin g balls) rath er tl1at1 paying att enti on to th e means necessa1y for her to acco mplish what she has set out to do . To stop misusing herself, Estel le has no choice but to stop end -gainin g . Alexand er called tl1is pro cess - of consciously giving up end- gainin g habits and reactions 'inhibiti on' . Co nscio usly and un consciously, we give ourselves ord ers, or 'directions', all th e tim e. Wh en Estelle says ' I cai1't ,' or 'N O! ', she is giving her self directions to act in a certain way, and her directions result in a psycho-p hysical state . We also give our selves directions witl1out wo rds. Dir ections are messages from th e brain to tl1e mu scles, via th e ner,ves. Ju st as we give ourselves dire ctions when misusing our selves, we can also use them to inhibit end gainin g habits and reactions, and to sto p misusing ourselves . Care fully chosen and interpreted, tl1ese dir ectio ns - verb al or not - serve th e purp ose of sto ppin g us from do ing too mu ch too soo n , or simply from doing it badly. T he most useful dir ectio ns inhibit action, rath er th an excite it ; tl1ey are orders to stop

doing. Since th e orientation of th e head , neck, and back determin es th e co -ordin ation of tl1e whole body, the most imp o rtant dir ections are th ose that stop you from misusing your Prim ary Control. We can call th ese 'prima1y dir ection s'. It does not matter what situati on you find your self in learnin g to ju gg le, handlin g stage fright , dealin g witl1 conflict; your inhibitin g stai·ts with your prim ary dir ection s. • Wh en we in11ibit end -gainin g habi ts and reactio ns, we get th e impre ssion th at we are doing nothing, and th at thin gs do themselves. Wh en Estelle ju ggles wiilio ut end gainin g, she has tl1e feeling that balls fall int o her hand s as if in tl1e absenc e of her conscious will. In fact, Estelle is doing quit e a lot of tl1ings when she inhibit s, but th ese are of a different natur e from her usual mu scular exerti ons. Inhibitin g does not entail beco min g passive or compl acent. Rath er, to inhibit is not to do anytl1ing unn ecessary, excessive, unr easo nable, or harmful. Thi s leaves us free to do everythin g that is necessary, well-measured, reasonable, and health y. • Ju gg ling in Estelle's lesson stand s as a metaph o r for every human activity. H er behaviou rs as she ju ggles are typ ical of her style of daily living and int erperso nal relationships; they are 'no rm al' for her. T his is discussed furth er in Chap te r 4 , where 'norm al' behaviour s are contra sted witb ' natural ' o nes. • In every situation we face, we can eitl1er use ourselves well or misuse ourselves; we cat1 be unr easonable ai1d unh ealthy, or reasonable ai1d healtl1y. In short , we can end -gain and mis-direct ourse lves, or we cat1 inl1ibit and direct ourselves adequ ately. Inhibiti on and direction, two inseparable facets of tl1e same hum an capability, ai·e tl1e key to tl1e Alexai1der Tec hniqu e. Ind eed , without tl1em it is impossible for us to pass from

INHIBITION

using ourselves badly to using ourselves well. When we inhibit , we lose the fear of being jud ged, the fear of failing, and the fear of the unkn own . To pass from the ]mown to the unknown is the most imp ortan t, difficult, and vvonderful jo urne y in our life.

DIRECTIONS

AND WORDS

It is possible to give directions without using wo rds, and to use words without sending directions. People who are naturally ,..vellcoordinated - for examp le, small childr en - give themselves directions with out using words, and perhaps with out knowing that they are, indeed, directing their use. All the same, wellchosen and constructive ly applied words can be an excellent tool for le,m1ing how to direct your use. Alexander used the followin g phrasing for the primary directions: 'Let your neck be free, to let your head go forward and up, to let the back lengthen and widen, all together, one after the ot her.' Note that the success of the entire formulation hinges on the wo rd 'let'. You cannot make your neck be free - that wou ld be a contradiction in terms. Note too that the directions are so int erconnected as to create a working unity; if you neglect one of the directions, the whole suffers. Directio ns have hierarchy and order: freeing the neck precedes letting the head go forward and up. Yet it is

