Going into a ‘lunge’ is something we explore in the Alexander Technique. The idea is simple: let’s move down to a slightly lower level but without interfering in the head-neck-back relationship, or what Alexander calls the ‘primary control’. Or, to put it another way, can I leave my spine long while bending freely at the hip, knee and ankle joints? There are lots of applications such as writing on a high desk, picking a baby up from a changing unit or emptying the top shelf of the dishwasher.

In Alexander lessons, we learn the lunge by breaking it up into a number of steps. This is so that we can establish the best possible use of ourselves along the way. The lunge is merely the ‘form’, and unless we are attending to our use along the way it is not the Alexander Technique.

What does it mean to attend to our use? It means to inhibit and direct, and here is a useful visual summary of this for the uninitiated (and indeed for the initiated).

Below is my explanation of the lunge procedure.

1. stand with feet hip width apart.
inhibit and direct
2. place your right heel in the hollow of the left foot at an angle of roughly 30°.
inhibit and direct
3. twist slightly so that you’re facing the direction of the right foot. The whole of the back can feel satisfyingly ‘square on’ to the right leg.
inhibit and direct
4. bring all your weight onto your left leg and lift your right knee. (Your right lower leg should be completely free of tension. If necessary, swing the lower right leg at the knee a little and shake out the ankle.)
inhibit and direct
5. Drop over onto your right leg while keeping your left leg straight. You’re not ‘stepping forward’ with the right foot, but keeping the right lower leg loose at the knee joint. The distance between the two feet is quite small. Arms should hang loosely at your sides, and gravity will help widen your shoulder blades at the back if you let it. There is a satisfying line all the way from the back of the head to the left heel.
inhibit and direct

6. Now straighten both legs, distributing your weight evenly on the feet.
inhibit and direct
7. Keeping the right (front) leg straight, now bend the left (back) leg. It is an unusual stance and you can feel like you’re sitting on the back leg.
inhibit and direct
8. Reverse through steps 6 and 5, and finally push off with the right (front) leg so that you end up at step 3 again.

You can cycle forward and back through steps 5, 6 and 7 a few times and also miss out the intermediary step 6 so that your movement flows from a bent back leg to a bent front leg. A point of a light at, say, your ear would draw a satisfying arc, and when your Alexandrian directions are going well you will have the sensation of going ‘up and over’. You can ‘think up’ to go over, and ‘think up’ to go back.

Now swap legs and repeat. One side will always be easier than the other.

The great thing about familiarizing yourself with the lunge is that you will start catching yourself using it in various situations. This is a surefire sign that your study of the Alexander Technique has begun to have a positive impact on your overall use and functioning.

A short poem from Ecuadorian-American author Yung Pueblo has been doing the rounds on social media. It’s from his book Lighter: Let Go of the Past, Connect with the Present, and Expand The Future which was published last month. The poem concerns our reactions, helpful or otherwise.

Rather than say any more about it, I’m going to present it below along with two further quotes. All three give us a glimpse about what the Alexander Technique is about.

Your immediate reaction
does not tell you who you are
it is how you decide to respond after the reaction
that gives you real insight
into how much you have grown
your first reaction is your past
your intentional response is your present

Yung Pueblo, Lighter (London: Penguin, 2022)

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Stephen Covey (First Things First by Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, and Rebecca R. Merrill (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), p.59). NB. Quote is often misattributed to Viktor Frankl.

My technique is based on inhibition, the inhibition of undesirable, unwanted responses to stimuli, and hence it is primarily a technique for the development of the control of human reaction.

F.M. Alexander (The Universal Constant in Living by F. M. Alexander (London: Mouritz, 2000), pp. 86-87.)

In certain actions, we seem to have a real-time sense of our movements as they unfold. For example, if you close your eyes right now and draw a large circle in the air with your forefinger, I’ll bet that you have a sense in real time that your forefinger is making a circular movement.

However, very often there seem to be ‘blind spots’ in our movement awareness. I remember during my Alexander Technique training consistently failing to ‘see’ myself kinaesthetically as I moved from walking into running. I could ‘see’ myself walking and ‘see’ myself running, but not during the in-between phase.

These ‘blind spots’ seem very often to occur in the ‘transitions’ between movements; for example,

I think these blind spots are caused by a desire to be at the next stage, meaning that, as far as our mental lives are concerned, we’re not in the present but have already got ‘there’. What underlies this desire could be all sorts of things: anxiety, impatience or simply habit. FM Alexander himself coined the term ‘end-gaining’ for this mentality, where the end becomes so all-consuming that we find it impossible to pay attention to the means.

