The Way Opens Center website was launched on Thursday, while I was riding the DC metro towards the Smithsonian. Not what I might have predicted, but nevertheless it was fun to tell my website designer, Imogen Ragone, "It's a go" while zipping around our nation's capital.
Remember: Way Opens Wednesday (WOW!) is November 10, from 5-8 pm. Stop by and say hi, watch a free demonstration, have a nosh. (or a nibble. your choice.)
10.31.2010
10.20.2010
Mad Me
I began my Way Opens Wednesday (WOW!) by calling my friend Donna Allen at Times Publishing, Inc. I wanted some prices on advertising and had some questions about their marketing strategies and territory. Turns out their deadline for the November issue is Friday, so I ended up making some very quick (and slightly overbudget) decisions that required me to produce an ad today.
So that's how I spent my morning. It was surprisingly difficult to figure out how much text (as little as possible) and what and how much to include graphically (not my forte). The three paragraphs about Alexander Technique that I came up with for the Way Opens website (and posted on this blog) might work for some ads, but not this one. I had to come up with a punch list of benefits and applications that also conveyed a sense of what the AT is like.
Here's a sneak peek at what will be published in about two weeks in the Newtown Gazette:
Way Opens Center Ad
That was my Peggy Olson morning. If you don't know who I'm referring to, I feel a little sad for you. That means that you don't watch Mad Men, and you are missing out on a good show. And some very fine-looking people. And damn good writing. (yes, I have to curse. It's that good.)
Maybe you noticed in the ad (if you clicked on the link) that Way Opens Center is having another Way Opens Wednesday (WOW!) on November 10, and also the first open house to introduce me to you and you to me. If you are someone who lives in or near Newtown, PA, stop on by 22 South State Street between 5 and 8 pm for free Alexander demonstrations, a bit of refreshment, and friendly chat. I'd be honored to have your help as I launch what I hope will become a hub for learning, healing, discovery, and transformation. Then you can do a little shopping at Allegheny Art next door.
We are getting closer to a website launch, too. It's looking really good, thanks to Imogen Ragone, whose design ability is surpassed only by her generosity. She makes good-looking websites for her fellow Alexander teachers at a huge discount as a professional courtesy. If you or someone you know is in the Wilmington, DE vicinity, go take some lessons with her.
Hope you are enjoying this wonderful International Alexander Awareness Week!
So that's how I spent my morning. It was surprisingly difficult to figure out how much text (as little as possible) and what and how much to include graphically (not my forte). The three paragraphs about Alexander Technique that I came up with for the Way Opens website (and posted on this blog) might work for some ads, but not this one. I had to come up with a punch list of benefits and applications that also conveyed a sense of what the AT is like.
Here's a sneak peek at what will be published in about two weeks in the Newtown Gazette:
Way Opens Center Ad
That was my Peggy Olson morning. If you don't know who I'm referring to, I feel a little sad for you. That means that you don't watch Mad Men, and you are missing out on a good show. And some very fine-looking people. And damn good writing. (yes, I have to curse. It's that good.)
Maybe you noticed in the ad (if you clicked on the link) that Way Opens Center is having another Way Opens Wednesday (WOW!) on November 10, and also the first open house to introduce me to you and you to me. If you are someone who lives in or near Newtown, PA, stop on by 22 South State Street between 5 and 8 pm for free Alexander demonstrations, a bit of refreshment, and friendly chat. I'd be honored to have your help as I launch what I hope will become a hub for learning, healing, discovery, and transformation. Then you can do a little shopping at Allegheny Art next door.
We are getting closer to a website launch, too. It's looking really good, thanks to Imogen Ragone, whose design ability is surpassed only by her generosity. She makes good-looking websites for her fellow Alexander teachers at a huge discount as a professional courtesy. If you or someone you know is in the Wilmington, DE vicinity, go take some lessons with her.
Hope you are enjoying this wonderful International Alexander Awareness Week!
10.14.2010
Exquisite Movement
Some people are just fearless. Check out this astounding combination of courage, strength, playfulness, and grace. Ethan Law, you blow me away. And he calls it a "work in progress"!
Wheel Number.
Enjoy.
Oh, and Way Opens Center will be available for learning, healing, discovery, and transformation beginning October 18. Schedule your lesson, session, or class by calling Amy at 917-216-5850. Special rates during the early weeks.
Alexander Technique -- mindful movement for life
Somatic Release -- gentle hands-on healing
Mindful Birth & Parenting -- awakening to everyday blessings
www.wayopenscenter.com (now that's a work in progress!)
Wheel Number.
Enjoy.
Oh, and Way Opens Center will be available for learning, healing, discovery, and transformation beginning October 18. Schedule your lesson, session, or class by calling Amy at 917-216-5850. Special rates during the early weeks.
