The Alexander Technique is often associated with helping people improve their posture and manage issues such as back pain, stress, and excess tension. But lots of other modalities will claim they help with these things as well. What is it then that sets the Alexander Technique apart? How is it different than all the other options out there? In our culture when you have a problem that needs solving you typically look for something to do. In contrast, the Alexander Technique is about discovering what you can stop doing. In order to explain the Alexander Technique, I often ask people to squeeze a ..read more

Balance is one of those things you take for granted—until that one day when you notice it isn’t quite what it used to be. Balance defined What is balance exactly? Balance is a system that enables you to maintain your center of weight over your base of support—so you don’t topple over. Go ahead and stand up. Your base is outlined by your two feet on the ground. Your balance is a system that takes in information from three main sources: your eyes (sight), inner ear (vestibular system), and proprioceptors (for our purposes just think of it as touch). Embrace the sway Balance is not a position to ..read more

Your posture is too important to ignore. And your posture is too important to take seriously. Really. You heard me right. And I am a posture and movement coach. Let me explain. F.M. Alexander’s observations about posture, habits and the connection between mind and body underly what is known today as the Alexander Technique. Alexander’s genius lies in these observations—significantly how the relationship between your head, neck, and back influences your overall functioning. Alexander was also keenly aware of the common obstacles that got in the way of his pupils’ learning—and progress. Another ..read more

Earlier this year I wrote about taking up running again after 30 years. My primary goal for running over 50 is to enjoy it and not get injured. Every choice I make around running is informed by this overarching goal. In the post, I mentioned five things I’ve chosen to do to keep my running enjoyable and injury-free. Number two was to listen to your body. Developing the skill of listening to your body is no different than learning to be a good listener in general. It takes time. And you can always improve. There’s an adage “If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it ..read more

The Alexander Technique is at its very essence a study of the Use of your Self. In fact, F.M. Alexander, whose observations underly what is known today as the Alexander Technique, wrote a book titled The Use of the Self. Maybe you’ve heard about this rather obscure technique in passing. Or perhaps you’re hearing about it for the very first time. Either way, some of the questions you’re probably asking yourself are: “What the heck is Use?” “It’s just another word for my posture, right?” “I thought the Alexander Technique is about posture. Isn’t the Alexander Technique about posture?” My answer ..read more

Earlier this month I wrote a short article titled Has Your Routine Become a Rut? for the Body Wisdom publication at Medium.com. The article draws on my personal experience managing a body with chronic pain since the age of 19. Over the years I’ve found that dealing with chronic pain requires a recipe that includes many different ingredients. Unfortunately, no one has ever been able to give me my magic recipe. I’ve had to figure it out for myself. If you deal with chronic pain or any other type of ongoing discomfort my guess is your recipe is not going to be exactly the same as my recipe—althou ..read more

In the summer of 2019 right before I turned 50, I started running again. I hadn’t run for 30 years. It’s a whole different ballgame now. But I’m loving it. Here’s why. Before I go any further, you might be asking, “But why did you want to start running again?” It ain’t for everyone. There are lots of choices when it comes to getting off the couch and moving your body. I suppose the number one reason is I simply missed it. I was a very good track athlete in high school—one of the top 800-meter runners in my state my senior year. Co-captain of the track team. I ran on the cross-country team in t ..read more

Are you old enough to remember when Frankie Goes to Hollywood released what was arguably the most controversial hit song of the decade in late 1983? Relax had a sluggish start but soared to the top of the charts the following year. It’s basically an ode to orgasm and was banned for a while by the BBC. I’m not offended by much, but a warning: don’t Google the video if you’re sensitive to explicit content. That aside, hidden in the song is a great posture tip. Have you ever had someone tell you to “just relax”? How did you respond? When I was younger I was frequently told by a var ..read more

Yesterday Bruce and I did what I hope is our last leaf raking session of 2021. It’s been a glorious fall here in Minnesota. But that meant the leaves peaked later than usual and have been stubbornly hanging onto their branches and refusing to let go. Normally we would have finished this yearly task a few weeks ago. I’m a big advocate of taking breaks. Especially when doing physical work. My preferred go-to break when gardening or shoveling is to lie down on the floor on my back in the position we use in the Alexander Technique Constructive Rest practice. This practice is—IMHO—one of the simple ..read more

Do you carry all your stress in your neck and shoulders? If you do, you’re in good company. It’s very common for people to overly tense the muscles in the neck and shoulders when they’re under a lot of stress. My massage therapist even has a special name for that area: the coat hanger. And if you visualize where you feel the tension and perhaps pain when you’re under stress for an extended period, it’s pretty much in the shape of a coat hanger. Stress is part of life and a certain amount of stress will not negatively affect you. But it’s important to monitor the stress you’re under, reduce it ..read more