Perhaps these movement blind spots wouldn’t matter so much if it weren’t for the fact that tension, malcoordination and poor balance seem to lurk behind them. Top musicians and sportspeople know very well that even a tiny amount of tightening has a disabling effect. Put simply, we often tend to tighten in preparation for action – particularly if we think that it’s going to be effortful or difficult – and over time this can lead to chronic tension and eventually discomfort and pain as well.

So, what’s to be done? Well, in short, learning the Alexander Technique. Penny Ingham and Colin Shelbourne describe the solution as follows:

We’ve learnt the habit – through repetition in formative years – of gearing ourselves up, ready for action, instead of smoothly going into that action … As you become more practised [at the Alexander Technique], you will be more aware of how you are moving, sitting or standing whilst engaged in everyday activities. It is a skill which can be learned – a slightly different mode of thinking with continuing benefits.

Penny Ingham & Colin Shelbourne, The Busy Body pp.19-21.

This Sunday November 13th, neuroscientist Dr Tim Cacciatore and Alexander Technique teacher Andrew McCann are presenting a workshop on the science of how the brain and body create our posture. Tim is an expert in the field of postural tone, having worked with the renowned Dr Victor Gurfinkel and published key papers on postural tone, movement and the Alexander Technique.

The workshop (which is open to all) will focus on three key myths about posture, these being that:

• Posture is a correct position.
• Posture requires strength and effort.
• Posture is voluntary.

These myths are responsible for a lot of unhelpful posture advice, such as ‘sit up straight’, ‘pull your shoulders back’ or ‘engage your core’.

Debunking the myths with the most up-to-date science involves understanding that:

• Posture is not a correct position, but involves a complex, whole body system of support;
• Posture does not require strength and effort but instead involves surprisingly low levels of muscle activity;
• Posture is not voluntary but is largely automatic and involuntary.

The workshop aims to show that, while posture is challenging to access and change, it can indeed be influenced for the better through approaches such as the Alexander Technique and Craniosacral Therapy.

There is still space to sign up to the workshop here.

Sometimes an image speaks a thousand words. The following is an elegant summary of the process of the Alexander Technique:

The aim of the Alexander Technique is to improve how we ‘use’ ourselves in activity, and by doing so improve our overall functioning. The benefits range from addressing musculoskeletal pain to improving movement, balance and overall wellbeing.

But what do the terms in the diagram above mean? Below are some definitions, and together with the diagram can give you a brief insight into some of the main concerns of the Alexander Technique:

• Primary Control is an expansive relationship between body segments, particularly between the head, neck and back.
• Inhibition involves pausing to prevent the habitual reactions that can cause unnecessary muscular tension.
• Direction is ‘having the wish, the intention, the aspiration, to be going in those directions that are expansive rather than contractive, but the wish must be expressed through muscular release rather than tension and effort.’ (Nicholls and Carey (ibid.) p.82)

But why must inhibition precede direction, as suggested by the diagram? Again, Nicholls and Carey explain themselves eloquently:

Some attempt to inhibit the habitual responses that contract and unbalance us must precede the conscious direction of an improved use, but the inhibition must continue throughout the direction, otherwise we are fighting against ourselves.

Nicholls and Carey (ibid.) pp. 89-90.

In short, ‘inhibition’ and ‘direction’ work together to bring about an improved use of our ‘primary control’, leading to the panoply of effects that the Alexander Technique is known for.

The 12th International Alexander Technique Congress took place this summer in Berlin. Luckily for those who couldn’t attend (including me), many of the presentations and panel discussions are still available online. But hurry! All videos and audios are only available until 30 November 2022.

It costs €100 to access this wealth of relevant and cutting edge material, presented by some of the most prominent names in the Alexander Technique world. Full details are here.

Some of the highlights of the Congress include:

• Keynote Presentation: Exploring the science behind the Alexander Technique | David Anderson
• Keynote Presentation: Hypermobility and Alexander Technique | Dr. Philip Bull
• Panel Discussion: How can research broaden and deepen our understanding of the Alexander Technique? | Rajal Cohen, Julia Woodman, Lesley Glover, Tim Cacciatore, David Anderson and Patrick Johnson
• Panel Discussion: Alexander Technique and Emotions | Penny Spawforth, Nicola Hanefeld, Anthony Kingsley, Andreas Dirscherl
• Panel Discussion: The Alexander Technique’s important role with regard to democracy and social justice | Lee Warren, Karin Heisecke, Peter Nobes and Constance Clare-Newman
• Diversity Spotlight: Working with non-traditional student populations | Misako Tsuchiya
  

Saturday was the first day back after the long summer break for young musicians at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London. It was also the first time many of them would have lessons in the Alexander Technique.

