Applied Alexander Technique Blog

Hello my friends!

It is almost spring and sunny and I am watching an amazing video that shows Roger Federer's footwork. Take a look!

What I notice is his amazing alignment and what in the Alexander world, is called "Use."

The narration describes his footwork and shows the direction of his movement in slo-mo.

You can also look at his alignment. See the perfect relationship between his head, neck and back. He is poised, aligned, and centered in all his moves.

Alexander used the word, "Use," to refer to the way we carry ourselves in every activity of life. He postulated that the basic way our head is set up on our neck, and the head and neck in relation to the back, is what he called the Primary Control for the entire, psycho-physical being.

The point, as one student of mine said, is "...making the most of the facility that one still has."

This related NY Times article on Mr. Federer states that "The argument for Federer as the greatest player in men’s tennis history starts from the ground up."

I suggest that it also starts from the head, down. Look at his head and eyes, turning and focused on the ball and also, on where he's about to go. Can you see the alignment? The head leads and the body follows.

Be well! Stop a moment during your day to say Hello! to awareness and being present in your body.

The first step is awareness....

It is a sunny day and I'm heading out to enjoy it.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Little moments of awareness add up....let's do this again soon.

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , F.M. Alexander

Bookmark:

Good morning friends,

It's January and many people are trying to improve their bodies and their health.

Depending on what your problem is, you may choose from a host of offerings. To lose weight, go to the gym and diet. To stop smoking, some people use patches. To cure back pain, what do you do?

The British publication, Pulse, just published a report on a study on self-care for back pain in the current issue of Family Practice. Doctors prescribed either exercise or the Alexander Technique. In the early phases, about 40% of people liked either one. As the study went on, the balance shifted to 66% of patients liking the Alexander Technique, while those who preferred exercise stayed about the same.

I suppose that leaves some people who didn't like either one, but maybe that's to be expected.

I think that having a 2/3 chance that you'll like something that's non-invasive, gentle, and empowers you to care for yourself to cure back pain, is worth checking out.

Give me a call! If you're in my area, maybe I can help. If not, I'll help you find a teacher near you.

Did you know?
A study on back pain was published in the British Medical Journal in August, 2008. It showed that people went from 21 days of pain per month to 3 days of pain, using 24 lessons in the Alexander Technique alone.

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique

Bookmark:

Hey friends!

Victoria Beckham decided that rather than give up her 5 inch heels to improve her posture, she could take lessons in the Alexander Technique.

It's all over the news. Marie Claire in the U.K. wrote about it today.

The Daily Mail got the word out the day before.

Walking in stilettos is all about balance, and the Alexander Technique is a great way to get there. I love my heels and will be teaching workshops on walking in stilettos, coming soon.

Stay tuned for more info!

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander®

Bookmark:

Hello good friends,

It's so nice when you stop by and visit. Perhaps we can chat about nothing again. Isn't that how Seinfeld got started? It's a show about nothing....

Sometimes when you take a lesson, the best thing to do is just go along with whatever is happening. It's better not to think too much and let yourself experience a different way of moving. Have you ever gotten intense from trying too hard? If we play with the word, we have "in" and "tense." Put them together and maybe it's tension going inward, or inner tension. Either way, that's too much work.

I like to call my studio, the "no work, no pain school."

Sometimes it is Just Fine and in fact, preferable to lay on the table and go into the Zone. The body has a wisdom of its own. So many times what we really need is to renew the experience of letting it happen.

Sometimes, a mind is a terrible thing to use.

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander® , Mindfulness

Bookmark:

Hello my friends!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair. I'd like to go back to the discussion that was the reason for this blog. What is this stuff, anyway? Why do we talk about the "Alexander Technique?"

Lately, it seems to me that it would be better go back to what Mr. Alexander used to say. He called it, "the Work."

If you've ever taken lessons and then tried to describe the Alexander Technique, you understand the challenge that this represents.

There’s the conventional description of how it helps people undo postural patterns that are often at the root of pain.

Then there are the deeper ramifications of the work. That's where this blog, Applied Alexander Technique®, comes into play for me.

F.M. (Alexander) said that we are psycho-physical beings.

If so, then perhaps we need an entirely new, synthesized language to begin to truly discuss this in holistic terms of the Self.

The aspect of this work that attracts me most deeply is that it is not only about body mechanics. The Alexander Technique is a skill to UNdo habit patterns that have put us wrong, over time. That is as true for habitual reactions to emotional stimuli as it is for physical patterns in how we move our bodies in daily life.

Physically, the premise is that the way we carry ourselves, affects how we function. Absolutely true! For instance, in dance, good posture in activity gives balance, ease, and poise. In terms of the how-it's-done, the Technique is incredibly gentle. Instead of pulling on some body part that is tight and off-center to make it go in the right direction, we UNdo the reason it's tight in the first place.

Once upon a time, we were born with bodies that worked and were balanced. We ran and played and walked upright because that is how children are born and grow.

That open, upright posture is still within us and it can be reawakened.

On an internal level, I also believe and sense that this work helps to open the flow of Chi and wake up our Consciousness.

That's where the real challenges lie...the development of human potential....that is truly, the Work.

Give me a call sometime!

Dana

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander® , F.M. Alexander

Bookmark:

Aloha, my friends!

I promised to let you know how my pineapple crown does.

You may recall the instructions. They said to pull off the bottom inch or so of leaves from around the crown, let it dry on the counter for 2-3 days, and at long last, to put the crown in 1 1/2" of water.

Two days after being in water, I thought it was going to die. The remaining outer leaves started turning brown and soggy. A few fell off. I was worried about writing to you.

