Posts Tagged ‘Performing Musicians and Exercise’

This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Performing Musicians and Exercise, is published on this website in a PDF format. It shows the performing musician how to exercise without causing wear and tear to the body or compromise the quality of their performing technique.
This ebook is also for sale on all AMAZON websites in a KINDLE format.
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A.

The Alexander Technique in its purest form is about changing how we do the things we do, from playing a musical instrument, to running, to brushing our teeth, without causing wear and tear to the body. The technique teaches you how to do this by using clear principles of great posture and great body use continuously throughout the day and night.

I went to an Alexander Technique teacher initially to learn to perform as a classical guitarist without causing carpal tunnel syndrome in my left hand. What I learned was how to use my whole body in such a way that I stopped damaging my body from head to toe to hands when I played.

In fact I created a guitar technique that allowed me to be pain-free when I played the guitar, even if I wasn’t as pain-free in my daily life.

Ideally the Alexander Technique is about using your body in all activities 24/7 without causing pain and strain and damage to your body.

I’ve recently observed if I was doing this here and now for myself. It’s been years since I went through my training, and I haven’t had the feedback of other Alexander Technique teachers helping me focus on physically taking care of myself with daily feedback.

What I see is that I have considerably better posture than most people, and use myself fairly well in most of my daily activities. But I also noticed I was feeling physical strains as I weightlifted, walked, talked, watched TV etc.

What was going on? Cause and effect told me I wasn’t “walking the walk”, since I was hurting or feeling consistent tension in my body, as I did things or interacted with others.

As I said in the opening of this essay, the Alexander Technique in its purist form is about changing physical habits, so that you can do what you do without physical wear and tear and pain throughout the day and night. (Psychotherapy is a choice outside of an Alexander Technique session.)

Since I was hurting, what was I doing?

AFTER THREE YEARS OF ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE TRAINING, OVER TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE TEACHING, TONS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY AND SELF-ANALYSIS, AND MEDITATION, I WAS BEING RUN MUCH OF THE DAY BY WHAT I DIDN’T BELIEVE ANYMORE!

What do I mean?

In the first few years of our lives as children we create our beliefs about how to relate to others, how to manipulate the things in our world, and what we believe about ourselves, that guide us the rest of our lives.

If these beliefs cause poor posture and inefficient ways of doing things, like writing, using a computer, sitting in a chair, running, etc., then we have internalized beliefs that show us we’ve chosen to believe things that don’t serve us lovingly.

SIMPLY PUT, POOR POSTURE AND WEARING OUT OUR JOINTS IN ACTIVITIES IS THE EFFECT OF HUNKERING DOWN AGAINST A WORLD THAT WE BELIEVE IS PRETTY TOUGH TO LIVE IN.

I can’t count the musicians and athletes who’ve come to me believing that they will consistently experience physical injuries at times in their activities throughout their lives. Their aches and pains have proven them right.

THE WAY OUT OF THIS SCENARIO IS TO USE YOUR BODY WELL IN MOST OFF YOUR ACTIVITIES AND INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.

Example: If you grow up believing you have to be wary of most people, then you will interact with others with unnecessary tension in your body and hunker down to protect yourself from them.

The Alexander Technique can teach you to embody safety by teaching you how to be at ease in the presence of others. But I believe it would be to your added advantage to choose to recognize that having to defend yourself in your thoughts is an outdated belief that goes counter to being at ease in your mind/body.

This means that over time you learn to be easy on your mind and body, by letting go of being run by what ISN’T true to you anymore when it comes to playing an instrument, singing, doing a sport, running, sleeping, walking, or talking to someone.

What I observed in myself is that I was being run by my past beliefs (decisions) about what is real, that I didn’t believe anymore. The problem was when I was on autopilot, I was reverting to maneuvering through the world as if I was five-years-old.

When I was on my original autopilot and at the same time utilizing what I had learned in my intense three year Alexander Technique training and psychotherapy, I was conflicted. This meant that I was being pushed and pulled between what I now believed and what didn’t believe anymore.

I now have a choice. I see why and how I was hurting myself physically and emotionally, despite my Alexander Technique training. I can now choose to navigate this world as a child or an aware adult or both. The aware adult most of the time would be a good choice.