AND

DIRECTION

important to give yo ur directions 'a ll together, one after the other', and not in isolation from each ot her. To direct is to co-ordinate yourself, and as the word itself impli es, coordinatio n entails many parts working together harmo niously. The primary dir ectio ns are inhibitory orders to stop doing or not to do - and need not result in muscular activity. Think of them as double negatives, or th e contrary of something und esirable . A free neck is one that is not tightened; to let the head go forward and up is to prevent it from bearing back and down on the neck; to lengthen and wide n the back is to prevent it from shorte nin g and narrowing. However, if you try to lengthen and widen yo ur back wilfully, you are likely to stiffen your neck in the process. What makes a neck stiff is too mu ch activity; the contrary of too much activity is not more activity, but its cessation . To repeat, 'to let' is the key that unlocks the chain. When somet hin g upsets your inner balance - for examp le, if you are startled by a car backfiring - a single, sudden thought makes you misuse your whole self. Ideally, a single thought of a different kind should also trigger all the directions that estab lish the best use of your whole self. However, until you can summon such a thought, yo u will need to pay attentio n to each direction in turn. In time, you will discover the words ( or thoughts, or images) that awaken your good use. My favour ite trigger is simple: 'Think up'.

33

CHAPTER4

The Lesson

THE ESSENCE

OF A LESSON

There is no stand ard way of teac hing the Alexander Technique. As in all other human activity, it is difficult, if not impossible , to separa te the principles advoca ted by a professional from his personality, temperament, background, and much else besides. In other words, any set of principles can only be judged by the indi vidual way in whic h the y are practised . It could be argued that there has only ever been one Alexander teacher: F.M. Alexander him self. He trained man y teachers, all of whom had his or her own und erstanding of the work. These teachers in turn have trained ot her s, who again have brought their individual characteristics to the Technique. In sum, each teacher works in a manner unique to him or her, and the same teacher may also have a different approach for different pupils. In this chapter I describe what I consider the logic underlying the work of an Alexander teacher during lessons. If you find a teacher whose methods do not correspond with my description, you will have to judge his or her merits and demerits for yourself, using my observations as well as your own critical sense. (At any rate, I expect you to use your discernment to consider the merits and demerits of everything I tell you !) What defines the spirit of an Alexander lesson (as opposed to its form) is that it is indeed a lesson, and not a therapy or counselling or

34

healing session. A learning process should always talce place in an Alexander lesson, regardless of the reason - a breathing disorder, arthritis , or depression, for example - why the pupil has sought out a teacher. The aim of the Alexander teacher is not to treat or cure a patient , but to teach a pupil ho w to inhibit end-gaining habits and reactions, and how to direct the whole self, with particular emphasis on the Primary Contro l - the or ientation of the head relative to the neck, and of both to the back. The Technique has far-reaching therapeutic effects on both 'physical' and 'menta l' illnesses, but these effects occur indirectly , as a result of the pupil's ability to prevent his or her habitual misuses . In attempting to affect an illn ess dir ectly, both teacher and pupil may well end -gain and neglect the very processes which allow an illness to change and disappear. In an Alexander lesson, you do not learn how to do the right thing; rather, you learn how to stop doing the wrong thing. Alexan der used to say that, if you stop the wrong thing, the right thing will do itself. If your illn ess or disco mfort is caused by some thing that yo u are doing, yo u cannot be 'cured' of it by any mean s other than stopping doing the thing that causes it. At all mom ent s, teacher and pupil both must carry on with this learning process, which creates the conditions in which healing and cure happen by themselves.