I kept adding a little water to the dish and kept it out of the sun but in a bright spot on the kitchen counter.

Several days later, I ventured to lift it out of the water and see what was going on.

Roots! But quelle surprise! It is growing roots, but not out the bottom!

Continue reading "Roots! Or, A Pineapple's Story" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Just Because , Life Stories

Bookmark:

Hello my friends,

Welcome....come on in and enjoy some of the sweet end of summer while we can. I just came back from Hawaii and have lots of good energy to share.

I woke up this morning thinking about Maui.

I woke up feeling the Island air and how soft it is. I can still feel it, caressing my skin. It is so warm that it melts me, but not so warm that it burns. It is soft, it is soothing, and I could drift away into it, into the Zone.

Melting into nothingness, feeling my body float away till there is nothing left and I’m just floating in space; that is the experience for me of sitting quietly out by the ocean’s edge.

Two days ago, I was lying under a tree on Ka’anapali beach. The breeze was warm and gentle. I drifted off to sleep, and when I woke, it was to consciousness but not to any particular sensation.

Can I do Constructive Rest while floating off in a Hawaiian breeze?
In that floating feeling, how does one find a sense of direction?

I notice that I can think very lightly up my spine, just letting it be and yet knowing it is there.

Thinking lightly down my legs, out the heels, but not pulling, not pulling at all.

I notice that my back widens out the shoulders in either direction. I send a thought going up my neck and notice my head is lightly poised on top.

It is as if I am floating in space. Nothing is pulling, yet I sense that there is a space that my body takes.

I can think in a direction in my body, in whatever position I may be.

I can think of Maui and the warm, Hawaiian air and let it fill me again, all the way here in the Mainland.

That is the skill, of thinking in the body that is taught in the Alexander Technique. Like any skill, it takes practice. This morning I can still feel Hawaii and the ocean in my body. What a good skill…it is so worth practicing…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit, or in Hawaiian, Mahalo!

Aloha,

Dana

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander® , Life Stories , Mindfulness

Bookmark:

Hello Friends,

Continuing on a theme of amazing use of one's body, here's Fred Astaire swinging a golf club.

Look at his balance and poise! I am always stunned and enthralled by the natural alignment and grace in his spine.

One of the basic premises of the Alexander Technique is that "Use affects Function." In other words, the way we carry ourselves in activity affects how well we function, feel and perform.

Watch as Mr. Astaire dances his way through a whole sequence of perfect swings.

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander® , Just Because , Videos

Bookmark:

Current Events:

International Alexander Awareness Week is coming, October 10-18, 2009

Contact me for further details on any of the following workshops:

November, 2009: Workshop Week at Mountain View Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA).

Special class for faculty and staff. Time and date tbd.

Pain in the Neck? Using the Alexander Technique to find freedom and ease.
* Learn to unwind tension even in small moments in time.
* This will be a hands-on, practical class with take-home applications

January 9, 2010: California Music Educators' Association (CMEA):

Hands-on Introduction and Workshop in the Alexander Technique
at San Jose State University Department of Music

Would you like to arrange a talk or demonstration for your group? Give me a call at 650-964-4308.

Continue reading "Free Classes" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Free Classes & Literature & Current Events

Bookmark:

Hello my friends,

Anne O. Glausser and Anne-Marie Corley, of the MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing, created a radio broadcast about the Alexander Technique.

They interviewed Dr. Donald B. Levy, of Harvard's Osher Clinic. They also met with and took a lesson from Kitty Breen and recorded some of the lesson for this broadcast. Ms. Breen is an AmSAT Certified Alexander Teacher in Cambridge, MA.

Dr. Levy is the Medical Director of the Osher Clinical Center For Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies. He speaks about back pain and Alexander Technique, and refers to results from a study that was published in the British Medical Journal. Dr. Levy speaks clearly about what the Technique is, and what it is not. I was impressed!

I’ve heard it and think it’s very good. If you have anyone in your life who might find the Technique useful, this is a nice way for them to find out about it, and the piece is brief; only 4 minutes, 25 seconds.

The piece originally aired on WMBR's Soundtrack Science show on Monday, April 6 from 4-5pm EDT (1-2 pm, PDT). It is posted here, with permission.

Click on this link to hear the broadcast. You will have the option to listen online, or to save the file on your computer.

It is also available in WMBR's archives. To listen via WMBR, click on this link to their main page. Scroll down the page to the link for Sound Track Science, Monday April 6 broadcast. The link offers the option to either listen online, or download the MP3 file of the broadcast.

Please let me know what you think of this!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique

Bookmark:

Hello friends,

Lately, I am reading a new book: Forgive for Good, by Dr. Fred Luskin, and enjoying it very much.

It's all about forgiveness, and that necessarily includes looking at grievances that we can learn to forgive.

Dr. Luskin talks about how much mindspace we give to grievances in our lives. He uses the example of a flight controller's screen that shows planes flying around as dark spots on the screen. They are an analogy for the dark feelings we get when we harbor grievances. Dr. Luskin goes on to say that dwelling on wrongs that have been done to us is like making those planes stay in the air forever, circling round and round. They are a corollary to how much mindspace we give our grievances. He suggests letting the planes land...

I tried it and what I noticed when my planes of dark feelings landed, is that what I was left looking at was the sky. Clear, blue sky (and my imagination added just a few, small puffy white clouds.) The sky was wide open and all things were possible. I felt sunny inside.

Reading this book is causing an attitudinal shift in me. It is making me wake up and look for the sky instead of the dark planes in my life. I'm learning to let the planes settle and focus on the sky.

