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Ulysses and the Sirens

I was reminded recently of a story from the Odyssey, an ancient Greek legend of the hero, Ulysses, returning home after the Trojan war.

One of the challenges he faces is to pass by the island of the Sirens without falling under their spell. He is told that nobody can hear their beautiful singing without leaping overboard, swimming to the island and becoming trapped by the enchantment. The bones of many sailors litter the green fields.

The solution that is suggested to him is to fill the ears of his crew with beeswax so that they can sail the ship but won't hear the singing. For himself he decides that he wants to hear the song; and so he asks his men to tie him to the mast and no matter what he says, not to let him free.

They pass the island; Ulysses is enchanted by the song and begs to be released but his men don't give in. Only when they are well past, and free from the enchantment do they untie him.

This story illustrates so well the conflict that we all have to deal with, between the impulses of our senses and habits and the rationality of our minds. When our New Year's resolution fails because we couldn't resist that piece of pie we have experienced the same challenge and found ourself wanting. At least we didn't leap overboard!

In the Alexander Technique we are very interested in this dilemma. If we have a conflict between the rational mind and the impulses of our habits and senses then is it not possible to follow our rational choices rather than giving in to the enchantment? Is it not possible to say no to the pie, no to the Sirens? Do we really have to tie ourselves down just to keep to a decision?

The answer is that conscious control is possible. We can learn how to listen to temptation without being sucked in. It is a skill that is built slowly through many simple and small experiences of success.

Learning on your own

I am often asked whether the Alexander Technique can be learned on your own, using perhaps books or internet resources. My answer is that, although it is possible it is very difficult. I haven't met anyone yet who has managed to learn anything worthwhile through self study. Most people who try to learn it this way misunderstand a basic concept, or misapprehend what it is that they themselves are doing or not doing. In the end they spend far too long practicing something that is incorrect. It would have been better if they had not even tried.

Alexander encountered this same problem in his many years of teaching. When someone walked into his teaching room and proudly announced that they had read his books and had made great progress on their own he would take a moment to see what they had learned; and then he would usually say: "it would have been better for both of us if you had not read my books."

A good teacher will see where you are going wrong and put you on the right track in ways that you cannot easily do for yourself.

A story about Aldous Huxley

In 1962, English writer Aldous Huxley published his final work, the novel "Island". It is the account of Will Farnaby, a cynical journalist who is shipwrecked on the fictional island of Pala. Island is Huxley's utopian counterpart to his most famous work, the 1932 dystopian novel "Brave New World".

Huxley's utopian vision of the future was one in which people were rational, conscious and applied intelligence to their decisions. In the novel this was one of the main reasons why society on the island worked so well for everyone. As a student of the Alexander Technique, Huxley was embedding into his novel some of the basic principles of that discipline.

A picture worth a thousand words

I saw this picture recently of the famous Olympic 100m final of 30 years ago where Ben Johnson won gold (but was later disqualified for steroid use). Aside from the historical scandal and controversy this is a remarkable photo. It shows, at a moment of extreme exertion, how even elite athletes are helped or hindered by deep-rooted habits in the way that they "use" themselves - the way that they manage their coordination.

Look at Carl Lewis (the second place runner); at the moment of summoning all his energies to try to get to first place and overtake his rival he is tightening the muscles of his neck, pulling his head back and interfering with his efforts to power forward. In fact, all of the other athletes can be seen doing this to some extent - except for Ben Johnson, whose head remains poised much more freely on the top joint of the spine, face squarely forward, torso lengthening upwards in the same direction as his raised arm.

Who knows how well Ben Johnson would have done if he had not been led astray by the whole doping thing. This photo, however, shows that he had fabulous and efficient coordination and would probably always have been an elite athlete.

What is Freedom?

When we think of being free, many of us yearn to escape from duties, obligations, a dead-end job, a difficult relationship or a crushing mortgage. In other words, we think that the limits on our freedom are external; And yet no matter how hard we try to pick apart these external ties we never seem to become as free as we might wish.

If we look more inwards and ask ourselves why we cling to jobs we don't like, why we take on a giant mortgage, or get ourselves into unsatisfying relationships we might realize that we do these things because, at the time, it feels right. The extent to which we allow our sense of feeling to dominate our decisions is the extent to which we are trapped by the consequences. It is no different than addiction.