THE

THE 'NORMAL' AND THE 'NATURAL' Lesso ns cover the two major aspects of activity and rest. Lessons may start with either, and may include either, or both. When a teacher chooses an activity in a lesson , the purpose is not so much to master the activity itself but to use it as a means to a grea ter end. Each activity becomes a laboratory where matters of awareness, reaction, use, and attitude may be examin ed; see the previous chapter , wher e juggling is used as an example. In an Alexander lesson, the teacher presents the pupil with a stimulu s, usually of a psychom otor nanire; the pupil may be asked to sit, stand , lean forward or backward, turn his or her head, say a vowel or a word, wallc, jugg le, and so on. Each stimu lus provokes many possible reactions in a pupil, but most reactions can be seen as either 'normal' or 'natural'. Here, we need to define the above terms. (Too ofte n, participants in a conversation use certain wo rd s or terms with o ut considering that others may believe the same wo rds to mean some thin g differe nt , or possibly even to have the opposite meaning.) 'Norma l' may mean two distinct thin gs: 1. according to an average; or 2. accord ing to a mode l. 'Natura l' may mean at least three different thin gs : 1. habitu al and unpremeditated; 2 . removed from civilization or unt ouc h ed

by it ; or 3. according to the laws of nature, intrinsically right. For the purposes of th e current discussion, let us define 'normal' reactions as accor din g to an average - that is, based upon most people's

LESSON

reaction s mo st of the time - and 'natur al' as according to th e laws of natur e - based upon how most peopl e's reactions should ideally be in the rig ht conditions. If you are pr esented with a stimu lus, you can react normally ( as you always have, and as most people would), or naturally (in the manner th at best suits th e situati on). Let us imagine that I ask you to ju ggle. If you are like most peop le, you will become anxio us and flustered, complicate a simple situati on , endgain , misuse your whole self, and fail miserably. T his is norma l, but in no way natural. My job as an Alexander teacher is to help you stop reacting normally, so that you may start reactin g naturally to any situati on with which you may be pr esented. If you react naturall y, yo u will be able to ju gg le easily and with pleasure, and enjoy the learnin g process even if yo u fail to jug gle. In ju gg ling, the distinctio n between nor mal and natural is very evident for most pupils to see. What they do not realize is th at the same distinction exists for every single situation, reaction, thought, and gesture, includin g the simple st acts of daily life. Indeed, it is alto gether unne cessary to intro duce complex motor skills in a lesson for a pupil to pass from normal to natur al or to learn th e principles of the Tec hniqu e; the whole learning experience can happen through the simple action of sitting and standin g . However, keep in mind that th e purpose of the lesson is not to teach you the right way of sitting and standing, but to help you pass from norma l to natural, from the known to th e unlmown, from wrong to right, in everything you do, with out exception . As well as norma l and natu ral reactions, there are also 'abno rm al' reactions. Tt) ' the following exper iment . P ull your he ad back and down in an exaggerate d manne r, so that you shorte n your neck grievous ly. T his is an 'a bn ormal' position that corresponds neith er to an average nor to a model. While keeping 35

THE

LESSON

your head in this position, say a few words. Undoubtedly you will be struck by how strange your voice sounds. Now, bring your head back to a normal position, and say the same words you said before. The use of your voice is clearly improved once yo u pass from the abn o rmal to the normal. You may now suppose that there must be a natural orientation of the head , superior to the normal one, in which the use of your voice wou ld be yet healthier and freer. It is relatively easy to pass from the ab nor mal to the normal. Passing from the nor mal to the nat ural is more difficult , both because of faulty sensory aware ness, and becau se such a passage occurs not because of something that you do, but because of something that you stop doing . The existence of abnormal reactions does not change the essence of an Alexander lesson,

36

which remains th e subtle and delicate passage from the normal to tl1e natural. In any case, if you learn how to pass from tl1e normal to tl1e natural, you will know everything you need in order to pass easily from the abnorma l to tl1e normal.

