One of the many sadnesses of Lockdown was that the Alexander Technique for People with Parkinson's course that my colleague Deborah Levy and I were due to run this Spring had to be cancelled.

The good news is that Canadian Alexander Technique teacher Candace Cox has just published a superbly informative and beautifully illustrated book on the same subject: Living Daily - Alexander Technique for Parkinson's Disease.   

Candace and I trained together (in London)...back in the 1990s!
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There are some downsides to Zoom (think tired eyes, aching back) but there are some surprising advantages - beyond the obvious ones of being able to work, study, exercise and keep in touch remotely.  I'm thinking of the square or rectangle on your screen which enables you to you see yourself.  What useful feedback!  Notice what quirks accompany your communication. For example, do you tend to lean to one side, tilt your head when listening, jut your head forward when speaking...?
Becoming conscious of our habits of tension and imbalance is the first step towards letting them go.  F M Alexander made this discovery over 125 years ago by using mirrors to observe himself.  A small silver lining to lockdown is that now we have an electronic means of boosting our self awareness.

This week one of my students (with a history of back and shoulder pain) mentioned that she was anxious about the wedding party she was going to that evening, as she would be wearing high heels.  Her concern was understandable: because they throw the weight of the wearer forward, high heels tend to lead to a compensatory tightening/over-arching of the back that is often accompanied by lower back pain.
We discussed applying Alexander Technique principles to the problem, specifically to think about:

1. 1) Keeping upright not by pulling backwards from the small of the back, but by allowing the head to 'float' upwards, on top of the spine;
2. 2) Connecting with the ground through the heel bones (talus).

Afterwards my student reported, "I managed to wear my dress and heels tonight with minimal strain on my back - which is a first!  Many thanks for your help today."
Thus proving that the Alexander Technique can help with (almost) anything!

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. 
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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.