Movement and Posture's mission is to give its viewers practical, inspiring advice to improve their health, performance and posture.
The channel is presented by Pete Robinson mSTAT, an experienced, qualified Alexander Technique teacher who has spent the last 25 years studying health and wellbeing disciplines. He has personal experience of recovering from chronic pain and of applying the Alexander Technique to music making, fitness and daily life.
The Channel aims to present the most useful, well-informed content and to build a community of subscribers who will support each other in their journeys to better health.
Check us out at: www.MovementAndPosture.com facebook.com/MovementandPosture
I did a lot of Alexander as part of my drama training, but haven't actively kept it up between jobs. I've developed excruciating pain in my arm and it's been suggested that this is originating in my neck. In order to unpinch the nerve a physio suggested I do semi supine work. I just followed your guide. Lying down aggravates the pain in my arm quite dramatically. Should I persist or could I be making it worse?
Hi Pete - off topic but back related - I've come across some videos online that say the ideal posture of the back should be straight. Is that true? In the lower back, isn't the curve natural to keep? Thanks!
You want your back to be a neutral position. This means allowing your cervical, thoracic and lumbar curves to be in their natural state which definitely isn't straight. The amount of spinal curve varies in each of us. The best way to get an idea of how your back is in a neutral state is to practice constructive rest. There are a few videos on this channel about that. Hope that makes sense!
Yes, Moshe Feldenkrais studied with FM Alexander. I think in the end they argued but the influence of Alexander technique on Feldenkrais can be clearly seen. There are some fundamental differences between them though so I think its interesting to study both!
That was really helpful!! Especially to understand inhibition first. And working with inhibition with the idea of doing something first , then the actual movement after direction!
I have an old shoulder injury that has made me shrug it for protection and caused asymmetry and now pain. Do you have any advice or excercises? I’m new to AT but love it. Thank also for your wonderful videos!
RSI of hands and upper arms can also be a pinched nerve in the back nerve the scapula. Try forcefully lowering your shoulders and also stretching your elbows back behind as when waking up. This may clear the RSI of hands instantly, with the nerve signal unblocked in this way. I had massage for months which reduced it very temporarily but the RSI comes back in half a day. To solve permanently I do the above two stretches a few times each day and never had hand RSI since. During the stretch you almost feel like a river being released through the harms - amazing feeling.
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Just came across this, very helpful. I struggle know how much the abdominals should be activated when standing - if I let go completely I feel my pelvis tilting, although this does feel like I can breathe a little easier. Any advice?
Thank you! Am unable to sign up to your mailing list and have free access to the MP3 downloads. There seems to be something wrong with the sign up button.
Thanks for letting me know. There seems to be a problem with my website. I've got technical support on it! Will let you know when it's up and running again. Apologies for the inconvenience
I don't at the moment but that is a really good idea. We look at this a lot when we are training to be teachers. I'll put it in the list of videos to make. Thanks for the suggestion
Sorry to labour the point but in your walking video when you say head, neck and body moving do you mean the whole body down to the ankles or just the upper body head to waist. Many thanks
I love your videos! I've had extensive AT training and these are great etudes to use with my voice students. I also use them as part of my own warm up.
Thanks! Glad you found it helpful! Yes, I do come across focal dystonia sometimes. It responds well to Alexander technique but does require a lot of work compared to the other musician issues such as RSI etc.
Thanks so much 🙏 Could a yoga block be used instead of paperbacks? I can’t figure out how many I need, as my posture is very poor (rounded shoulders, head forward). Any advice from you would be appreciated 🙏
Yoga blocks are often a bit too high for most people's necks. A folded towel can be quite good as it's still quite firm but you can adjust the height to find the best one for you. Also, as you learn to release the muscles in the front of your body, you may find that you need a lower support over time.
Apologies for the delay. I mention knees in quite a few of my videos but these 2 would be a good place to start: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qSUVxyG7-1w.html and ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bS9CFQ6rfQM.html If you have any specific questions, drop me a line and I'll do my best to help!
I'm interested in posture when doing household tasks eg involving twisting and bending when cleaning the bath, how to distribute one's weight when hoovering etc advice on things like this would be great. Thank you
I've had a few requests for a video on this topic so will definitely be making it soon. Thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully some of the other videos on my channel will provide some of the answers for now though: This one on lifting might be a good place to start - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4thl7KCCosw.html
Hi, A good question. The important thing is to realise that if your shoulders tend to pull forward then some unconscious habit in your mind is 'directing' them to do that. Of course, the rounded shoulders are simply one part of a general tendency to over shorten the muscles in the front of the body. This can include the chest muscles, the SCM muscles coming from the head to the chest, the abdominals etc etc. When Alexander Technique teachers talk about directing, the idea is that we are sending a very clear, conscious message to our body in order to replace the existing habitual one. When working with a student, it is often necessary to get them to try a few different 'directions' before they find the one that is most effective for them at that point. For example, I was working with an opera singer today who was only able to release her shoulder tension when she stopped stiffening her ankles. So, I guess explore which thoughts and ideas work best for you to achieve the goal of stopping the habitual reaction which causes the pulling forwards and restores the natural balance of tone in the body. Hope that makes sense!
Kept me in a trance for quite some time. I started to think I had been hypnotized and didn't know how to come out of it. This is first time listening experience. Made me restful and calm like never before. Thank you sir.
Restful and calm is good! In the end though, the goal is for it to be a state of presence and clarity where you can work on stopping habits of being too tense. Glad you found it useful!
I keep falling asleep and this turns into a nap almost every time. I know the objective is contrary to sleep. I will try doing this in the daytime instead of evening. Thank you.
I currently have sciatica so I'm doing AT laying down on the floor. I Found your videos today, and I am really enjoying them.they are so informative. I especially like the demonstations. Thank you
Do you have any advice for practicing Alexander Technique with one leg shorter than the other? For me the longer leg is often l bent at an angle while standing to keep the hips level.
I think this depends on the cause. I've taught many people that had been told they had one leg longer than the other but turned out they actually had a twist in the pelvis which was raising one hip joint higher than the other. In these causes, working with Alexander technique helps to bring better pelvic alignment and the perceived leg length is improved. If there is an actual difference in the length of the bones, I would firstly look at orthotics or shoes that could reduce the amount of difference but then use Alexander technique to try to minimise the amount of fixing and stiffening it is causing throughout the body. For example, making sure that the imbalance hasn't caused an unconscious reaction of tightening neck muscles, or shoulders, or breathing. I would also suggest taking more frequent breaks and changing position. Have a look at some of the other videos on here I made for both standing and sitting posture. All the best!