Alexander Technique -- mindful movement for life
Somatic Release -- gentle hands-on healing
Mindful Birth & Parenting -- awakening to everyday blessings
www.wayopenscenter.com (now that's a work in progress!)
10.07.2010
What is Somatic Release?
One of the services available at Way Opens Center will be Somatic Release sessions. Few people are familiar with the name "Somatic Release", because it is an approach that evolved out of my 20+ years of Alexander work, my decade of experience as a labor doula, and my own personal journey of healing. I created the name for this form, but the fundamentals of Somatic Release are rooted in the Alexander Technique as taught by my mentor Alan Katz. I also incorporate elements of Therapeutic Touch, Reflexology, Feldenkrais, Hypnotherapy, and intuitive common sense.
How is Somatic Release different from the Alexander Technique? Alexander lessons are by definition an active period of intentional learning between teacher and student. Although therapeutically beneficial, the AT is not a series of treatments or exercises.
By contrast, Somatic Release sessions are therapeutic treatments, a time for deep relaxation. Fully clothed and lying on a bodywork table, you will experience safe, supportive touch and positive, encouraging words that help you let go of tension. Depending on what the situation calls for, I use my hands in ways that are somewhat different from Alexander lessons. I sometimes use more specific pressure point techniques, for example, or work with the subtle energy field off the body, with very little direct touch. Some movement of limbs and opening of joints may be incorporated, and perhaps various breathing patterns might be explored. Improved energetic flow is the goal.
Alexander work asks you to actively participate as you learn about yourself; Somatic Release does not. During a session you might be asked to make a mental or visual connection, but for the most part, clients find themselves drifting into a deeply relaxed state of being, thoroughly refreshed and at ease as a result.
Somatic Release is especially useful for individuals recovering from physical or emotional trauma, for those with mobility issues, and as a supplement to healing from surgery. It is also great for times when one is just plain exhausted and wants a little tender loving care. If you are feeling overwhelmed, a Somatic Release session might be just the thing.
How is Somatic Release different from the Alexander Technique? Alexander lessons are by definition an active period of intentional learning between teacher and student. Although therapeutically beneficial, the AT is not a series of treatments or exercises.
By contrast, Somatic Release sessions are therapeutic treatments, a time for deep relaxation. Fully clothed and lying on a bodywork table, you will experience safe, supportive touch and positive, encouraging words that help you let go of tension. Depending on what the situation calls for, I use my hands in ways that are somewhat different from Alexander lessons. I sometimes use more specific pressure point techniques, for example, or work with the subtle energy field off the body, with very little direct touch. Some movement of limbs and opening of joints may be incorporated, and perhaps various breathing patterns might be explored. Improved energetic flow is the goal.
Alexander work asks you to actively participate as you learn about yourself; Somatic Release does not. During a session you might be asked to make a mental or visual connection, but for the most part, clients find themselves drifting into a deeply relaxed state of being, thoroughly refreshed and at ease as a result.
Somatic Release is especially useful for individuals recovering from physical or emotional trauma, for those with mobility issues, and as a supplement to healing from surgery. It is also great for times when one is just plain exhausted and wants a little tender loving care. If you are feeling overwhelmed, a Somatic Release session might be just the thing.
10.05.2010
Wordle Word Clouds
Here's a really fun website, where you can take text and make cool "word clouds." Click here to see what my latest post looks like in Wordle.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
What is the Alexander Technique?
When I talk about what I do, the inevitable question arises: The Alexander Technique? What's that?
Alexander work changed my life (maybe even saved it), and enhances my daily living in ways that continually surprise me. It can sometimes be difficult to find words to describe it, both because it is so unlike other modalities and because it is something that truly needs to be experienced to be understood.
But I want others to know about this incredible path to freedom, so here goes:
It's simple. How we use ourselves affects how we experience life. Alexander Technique reveals how unconscious habits of excess tension and inefficient ways of moving interfere with your natural ability to live your life with ease and enjoyment. When you recognize your habits, you become free to make simple changes that heal and restore your body-mind balance. You wake up to yourself.
Alexander work changed my life (maybe even saved it), and enhances my daily living in ways that continually surprise me. It can sometimes be difficult to find words to describe it, both because it is so unlike other modalities and because it is something that truly needs to be experienced to be understood.
But I want others to know about this incredible path to freedom, so here goes:
It's simple. How we use ourselves affects how we experience life. Alexander Technique reveals how unconscious habits of excess tension and inefficient ways of moving interfere with your natural ability to live your life with ease and enjoyment. When you recognize your habits, you become free to make simple changes that heal and restore your body-mind balance. You wake up to yourself.