STIMULUS

AND REACTION

Every day, all day long, you react constantly to all sorts of stimuli: sen sorial, intellectual, emotional. You react to other peop le, to situations, to wishes, to fears . You do so consciously or subconsciously, sometimes in a health y manner, somet imes unh ealthily. All tl1at matter s, though, is that you react nonstop, and always with your whole being. In effect, the way you use yourse lf is actually the way you react to each and every

THE

situati on. The Alexander teacher bases his or her entire pedagogical work upon this simpl e observat ion. During a lesson, the teacher uses all sorts of means to make you react, thereby offering you the possibility oflearning how to inhibit and direct . Although Alexander developed a number of traditional procedures, this does not mean that every teacher must work according to a set of formu las. It is possible to learn the principles of the Technique without ever making use of the traditional procedures, although they are particularly well suited to the purpose. (For a discussion of Alexander's procedures, see the end of this chapter.) The rationale of a lesson is rather simple. As already noted, in eve1y situation you react with your entire being; your reactions may be normal or natural . When you react norma!Jy, you react the way evetybody else does, according to your habits, with little consciousness of your actions or control over tl1em, witl1 too much effort, in a hurry or hesitantly, in a manner that is inelegant, inefficient, and costly to your wellbeing. (Needless to say, because of faulty sens01y perception, you may well be unaware of any of tl1e characteristics of your normal reactions.) When you react naturally, you react according to tl1e laws of nature, in an ideal manner, witl1 a degree of awareness and control, aided at tl1e same time by reasoning and intuition, in a manner that is adequate to the situation, using yourself witl1 elegance and power. The work of the teacher, then, is to make you react to various stimuli, and help you to pass in all your reactions from normal to natural. This all-important point may be illustrated by an exercise that I often use in my teaching practice. We are both standing up . I place myself in front of you, put my hands on your shoulders, and make you lean forward, towards me. Your reaction to my gesture is multi-layered, and reveals much to me about your use - your 'character' and 'individuality', in Alexander's

LESSON

words . You react to tl1e situation itself, to my wo rds, to my way of looking at you, to my hands on your shoulde rs, and, most imp ortantly, to tl1e movement of your body towards me. When I lean you forward, I make you lose your balance. More precisely, I put you in a position in which you think ( or feel) that you are unbalanced; in fact, since I am holding you myself, you are perfectly balanced. I use my back and my legs - indeed, my who le body - in such a way that it is perfectly easy for me to hold you without effort, free from the risk of hurting myself or of letting you drop. However, a feeling of imbalance, a fear of falling, a fear of not mastering the situation, and a lack of trust in me as I hold you will all lead you to misuse your whole self. You will pull your head backward, raise your shoulders, hollow your back, lock your knees, lift your heels off tl1e ground, and hold your breath . This reaction of fear and misuse is absolut ely normal: it mirrors other reactions of yours in different situations, and it mirrors the reactions of tl1e vast majority of people who find themselves in this particular situation. In such a context, your reaction corresponds to an average, to a 'norm', but it is in no way natural. By definition, all tl1at is natural is ideal. Your fear of falling and the contraction of your body caused by tl1is fear cannot be ideal . They are not even justified, since I hold you surely and firmly, and I will not let you fall. I now start to reassure you verbally. I do the exercise and its many variants several times. I explain and demonstrate . I bring your attention to tl1e different ways you misuse your body. I help you inhibit and direct, and little by little you start changing your reaction to my stimulus. You redirect your head, release your shoulders, lengthen and widen your back, bring your heels down, start breathing freely, and become light and strong . You have finally accepted that you have notl1ing to fear, and your entire reaction becomes free from

