INTRODUCTION – DEFINITION OF TRAUMA

There is no conclusive definition for trauma, only physical and emotional responses that are as varied as the human personality. However, the one overwhelming characteristic of trauma is that it renders us powerless. Trauma is triggered by the inability to have control over our physical self or our environment in the face of perceived danger.

I’m frequently asked what a typical Alexander Technique lesson involves.  While there are common elements present in every Alexander Technique lesson I teach, each lesson will be as individual as my students are.  Are we talking about a first lesson or after a year of lessons or someone who has continued to take lessons over time?  How old are they? Do they have a disability, injuries, Parkinson’s, or some other physical limitation? What other activities does the individual do?  Do they sit at a desk all day or are they an avid runner?  Regardless of the individual, the principles of the Alexander Technique are the core of what I teach.  In every case, my goal is for them to learn how to move their bodies and re-educate their vision so that they can move their bodies easily, according to the way our bodies are designed to move.  Over time, this means less pain, more energy, a slowing of degenerative conditions, and a better quality of life.    

I learned how to move in a room: not a gym or a large exercise room but usually a room that was about 8” by 10” lying on a table or sitting on a stool or later lying on the floor. I didn’t not learn how to move in a Yoga class, which I took many classes over a long period of time, or a Tai Chi class or an aerobics class or by running or cycling. I did not learn how to move from a swimming coach, which was my sport as a child. I did not learn how to move from my few gym teachers that I had in my Catholic schools. I did not learn to move from my fencing teacher, gymnastic teacher, or archery teacher at my junior college. I never learned how to move from my ski instructors or golf instructors.

Research and Science: David L. Anderson

https://kin.sfsu.edu/people/faculty/david-anderson

Alexander Technique teacher and kinesiologist David Anderson gave a presentation on an exploratory study he and his colleagues conducted that has so far resulted in two papers published in the Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies in 2015 and 2016, with a third paper about to be submitted for publication. The titles of the two papers are “Effects of Alexander Technique Training Experience on Gait Behavior in Older Adults” and “Older Adult Alexander Technique Practitioners Walk Differently than Healthy Age-Matched Controls.”