TALKBACK SELF HELP 19
Learning the Alexander Technique has been shown by randomised controlled clinical trial to have long-term benefits for people with chronic and recurrent back pain. Starting a new series, researcher and teacher of the Alexander Technique, Lesley Glover shows us that while learning the Alexander Technique involves one-to-one lessons, there are many practical tips that we can take away and explore by ourselves.
Stop and take stock: do less so you can do more The magic of stop
There are lots of ways in which the Alexander Technique can help people and I thought it might be useful to share some tips and ideas for improving wellbeing and making life easier. That is what the Alexander Technique is all about, reducing unnecessary tension and finding more ease, balance and confidence in life. Over the next few months I’m going to suggest some ideas to try: these will give a flavour of the elements of the Alexander Technique. I thought I’d start by suggesting something very simple and straightforward. Lots of people have things they do that they find cause them some discomfort, pain or stress. It might be working at the computer, lifting something, entering a stressful situation or even just getting up out of a chair. If there is something like that for you, here is a small experiment to try. Instead of just doing the activity as you normally would: 1 Stop just before you do the activity or action. 2 Allow yourself to notice something in the room or in the surroundings around you. Notice the colour, the texture, the size, the shape or any other detail about it. 3 Now do the action or the activity. 4 Ask yourself what, if anything, is different? You might be about to stand up, open the door to your house after a day at work, start getting tea. Whatever it is, stop for a moment or two and notice something, then carry on with what you were doing.
Save energy and effort
We all go through life using more effort than we need to do things. A key part of the Alexander Technique is to learn to notice unhelpful habits and create an opportunity to do things differently. These habits can be small or large, and of any kind, but often what is unhelpful is that we do more than is needed or use more effort than is needed. By noticing and changing these habits we can save lots of energy and effort.
As well as leading to feeling less tired and better overall, this can also free us up to do more. The way habits are changed in the Alexander Technique is by identifying the habit and then using thoughts rather than actions to change things. Here’s something to try. Next time you are doing an everyday task, for example chopping vegetables, using a computer mouse, writing with a pen, or brushing your teeth: 1 Stop and notice how much effort you are using to do the activity. You might be really gripping the knife, squeezing the mouse, strangling the pen etc. 2 Once you have noticed, ask yourself: “What if I did less holding or gripping or squeezing?” You don’t need to answer the question or actively do anything, just ask yourself “What if I did less?” 3 See if anything changes. If you noticed a helpful change, choose one activity and for the next few days apply these steps to that activity. Lesley Glover www.lesley-glover.co.uk
Approach to improve health and wellbeing The Alexander Technique is a self-management approach which offers people of any age or ability a way to improve their health and wellbeing. It can be applied in all situations in everyday life and can lead to better balance, co-ordination and freedom of movement. It can increase confidence, self-awareness and provide greater control over your actions. It is widely used to reduce pain as well as to improve performance in sport, music and drama, public speaking and interview technique. Find out more at www.stat.org.uk
TALKBACK l ISSUE 3 2015