37

THE

LESSON

anxiety and contraction. You now reac t according to th e requirements of th e situa tion; you react naturall y, not normall y. When you first do the exercise, you are most likely to believe that your first reaction, wh ich we ha,,e called ' nor mal', is the on ly possible reaction given the situation in which you find your self. T he fear of falling is quite real; if you did fall, yo u wo uld risk injurin g yourse lf. As I take you off balance you contract yo urself instinctivel y, to protect your self from a dang ero us fall. Your reaction then seems to you bot h necessary and inevitable , and you are tempted to say that the situ ation causes your reactio n . However, we have already determined that the situation is not at all unsafe, as I am holding yo u quite firmly. Your fear of falling is therefore unju stified, as is your manner of misusing yo ur whole body . Let us go furt her down this line of reasoning. Every child falls regularly, usually with o ut the least injury; so do dancers , clowns, martia l art ists, and ath letes, as well as animals, both wild and domesticated. If you take a kitten in your hands and throw it up in th e air, it will re-orientate itself as it falls, find its balance in mid-air , and land lightly on its paws. In the above situation, you wou ld risk nothing even ifI did let you fall. Like the kit ten , you can re-or ient yo urself and take a couple of steps forv1ard, tl1ereby rega inin g your balance; like tl1e clown and the martia l artist, you can take a fall with grace, and not hurt yourself. (No te that, in tl1e case of a child or an animal, the ability to fall Lightly is inborn; in tl1e case of a dancer or an atl1lete, the ability is conscious ly developed. If you have lost your inborn ability - whic h you certain ly had as a child - all you have to do is regain it wit h the help of your adult inte lligence .) You see now that your first reaction to my destabilizing gesture was do ubl y unjustified, both because you are perfectly balanced in my

38

hand s, and because falling can and sho uld be a sour ce of pleasure, not pain. One winter day, com ing out of th e Van Gog h M useum in Amsterdam, I slipped on tl1e icy sidewallc and fell on my backside . T he fall took me by surpr ise, and seemed to last not more th an a second . I did not have tl1e time to choose my reaction, and yet I reacted in a wholly natural manner. In effect, I did not have tl1e feeling of falling, but ratl1er of flying, or of falling upwards . The experience was pleasant and amusing, and the recollection oftl1is magical moment made me smile all day long. Needless to say, I did not hurt myself at all as I fell. When I put yo u in a situ ation tliat seems to unbalance you, I help you work through several aspects of your being. First, we seek to eliminate an entir ely unjustifiable fear - the fear of falling when, in truth, you are perfectly balanced . Seco nd , we seek to develop tl1e means req uired for you to react differently to a possibl y, but not necessarily, ju stified fear the fear of falling awkwardly and hurtin g yourse lf. As your co-ord ination imp roves, you learn to fall upwards, instinctively like a kitten or a child , or intuitively like a dancer or a clown . (You may wish to reflect for a moment upon the difference between instinct and intui tion .) At any rate, whe n you lose die fear offall ing, or, more precisely, the fear of injur ing yourse lf, you are more likely to have fewer accide nts; if you have an accident, you are more likely to have fewer injuries : and , if yo u suffer an injury, yo u are more likely to recover more qu ickly from it. The most useful lesson that you will learn from th e exper ience of losing your balance in the hand s of an Alexander teacher is that, in every situation , you have a range of possible reactions. You will tl1en stop believing (and claiming) tl1at a situation, a stimulu s, or a person causesyou to react in an inevitable manner. Th is shou ld eventually lead to you mastering your reactions, and not being a slave to tl1em.

THE

THE LOGIC OF A LESSON T he choice of activities used in an Alexander lesson is only limit ed by the physical settin g of the lesson and the ima ginatio n of the teacher. Tea chers have used creeping and crawling, horse -riding , calligraphy, typewriti ng, speaking, singing , martial arts, role -playing , and much more . What matters is not the activity itself, but the way it is pr esented and hand led by the teacher. A few points are in order. Most of the time, there is a gap betwee n what yo u are doing and what you think you are doing . This is th e phenomenon of faulty sensory awareness. By touching you with my hand s in certain specific ways, which is discussed below, I may be able to help you narrow and eventually eliminate thi s gap. Th is, inevitably, becomes difficult in a large gro up. T he ideal way of teaching and learnin g the Tec hniqu e is indi viduall y, and th ro ugh activities that can be easily monitor ed and altered by th e teacher's hands . The more you have invested, personally and professionally, in a particul ar area of your life, the hard er your habits in that area may be to chang e. If you are a pianist, for example, you will have spent long years cultivating your habits of playing; these habits will have mu scular, aural, psychological and aesthetic compo nents. Since you derive your identit y as a person and as a professional from th e way you play th e piano, it may be easier for you to start learning the principles of the Technique away from your instrum ent. Ideally, lessons in the Technique should progress from th e general to the particular, and in an increasing order of complexity. On the first count, the examination of eve1yday activities should precede any scrutin y of your professional habit s and the learning of new skills. On the second count , sitting and standin g should precede juggling. It is possible for a resourceful and conscientious pupil to apply the principle s of the Te chniqu e

