Applied Alexander Technique Blog

Hello my dancing friends,

I invite you to come to an Alexander Technique workshop and free your hips!

Alexander Technique gives you that extra edge, by releasing tension you may not even notice - till it releases. It's that level of tension that's just "how you are..."

Unless it isn't.

This class will focus on freeing the hips for easier, lighter, smoother movement. Release tension in your muscles and joints. Discover the power of your legs!

We’ll take a look at how your skeleton is built and learn to free the hips and legs to move easily and independently. Learn new ways to connect your thinking and your body for freer, easier movement. Knowledge is power!

Saturday, March 30 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Continue reading "Alexander Technique for Dancers at Cheryl Burke Dance " »

Hello friends!

Sometimes people aren't sure about new things...like Alexander Technique. I can understand that feeling. It took me three years from the time I first heard about it, to try it!

When I was a kid, we used to watch Life Cereal commercials. Do you remember “Does Mikey like it?

If you're still waiting to try a "taste" of Alexander Technique, here’s a chance for you to find out, "...did Mikey like it?"

A Pilates instructor and competitive dancer who participated in my class last Saturday wrote,

" …I traveled from San Rafael, about 1-1/2 hours away, to find out about the Alexander Technique...The ride home, another 1-1/2 hours, was totally different than the drive down. I was floating and connecting to some inner grace. I'll bet you don't hear that from too many folks about driving on 101N!"

Come try it! If dance is Life, then Alexander Technique is the milk…everything flows better and it’s much more fun. It’s known to help balance, release tension and ease pain.

Maybe you’ll even enjoy driving more on 101. :-)

Saturday at 11 am, at Cheryl Burke Dance, Mountain View....read on for details :-)

Continue reading "Alexander Technique for Dancers at Cheryl Burke Dance - Saturday drop-in classes" »

Hello my friends!

I wanted to let you know about some more group classes coming up in November, at Cheryl Burke Dance in Mountain View.

Saturdays, Nov. 3, 10, and 17
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
$20 in advance (call the dance studio) $25 at the door.

For anyone who’s had lessons or knows a bit about Alexander Technique, I invite you to the wonderful world of Up!

If you haven't experienced it yet, come on in, the water's warm! No previous experience necessary.

Here's the scoop:

Continue reading "Alexander Technique for Dancers at Cheryl Burke Dance" »

Hello my friends!

I’m excited to teach Alexander Technique at Cheryl Burke Dance.

If Alexander Technique is new to you, here's what it is and more importantly, why to learn it, in a nutshell.

When you dance, is your neck free? Do you stiffen it a little...or a lot? Do you struggle for balance or relax into it?

When your neck is contracted and stiff, it pulls your head down into your neck and shoulders. It may push your head forward or pull it back down into your shoulders. Either way, it puts you off balance and out of alignment. It creates tension throughout the body, slows you down and shortens your line.

Alexander Technique helps you release tension patterns in movement that are so habitual, we don't even feel them. It focuses on the freedom of the head and neck in movement and creates freedom and poise.

Come try it! Come discover how free you can be!

See you soon - Saturday, September 22nd at 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. Call the studio at 650.864.9150 or drop me a line if you're planning to come.

with Joy!

Dana

Hello, my friends!

The body that sits in front of that computer is your dancing body!
Come undo the tension and pain of daily life and enjoy your dancing more!
Leave with skills you can immediately use to improve your dancing and your life.

Come to Cheryl Burke Dance for a special, two-hour workshop on Saturday, Sept. 22nd! Try something new, have some fun and feel better!

No previous experience necessary

• Release muscular tension.
• Alleviate pain.
• Better balance.
• Light, easy, efficient, graceful movement.
• Feel better!

Alexander Technique is unique in that it specifically increases your awareness of your head, neck and back, and gives you tools to release tension, direct the lines of your own body, and flow in movement.

Date: Saturday, September 22
Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Cost: $25
at: Cheryl Burke Dance, Mt. View 650-864-9150

Everyone: Please bring a yoga mat and 2-3 paperback books (or a bath towel) to place under your head during floor work.

Ladies: Please wear or bring loose slacks or workout clothes.

Don't miss this opportunity!

Dana

Alexander Technique is a world-class system of body awareness in activity that relieves pain and releases muscular tension. Taught at 50 Conservatories and Universities and used in pain management centers across the U.S., and integrated into medical systems in England, Israel and Australia.

Dana Ben-Yehuda, M. AmSAT, is a Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique with over 1600 hours of training. She has been in private practice for over ten years and works with dancers, musicians, and computer users suffering from neck & back pain.

How would it feel to have less tightness and more freedom in your body?

The basic way you do things all day long trains the same body you use for dancing. Come to an Alexander Technique workshop to shed everyday habits of tension, free your dancing body, and have some fun!

People liked the two previous workshops so we are doing another! This week we’ll learn ways to apply the Alexander Technique to relieve pain, feel lighter, and have freer movement.

