Applied Alexander Technique Blog

Friends,

Angela Bradshaw gives a wonderful, clear explanation of the Alexander Technique. Try her demonstration right along with the video. Say hello to your body in a new way!

What a marvelous way to use our minds, discover our habits and find that we can learn to move in a new, more efficient way. Better posture, lighter movement, less pain.

Would you like some? Find a teacher near you, or contact me for lessons in the Bay Area.*

Peace,

Dana

* Three locations: Mountain View, Milpitas, and San Jose

Hello my friends,

I'm emerging from winter hibernation and emerging into Spring. I blog again!

Here is the most amazing video for you...It is enough inspiration to last me a lifetime. Seriously, if I watched this every morning when I woke up, I'd be a better person (and more fun, too).

"Everything is a present..." Alice Herz-Sommer

Here's to finding laughter and joy every day,

Dana

Hello friends,

Who comes for Alexander Technique lessons?

The British Medical Journal gives an overview:

If you have back or neck pain, or if you are a dancer or musician and would like to improve your performance, I encourage you to take a look at this video.

To your health!

Dana

Hello my friends!

Do you have back pain? This is a brief video with one scientist's view of the Alexander Technique. Sharon Gourdji came for lessons because of low back pain that had persisted over a number of years. Half a dozen lessons later, she is feeling better.

She is also a dancer and has some insights on unexpected benefits that she found:

Come and dance! Come gain freedom from back pain. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) published a large scale study on low back pain and Alexander Technique. Results showed dramatic reduction in pain with long-lasting results and zero - Zero - serious adverse effects. Patients went from 21 days of pain a month, down to 3 days of pain a month, with 24 lessons in the Alexander Technique, alone.

Come out of pain and into life again.

Namaste,

Dana

Hello my friends,

One of my students came because of posture, and discovered that Alexander Technique helped her deal with a much more serious issue in her life...Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

In fact, the MS Foundation does recommend Alexander Technique for people dealing with MS. Here is an article that the MS Foundation published. It was reviewed by the Multiple Sclerosis Advisory Board. Three AT teachers were interviewed (Jane Kosminsky, Robert Rickover, and myself) as well as two more of my students.

I hope that anyone with MS has an Alexander Teacher nearby and tries this.

Namaste,

Dana

Good morning, friends!

Here's an interesting look at how children with learning and developmental disabilities respond to the Alexander Technique.

Israel is progressive and the health system recognizes Alexander Technique for back pain. Here it is being used with children who have developmental issues.

Fascinating video; well worth watching:

Hello my friends!

Here is a rare find: Nikolaas Tinbergen's Nobel Prize acceptance speech from 1973, for his work in ethology and stress diseases.

Quite a bit of his speech is all about the Alexander Technique; what it is, why and how he overcame his own scientific skepticism, and the results of the lessons he, his wife and daughter all took.

Fascinating slides with before and after photographs of patients of Dr. Wilfred Barlow are about 2/3 through the speech. Dr. Barlow was a noted rheumatologist, who trained with F.M. Alexander to be a practitioner of the Technique.

Nine minutes fly by when the information transforms your life.

Namaste,

Dana

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 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,

If you're still not clear about how this method for standing up straight without "standing up straight" works, take a look at this quick video.

Lisa Lutton gives a great demo about how thinking differently connects with posture and feeling better.

On WWWL TV:

Hello my friends,

Here is the amazing Ann Matthews, giving an Alexander floor lesson at 84 years old.

She is amazing and as she tells her personal story, she's an inspiration:

Be inspired! Learn to use the tools we are given and live better!

Peace,
Dana

Hello Friends,

I have been inspired by a child who has an amazing ability as a virtuoso and also seems to have fun at the same time. She plays while she plays, in all senses of the word.

This video is of a very young, very special little girl.

She extraordinary. Beyond her amazing prodigy, I'm looking at how loose and free she is. One day she'll stun the world.

Alexander students say that lessons in the Alexander Technique give them a sense of freedom, ease, and lightness in movement. I invite you to come and try!

To all my musician friends and students,wishing you all free elbows, free wrists, and as much joy as you can handle!

Namaste,
Dana

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,

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.

Hello my friends!

I'm back after a little vacation from writing. I hope to see you here often and am glad you stopped by for a visit.

I have an idea to post some clips of amazing human movement. Let's explore the limits and beauty of balance in motion!

try this....and make sure to watch beyond the first 45 seconds or so...

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.

From my friend, Eleanor, comes a link to this video and a message: "It would be great if everybody can pass this around. Open your eyes and open your heart and listen carefully what she has got to say."

From the mouth of a child....truth.

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....

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" »

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" »

Hi Friends,

Just because....we can all use a good laugh. It's the best medicine!

Here's Robin Williams to give you a real burst of joy. To paraphrase the first rule of cat*, I say, "When in doubt.....laugh!"

* "When in doubt.....wash!"

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

Hello my friends,

Thanks for stopping by to say hi. I feel the need to take a break from news about back pain and tell you about a baby giraffe that was recently born at the world-famous San Diego Zoo.

You might think that this story is about Giraffes because I'm an Alexander teacher. After all, we deal with the poise of heads on top of necks. They are graceful and they have amazingly long necks that have only 7 vertebrae - just like us. Did you know that?

The truth is, I've always liked animals and Giraffe have always fascinated me. I went to high school in San Diego and visited the Zoo frequently.

Giraffes are so big and so shy. They are gentle creatures with huge eyes, the longest eyelashes imaginable, and incredibly powerful, fast legs. Here are fascinating facts about Giraffes.

On a recent visit to San Diego, I went to the Zoo with a friend and we saw the Giraffes. I don't know if it was Debbie the Giraffe who gave birth shortly thereafter, or another one, but it is an amazing process to witness.

Here's a video. I can't believe the baby falls six feet as it's born, and survives.

Here is a lovely video of Thich Nhat Hanh, talking about his walking mediation.

I readily admit to thinking about it but not slowing down enough while walking my dogs.

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.