I started thinking about applying the principle of dark planes to pain. Pain is like dark planes that become the focus of our attention, to the exclusion of the sky. Often times when various places hurt, we ignore everything else and our entire awareness may become focused on pain.

I think that this is one of the ways Alexander Technique helps with pain. In the practice, we stop focusing on the dark planes that are our aches and pains and let ourselves notice the whole and flow with it. So, my friends, let your mind wander a bit. Let it wander up and down your back and out your shoulders, and on to the world beyond. Try a lesson if you're curious; it is easier to learn this skill with a teacher.

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander® , Mindfulness , Pain Management

Bookmark:

Good morning, my friends!

Here's some news!

The April, 2009 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine is available today, March 17th.

It has a very nice article about back pain and the Alexander Technique, titled A Dramatic Cure for Back Pain. I am very happy to have been interviewed during the writing process even though not quoted, and I hope you enjoy the article!

The article discusses the study on back pain and Alexander Technique that was published in the British Medical Journal on August 19, 2008.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please share this with everyone!

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Pain Management

Bookmark:

Making the Crooked Straight
- by Simona Fuma – reprinted with permission

They're the words a girl loves to hear: "Have you gotten taller?" "You've lost weight!" Such were the unsolicited comments I received when I visited the United States from my home in Israel recently, where, for the last three months, I had been practicing the Alexander Technique (AT)—a movement re-education program that involves hands-on adjustments to improve posture and coordination.

While yoga, Pilates and other posture-enhancing methods have swept the U.S. in recent years, AT has enjoyed a thriving presence under the radar. Its hubs include London, New York, San Francisco and Israel, which boasts one of the highest numbers of AT teachers per capita (300). Stateside, there are an estimated 800 certified teachers and tens of thousands of students.

Oscar-winning actress Hillary Swank was one of those students while preparing for her 2001 role as an 18th-century French countess in The Affair of the Necklace. "Jean Louis [her AT instructor] taught me that an aristocrat didn't just sit down in a chair," Swank famously told the The New York Times. "She floated down. And she floated up and down stairs. She certainly didn't climb them, for that implies effort." AT also counts Lady Judi Dench, Paul McCartney and Sting among its famous fans.

According to Dana Ben-Yehuda, media spokesperson for the American Society of the Alexander Technique (AmSAT)—and, perhaps fittingly, the daughter of an Israeli father—in the U.S. the Alexander Technique is popular among two categories of people. "Singers, actors and musicians use the technique to enhance their performances," she explains. In fact, the father of AT, Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955), was an Australian actor who developed the method to help him overcome chronic laryngitis.

The other category comprises people who are in pain and looking to AT for relief. After all, most health experts agree that good posture and proper muscle relaxation go a long way toward preventing back pain, the fifth most frequent reason for all physician visits in the U.S.

Dr. Howard L. Rosner, medical director of The Pain Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, says that the number one complaint of the patients he sees is lower back pain, and he recommends the Alexander Technique, along with other forms of physical therapy, to treat muscular-skeletal pain. "The Alexander Technique can retrain people to use their bodies more constructively," he says. "It can impact neck pain, low back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome."

Continue reading "Alexander Technique - Making the Crooked Straight" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Articles and Books , Free Classes & Literature & Current Events

Bookmark:

Hi there!

It's so nice to see you again!

The Applied Alexander® blog is all the Alexander Technique (AT, for short), life musings and interesting tidbits, and an exploration of how AT is relevant to the entire mind-body continuum.

Today's post is about the Technique, from a different point of view.

Dr. Craig Bowron only had one lesson from my colleague, Lauren Hill. He did the best one-lesson job I have ever heard of communicating clearly about the way it feels.

He was interviewed on Twin Cities Live, KSTP Channel 5 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Here's what he had to say:

Thanks so much for stopping by; come back again soon.

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Health issues and Illnesses , Pain Management , Videos

Bookmark:

Here's what came into my Inbox this morning. It's from the e-newsletter, Bottom Line Health. "100-Year-Old Solution to Back Pain -- Alexander Technique Body Movement Method Works Better than Other Therapies for Back Pain, Even a Year Later "

Media/journalists: Dana Ben-Yehuda is the Media Spokesperson for the American Society for the Alexander Technique. Contact her at dbenyehuda(at)comcast(dot)net

Wishing you a happy day!

Dana

Bottom Line's Daily Health News
February 8, 2009

In This Issue...

100-Year-Old Solution to Back Pain

Alexander Technique Body Movement Method Works Better than Other Therapies for Back Pain, Even a Year Later

Special from Bottom Line's Daily Health News
February 9, 2009

If you suffer from chronic back pain, you may want to consider a century-old, non-invasive, drug-free treatment method called the Alexander technique, which reeducates people on how to support and move their bodies. Recently an English study involving 579 patients with back pain put the Alexander technique to the test and demonstrated that it was effective and provided sustainable relief.

THE STUDY

Researchers established four groups of patients -- one took six Alexander technique lessons... another took 24 lessons... a third group had massage therapy only... and the fourth group had what the study team called "normal care." (Normal care was defined as care that would be offered by a general practitioner, and could include pain medications, non-mandatory referral to physiotherapy, etc.) All four groups were further divided in half, with one half walking briskly for 30 minutes a day and the others not exercising at all. Participants answered questionnaires about pain and function improvement at three months and one year. Results: The two Alexander technique groups reported significantly reduced back pain and improved functioning, including after 12 months, while there was little change in the massage and normal care groups. Among those who took just six lessons but who also did brisk walking, improvement was almost as great as those who took 24 lessons but did not exercise.

