“ … The most important lessons I took from the Technique all involve ease: doing less to do more and staying out of my own way … When the semester began, I felt so disconnected from this campus and from myself. My plate was full with demanding classes, a show, work, and graduate school applications. I have pushed myself pretty hard in the past, so I was ready yet again to make myself miserable to accomplish it all. I missed a lot of my friends who had graduated last year and so I felt socially lost, looking for a new source of support and relief. But as the semester went on, I gradually began to find my way, and I credit Alexander Technique for some of that personal revolution. I really latched onto the idea of finding and fulfilling true needs, instead of the things I think I should do, or have always done. I accepted that I could not give my best to both the present and future, so I began to prioritize my real happiness now over my hypothetical happiness later, realizing that they are not mutually exclusive. It wasn’t about giving up – it was a choice to not take the path of greatest resistance every single time. I know that I can, but that doesn’t mean that I always should. And the universe began to respond to my new attitude of optimism and faith – I made new friends, I lightened up, I began to look at Denison with fresh eyes, and my semester turned around from being one of the most difficult to being my favorite. From all the psychology classes I’ve taken, I knew about the idea of self-fulfilling prophecy, but I don’t think I’d ever felt it in action until recently.
My literal physical Use has also improved. I will still have to actively choose to release my tension, but now I am more aware of my tendency to keep tense shoulders, jaw, hands, knees, ankles, and neck. I now know when I am most prone to poor Use, such as reading, at a computer, wearing a book bag, or sitting in a movie theatre. Our physical exercises such as Constructive Rest, Monkey, the Whispered “Ah,” and full body curl have all given me ways to release and rehabilitate those bad habits and improve basic activities such as walking, running, and sleeping.
I appreciate the idea of having trust and faith in myself and the world around me, which I feel like Alexander Technique really encourages. Our societal outlook is typically much more aggressive – “nothing should be left to chance,” “everything is under our control.” Especially in this competitive academic environment, throwing around all of one’s energy and dedication is the way we show that we are dedicated to and serious about our work; “hard working” is a compliment. A moment of stillness seems anathema to success for ourselves and others. But as we learned in Ellen Langer’s The Power of Mindful Learning, intense concentration (lack of mindfulness) is the enemy – narrowing down your outlook until only one thing matters creates a serious sense of unbalance and heightens stress. When we open our minds to other things that are meaningful, we can keep better perspective. With that attitude, no one thing or situation has the power to rend the fabric of a life.
There is so much wisdom that has been brought into my daily life by the Alexander Technique. Small things such as understanding the importance of exhalation for staying calm in tense situations, the concepts of flexibility and spontaneity for helping to absorb or deflect stress, and the intentions of “I have time,” “where is up?” and “let the universe do its work” have been revolutionary to me. One of the most amazing concepts I heard was that we stress almost exclusively about things to come in our day or week or life – but why should we let that interrupt our present, when those things haven’t happened and may not ever? When I truly pay attention, I realize that there is rarely anything to fear in the present moment; combined with inhibition of the habit of not stressing about things I’ve made in my own head, there are few genuinely stressful situations, and even then, I now have techniques for keeping my poise.
The past few months have been challenging but so crucial for my personal growth, and in recent weeks the efforts and hardships I have endured have really begun to pay off. I don’t feel like a new person, but rather a better version of myself – the person I always wanted to be. I accept that this is a process, but now with the help of Alexander Technique, I think I have the tools to best explore myself and improve every day of my life.”
M. H., Class of 2010