Directions for Improving Your Posture

Directions and directing are one of the core principles of the Alexander Technique.

 

F.M.Alexander's classic formulation to remind him to keep his head balanced freely on top of his spine was:

 

"Let the neck be free, to let the head go forward and up, to let the back lengthen and widen"

 

To be honest, I personally never found it helpful due to the nature of my habits when I first started my own Alexander journey. That's not say it's not useful for others, but I've become very judicious in using it in my teaching.

 

In time I came to evolve a different view on Directing that was still inspired by something Alexander said:

 

"When an investigation comes to be made, it will be found that every single thing we are doing in the work is being done in Nature where the conditions are right, the difference being that we are learning to do it consciously."

 

I simply wondered how other animal species direct themselves in their environment. It turned out I wasn't the first AT teacher to to come to the conclusion that Directing is not best served by introspecting; David Gorman has been working this way well before I was aware of him. So if I am a heretic, at least I'm not alone.

 

It should also be noted that, Alexander changed his mind on offering his students his original formulation for Directing in his later years owing to his concerns about what students tend to "do" with them. They are after all a reminder of what not to do!

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