These are some of the benefits that the Alexander Technique has given me. There are plenty that I didn't mention in the video too. What benefits have you found?
Most valuable to me from Alexander Technique has been the impulse control skills. (That's a term from the classroom education field describing kids who supposedly can't control themselves talking or moving around unpredictably. I used it here to mean: the ability to refuse to react in a habitual way, without any replacement activity that's supposedly "better.") That A.T. principle that a "better" response would emerge if I merely stopped the old same thing has been... refreshing! Plus, using Alexander Technique has allowed me to develop a tolerance for the unfamiliar - I have learned to even welcome the ability to learn something new. As I'm an older person now, I notice how my peers and younger people are so resistant to learning...and these days, learning is required.
Thanks for your insightful comments! You've hit on some of the points of the technique that I think are most valuable! The Technique is based on optimism that we are able to stop unhelpful habits, allow more natural coordination and responses to emerge and that we can continuously learn. These are all contrary to the beliefs that seem to be held by society that our habits are fixed, that we have to impose the 'correct' way on ourselves and that learning is almost impossible after a certain age! Thanks again for your comments!
I haven't watched too many of your videos yet, but I'm so happy to have found your channel. While I would love to work with an Alexander teacher in the future, would you recommend any books to help me get started with the Alexander technique?
Thanks for your comments! Welcome to the channel, I hope you find it interesting. There are quite a few books written on the Alexander Technique. Some beginner ones that are popular are 'A skill for Life' by Pedro De Alcantara and 'Body Learning' by Michael Gelb. You'll probably find that if you've worked through a few of my videos, you will know most of what is in the books already but it can be useful to hear it in different words. If you have any specific questions or areas you are interested in, let me know and I'll try to make a video covering them in the future. All the best!
By Anthony Taylor - his book on Alexander Technique principles is unique and inspirational. It's nice because his writing allows you to get a "whole picture" idea of how all the various principles work together. (It's got two different titles, depending on if you buy it in the US - "Whatever You're Doing Now You Can Do it Better: Your Guide to Enhanced Mental and Physical Performance Inspired by the Alexander Technique" or published in the UK - "Principles for Improving Your Life: Inspired by the Teachings of F.M.Alexander")
