I'm recovering from very hard and busy last few days at school today. My strategy is to pause every hour and do the lie-down, or other AT activity. I have no teacher to put hands on me available, but I do what I can anyway.
As a help I'm using some audio recordings (G.Park, C.Nicholls, S.B.Cushman) It helps in directing attention.
Another pause in 20 minutes...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Head-neck
The point of connection between the head and the neck. For how many years I've thought it was at the bottom of the head? It's actually much higher than people think.
This is something I'm currently looking more closely at.
And the habit I noticed today: I tend to lean forward when sitting on the chair.
This is something I'm currently looking more closely at.
And the habit I noticed today: I tend to lean forward when sitting on the chair.
Mind Body 40 Days
Current AT reading - Sandra B Cusham's 'Mind Body 40 Days':
http://mindbody40days.blogspot.com/
http://mindbody40days.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
End gaining
Yesterday I suddenly felt unwell at work, that was around lunchtime. This off-balance feeling stayed with me until today. Now I'm home, recovering - what would be a good strategy for re-centering?
I'm going to do a lie-down in a minute, to shift more from doing to being mode.
Modern schools are end-gaining. It's almost all about achieving specific results and targets - this is insane and harmful to both students and teachers. What is not addressed is the process - how to stay balanced, healthy and connected to oneself and what is around us while being challenged and under pressure. In this respect students and teachers are on their own.
I'm going to do a lie-down in a minute, to shift more from doing to being mode.
Modern schools are end-gaining. It's almost all about achieving specific results and targets - this is insane and harmful to both students and teachers. What is not addressed is the process - how to stay balanced, healthy and connected to oneself and what is around us while being challenged and under pressure. In this respect students and teachers are on their own.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Reaction - Response
It is possible to choose our response to the situation, but this requires training. Most of the times we just habitually react.
Yesterday I was involved in the situation, when one person panicked. On that particular occassion I felt that the right response on my part was to do nothing. Doing nothing is active.
This situation reminded me that without stopping (inhibiting) in front of the situation that puts pressure on us, we give our habits permission to take even stronger hold of our actions, and we are therefore more likely to react, and not respond.
The most useful tool I have come across for learning how to respond is the AT.
The current great challenge for me is how to apply this within the school environment.
Yesterday I was involved in the situation, when one person panicked. On that particular occassion I felt that the right response on my part was to do nothing. Doing nothing is active.
This situation reminded me that without stopping (inhibiting) in front of the situation that puts pressure on us, we give our habits permission to take even stronger hold of our actions, and we are therefore more likely to react, and not respond.
The most useful tool I have come across for learning how to respond is the AT.
The current great challenge for me is how to apply this within the school environment.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Release
Today was the first day at work after a long break. I found myself very tensed after work when I came back home, mainly in my knee & hip joints.
The lie-down helped to release some of these tensions, although not completely, the tension in the lower half of the body was gone, but the process revealed more holding in the shoulders.
What is more interesting is that I was able to notice my attitude to one task I have to do tonight gradually changing. That is, what seemed to be dull and unattractive chore before, gradually became something that simply needed to be done and I could visualize myself doing it with ease & without negative attitude.
Wonderful to be reminded that the key to so many of our weakness lies in simply improving our bodily functioning and coordination. This can only lead us up to a certain point, yet it's necessary.
The lie-down helped to release some of these tensions, although not completely, the tension in the lower half of the body was gone, but the process revealed more holding in the shoulders.
What is more interesting is that I was able to notice my attitude to one task I have to do tonight gradually changing. That is, what seemed to be dull and unattractive chore before, gradually became something that simply needed to be done and I could visualize myself doing it with ease & without negative attitude.
Wonderful to be reminded that the key to so many of our weakness lies in simply improving our bodily functioning and coordination. This can only lead us up to a certain point, yet it's necessary.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Meditation & conditioning of the body
I have heard the view that the body needs to be conditioned in order to be prepared for the stillness of meditation.
Well, speaking of preparing for stillness it's also necessary to de-condition the body, that is, to stop repeating the harmful habitual patterns of tensing and collapsing.
Perhaps it's necessary to use both approaches?
In AT the process of change helps to come back to the condition we once expressed in every action as a child - freedom, spontaneity and ease. In a similar way meditation makes us like little children. Child-like, but not childish.
Well, speaking of preparing for stillness it's also necessary to de-condition the body, that is, to stop repeating the harmful habitual patterns of tensing and collapsing.
Perhaps it's necessary to use both approaches?
In AT the process of change helps to come back to the condition we once expressed in every action as a child - freedom, spontaneity and ease. In a similar way meditation makes us like little children. Child-like, but not childish.
The Name
Alexander Technique - it doesn't sound like a good name to what is understood by AT to me. It sounds like another technique / therapy 'invented' in the 20th century.
AT was developed as a response to the need, it was discovered and not invented, as opposed to other techniques developed around the same time.
In my opinion AT deserves more universal name, something that would attract people, without evoking any misleading associations.
AT was developed as a response to the need, it was discovered and not invented, as opposed to other techniques developed around the same time.
In my opinion AT deserves more universal name, something that would attract people, without evoking any misleading associations.
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