To find out more about the Alexander technique, I called Hope Gillerman, who has taught classes at physical rehabilitation centers and had a private practice in New York City for more than 25 years. Methods like acupuncture can offer immediate pain relief, notes Gillerman, but people with back pain also need a long-term, self-healing regimen -- and that is what the Alexander technique is. Most back pain comes from incorrect posture, poor body mechanics and excessive muscle tension, which increases when people are fatigued, angry, upset or in one position for a long time. Under duress, tension automatically builds in the back of the neck and the shoulders, pulling the heavy head downward into the spine, which causes compression. The fact that the pain becomes chronic further exacerbates all of these problems, Gillerman points out... since pain is upsetting and stops people from doing things and moving as they normally would, people develop more harmful habits. The Alexander technique can be effective because it addresses and helps to correct not only the cause of the injury, but also those harmful habits brought on by the pain.

HOW IT WORKS

At the heart of the Alexander technique is learning to keep the spine erect and properly supported. Gillerman explains that most people are unstable and "collapsed" through their torso, and hold and move their limbs in a rigid and stiff pattern. Without proper muscular support, the spine compresses, harming joints and tissues.

Here are three ways Gillerman helps her students envision what to do...

Continue reading "Bottom Line's Daily Health News Reports on Alexander Technique for Back Pain" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Health issues and Illnesses , Pain Management

Bookmark:

Hello friends,

Here's news about MRI scans and low back pain.

Tara Parker-Pope reported on interesting information about low back pain, X-rays and MRIs. In her article, she reports that many people who have back pain undergo diagnostic tests that are not helpful. Sometimes, as a result of these tests, people undergo treatment that may not be necessary. It can be expensive as well as painful.

Ms. Parker-Pope cites a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. This study showed that 2 out of 3 people scanned with MRI showed evidence of disk problems. It concluded: Given the high prevalence of these findings and of back pain, the discovery by MRI of bulges or protrusions in people with low back pain may frequently be coincidental. Indeed; the people scanned were not in pain.

Ms. Parker-Pope also writes about another study, this one, published in The Lancet.

The report states in part: “Analysis of results from the 6 included studies shows that lumbar imaging for low back pain without features suggestive of a serious underlying condition does not, on average, improve clinical outcomes. This finding particularly applies to patients with acute or subacute, non-specific low back pain evaluated in primary care settings.”

At the same time, most people suffer with back pain at some point in time. According to Tara Parker-Pope’s article, that number is roughly two-thirds of us.

What is a person to do?

A study published in the British Medical Journal on Aug. 19, 2008, shows 86% reduction in number of days in pain per month following 24 lessons in the Alexander Technique. Patients went from 21 days of pain per month down to 3 days of pain.

Check it out: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/aug19_2/a884

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Health issues and Illnesses , Pain Management

Bookmark:

Hello friends,

Remember, I promised to tell you how I might apply this thinking in the body to real life? I will tell you about my experience with the dentist....and undoing tension in my neck.

A year or two ago, I had to have a root canal and was literally getting uptight and tight-necked about it. I decided to try and apply the Alexander Technique to my thoughts about the dentist.

I started by doing the same thing I ask all my students to do: "First, we stop." Just Stop - Pause - and notice where I am and what's going on with me.

Then I began undoing the tension in my neck. You can do it along with me....we can do it, step-by-step.

Want to try? We'll start with something simple and expand to the neck.

Continue reading "A Visit to the Dentist without Pain - Neck or Otherwise" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander® , Mindfulness

Bookmark:

Hello friends,

It is a cool, gray and rainy day. It is getting lighter since we passed the solstice and I'm enjoying the lengthening days. One day I would love to visit Stonehenge and celebrate the end of darkening days and the beginning of the return of the sun. Have you ever been? I would love to hear from you.

Along those lines, here are a few sites with cheerful themes:

San Jose Heritage Rose Garden...here is their "Wall of Roses" page. Take a look and breathe in the beauty of these roses for a few moments. See if you don't feel better, no matter the weather!

And always, the ocean....remember, it is sunny and warm somewhere.....my favorite is Hawai'i.

Here is a list of blogs that offer information supporting wellness. Applied Alexander® is among them....browse through and see what else you may find!

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Just Because

Bookmark:

Hello my curious friends!

Are you curious as to what the Alexander Technique is all about? I mean, how does it work and what does a lesson look like?

My friend and colleague, Annette Schmidt, has published an introductory video to show you exactly what it's about.

Does this make you wonder if it may help you, and if so, how?

Send a note to me; your questions and comments are welcome!

Curiosity is where it begins....

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Videos

Bookmark:

Hello all my friends who may ever or have ever suffered with back pain.

The British Medical Journal recently published an article on the on cost-effectiveness of the Alexander Technique for people with low back pain. According to the NBC Nightly News, Americans spend $90 billion dollars a year on back pain. Compare that to 24 lessons in the Alexander Technique and 86% reduction in pain, lasting over time.

Download article from BMJ

One of the most wonderful thing about the Technique is that it teaches you to change your thinking, and therefore, change the response in your body. It is an empowering method for self-care.

Take a look....

Part one:

and see part two of the video

Continue reading "The British Medical Journal reports on cost-effective treatment for low back pain" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Health issues and Illnesses , Videos

Bookmark:

An open letter to the NBC Nightly News, with Brian Williams.

re: NBC Nightly News: Back Story

October 6, 2008, "Back Pain Epidemic Outpaces Treatment Options."

and October 7, 2008, "Cutting Down on Back Pain without Surgery."

The videos from NBC's broadcast are at the end of this post.

In October, the NBC Nightly News published two videos and two broadcasts about back pain. In response to this story, I’d like to bring to your attention as well as the attention of Brian Williams and Robert Bazell, two articles recently published in the British Medical Journal that answer the questions raised on the Nightly News.

