Deep Self Help: The Alexander Technique

Deep Self Help? What's That?

You've been using the Self Help exercises on back-pain-self-help.com for a while. You're finding them useful, and you can now take better care of your back.

But is there anything you can do to learn faster, or deeper? There is! It's called Deep Self Help, and it's what the Alexander Technique is about.

Alexander Technique teachers work one-to-one with you to bring about rapid and permanent change in how you "use yourself". You will learn to apply Deep Self Help at home and at work, not just when you're doing awareness exercises.

Alexander Technique teachers are "fellow travellers" who have been through all this themselves. Many of themhave had back pain, and they can help your Back Pain Self Help project in numerous ways:

Working with you on specific movements you find difficult (lifting, cooking, sitting at a computer, playing the piano)
Showing you where your body image is inaccurate. Many of us, for example, have a very strange idea of where our spine begins and ends
Deep, detailed hands-on work on your spine and ways to work on your spine at home. An Alexander teacher can help you reorganise your spine and show you how to let your head lead so that your body lengthens and follows it, the natural way an alert, healthy human being organises themselves

Effects of Alexander Technique Lessons

Lessons give you a wonderful sense of ease and relaxation that comes with being better organised and more aware of yourself. A teacher is expecting long-term beneficial effects such as:

your spine feels strong, light and flexible (even if it was previously injured)

you are alert and calm

you are clear-minded and able to look after yourself in stressful situations

With time and patience, you can learn to get these effects for yourself, and make them a part of who you are.

Interesting Facts

Every animal with a back-bone leads with its head, the body following. Watch a dog or cat when it's out and about and doing, and see if you can see what "head leading" means!

FM Alexander, inventor of the Alexander Technique, had a passion for horses and betting. He first observed "head leading" while watching horse-races and deciding which horse to bet on. He won enough on one race to pay for his passage to the UK, and to put a bit by for his ageing mother, who he was leaving behind in Australia.

Disadvantages of the Alexander Technique

Yes, there's a downside! Any decent teacher tries to show you how to learn and find things out for yourself, rather than spoon-feeding you.

Some people, sadly, would rather be spoon-fed. They turn up once a week for a top-up of "well-being" or "relaxation", then go away and forget about looking after themselves until next time.

They're not really learning, and they may develop an unhealthy (and expensive) dependency. A good teacher will challenge such a student, but it's easy, as a wage-earner, to let these dependencies continue and just give "a fix", even if it's not helping a student make real, long-term changes.

To prevent dependencies like this, don't go and find an AT teacher until you've spent a month or two using the Self Help Exercises on back-pain-self-help.com. That month or two will get you used to working on yourself without help, and make you more independent of the teacher. Your Alexander Technique teacher will love you for it, and you'll make great progress in your lessons.