‘To take a step is an affair, not of this or that limb solely, but of the total neuromuscular activity of the moment, not least of the head and the neck.’ said the famous, Nobel-Prize winner physiologist Sir Charles Sherrington. This was a tribute to Alexander’s technique, for it was preceded by: ‘Mr. Alexander has done a service to the subject by insistently treating each act as involving the whole integrated individual, the whole psychophysical man.’*
The Alexander Technique teaches how mind and body work as a whole. Take the example of walking. Walking depends on the freedom of the joints, especially of the hip, knee and ankles joints to bend freely. The freedom of the joints depends also on the ability of the muscles to lengthen effortlessly. Muscles constrained by tension restrain joints from moving easily and may also compress joints, making walking stiff and a lot of work. With the Alexander Technique you learn to expand your musculature in movement, especially of the head and neck, so that the spine can lengthen and all joints are decompressed. This in turn allows for swift and effortless movement of the joints, so that walking can be easy and efficient.
You are warmly welcome to come to one of our ‘Open Hours’ events to get an impression of the Alexander Technique.
Through a series of lessons you can learn to practice the Alexander Technique.