1) “Back Pain Epidemic Outpaces Treatment Options”
Brian Williams aired this story on back pain and treatment options. The numbers quoted were beyond belief: we spend $90 billion a year in the US on back pain treatments; $60,000 per surgery.

2) The following night, Mr. Williams showed the video, “Cutting Down on Back Pain Without Surgery.” He began by saying that they double-checked the numbers from Monday's broadcast because they were so unbelievable; it turns out that they’re real. Robert Bazell, NBC News Chief science correspondent, ends the video saying, "...but experts say most people should try a non-surgical treatment first."

In answer:
3) A recent study shows 85% reduction in back pain without surgery and with zero serious adverse effects, through 24 lessons in the Alexander Technique. The study results were published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on August 19, 2008; it is known as the ATEAM Trial. See: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/aug19_2/a884

4) On December 11, 2008, the BMJ published another article as well as an online video: "ATEAM Trial; the Economic Evaluation,” about the cost-effectiveness of the Alexander Technique as shown by the study. See:
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/dec11_2/a2656

The American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) provides the following results from the study:

579 patients were involved in this multi-center clinical trial, which is one of the few major studies to show significant long-term benefits for patients with chronic non-specific low-back pain. BMJ, 2008;337:a884

One year after the trial started and following 24 Alexander Technique lessons the number of days in pain fell by 85% compared with the control group. The average number of activities limited by back pain had fallen by 42%.

In real numbers:
Control Group = 21 days of pain per month
After 6 lessons plus exercise = 11 days of pain per month
After 24 lessons = 3 days in pain per month

I am reaching out on behalf of the millions of people who have or will suffer with back pain. Surely this method offers sufficient potential to be investigated and reported on by the NBC Nightly News. If the results are as published in the British Medical Journal, then this is indeed an idea whose time has come. The Alexander Technique: a non-invasive, gentle, educational method for self-empowered care. The Technique is recognized in Israel, England, Australia, and many other countries from Switzerland to Brazil. It has been in continuous practice for over 100 years and is offered at over 50 Universities and Conservatories across the United States.

It is time to save money and save backs.

Please let me know how I may be helpful in providing information or pointing you to sources to investigate this further.

Respectfully yours,

Dana Ben-Yehuda
Certified Alexander Technique Teacher, M.AmSAT

Contact me at: dbenyehuda(at)comcast(dot)net

CONTINUE TO SEE THE VIDEOS FROM NBC NIGHTLY NEWS

Continue reading "A way out of Back Pain without Surgery" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Health issues and Illnesses , Pain Management , Videos

Bookmark:

Back Pain Epidemic Outpaces Treatment Options

This is the first of a series aired the week of October 6, 2008, by the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, on back pain and treatment options. The numbers are beyond belief: we spend $90 billion a year in the US on back pain treatments; $60,000 per surgery.

The following night they showed this video, Cutting Down on Back Pain Without Surgery. Brian Williams began by saying that they double-checked the numbers from Monday's broadcast because they were so unbelievable.

They're real. Check it out:

Robert Bazell ends the video saying, "...but experts say most people should try a non-surgical treatment first."

A recent study shows 85% reduction in back pain without surgery and with zero serious adverse effects, through 24 lessons in the Alexander Technique. It was published on August 19, 2008 in the British Medical Journal.

Contact me at: dbenyehuda(at)comcast(dot)net

Dana Ben-Yehuda, M. AmSAT
Media Spokesperson American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT)
and Certified Alexander Teacher

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Health issues and Illnesses , Pain Management , Videos

Bookmark:

Several months ago I returned to meditation after some years away. As I sit, quietness seeps through my body and all my cares fall away. I take time just to be in my body and enjoy the aliveness that it brings.

It reminds me of a story I used to make up about why going to the ballroom dance lightens my spirits so much. I used to imagine that I brought a big, white box all tied up with a big, red ribbon with me. I’d put all my troubles into it and leave the box right by the entrance door to the dance. I’d go in and dance and hope that someone would pick up that box and steal it. That never happened, but on my way out, I’d pick up the box and somehow, it was always lighter.

The same thing happens when I meditate. All the rest of the world can wait while I settle into my body and sit in a chair. I let a few deep breaths in and out. I let all the cares and woes wait and I focus on the flow of energy going right through my body.

The Alexander Technique does something very similar for me. The first step is awareness. In that way, it reminds me of a meditation in the body. It is always done in present time and all the work you do to retrain how you move is done in the Now.

I invite you to come try a lesson. Park your troubles at my door in the big white box with the nice red ribbon and come on in.

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Mindfulness

Bookmark:

The American Society for the Alexander Technique announced:

A clinical trial published in the British Medical Journal show Alexander Technique lessons are effective and provide long-term benefit.

As reported by the British Medical Journal on August 19, 2008, back pain sufferers who took 24 lessons in the Alexander Technique had 85% less back pain, one year after the study began. The number of days in pain fell to only three per month, vs. 21 days in pain in the control group. The average number of activities limited by back pain had fallen by 42%. Six lessons followed by exercise were about 70% as effective as 24 lessons.

There were zero adverse effects by any of the participants who received Alexander Technique lessons.

Click here to download a copy of the press release in PDF format.

Or read it here, online.

Continue reading "Study Results Show 85% Reduction in Back Pain" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Health issues and Illnesses , Pain Management

Bookmark:

Good morning my friends!

We have news again, about back pain and the Alexander Technique.

Dr. Peter Gott writes a nationally syndicated column for United Media. Today's column is about low back pain and alternative methods for treating it.

