The Alexander Technique

    Last Thursday, AMSAT certified instructor Lauren Hill gave two talks at Bemidji State University (BSU) about the Alexander technique.

    This healing technique was invented over 100 years ago by F.M. Alexander. Alexander, an actor, had problems with hoarseness of the voice. He went from doctor to doctor until one day he turned to himself for answers. He began to think that it was something he was doing that was causing all his problems. He went to a doctor, who agreed, but could not help. 
 

    Therefore Alexander observed himself.  He did this for a number of years and found that his hoarseness was caused by interference in the natural balance between his head and neck. Reducing this interference became the basis of his technique.

    Hill first became interested in the Alexander technique after she was in a car accident at age 19. The accident caused chronic neck, shoulder and back pain. About three months afterward, her life became difficult because she couldn’t sit or stand for more than five or 10 minutes at a time.
 

    At first, the doctors said that nothing was wrong, but Hill kept going to doctors for many years, trying to find relief. She also underwent physical therapy, chiropractic treatment and massage therapy.
 

    About six years after the accident, Hill heard about the Alexander technique. She didn’t know what it was, but she took some lessons with a teacher whose approach was very different. Her teacher told her that she was part of her own problem, and helped her become more aware of herself.
 

    According to Hill, most of the day people are on auto-pilot and tense their muscles too much in order to drive, use a computer or cook. It’s just habitual.

    “The session made me much more aware of tension I hold in my everyday life and that, if I notice it, I can choose to let it go," said Dr. Erika Svanoe, Professor of Music. "The difficulty is remembering to notice.” 

    Hill soon discovered she could use less effort. It took time—months—for her teacher to work with her. It wasn’t just a quick-fix weekend. But eventually, Hill could correlate paying attention to her movements with a decrease in her pain.

    Those who have experienced chronic pain know the feeling of helplessness.  The Alexander technique helped Hill to change her mindset, which was very important.  She could actually help herself.  She didn’t need to feel dependent upon anybody else.

    Hill was so interested in the Alexander technique that when she was 30, she decided she wanted to teach it. At the time, she lived in Minneapolis, but had to move to Illinois to train, since there was not a training program in Minnesota.
 

    She began her three-year training program near the University of Illinois. Afterward, she moved back to St. Paul, where she has been teaching since 2003. She also teaches in Park Rapids approximately once a month.  Students, mostly from Bemidji, come to take lessons there. Typically the lessons are taught like a music lesson--one-on-one--but she will often do group introductory sessions like she did at BSU. 

      “I feel like this could be very useful in the long-run, " said student Mallory Pynn. "Just this small class has made me realize all the little things I do every day that cause me to work against myself. I’m even interested in finding out how to become certified so I can help others.”

    One of the main premises of the Alexander technique is that when the head is not balanced on top of the spine, it gets bogged down, putting 12-15 lbs of pressure on the spine and sends repercussions throughout the whole body. Teachers of the Alexander technique help people to understand and re-train their nervous system and find a more natural balance for the head on top of the spine.
 

     People often come to Hill when they have knee or shoulder problems, but she always comes back to the relationship between the head, neck and spine. The spine sets the stage for movement in the rest of the body.  If it is compressed, movement will take more effort, but if it is free, movement will be easy. Imagine driving your car with the emergency brake—you can do it but it doesn’t work very well. This technique teaches people to take the emergency brake off.

        “It was really interesting to notice the amount of tension being held in your body and getting the grand sensation of freedom," said one audience member.

    The Alexander technique is for people who want it. People interested in the technique have take responsibility and study themselves. This is basically what the technique is all about. It must be stressed that the sessions are educational.  Hill is a teacher, not a therapist.  She works with a student, not a client. For more information, go to www.AlexanderTeachingStudio.com.