LESSON

to his or her eve1y activity from the first lesson onwards, but the difficulties of doing this should not be un deresti mated. The changes from normal to natural in your reactions happen th ro ugh the twin processes of inhibition and direction. The more oppor tw1ities an activity presents for inhibition , the mor e useful thi s activity is in learnin g th e Alexand er Technique . Juggling offers many such opportunities (see Chapt er 3). However, the stimul ation of life is never-ending, and, therefore , th e possibilities for inhibiting are also never-ending. The teacher may present to you a number of stimuli in succession: sit, stand, lean forward, turn your head, lift an arm, say a word. Each demands inhibition and direction. Soon you will realize that life itself invites you to inhibit and direct at all times, in all siniations, during all activities, with out exception.

AN ASPECT OF INHIBITION The element of timin g characterizes inhibiti on but does not define it. In other words, it is not sufficient to suspend actio n for a moment and then go ahead with it in your habitu al manner; you will not have changed your action, you will simpl y have delayed it. You must go beyond waiting before acting and beyond altering the rhythm or speed of an action, and give up the desire to act altogether. Here is a simp le illustratio n. I put my hand s on your head and neck and say, 'L et me turn your head .' It is quite likely tha t you will th en imm ediat ely turn your head yourself; indeed , th at is how mo st beginner s te nd to react to thi s simple instruction. In thi s case I wou ld ask you not to react so quickly , and wou ld repeat my request: 'Let me turn your head.' You no w have three choices: to turn your head for me as you did before, to prevent me from turnin g your head by stiffening your neck, or to let yo ur neck be free and allow me to turn your

39

THE

LESSON

head instead. If you wait a moment and again turn your head, you will not have inhibited your action, but merely delayed it. If you stiffen your neck and prevent me from turning your head, you will have changed your initial reaction, without inhibitin g your desire to do and to control. It is only by freeing your neck and allowing me to turn your head that yo u will have inhibited properly. T he first two possible reactions - to do and to block - are both norma l. The third reaction - to allow- is natural. To inhibit , then, means both waiti n g before reacting and giving up the wish to react in your normal way.

THETEACHE~STOUCH The teacher touches the pupil for four separate but interrelated reasons. First, touch is an effective way of analysing the pupil's use. Visual observation is an invaluable so urce of informati on for an Alexander teacher, yet there are aspects of a pupil's use whic h are hidden to the teacher's eyes but revealed to the touch of his or h er hands. Second, by touching a pupil, the teacher can help that person prevent certain misuses. For instan ce, by h o ldin g your head and neck in a certain way as you sit and stand, I can prevent yo u from pulling your head back and down, conu-acting your neck, and sho rtenin g your spme. Third, at the same time as a teacher prevents a pupil from doing certain things, he o r she encourages him to use him self in new and different, inhabitu al ways. I described earlier how I may take a pupil off balance, with my hands placed on his shoulders. The position of my hands and my way of using cl1em allow me to point his sho ulders outwards, so tliat they wide n instead of conu·acting. There are teachers who prefer to guide pupils exclusively cl1rough words, arguing