Dr. Gott responds to a reader with sciatica and low back pain. He admires his reader's desire to avoid surgery and suggests several methods for non-surgical intervention. He correctly identifies the Alexander Technique in terms of postural issues, noting that it deals with the spine, and refers to the head, neck, and back relationship. However, he didn't discuss the significant implications of a recent study on low back pain, long-term relief, and the Alexander Technique.

I'm writing to call a very recent, large scale study on low-back pain and the Alexander Technique to Dr. Gott's attention. The British Medical Journal published research on August 19, 2008, titled "Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain." This was a large-scale study with 579 participants, one of the few to show long-term relief from back pain.

The Pittsburg-Post Gazette quotes the study on September 11, 2008:

"...out of 579 subjects with lower back pain, the 144 who took 24 lessons in the Alexander Technique had an average 48 percent reduction in their Roland disability score, and an 86 percent reduction in their days of pain compared with the control group of 144 subjects, who had no intervention."

That's only 3 days in pain per month compared to 21 days in pain per month for the control group.

Click here to download a copy of the study directly, in PDF format.

These is a significant study and I encourage Dr. Gott to write about it!

---------------------------

Dana Ben-Yehuda is the Media Spokesperson for the American Society for the Alexander Technique. Download the AmSAT Press Kit by clicking here.

Contact her for further information or interviews, at:
dbenyehuda@comcast.net
650-964-4308

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Health issues and Illnesses

Bookmark:

Hello friends,

With all the talk about the ATEAM study about Alexander Technique and back pain, are you left behind in the dust wondering what the heck the Alexander Technique is, anyway? And how does it work and what are the principles upon which it is based?

I just knew you'd say you couldn't wait to hear more. Here is the answer for you, nice and easy and all wrapped up in a nutshell. Aren't you just a wee bit curious? Read on, and I'll speak about golfing and being centered.

I'll even tell you why learning about the principles matters. Promise!

Here are five basic principles of the Technique:

• faulty sensory awareness - this is the sense of where we are in space, called proprioception. Try looking in the mirror; are you surprised to see imbalances that you do not feel? Our inner sense can be tuned up again so it gives a truer picture.

• force of habit - you can learn to change poor postural habits to positive ones and put this force to work for you in a very good way

• the primary control – that the head-neck relationship is of primary importance in coordinating the use of the entire psycho-physical being

• inhibition – to refrain from doing. Here's an example:

the idea of sitting down often triggers an automatic response to tighten the back of the neck and retract the head. You can learn not to compress your spine by not contracting your head and neck. Are you automatically trying it as you read this? It's not easy, is it. That's faulty sensory awareness (see above).

• direction – consciously directing the body with our thought

Why does any of this matter?

Continue reading "What is the Alexander Technique?" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander®

Bookmark:

Hello my friends,

Did you know that back pain is the most common kind of pain suffered here in America?

According to the American Pain Foundation, “Back pain is the leading cause of disability in Americans under 45 year old. More than 26 million Americans between the ages of 20-64 experience frequent back pain.”

My previous post brought a recent publication to your attention. On August 19, 2008, the British Medical Journal published research that showed long-term benefits of Alexander lessons for the
relief of back pain, that have been shown to be effective a year later.

Given how many people suffer from back pain, is it any wonder that articles referencing the study have sprouted like mushrooms, overnight? Google cited 88 articles in 48 hours since the study was released.

One of my colleagues, Debby Jay*, recently sent out highlights of a couple of these articles. Thanks very much, Debby, for sharing this:

From PULSE (a resource for MD's in England):

Alexander technique offers major back pain benefits

20 Aug 08
By Nigel Praities

Alexander technique provides significant benefit over usual care for
patients with chronic low back pain, say the authors of the first long-term UK trial ...

In a landmark trial likely to be considered in the National Institute of
Clinical Health Excellence (NICE) guidelines for back pain due for release next year, 24 sessions of Alexander technique resulted in a 86% reduction in days in pain and a 42% reduction in disability compared with usual care after one year ...

Professor Paul Little, lead author and professor of primary care research,
said his study showed Alexander technique was a low-cost alternative to
currently available care...

Continue reading "Back Pain: Alexander Technique Provides Long-Term Relief" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique

Bookmark:

Good news, my friends!

The British Medical Journal just published results from the first, large-scale trial of the Alexander Technique. This is a large-scale, randomized, controlled study of back pain and the Alexander Technique.

The British Medical Journal published the study results on 8/19/08. Results are very favorable! You can find it at the BMJ website or here is a direct link to the study.

Also, here are links to articles that already came out since the study was released. Wow, the press is quick on the draw!

BBC News: Back pain eased by good posture

Telegraph News: Alexander posture technique 'most effective at reducing back pain'

The Guardian: Health: Alexander technique 'does ease back pain'

The Daily Mail: An old cure for a modern malaise: Alexander Technique can beat chronic back pain

It is wonderful to share this news and just in time for International Alexander Awareness Week, October 4 - 12, 2008. Stay tuned.... :-)

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique

Bookmark:

Hello, my friends. How are you today?

Here’s a question for you. Have you had your eyes examined recently? I did, and learned that flashing eyes are not just a figment of fiction and fairy tales.

Dr. Michael Marmor, world-renowned retinal specialist and Professor of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, sat across from me. He wanted to measure the electricity that is emitted from my retina, as a measure of the health of my eye.

“Do you mean that our eyes really emit electricity?”

“Yes!”

I started to smile, “…so the idea of someone having flashing eyes is real?”

“We are electrical beings. The body works through electricity!”

