hd TEACH YOURSELF Mreon PLUMexander TECHNIQUE RICHARD CRAZE D. you have back problems? Would you like to learn a new approach to good health? The Alexander technique is a way of re-educating your body through realignment of the spine to give relief from pain and stress and an enhanced sense of well-being. First developed in the early part of this century it has taken its place as a major new therapy. Richard Craze provides a practical, simple and effective guide using a series of practical exercises and procedures that you can try out for yourself. The book is illustrated with many fully labelled and informative diagrams. OTHER TITLES AVAILABLE, Teach Yourself Massage Teach Yourself Aromatherapy Teach Yourself Yoga a ISBN 0-. iil aunid | 64819-8 Hodder & Stoughton UK 26.99 9°780. 0"648193Alexander TECHNIQUE Richard Craze TEACH YOURSELF BOOKSCover photograph © Bubbles, Jonathan Turner Line drawings by Su Eaton Long-renowned as the authoritative source for self-guided learning — with more than 30 million copies sold worldwide - the Teach Yourself series includes over 200 titles in the fields of languages, crafts, hobbies, sports, and other leisure activities. Library of Congress Catalog Number: 95-7130 5 First published in UK 1996 by Hodder Headline Ple, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH Catalogue entry for this title is available from the British Library. First published in US 1992 by NTC Publishing Group, 4255 West Touhy Avenue, Lincolnwood (Chicago), Illinois 60646 — 1975 U.S.A. The ‘Teach Yourself’ name and logo are registered trade marks of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd in the UK Copyright © 1998, Richard Craze In UK: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or under licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Further details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited, of 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE. In US: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior permission of NTC Publishing Group. ‘Typeset by Transet Limited, Coventry, Warwickshire. Printed in Great Britain by Cox & Wyman Ltd, Reading, Berkshire, Impression number 1098765432 ‘Year 1999 1998 1997 1996This book is dedicated to my mother, Jeanne, who never once told me to sit up straightACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank the following people who have helped in the preparation of this book: Richard Brennan, Susan Mears, Ronnie Sway, Doctor Edward Featherstone, Sue Hart, Ros Jay and STAT — yo —CONTENTS Introduction 1 A History of the Alexander Technique Alexander's early history The manner of doing Not doing Primary control Putting it all together Psychophysical integrity The work Spreading the word The Alexander Technique today What is the Alexander Technique? The fundamental things What's It For? Flight or fight? Letting go of excessive tension Coping with stress Falling dewn again The two types of muscles Moral superiority The three ways of doing The four stages of doing Who Can Benefit From It? Case history Suitable candidates Suitable cases for treatment Freeing ourselves from illness End gainers and A types Taking responsibility ~ vii —5 How Is It Done With Guidance? Watching yourself What does it cost? A typical lesson Your first lesson The teachers 6 How To Do It For Yourself Misconceptions Are you aligned? The two parts of the Technique Are you sitting comfortably? Emotional contortionists Go for a walk Semi-supine position 7 Practical Applications The operating system Emotional tensions Thinking ahead How to enjoy exercise more Thinking for ourselves 8 The Body Explained The spinal column The head The back Muscles Nerves Bones The holistic approach How the Technique can help us Useful Information Bibliography Chapter Summary and Checklist Index 142 149INTRODUCTION The right thing to do will probably be the last thing we will do, left to ourselves, because it would be the last thing we should think would be the right thing to do. F M Alexander What is the Alexander Technique? As an estimated one million people are off work with backache each week in the UK alone we must be doing something wrong. Doctors usually prescribe painkillers, osteopaths can sometimes correct the problem but often only temporarily, and surgeons can operate. What is needed is a simple but effective method of re-education: unlearning what it is that we are doing wrong in the first place. The Alexander Technique is exactly that. First developed in the early part of this century it has taken its place as a major new process of body care. It has, up until now, usually been practised by ‘teachers’ who correct the problems and give advice. Teach Yourself Alexander Technique is a practical guide to learning the Alexander Technique so that you can practise it for yourself; a practical, simple but effective guide; a ‘teach-yourself instruction manual. It is likely that most people will have heard of the Alexander Technique but probably will not have had a lesson from a qualified teacher. So, although this is a teach-yourself book, it also explains what happens in a lesson. It is primarily written, however, for the consumer; the ‘end-user’, Some of the complicated language or jargon of the Alexander Technique has been simplified so that you won't beALEXANDER TECHNIQUE made to fee] that you are reading a text book and you should, there- fore, be able to understand the information more easily. This book takes you through a series of practical exercises and proce- dures that you can learn to do at home for yourself. It also explores the added benefits, emotional and mental, of what is essentially a physical approach to good health. Why Alexander? We will start with a history of the Technique which must include a brief history of the man who discovered it in the latter part of the last century, Frederick Matthias Alexander. Alexander was a Tasmanian actor who suffered from a recurring problem of voice loss when he was performing his one-man theatrical recitations of Shakespearean speeches. How he found a cure and went on to develop the Technique is told in Chapter 1. To understand the principles behind the Alexander Technique it is quite important to know how and why Alexander developed them in the way that he did. Reading about his own personal journey of dis- covery leads us to a realisation about the Technique itself - what he did, we can also do. Who can learn it? There is a nothing difficult or extreme about learning the Alexander Technique. It is a safe and effective form of moving our bodies in the way that they were designed to move. It can be taught te children and adults of all ages and physical conditions. If you are in any doubt about your ability to practise the Technique, however, it would be advisable to check with your doctor or a qualified teacher. Above all, do not overdo any of the exercises included in this book - take your time, and exercise caution about how and where you practise. What it isn’t The Alexander Technique is not a therapy, philosophy or creed so you won't be asked to change your diet, lifestyle or the way you dress. Nor will you be asked to ‘believe’ anything. The Technique works on a| fairly simple principle — try it and if it works for you, do it. We'll have a look at the sort of people who learn it and what they use it for, and why you may want to learn it for yourself. This might include treatment for a specific problem like backache, or to help improve your performance in a special area like dancing or athletics, or just from a general interest point of view — you’ve heard about it and wondered what it was. Putting it into practice We will work through some practical exercises as well as looking at the principles behind the Technique. We will also explore how we can put the Technique into practice in our everyday life — there’s no point learning something if we can’t benefit from it in a real and practical way. Putting it into practice can be as simple as taking the tension out of sitting down and standing up — or we can use it in complicated applications like learning Tai Ch’i or playing the violin. Learning the Technique merely requires a certain desire to practise the simple exercises combined with an open mind. If we already have concepts of what the Technique is and isn't, it will be harder for us to let go of our expectations and allow our bodies to move naturally. If we think we know what is right and what is wrong, it will be so much harder for us to learn what is aligned and misaligned or what is working well or not working well. How does it work? We will also have to look at how the human body works but in a fair- ly basic way — this isn’t going to be a biology lesson. It’s just that to understand what we're doing wrong we have to know how it’s sup- posed to work in the way it was designed to work. Throughout the bock we will also look at some practical applications. If there is something you do that is special, like playing the oboe or underwater hang-gliding, that has not been included, don’t worry. Once the principles are learnt it doesn’t take much to apply them to your own particular application - there will be plenty of tips and advice on how to adapt and apply the Technique. At the back of the book you'll find some useful information such as the address of the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique, as — 3 —