40

cl1at, rather than being given new exper iences, cl1e pupil should live through them, thereby und ertaki ng the same journey of self-discovery as Alexander. There are also pupils who, for various reasons, do not like being touched by a teacher. Is it possible to learn cl1e principles of tlie Techn iqu e witliout ever being touched by a teacher's hand s? Accordin g to Pablo Casals, tlie great cellist, 'Si la pensee estJuste, tout va' (' if cl1eclunking is right, eve1yd 1ing works'). The ultimate objective of cl1e Alexander Technique is to change your way of cl1inking. After alJ, it is a change in attitude and perception cl1at engenders changes in habit, posture, and movement . It sh ou ld cl1en be possible for you to learn cl1ese new habit s through a clunking process rather cl1an tlirough touch - possible, but extremely difficult, in view of cl1e ever-present gap between what we do and what we cl1inkwe do. Indeed, cl1efourcl1and most import ant reason why a teacher uses touch is because it can help the pupil to feel more accuratel y. Thanks to cl1e teacher's touch, cl1epupil can go cl1rough wellconceived and well-directed new experiences, and, from cl1ese exper iences, draw eno ugh information to overcome the obstacles of faulty sensory awareness and close cl1e gap between what he does and what he feels tliat he does. One of my finest pupils is an amateur cellist called Genevieve; we have worked in a steady and rigorous manner for more than six years, and I co nsider her to be an expert in inhibi tion and direction. She ha s learned a great deal about cl1e Technique almost wicl1out receiving cl1e touch of my hands, but the absence of my touch has been largely com pensated by a numb er of ocl1er factors. Above all, her cello - mirror, guide, companion, source of innumerabl e problems as well as of constant inspiration - has allowed us to exp lore every aspect of cl1eTechnique. If you are persevering and disciplined, if you have a rich field to exp lore (such as tlie cello, or golf,

THE

or a marti al art ), and if yo u have a reso ur ceful and ima ginative teacher , th en yo u too cou ld learn the Alexander Tec hniqu e with o ut being to uched by a teach er's hand s. In my view, Genevieve is an exce pti o n who o nly make s the rul e all th e more relevant. The overlappi ng functi o ns of the teacher's hand s - 'readi n g' the pupil' s use, pr eventin g misuse, and encourag ing goo d use, all the while helpin g him feel how he uses him self are hard ly ind ependent o f each o ther. If I put my hand s around yo ur ribcage in order to mo~1ito r your breathin g, the mom ent I touch you, yo ur attention is nat urally drawn to your ribcage and to your br eatl1ing . T his redirectio n of yo ur attention inevitabl y leads to chan ges in yo ur breatl1in g, howeve r neutr al my touch may be. The teac her uses tli e hand s in a variet y o f ways. By usi11g hands to guid e a pupi l through a gesture, the teach er increases a pupil 's aware ness of his general co -ordination; his enh anc ed awareness hel ps him alter and control his use. Thi s guiding touch is the main stay of an Alexander teac her, and it accounts for man y of the changes of gesture and tl1o ught that a pupil goes tlirou gh. Id eally, the teacher sh o uld always persuade the pupil to react in a certa in way, without forcing him to do so, yet th ere are times ·when a pupil is stron gly resistant to change . T here are many reasons for thi s, includin g fear of th e unknown , entrenched end -gainin g habit s, a particular lack o f sensor ial and kinae stheti c ease, or simpl y an un willingn ess to abandon old co ntrol s. By usin g hand s with spee d and reso lve, a teacher may by-pass a hardy pupil's o ld co nt ro ls and give him a new , une xpected experience, which brings with it startl ing sen sation s, so metim es of discomfort , so metime s of p leasure . Here , the teac her's touch is goad ing mo re tl1an g uiding. T his can be extremely useful, but it takes a skilful teacher to bring it off wit ho ut harm .

L ESS O N

Altl1m1gh the aim o f every teacher should be not to treat or cur e djsease but to teac h pupils how to inhibit and direct, th e touch of an ab le teach er may well have soothing and healing prop erti es. A pupil may com e in for a lesson sufferin g from a headache, for exa mple , and leave th e lesson forty minutes later free fro m pain. This ofte n presents a teach er with several dilemma s.

FEELING GOOD, DOING RIGHT THING

THE

Pupils who find th emselves free from pa.in after an Alexand er lesson may expect tl1e same result after every lesson. However, a mom ent 's freedom cann ot ever be repro duced ; ot!1er mom ents of perhaps even greater freedom may occur, but not in a preructable or contro llable Way. The growtli of an Alexander pupil almost never follows a straight line in t!1e same forward rurection. In an old and wise book we read tl1at 'he who increaset!i knowledge increaset!1 sorrow'. To beco me newly aware of wro ngful habits may mal