I was fascinated. Pacemakers work on electricity. Brain neurons and in fact, the nervous system communicate electrically. Now I learn that our eyes not only have electricity, they emit it.

Continue reading "Beings of Light" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Life Stories

Bookmark:

“You have such good posture!”

“Do people tell you a lot that you have great posture?”

“I want to have good posture like you.”

I hear things like this very often but am always caught offguard. Given that the work I do is helpful for being upright, my own surprise is surprising, so I took some time to think about it.

I suppose I do have what you’d call good posture. It’s the way I use myself; it’s how I move and stand. But that’s not really the point of this work, at least not the first point of it.

One of the principles of the Technique is that Use affects Functioning. I think that given the constraints of a condition, practicing the Alexander Technique is one way to have the best Use possible, and therefore, better functioning.

My teacher-trainer, Giora Pinkas, says that we have to “honor the structure.” It is not about forcing your bones into a shape they cannot go. It’s more about realizing that, given the limitations of anyone’s structure, how can we have some ease? How can we have the best functioning possible?

Along with that ease and better functioning, does good posture evolve as a result? Or is better posture part of finding more ease?

Continue reading "Posture Happens" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique

Bookmark:

Hello again!

How did you come to find this blog? How did you find out about the Alexander Technique?

A number of people have come to me for lessons recently. When I asked how they found out about the Alexander Technique, several people have said that they have been reading a book:

How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live: Learning the Alexander Technique to Explore Your Mind-Body Connection and Achieve Self-Mastery, by Missy Vineyard

People tell me they are enjoying the book. It has many case studies with interesting stories and also gives a great amount of detailed information about studying the technique, and also, teaching it.

I know of this book from Missy Vineyard, and have been reading it, myself. I find that it is not simple reading, however it has a great deal of information that’s both interesting and also, food for thought. I particularly enjoy her discussion of the mind-body connection and neuroscience.

If you are looking for a complete book, this may be a good place to start.

Continue reading "How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live: Learning the Alexander Technique to Explore Your Mind-Body Connection and Achieve Self-Mastery, By Missy Vineyard" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Articles and Books

Bookmark:

Hi Friends,

Welcome back. Yesterday we were talking about being Creatures of Habit and I promised to tell you about me.

I remember being horrified to realize that I was contracting my neck severely, every time I moved, and then to discover that I could not control this behavior. Try it again; try not pulling your head back into your neck as you get up. (And try not to achieve this through the unfair and unproductive means of stiffening your neck like a block of wood. Try to simply not do something you usually do!)

F.M. Alexander noticed habits of his own that he determined were at the root cause of losing his voice and thereby, threatening to ruin his career as an actor. He discovered a pattern of compression along the spine and through his joints, all the way to gripping the floor with his feet. He was tightening his throat and neck and throwing his head back and his chest out.

Have you ever tried to change a habit and then noticed just how tenacious they can be? F.M. (as he was known) discovered this difficulty. He reasoned that these patterns of contraction and compression were connected with the difficulties he was having with his voice. He tried telling himself not to do them, but when he’d begin to actually speak, he discovered that he reverted right back to his old habits.

Sound familiar?

Continue reading "Creatures of Habit, Part Two" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander®

Bookmark:

We are creatures of habit, or so they say. But are we really? Are you willing to admit to it?

I do. I readily admit to being a creature of habit, and I propose that habits are good - as long as they’re the ones we want.

If you agree with me, then it’s also true that good habits are a matter of consciousness and choosing the habitual ways in which we live our lives.

My first (habitual) reaction to the idea of habits was to think of them as bad things: “He smokes like a chimney.” “She eats when she’s stressed.” “I’m always late to appointments.”

Then I thought further and came up with many good habits that we’re all supposed to cultivate, like flossing your teeth and exercising and getting enough sleep.

One way to think of habits is as a reaction to a stimulus that occurs without our thinking about it. Smokers may react to the stimulus of finishing dinner by wanting a cigarette. That’s their habit. Some people react to any bad news by becoming alarmed; other people are more sanguine and take it in stride. We have habits of mental and also physical reaction and they happen coincidentally. How do you react to the alarm clock in the morning? Can you say that it’s entirely mental, or do you also react physically? How about habits of fear, or anger? Do you know someone who reacts to a request defensively, with fear, or aggressively, with anger? How about people you like; do they react with a smile?

We can cultivate happy habits like growing beautiful roses, and we can pluck unwanted habits like dandelions in the lawn. They may come back, but if we keep removing them eventually the lawn will be clear and green.
(Ha! I can hear you laughing about the dandelions from here! Do they ever give up?)

Continue reading "Creatures of Habit" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander®

Bookmark:

Here's an article written by the MS Foundation* about the Alexander Technique. Posted here for download with permission. Click on this link to read the article.

This is very useful information for anyone as it's a good article that outlines the history of F.M. Alexander as well as explaining why and how it works.

It also includes pictures and notes about the actor, William Hurt, who has been an advocate of the Technique.

Enjoy!

* Multiple Sclerosis Foundation

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Articles and Books

Bookmark:

Will Rogers said, “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”

Maybe you’re wondering how on earth what the most popular and highest paid actor in Hollywood in the 1930’s said could possible coincide with helping your stiff neck or tight shoulders.

Well, pull up a chair and let’s explore the idea.

Mr. Rogers said to stop digging.
He didn’t say to start something else.
The first thing to do is to stop.

I’m always telling my students, “First, we stop,” and I mean that literally.

Whatever is going on, IS, but while it’s obvious that it’s not anything less, what’s not always obvious is that it isn’t anything more.

If your neck is stiff and you come in to see me, I may suggest that you let it be what it is. I’ll say, “Let’s not add to it. Just don’t make it worse.”

