The Power of the Pause: How the Alexander Technique Creates Space for Change
Human beings are complex animals with complex bodies and complex minds. We are blessed with large brains that allow us to think and reason, but they also get in the way of simply being. Our bodies have the capacity to perform with strength, grace, precision, and speed, among other things. We are often in a battle balancing our mental health with our physical health.
The Alexander Technique (AT) is a fascinating body of work that bridges and coordinates the mental and physical aspects of ourselves. It is a psychophysical endeavor where mind and body are simultaneously communicating. How we use ourselves is completely under our control and a matter of choice—it's up to us. Using our awareness is a powerful tool for self-care. There are thousands of books written on this subject. The AT uses awareness training to notice the space between stimulus and response. Can we develop the ability to choose a response as opposed to reacting to a stimulus? In other words, can we not operate out of habit? When we are able to create just a bit of space between a stimulus and our response to it, we can choose our best response in that moment. Our ability to choose and change our nervous system responses is possible because of the brain's neuroplastic qualities.
Here is an example of a habit that causes me great distress—searching for misplaced items. Repeatedly. I am finding that despite my greatest efforts, I can't be as organized as I would like. I have found that most of my frustrating experiences of misplacing things can be avoided with one simple, special weapon—stopping.
Just creating a tiny bit of a pause to notice and remember what I am doing, or to even write down what I'm doing, changes my habitual behaviors driven by speed. Yep, I just need to slow it all down. This change in behavior saves me so much aggravation. Pausing, stopping, or slowing down expands that space between stimulus and response, creating consciousness in the moment. And consciousness supports us in being free from unwanted habits.
The AT is a way to work on developing greater plasticity of our nervous system, to learn better ways of moving and being. A certified Alexander Technique teacher uses touch and verbal instruction to guide their students in recognizing and changing patterns of movement and mind. This instruction does not emphasize physical exercises or ways of "holding" yourself. Instead, everyday activities such as sitting, standing, bending forward, and walking are explored to consciously identify personal patterns of use during those activities. As an example, standing up out of a chair can be accomplished in a number of ways. Some people habitually pull their heads back and down and compress down through their spines, loading the knees to rise up. It becomes evident that this pattern of getting up makes it more stressful and difficult than it needs to be. Your AT teacher helps you to feel the difference in efficiency and comfort when she guides you in standing without the strain you usually employ.
The principles of the technique can be applied to everything you do, and even in stillness. You can use your newfound awareness to improve your skiing, biking, running, swimming, playing a musical instrument, singing, riding a horse, gardening, sitting at your workstation, or anything else.
It is simple to apply to any activity. We start with identifying the unwanted tightening in our mind or actions. We have to be very unemotional and patient in changing our ways. Our habits, by definition, will keep returning, so we get lots of practice in saying "no" to them. We have lots of opportunities to optimize that tiny space between something happening and how we respond to it. This is how real change occurs in the brain. Our brains are capable of being plastic, of changing. Nothing is set in stone. Change is possible everywhere and always. And it all begins with awareness.