One of the essential principles of the Alexander Technique is that we must learn to identify things that feel right, but might not ultimately be in our best interests. This means learning to take decisions which might feel wrong in the moment but lead us to a better outcome. It means questioning the assumption that "going with your gut" is always the right choice.

When we are free from the instinctive domination of this sense of feeling we can become freer and and freer in the world. We are less compelled to make the same choices as everyone else, or to follow the narrative that has been drummed into us.

More Science

This important book, by Frank Pierce Jones describes a wide range of scientific investigations of the Alexander Technique conducted in the psychology department of Tufts University.

Scientific Support

Over many years there have been numerous studies on the Alexander Technique, finding it to be both safe and effective in dealing with a range of problems. This one, referred to in the British Medical Journal, was a large scale study looking specifically at lower back pain.

Who is the Alexander Technique for?

Although the Alexander Technique was created 100 years ago by an actor and has been embraced by the performing arts world, it is a set of skills that has value for anyone in the world. Most of my students for the past 25 years have been people who find themselves getting into trouble through such mundane repetitive activities as sitting at a desk. I have taught surgeons who develop bad backs from bending over their work, and sailors with bad legs from compensating badly for the pitch and roll of their vessels. They key is to learn more about how your coordination works and how to stop getting in the way of what is natural.

Alexander Technique Atlantic updated their business hours.

Fear of being "wrong" is the biggest block to improvement

How do you feel when you make an attempt and fail? Most of us would probably say we don't like it. But if we are motivated we will try again. The hope is that if we persist we will improve and we will start to have more successes.

Strangely enough we tend to become much more shy about failing as we get older. Children will unashamedly make attempt after attempt to master a skill but adults will back off much more quickly. They are uncomfortable with failing. The feeling of being "wrong" is too big to enable them to keep working at learning something if they are not successful right away.

This is one of our biggest blocks to changing deeply rooted habits. To the extent that we are comfortable in the old habit, the new one will always feel wrong or unfamiliar. The new habit may be far better than the old one but if it feels wrong people will be reluctant to employ it. In the Alexander Technique we work very consciously and deliberately with overcoming this problem. We actually learn to embrace the feeling of being wrong. At the very least it means we have succeeded in doing something different than what we have always done in the past.

It's all about "Use"

George Orwell once said that by the age of 50 everyone has the face they deserve. Like many great quotes it's funny but it also contains a real germ of truth. Your face at that age will show the record of 50 years of your habits;50 years of either of pulling it down into a grimace, or letting it lift into a smile.

Alexander saw the same effects on a larger scale. He noted that the way we "use" ourselves, as a whole, determines how well we function. If we move through the world in a chronic state of tension then we will eventually have to pay the consequences in the form of illness, injury or stunted performance. He also found that it is never too late to learn how to change these habits. At any age, if you stop banging your head on the wall your headaches will disappear.

the photo is George Orwell.

Getting Old

It is common to expect a gradual deterioration in the quality of life as we get older. From the 40s onward most people will grumble about increasing problems with muscles, joints, digestion, energy, and mental health. Whilst it is true that nobody can turn back the clock we have to recognize that a large part of this decline is totally avoidable. I use the following metaphor: if you complain to me about a recurring headache that seems to get worse every year I will teach you to stop banging your head on the wall. If you take away the cause, you don't have the problem.

Of course the real causes are more subtle, but the Alexander Technique will help you to remove habits which are causing you problems. Getting old should not be about decades of decline. I am more healthy in my 50s than I was in my 40s or my 30s.

Why are habits so hard to change?

It's an unremarkable thing to say that some habits are hard to change. But it's worthwhile to look more closely at the reason for this. It may surprise you to learn that the most significant obstacle to changing long-held habits is the fact that the old habit feels totally normal, totally right; anything new, in contrast, will feel totally abnormal and totally wrong. In trying to make a change we are attempting to do something that feels wrong.

A good example of this is trying to change your diet in order to lose weight. As soon as we put a plan into action and start eating a little less it feels terribly wrong; we feel like we are starving. The diet lasts only as long as we are able to tolerate this "wrong" feeling. Usually in the end that feeling wins and the diet is abandoned.

FM Alexander, the founder of the Alexander Technique, discovered this basic principle when attempting to change his dysfunctional patterns of tension. These patterns were causing an undue strain on his voice, particularly during his performances as a young professional actor. Faced with a serious obstacle to his chosen career he eventually discovered that the only way forward was to change his habits through the use of "reasoning" rather than "feeling". As long as he tried to "feel" his way out of his problem he always ended up back where he started.

This is such a unique principle in the Alexander Technique that it bears repeating: as long as you rely on your sense of feeling to achieve change you are far more likely to fail than succeed. What this means in practice opens a whole new world of possibilities.

November is Alexander Month

Introductory lessons will be 50% off so long as there are time slots available in the month. If you have been curious about the Alexander Technique but have not had the chance to find out what it can do for you, take advantage of this opportunity. Taught at some of the most prestigious schools of performing arts around the world, this subtle and surprising technique has something to offer anyone who lives in the world. Message me to set up your lesson.

Learning in a Group

People sometimes ask me whether it is possible to learn the Alexander Technique in a group. It's a reasonable question. Group workshops would be considerably more economical than private lessons. My answer, unfortunately, is unequivocal: it is impossible to make significant progress in a group.

The reason for this is that we are actually dealing with a very subtle skill. You are trying to learn how to change the habits of a lifetime, habits which you are not even fully conscious of. These habits feel so normal to you that you employ them all the time, in everything you do. In a group setting you would inevitably employ these same habits in following the instructions of the teacher. In trying to get it right you would actually be further practicing your errors.

Workshops are great places to get a taste of what the Technique is all about, but in order to make real and lasting changes one-to-one lessons are highly advised.

Your bones are alive!

You may not be aware that your bones are composed of living cells. Like any organic tissue they respond to the stresses we put on them day after day. Osteoblasts are constantly creating new bone and Osteoclasts are removing old bone; both in response to the physical stresses that prevail. A persistent habit of pulling yourself down will gradually over the years produce a crumpled and crooked skeleton. Learning how to remove these chronic habits will enable the skeleton to recover its natural poise and uprightness.

The photo shows Frederick Matthias Alexander in his 70s.

The Alexander Technique for Performers.

People often ask me what the Alexander Technique can do for performing artists. After decades of experience as a teacher and a performer myself I can offer some insight. Essentially, no matter how hard we practice, we all come up against limits in our performance. Some of these limits we may not be able to overcome, but many of these limits are the product of our own habits of tension and mal-coordination; and are difficult for us to perceive in ourselves. The Alexander Technique is a way for us to develop sufficient consciousness about what we do, and to remove the habits that impede us, cause us chronic pain or limit our performance.

Alexander himself was a performer. He created the technique to solve his own distressing problem of loss of voice during performance. In my own case I have resolved many issues including chronically aching shoulders, fatigue, an overly tight technique and lack of fluidity.

The Alexander Technique is a skill - the skill to undo bad habits. We learn it gradually, just like learning to play an instrument or to sing.

The image is Artur Rubenstein, a fine example of fluid coordination in performance, even in advanced years. You don't have to become increasingly crumpled up as you get older.

To change a habit is the subtle process of changing the way your brain responds to a familiar stimulus. If you react quickly to that stimulus you will always react habitually. The only way to change that habitual reaction is to take a moment and to "stop" before you react. We use the term "inhibit". Only then can you actually change the course of the habit.

If you have read any of the recent popular books on brain research and brain plasticity you will recognize that we are talking about an almost infinite capacity to change the way our brain is wired. We just need to be disciplined and to have a clear method.

This book by Norman Doidge is one of my favourites.

This is what we should all be aiming for.

Everyone thinks that good posture is the product of diligently "standing up straight". Nothing could be further from the truth. "Head up and shoulders back" in the style your grandmother used to advise is only the recipe for 50% more tension. Nobody can keep that up. In truth, we improve our posture by removing habits, not adding them. We take away our habit of pulling ourselves down and we go up effortlessly like young children. Our greatest problem is that these habits are so familiar they are virtually invisible to us.