Try it. Are your shoulders hiked up around your ears?
Try leaving them there and just noticing them.
What happens when you do? Do they start to release on their own?

When you stop digging the hole, it’s still there. Now you can observe it and perhaps some creative idea will percolate up on how to turn it to advantage.

Continue reading "Will Rogers and a New Perspective." »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander®

Bookmark:

Have you ever met someone with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)? It could be that you have, and don’t even know it; over 2.5 million people worldwide are living with MS. Some famous people who live with this include Montel Williams and Teri Garr.

Montel speaks about how he fights back and how exercise and an eating regimen play an important role, in an interview by the Seattle Times, January 23, 2008.

The MS Foundation is celebrating March as National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness and Education Month and the MS Society is celebrating MS Awareness Week, March 10-17, 2008. It’s all about education and assistance and empowering people with MS to live well.

Among the various types of exercise and movement awareness methods recommended for people with MS, the MS Foundation recommends the Alexander Technique. It can help improve balance and control, teach efficient movement and reduce fatigue, all of which are beneficial for Multiple Sclerosis.

Here is an article published in MS Focus about the Alexander Technique and Multiple Sclerosis, January 2006 issue. It’s called Come to Your Senses with the Alexander Technique. Posted here with permission. Download a copy of the article in PDF format.

In recognition of MS Awareness Month, I’m offering a special class focusing on MS and the Alexander Technique. It is free and suitable for all people, healthy or with MS. If you’re in the area, I hope to see you. You are welcome!

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Health issues and Illnesses

Bookmark:

When you are centered and grounded in your body you are centered and grounded in your Self.

Do you want to try and prove it to yourself?

Try slumping in your chair. Let your chin come rest on your chest, if your neck will stretch that far. Let your arms fall into your lap. Let your back collapse.

Now try and sing The Star Spangled Banner in a bright and sprightly voice. It doesn’t work very easily.

It is hard to be up when you’re down.

And it’s hard to be down when you’re up.

One of the things I tell all my students is, “Wherever you are, you’re Up!”
That’s because in Alexander terms, “Up” means up the spine and out the top of the head. Therefore, “Up” is a relative term to you, wherever you are. And given that, then truly wherever you are there is an Up and it is within you!

We literally cannot separate mind from body, and mood and mind and spirit are intertwined.

Think about someone who is happy. What do you see? Are they smiling? Are the corners of their mouth turning up? I bet they are not frowning and tears are not rolling down their face. It seems simplistic, but it’s very true. We read people by their expression and also by their body language, and we do it all the time.

Continue reading "Wherever You Are, You’re Up!" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander® , Mindfulness

Bookmark:

We started talking about what happens in an Alexander lesson. One part of the lesson is often done standing, or sitting in a chair. Another part is done lying on a table, or a “table turn.” We also call this Constructive Rest.

Generally speaking, it’s the second part of the Alexander lesson. However, there’s no hard and fast rule; you could begin the lesson with a table turn.

How does this happen?

I’ll have you lie on your back on a padded table, with your knees bent and feet placed flat on the table. Your head will rest on a couple of paperback books. This is to keep your head from falling back and compressing your neck. Generally, you’ll put your hands on your stomach, so your elbows will be slightly away from your body. This work is done fully clothed. I do ask that you remove your shoes, so you might like to wear warm socks.

Continue reading "An Alexander Technique First Lesson, Part Two" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique

Bookmark:

Would you like to find out what happens in a first lesson? I’ll try and explain it in a 1-2-3 process.

First of all, we sit down to talk for a couple of minutes. I’ll reiterate that I am not a physician and I do not diagnose or treat illness or injury. However, I still want to understand what issues are of concern to you so I’ll ask you to tell me about them.

Next, I might ask you to do a simple activity such as walk around the room, pick up an object (phone, etc) and put it down, and take a seat. This gives me a chance to observe you in movement and notice how you move when you sit and stand. If you wish, you could bring a musical instrument or a tennis racket or a golf club and I’ll observe you using it.

Then the learning begins.

We’ll work together, using a chair or perhaps walking about. I’ll use words as well as gentle, hands-on guidance to help you begin to move differently and also to understand what it is that you are doing that perhaps is connected with the problem you’re having.

For instance, many times the first thing that happens when you begin to move is tightening your neck and snapping your head back. This is part of a pattern of compression that is often at the root of many physical ailments.

Do you want to find out if you do this? Here’s a way you may be able to notice on your own.

Continue reading "An Alexander Technique First Lesson, Part One" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique

Bookmark:

Walter Carrington narrates this film of F.M. Alexander teaching a lesson. The film was taken in 1949.

This film is freely available on YouTube.

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , F.M. Alexander , Videos

Bookmark:

Welcome to my blog! I am so glad you dropped in for a visit.

Please pull up a chair and get a cup of tea – or coffee - and let’s have a chat.

I hope you have already heard about the Alexander Technique. * This blog is for another purpose than providing information. I will probably still do some explaining, as many visitors may not have previous experience of the Technique, but what I really want to do is to talk about the Alexander Technique and Life. That means applying the principles of the Technique in other ways than we do in lessons. I like to call it, “Applied Alexander®.”

In lessons I look at the way a person moves; how they walk, sit, stand, and use a computer or perhaps, a musical instrument. We look at waking up a body sense that has gone dormant, and training ourselves to think in the body.

And in another way, we can look at the way our minds move, at the way our emotions flow through us.

Continue reading "Welcome to Applied Alexander®" »

Posted by Dana Ben-Yehuda | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alexander Technique , Applied Alexander®

Bookmark: