Loosen Up is a fast and easy way to learn and apply the Alexander Technique.
The Alexander Technique has an enviable reputation for
Clearing up neck and back pain,
Shoulder and other joint problems and for
Improving posture or ‘poise’ and coordination.
In fact the remarkable effectiveness of the technique in reducing back pain has been shown in research by the NHS and published in the British Medical Journal in August 2008. (See The Guardian at the time and the original BMJ report )
It brings about all these improvements without any form of direct intervention:
- No drugs,
- No surgery,
- No manipulation (no clicking or crunching) and
- No exercises- unless you count lying down or thinking as exercise.
Even the postural changes come about naturally as a result of relaxing (un-doing) and allowing your body to automatically realign itself.
Returning to your Natural State
What very few people realise is that the Alexander Technique is a way of returning to our natural healthy state:
- A way of regaining your natural poise
- Returning to your natural freedom, ease and efficiency of movement
- A way of releasing and directing your natural energy and enthusiasm
- And also a way to relax far below the plateau level that most of us think is relaxation.
Among other things, the Alexander Technique is a way to release the tensions that have pulled us out of shape and that have pulled us down, and to re stimulate those reflexes that naturally give us poise and make us rise up.
In other words, the Alexander Technique is a way for us to literally
“Loosen – Up!”
Other Surprising Benefits
Not only does it restore our natural poise and movement, the Alexander Technique also helps us to:
- Think more clearly,
- Make better decisions,
- Learn more easily
- And perform better in any area of life.
It is a way to retrain our minds, so that instead of having knee-jerk reactions and looking for short-cuts and quick fixes, we can take those few extra split seconds that it takes to allow ourselves to come up with better ways of dealing with things. So that we go for true Win-Win situations and so that we can get what we truly want in the most efficient way while eliminating unwanted side effects.
A universal technique
Despite the fact that until now, most people have used it to improve their posture, or back pain, or to be better actors, musicians, or sports people, it is something that Everyone can use to improve their lives in Many different ways.
You can use it to:
- Stay calm, mentally and emotionally
- Stay relaxed physically
- Have better poise and posture-
and therefore look more confident and attractive… - Actually feel, become and be more confident!
- Move more freely and efficiently and with less effort
- Have better coordination
- Relieve strain and tension on muscles
- Reduce pressure and wear and tear on joints
- Reduce pain
- Frequently reduce blood pressure
- Think more clearly
- Make better decisions
- Learn more efficiently
- Achieve more of what you want in life,
with less effort and fewer problems.
It is not some form of postural training or exercise as many people think. Nor is it some sort of an optional add-on or for people to just ‘do’ from time to time. It is a fundamental and very beneficial approach to life for All of us to very easily use All of the time.
Choice: The Core of the Technique
One of the hidden benefits of the technique, which is one of the things that excites me most about it, is that it contains the fundamental principles of how to have true choice.
My observation is that few of us exercise true choice, instead of just reacting habitually. When we are asked if we want ‘raspberry or vanilla’ we rarely realise that it has been presupposed we will have ice-cream. Similarly, when given the choice of ‘tea or coffee’ we rarely stop to consider whether we wanted a stimulant drink in the first place.
In the Alexander Technique as in all areas of life, we cannot effectively change until we are able to ‘not do’ what we would normally have done- only then is there the possibility for something new. I believe this is extremely valuable and I believe it could have far reaching benefits for the World.
Time for a Change
For far too long, the Alexander Technique has been enjoyed almost exclusively by the rich and famous, who in the past could more easily afford the time and the considerable expense that it once took. Actors, singers, musicians and a few sports people also knew its immense value.
Until now only a tiny minority of the rest of us have known about it or used it. It is time to make it easier, quicker, cheaper and available for all of us.
During my 26 years involvement with the technique, I have taken it back to its most basic principles and rebuilt it in a way that makes it much quicker and easier to learn and in a way that you can get far more value out of it.
- Gone is the need for going back to a teacher for years and years and years.
- Gone is the need for two lessons a week for two and a half years (which is what I originally had.)
- Gone is the old benchmark of “Oh, you need at least 30 lessons, just to get started…” !
- I can now get most people to the point where they are independent of me in just 10 to 15 sessions.
So it takes a lot less time, you get the results you want so much sooner – and of course, it costs far less in the long run.