Tip 94 – Rising from a Chair like Snow from a Bamboo Leaf

Schedule a Private Alexander Technique Lesson

Alexander Technique Group Classes

Alexander Technique Lessons over Skype

Alexander Technique Gift Certificate

——————————————–

A bus shelter window will have to do…

As you can tell, I was very excited when I saw the snow starting to move on the window of the bus shelter and couldn’t help thinking of Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. The falling snow is the essence of seamless movement that does not telegraph its intent. It is the same quality that allows the archer to release the bow without disturbing the arrow.

To receive these weekly tips as an email, visit Weekly Alexander Technique Tips.
There are more resources available at www.freeyourneck.com. Please write your requests in the comment section.

Buy The Secret to Using Your Body

Tip 67 – Imagine Your Breath As Ocean Waves

Schedule a Private Alexander Technique Lesson

Alexander Technique Group Classes

Alexander Technique Lessons over Skype

Alexander Technique Gift Certificate
——————————————–

Imagine your breath as ocean waves.

In the previous Tip, waves were about posture. This time they are about breathing. A rushed breath, a gasp, is a symptom of impatience. Breathing is something to allow, not something to do. For easier breathing, and less rushing, try waiting for your next breath as if you are waiting for the next wave.

More on Breathing

Free Your Breath – Audio & Article

Avoid Gasping

Avoid Gasping before Speaking

Enjoy Your Exhale

The Ribs Hang

To receive these weekly tips as an email, visit Weekly Alexander Technique Tips.
There are more resources available at www.freeyourneck.com. Please write your requests in the comment section.

By |2014-08-23T10:26:03-04:00July 9th, 2011|Alexander Metaphores, Breathing, Weekly Tips|20 Comments

Tip 66 – Video: Good Posture Is Like a Wave

Schedule a Private Alexander Technique Lesson

Alexander Technique Group Classes

Alexander Technique Lessons over Skype

Alexander Technique Gift Certificate
——————————————–

Instead of thinking of posture as a straight line, try thinking of your body as a wave.  This video comes from Tip 13, where you can see how I relate posture to Katsushika Hokusai’s Great Wave woodcut.

More on Not Standing Straight

Tip 13 – Posture Is Like a Wave

Article – Don”t Stand Up Straight

Extra

A Podcast from Robert Rickover: How the Alexander Technique Helps a Fight Director

To receive these weekly tips as an email, visit Weekly Alexander Technique Tips.
There are more resources available at www.freeyourneck.com. Please write your requests in the comment section.

Tip 13 – Think of Your Body as a Wave

Schedule a Private Alexander Technique Lesson

Alexander Technique Group Classes

Alexander Technique Lessons over Skype

Alexander Technique Gift Certificate
——————————————–

Try standing and bending as if you are a wave of flowing water.

The body is much more than a statue with movable parts. When you think of the internal flow of things like the blood, neurological activity, even the subtle remodeling of the bones, the body is more like a wave, a structure that is created every moment.  In the case of the wave, that same flow creates oppositional relationships that we can also see in the body (look at the arrows on the images).

More on the Wave

Video: Good Posture Is Like a Wave

Your Spine Is Like a Fountain

Article: Five Alternative Posture Tips

Video: Three Tips on Bending

To receive these weekly tips as an email, visit Weekly Alexander Technique Tips.
There are more resources available at www.freeyourneck.com. Please write your requests in the comment section.

Tip 1 – Your Body Is a Spring

Schedule a Private Alexander Technique Lesson

Alexander Technique Group Classes

Alexander Technique Lessons over Skype

Alexander Technique Gift Certificate
——————————————–

Think of your body as an archer’s bow, or a spring. Avoid pulling your body together.

Leland Vall Alexander Technique Tip 1

 As shown in the diagram, even as the bow is compressed, it continues to seek expansion. The ends of the bow never seek each other. Whether standing tall or bending, thinking of your body as an archer’s bow can make you stronger, and it can also make movement easier because it allows for more internal space. You can see a video of this concept at Tip 68.

More on the Value of Expansion:

Improve Computer Posture

Video: Bending, keep Your Head away from Your Heels

Video: How to Rise More Easily from a Chair

Avoid Pulling Down to Go Up

Extra
A Robert Rickover Podcast: How the Alexander Technique Can Help Spondylitis.

 

To receive these weekly tips as an email, visit Weekly Alexander Technique Tips.
There are more resources available at www.freeyourneck.com. Please write your requests in the comment section.

By |2015-10-31T11:27:07-04:00March 28th, 2010|Alexander Metaphores, Weekly Tips|5 Comments