There’s been a bit of a buzz this week about a new video introduction to the Alexander Technique, and it’s definitely worth the hype. It’s only ten minutes long and worth a watch!:-
In my view, the following is what makes this video so great:
- it shows very clearly from the client’s perspective what it’s like to try out the Alexander Technique for the first time;
- it’s made by endurance athlete and social media influencer Laura Try;
- the instructor is Anthony Kingsley, one of the Technique’s most experienced teachers;
- Laura not only describes her experience first-hand as the lesson progresses, but also gives accurate descriptions of its benefits such as improved movement and posture, reduced tension and pain, and increased energy and performance;
- Laura describes what were for her some unexpected effects of the Technique, for example feeling more present-minded and calmer in both body and mind;
- Laura includes some fantastic ‘before and after’ footage so that the effects of the Technique are clearly visible.
Laura is right when she remarks that the experience ‘was as much a brain exercise as it was a body exercise’. Here’s a quote from the instructor Anthony Kingsley which confirms this important and unusual aspect of the Alexander Technique:
So unlike a massage where you’re very dependent on someone sort of pushing the muscles and releasing little muscle groups, and you go ‘oh that’s nice’, this is a different sort of thing where your nervous system is learning how to self-regulate, how to regulate back to its original design.
Anthony Kingley (at 7:02 in the video)