I wanted to begin sessions by giving students a sense of why the work we do together could be so valuable to them. My aim was to set the scene and start a discussion, and so I created the following image:

Those first sessions on Saturday worked a treat, with all my pairs of students (aged 11 to 19) having something to say. Like a good poem, it landed a good punch and yet sparked a number of interpretations. They also got to colour it in (the fun bit!).

In teaching the Alexander Technique to young people, I have found it essential to keep coming back to basics. I will often ask them variants of ‘What is this Technique and why are we doing it?’. I am hoping that recollection of the above image might just do a bit of the legwork for me this year.

As a trustee of the FM Alexander Trust, I’ve been in charge of a project to bring to life some of the science behind the Alexander Technique. The result is this fantastic two minute animation created by the science animation specialists, SciAni.

If you have any interest in the Alexander Technique, do share the video with your friends and colleagues. The video is for a variety of audiences; for example:-

• GPs and other medical professionals who would like to know more before recommending the Alexander Technique to their patients;
• members of the public who’d like to understand more before taking Alexander Technique lessons;
• institutions (such as schools, colleges or conservatoires) who already employ or are considering employing an Alexander Technique teacher.
• Alexander Technique teachers themselves who would like to understand and promote the Alexander Technique in a new way (for example, on their websites).
• scientists who would like to do further research into the Alexander Technique.

This week I gave a presentation for the Bryanston International Summer School where I shared my expertise on performance anxiety for musicians.

First, I concocted a tale of a lumberjack’s journey, and then ‘translated’ it into its significance for musicians onstage. You’ll enjoy it, I promise! Here are the two parts below.

The lumberjack’s journey: an extended metaphor

Imagine you’re a lumberjack in the Canadian wilderness. You have a job to do. You’re going to drive your beaten up pick-up truck full of logs along the track from the logging camp to the local sawmill. Sounds simple, right?

But no; there are quite a lot of things to get in place.

Your truck is quite beaten up. It’s not perfect. But you should still do everything you can to maintain it and avoid a breakdown. Check the brakes, the oil and the lights etc. before you set off.

Although the track to the sawmill is the same, your journey on it is different every time. Each time you take that journey, you will ride on different parts of the track due to factors such as your speed, the weather, your mood or any obstacles in your way. Maybe a rabbit, a flying squirrel or even a grizzly bear will jump out in your path and you’ll need to steer yourself back on track.

It would be a good idea to practise the route without any logs in your pick-up so you know you can handle the journey well.

When you do transport your logs, you’d better know what’s in there. And you’d also better tie those logs together because you don’t want one to roll around and throw you off balance.

Finally, when you’ve set off on your journey, you’d better concentrate on the track. After all, you’re a professional with a job to do. If your truck starts veering off to one side, you’d better steer it back onto the track all the way to your destination.

Translating the lumberjack’s tale for musicians

Now you’re familiar with the lumberjack’s journey, let’s see what it might mean for musicians.

1. Your truck is quite beaten up. It’s not perfect.

You’re a human being like everyone else, with all your vulnerabilities and foibles and imperfections. No-one expects you to be otherwise. Of course, look after your wellbeing through diet, exercise, proper sleep and practices such as Alexander Technique. But don’t fool yourself into thinking you can or should be perfect. What you watched on TV last night or what you ate for breakfast, or the weather, or the state of the world, can easily influence your performance. Therefore, show up imperfect and be ok with that.

2. Although the track to the sawmill is the same, your journey is different every time.

In a similar way, there is also no such thing as a perfect performance. You might be playing the same piece of music (the ‘track’), but every single performance (or ‘journey’) will be different. The setting, the instrument, the acoustic and importantly you are different every time. And that’s how it should be. The audience wants to hear you communicate something in the moment – they don’t want you to press play on a recording.

3. It would be a good idea to practise the route without any logs in your pick-up so you know you can handle the journey well.

Get used to performing at home and elsewhere. Then, there’s a chance that performing on stage can feel both familiar and exhilarating at the same time – a bit like confidently whooshing down a ski slope after a long climb to the top.