- Learn basic concepts of the Alexander Technique
- Increase awareness of the head and neck
- Explore how this connects with releasing into length

Date: Saturday, July 21st, 3:30 - 4:30 pm

Cost: $12

Location: Dance Vita
85 43rd Street, San Mateo, CA
650-345-VITA

Everyone: Please bring a yoga mat and 2-3 paperback books (or a bath towel) to place under your head during floor work.

Ladies: Please wear or bring loose slacks or yoga pants.

See you there!

Dana

Hello my friends,

Come to an Alexander Technique workshop at Dance Vita Ballroom Studio this Saturday, July 14, 3:30-4:30 pm, in San Mateo: Alexander Technique - Alleviate Pain and Improve Line and Flow

This will be the second workshop in a series, however I’ll refresh the basics, so everyone is welcome.

Note from last week: some people found relief from pain just in that one hour. I tell you, this is helpful and if you have back pain or you dance, I hope you come!

* Alleviate pain
* Release more freely into length
* Improve body awareness

Continue reading "Alexander Technique - Workshop for Dancers" »

Hello my friends,

Did you drop in because you saw the news on ABC television, about how to be free from back pain without drugs?

Or are you an old friend who visits now and again?

Charlotte Keenan, a researcher for ABC Action News was looking for a way out of back pain. She came across a report about a method that promises to be drug free and free her from pain. It's called the Alexander Technique. It is moving into the mainstream. Come find out...

She investigated with a reporter's inquisitive mind and she found that it is connected with awareness and retraining how we move.

Easy, right?

Not so simple if you've ever tried to do it on your own. Have you ever tried to change your golf swing? Or maintain good posture while you sit and text from your phone? It's not so easy to do on your own. After all, if it were that easy, we'd all be doing it. Get some input from a pro and your progress will be faster.

Here's a video from ABC Action News
Ali Gorman, R. N., reports that a method is becoming mainstream and appears to be effective:

I am an Alexander Teacher. I help people out of pain. Are you a little bit curious?

Give me a call! I'll give you a free, 20 minute telephone consultation.

Here's to a life in Joy and out of pain!

Namaste,

Dana

Hello friends and dancers!

The Pacific Grand Ball is coming up on September 24th!

While you're there, you are invited to try some gentle touch, Alexander hands-on and release tension from your neck and back. Restore your energy and renew yourself!
$1/minute, special event pricing.

This is a special offer; sign up at the event or contact me in advance to reserve time.
Most people say that they feel better right away. It's a long day...try it and see!

In health,

Dana

p.s. follow the PGB on Facebook for the latest updates!

Hello my friends!

It is morning and I'm sitting here with my coffee, listening to NPR. Sitting here reminds me that too much sitting leaves many of us aching at the end of the day. Sitting is literally a pain.

Musicians have double trouble; some of them sit to play and all of them use their hands and arms in repetitive motions. There must be something wrong with the way we sit, the way we use our arms, or it wouldn't hurt. It's not supposed to; really, it's not.

Basically, we need to figure out what it is that we are doing that is connected with our pain. Are we slumping? Tensing up and hunching over? Obviously, if we could tell, we wouldn't do it! What are some ways out of this endless loop? Keep reading...for one of them...

Continue reading "Alexander Technique: A Balm For Back Pain? on NPR" »

Hello my friends,

Have you tried Alexander Technique and struggled to explain it to your friends and family?

Have you heard of the Technique but haven't been able to figure out what it is?

Here's a podcast for you - you can listen online or download it to your iTunes.

Pull up a chair, have a cup of coffee and listen in...

Continue reading "Podcast: Conscious Living - Introduction to the Alexander Technique" »

Hello friends,

On the morning before my talk at East-West Bookstore, Bonnie Coleen interviewed me about the Alexander Technique, on her personal growth talk radio, Seeing Beyond. We spoke about the essence of the Technique; what it is and also, what happens in a lesson. Bonnie did a great job pulling stories out of me. I hope you'll listen and let me know what you think!

Hear the talk online by clicking here.

You'll hear an invitation to come to East-West, so please be just a little patient as it begins.

I'd love to hear from you.

Peace,

Dana

Oprah Magazine recommends Alexander Technique for back pain. "When Ibuprofen Won't Cut It" ....use Alexander Technique!

The recommendation is based on a large-scale study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in August, 2008.

In April, 2009, O Magazine published a more complete article, reporting on the back pain study.

See the original study on the BMJ site

Go, Oprah! :-)

Here are some links to resources online.*

altMD.com is a search engine that makes it easy for you to learn more about alternative medicine and find the best local health and wellness specialists.

A great resource for self-improvement on the Internet.

The Reiki Alliance Information about the Usui sytem of Reiki healing

is a new resource for listing services online. Here I am: Alexander Technique: Pain Relief, Posture & Poise It's free and easy to sign up. Let me know if you found me here!

Empowerment Quest International NLP & Life Coach Training Institute Kevin Cole is committed to your long term success as an NLP Practitioner, Life Coach, and Hypnotist and Kevin will reveal everything you need to know about these tools in a warm, inviting and fun environment.

*These links are provided as a convenience. No guarantee of quality of services is offered.