I'm just back from a week in the Lake District, aka 'Wainwright country'. Alfred Wainwright's 7-volume 'Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells' (1955-1966) remains the standard reference work for this beautiful part of the world.  The author was at pains to choose routes with good views, and always advised people to watch where they put their feet: if you want to admire the breathtaking scenery, stop!  So I doubt he would have approved of how conquering all of the 'Wainwrights' (summits in his guidebooks) has become such a competitive sport.  The record for all 214 currently stands at 6 days 6 hours and 4 minutes.  I think the title of the account published by a former record holder says it all: 'There is No Map in Hell: The Record-Breaking Run Across the Lake District Fells' (Steve Birkinshaw, 2017).  F M Alexander would have called this speed-obsessed approach 'endgaining'; my grandmother would have quoted her favourite poem, by William Henry Davies: 'What is this life if, full of care,/We have no time to stand and stare.'

A new Alexander Technique student asked why I am always "going on about not rushing".  I explained a little about how the body tenses in reaction to our anxiety about not being fast enough (mentally wanting to be in the future rather than the only place we can ever physically be, i.e. the present), and how this tension interferes with our co-ordination and our effectiveness.

Then I listened to BBC Radio 5 Live's commentary on the penalty shoot-outs at the end of the Chelsea v Eintracht Frankfurt match on Thursday night.

Sebastien Haller, who went first for Eintracht, displayed "absolute composure, didn't look feared at all, stepped up, took his time" - and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.  Notwithstanding the high stakes - huge crowd, place in the Europa League final - Eden Hazard (shown) looked similarly "cool and confident" as he scored the winning penalty for Chelsea.

Contrast this with Cesar Azpilicueta, who went fourth. "It's a hurried run up...and it's saved! Sometimes you can just tell: it was a very hurried run up by Azpilicueta - he wanted to get it over and done with."   
"He looked rushed.  Take your time!"

Q.E.D.

Personal experience leads me to corroborate the benefits of the Alexander Technzique for people with Parkinson's, as reported in my previous post (11/4/19).  In February I attended a training course for experienced AT teachers, on teaching the Technique to students with this particular neurological disease.  Over two days, we had a number of opportunities to work with people who have Parkinson's (two of whom appear in this photo), in activities such as walking and sitting.  The changes were plain to see! My thanks to Loretta Manson, Liz Dodgson, Dai Richards and Regina Stratil, who designed and ran a superb training programme.

Today is World Parkinson's Day.  Did you know that the NICE Guidelines include a recommendation to "consider the Alexander Technique for people with Parkinson's Disease who are experiencing balance or motor-function problems"?

This is because of robust research, in particular by Chloe Stallibrass MSTAT, which demonstrated that Alexander Technique lessons led to a significantly increased ability to carry out everyday activities.  Participants in the randomised control trial (2002) also reported subjective improvements in balance, posture and walking, as well as improved coping ability and reduced stress.

Today the international Alexander community celebrates the 150th birthday of our founding father, F M Alexander. 'F M' - as he is affectionately known - was born in Wynyard, Tasmania in 1869.  His career as an actor, reciting Shakespeare to Australian audiences, was threatened by vocal problems.  Repeatedly, he found his voice would grow hoarse mid-performance.  The leading doctors of the day were unable to help him, other than by telling him to rest his voice.  Alexander deduced that it must be something he was doing that was causing the problem.  But what?  He resolved to find out for himself.  The rest, as they say, is history. To find out what happened next, click here. ​

Looking to find out more about the Alexander Technique? Come to my 2-hour 'taster' workshop on Friday 9 November (10.30-12.30)!  Enlightenment and enjoyment guaranteed, not to mention coffee and cake. 
​ 
Cost: £35
Maximum of 5 participants.

Further information and booking form:
http://www.carolynsimon.com/workshops.html

Take a look at this marvelous portrait, from the National Portrait Gallery's collection.  It's of Sir Desmond MacCarthy (1877-1952), literary critic and member of the Bloomsbury Group, painted by the Bloomsbury artist Duncan Grant in 1944. 

​I love the sitter's easy upright pose - an example to us all, and so different from the 'slump and peer' posture most of us adopt when reading or writing (or texting) these days.  Notice how Desmond MacCarthy uses another book to create a makeshift reading slope.

I have just read a remarkable autobiography by a remarkable woman: 'LET IT GO' by Dame Stephanie Shirley CH.  There's a pun in the title, as Steve Shirley made her fortune by founding and building a computer software company in the days when IT (as in 'Information Technology') was in its infancy.  During her phenomenally successful career, she learned to let go in several senses - through empowering others, through relinquishing control when it was time to move on, and through giving away millions of pounds through 'intelligent philanthropy'.   

Letting go is also a recurring theme in the Alexander Technique, be it letting go of unnecessary muscle tension, of habitual over-reaction to a stimulus, of patterns of moving that cause undue wear and tear, or of fixed ideas.  A little like Dame Stephanie Shirley, the Alexander Technique student who learns to let go finds that they expand into their best selves as a result.  Less is more!

There is much emphasis in the Alexander Technique on undoing the collapsing and narrowing tendencies that accompany life in our sedentary, indoor and hi-tech modern world.  As I jogged through my local wood early this morning, it occurred to me that a walk (or run) in nature can be our friend in this regard.  There is nothing like ancient woodland, with birds singing from undergrowth to highest canopy, to invite one’s awareness up and out.  And as we are what Alexander termed ‘psychophysical unities’ (i.e. mind and body are inseparably linked), the body expands into greater length, openness and – dare I say – ‘springiness’ in response.

My recent post ('I never thought I could do that' 12/12/17) about a new study investigating the benefit of AT to older people with a fear of falling reminded me of a 2007 research project that covered similar ground.  Almost ten years ago, I attended a very inspiring presentation by two American colleagues, Sarah Barker and Glenna Batson.  Their pilot study at the University of South Carolina explored the effects of a two-week trial of the Alexander Technique on elderly people living in a residential community. 

Sarah and Glenna showed us video footage of participants being tested before and after their series of group AT lessons. The improvement in the elderly people's balance and co-ordination was plain to see.  Thanks to a little googling, I have discovered that the video clips can now be viewed on youtube - and by following this link.