Here are some things to try while you’re practising performing:

• every so often, perform a piece from start to finish without stopping for anything.
• video your performance and you’ll inure yourself to the unforgiving, cyclops gaze of a smartphone.
• run up and down stairs a few times just before playing so that you get used to the sensation of performing with an elevated heartbeat.
• perform at home in your concert gear to see what it feels like.
• take every opportunity to perform for friends, family or the dog.

4. When you do transport your logs, you’d better know what’s in there. And you’d also better tie those logs together because you don’t want one to roll around and throw your truck off balance.

The logs in your pick-up truck represent the fullness of feeling you can be carrying around before and during your performance. 

But hear this: performance nerves will only become overwhelming and throw you off balance if they are the only thing you’re feeling.

Instead, follow a two stage process. First, acknowledge the fear and thank it for telling you that what you’re doing matters and that you have a job to do. Acknowledging and verbalising the fear will often reduce its intensity.

Second, it’s helpful to place that fear securely within a bunch of other containing emotions (‘logs’). We’re not ignoring the fear (which doesn’t work) but are instead monitoring it with curiosity as it arises, and then consciously connecting with other emotions at the same time. These emotions can include, for example:

• the kindness you have towards yourself (also known as self-compassion);
• the thrill and enjoyment of music-making;
• the emotions of the piece itself (which is why it’s important to feel the emotions of the piece as you practise it); 
• your respect for any fellow performers;
• a certain amount of irritation at your performance nerves, and a little bit of strictness with yourself;
• and don’t forget your sense of humour!

(thank you to Barbara Conable for this set of insights).

5. Finally, when you’ve set off on your journey, you’d better concentrate on the track. After all, you’re a professional with a job to do. If your truck starts veering off to one side, you’d better steer it back onto the track all the way to your destination.

Staying on track means remaining calm and alert as far as possible. Various things can take you off balance: a mistake here, a cough in the audience there, a little bit of mind wandering, a memory lapse etc. But this is what performance is – different every time and with an element of risk. 

The skill is to expect surprises – externally or from your own performance – so that you can routinely bring yourself back on track following a distraction. This is why steering a vehicle is such a good analogy: even an average driver knows that this is their most important job.

But how do we manage to stay on track? In addition to widening our emotional landscape as explained above, it is possible to ‘dial down’ our level of alertness (arousal) in real time through changes to our breath, vision and muscle tone. This can be done before or during performances; find out how here.

In addition, imaginative exercises can help such as:-

• sending your energy out into the four corners of the room;
• flooding the space with your favourite colour;
• hearing your superhero cape flap behind you as you walk on stage.

A final approach to mention here is meditation, which can be practised in the lead up to performance so that aspects can be recalled on stage or in the green room. Examples include a performance anxiety meditation and an inner smile meditation. The supportive, smiling face in the latter can very readily be brought with you into the performance space.

Conclusion

It is normal and healthy to feel nervous before or during a performance. Having said that, we need pathways to help minimize any negative effects nerves might have on our performance. The above is one set of solutions. To develop the capacity to overcome the problem requires dedication as well the drive to put yourself forward for enough performances to try out the strategies. But as anyone who has enjoyed performing will confirm, the rewards are great.

Last week I was working with young professional musicians in Bucharest as part of the Ad Musicam programme run by the Romanian Cultural Institute. It’s a real privilege to be spreading the word about the Alexander Technique among Romanian musicians, and it is the third time I’ve worked on this programme (here’s another post with some fantastic participant feedback from my previous visit).

This time, I tried something new with them: an ‘Alexander étude’ which I’ve explained in detail elsewhere. The short video below is an absolute joy to watch if you understand what is going on – and frankly baffling if you don’t! So I’d definitely recommend reading my explanation of the Alexander étude first.

Participants were also given quite a lot of hands-on work – as much as I could fit in – and I took ‘before and after’ photos as well, such as the ones below:

Now, the images above are quite literally a ‘snapshot’ of the changes going on with the Alexander Technique. In no way do they tell the whole story, yet they are interesting nonetheless (As an aside, I would certainly set things up differently were I to repeat this exercise in future; for example, by making the camera angle consistent, taking the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots on the same day, and stopping baggy clothing obscuring changes).

Finally, here’s a photo of an exercise participants enjoyed: exploring flexibility of attention while playing in ‘virtual’ ensembles and holding ‘virtual’ instruments. This kind of attentional flexibility is a core Alexandrian skill, and you might like to read more on this topic here.