Alexander Technique in Wallingford

Back in my ballet-dancing days, I heard a lot about Alexander Technique but never pursued it until a recent serious injury sent my entire body in a general state of Wonk. Now in my mid-30s, I’m re-teaching myself to climb stairs, to bike and to walk without looking like the love child of a chicken and Buster Keaton.  As I searched for new ways to improve integration of my body and brain, I jumped at the chance to explore Alexander Technique for Wallyhood and betook myself to Jeanne Barrett’s Wallingford practice, Alexander Technique Center Seattle.

Alexander Technique is best described as a “proven approach to self care…which teaches how to unlearn habitual patterns that cause unnecessary tension in everything we do.” Formed over 100 years ago by Shakespearean actor Frederick Matthias Alexander, the concept of Alexander Technique is based on the integrative nature of the body and the mind–a whole operating system whose function is sustained by harmony and balance.  As with any major operating system, when we interfere in the function of a single part, we affect the balance of the whole.

When I arrived at Jeanne’s office, she sat me down and pulled out a simple elastic and wire toy to illustrate the concept of “tensegrity”–in which the shape of a structure is guaranteed only by the tensional behaviors of the system as a whole, rather than the independent actions of its separate parts. If one part of the structure operates against the design of the whole, the integrity of the structure is threatened. For example, if you are moving your back in a manner that strains your hips or your neck, your walking and breathing are affected. Thus, the structure of your body is thrown out of whack.

We learn how how to walk, to move, even to sit as our environments and every day habits dictate. Sometimes these habits serve us well, and sometimes they do not. We hurt. We ache. We exercise and run and chase after our children in efforts to stay active and assuage those aches and pains. But sometimes we need a little coaching, and this is where practices like Alexander Technique come into play. If you’re searching for a wee bit of education and re-coordination of the entire self for any activity, Alexander Technique is a great place to start. We can all benefit from this type of coaching, and it is never a bad thing to learn more about the ways that our bodies move as a single operational system. We’re machines, and we must stay well-oiled.