Applied Alexander Technique Blog

Hello friends!

Today in the Wall St. Journal, "What's Your Workout? Sharpening Mind and Body with Martial Arts," by Jen Murphy, tells the story of one man's quest to cure his back pain.

Mr. Mark Fromm practiced martial arts and boxing in his teens and early 20's. He was forced to stop and suffered from back pain for years after a car crash in his college years, and tried many things to cure his pain.

What worked for him: the Alexander Technique, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and yiquan .

Mr. Fromm emphasizes need for mindfulness in all activities. Yes! Whether you're trying to solve a software problem or a body problem the first step is awareness. All of his practices bring one into the present moment.

Here’s the video of Mr. Fromm and his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Peace,
Dana

Hello friends,

I’ve recently enjoying a return to creative cooking. It started with a recent trip abroad, and a reminder of how good it is to eat freshly cooked, unprocessed food that has real flavor. I was keenly aware of how much better the food tasted for all the additives that were not in it. We bought small quantities of real, fresh food that didn’t have expiration dates a month out. We shopped often and lightly, and ate well.

Not surprisingly, all my teaching metaphors lately have been food-related. For instance, I work with a number of musicians; many of them are in pain from too much muscular tension in their minds and bodies as they play.

It suddenly came to me that making music is a lot like cooking soup. There’s a certain amount of muscular effort necessary to play, and a certain amount of salt necessary for good taste. I prefer adding salt to the soup till it's right, rather than using too much and throwing in potatoes to soak up the excess.

Continue reading " A Recipe for Pain-Free Practice " »