It's powerful. Guided by the teacher's light, supportive touch and verbal cues, you'll explore how you are designed to move and begin some new ways of thinking in activity. This is not a treatment, it's a way of mindful learning. You'll gain skills that grow stronger the more you practice. What you learn is unique to you, and can be applied any time, anywhere. You're in charge.
It's proven. This is not a quick fix or the latest fad. The technique evolved more than a century ago from the pioneering work of F. M. Alexander, whose discoveries about human psycho-physical functioning are tried and true. The work has undergone rigorous research, its benefits reported in medical journals, doctoral dissertations, and even a Nobel prize acceptance speech. It is endorsed by doctors, therapists, performing artists and entertainers, ergonomics experts, and a wide range of individuals around the world. People with chronic pain, depression, respiratory problems, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) credit Alexander lessons as a key component in their recovery.
Alexander Technique
Simple. Powerful. Proven.
Does this make you want to know more? Click on one of the "Links I Like", or feel free to contact me at 917-216-5850.
10.02.2010
International Alexander Awareness Week
I just discovered that International Alexander Awareness Week is October 18-24, 2010.
How fascinating that this is the very week I plan to launch Way Opens Center by offering Half-Price Half Hours (short introductory lessons) all week and Way Opens Wednesday, an evening open house. (official invitation to come.)
Synchronicity -- it's not just a theory.
How fascinating that this is the very week I plan to launch Way Opens Center by offering Half-Price Half Hours (short introductory lessons) all week and Way Opens Wednesday, an evening open house. (official invitation to come.)
Synchronicity -- it's not just a theory.
10.01.2010
Up and Over It
Irish step dancing often makes me cringe a little, because although it is full of precision and power, it also looks like it produces painful tension in those who dance it. So what a wonderful discovery to find Suzanne Cleary & Peter Harding, creators of Up & Over It!, Irish step dancing for the postmodern age. The "We No Speak Americano" video has been making waves, with more than 2 million views on YouTube. But I like "3 Little Words" just as much, and it shows them using their whole bodies in a bigger way than the first one does.
Precision doesn't have to mean an increase of tension; dynamic freedom of movement can be fun!
Precision doesn't have to mean an increase of tension; dynamic freedom of movement can be fun!
Moving In, Moving Out
It's official: beginning today the new home of Way Opens Center is 22 South State St., Newtown, PA 18940. Or, at least after tomorrow it will be official, when I pick up my keys and begin the transition process. My new "landlord", Dean Dickson, will be moving out the furniture and sundry items from the space with help of some of his able-bodied clients. Dean is a psychotherapist who works with individuals, families and groups (interested? call him at 215-860-3450), and seems to be a very nice person, based on my limited experience of him.
So I have been preparing to move my necessary equipment -- table, stools, bolsters, mirror, books -- out of where it has been stored around my house and into the new office. Doing this has made me aware of how I've neglected this equipment over the past couple of years, and so naturally this has become an Alexander teaching moment for myself. The table needs to be cleaned and the wooden legs oiled and tightened. The mirror needs polishing, and just where the heck did I put the mounting bars and screws? The bolster is covered in cat hair and may need to be replaced if I can't get it clean enough. And, oh dear, just look at the state my little skeleton model has gotten into! He will not last much longer, I fear. Time for a newer, better model.
Neglecting our equipment happens when we are busy putting our energies into other places. From an AT perspective, this usually means applying energy in an unbalanced or misdirected way. But it can also mean just plain old ignoring ourselves or some part of ourselves, until we literally forget about it. When I first began Alexander lessons, I had almost no sense of my body at all. My awareness was so dim that when my teacher encouraged me to think about opening up and moving from my hips, I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. I thought my hips were the same as my hip bones, never suspecting that hips are big, generous joints that move! This is just one of the many ways I was disconnected from my physical self. It took me a while to reacquaint myself with my body and maintain a sense of my whole self as I moved through my life. Truthfully, this is a journey I am still on and hope to continue for a long, long time.
Meanwhile, I am uncovering all the accumulated junk stored on top of my table, wiping clean the dust and grime from books, bookshelves, etc. As I do this, I am reminded of how one of my students described her Alexander process: like an archeological dig. This is such a gem, and I use it often in attempting to describe what the Alexander Technique is. (I'm working on my "elevator speech" and will devote another post to that soon.) We have been conditioned to think of learning as a process of accumulation, but AT work is all about letting go of what is unnecessary, eliminating the interference we habitually infuse into even the simplest of activities, and unlearning our faulty thinking, so that we can become authentically dynamic in how we move and live and have our being (as an old Episcopal prayer goes).
I described this in an article I wrote in 2005 for Energy Times magazine. The link here is to an archived version on their website, which has been inaccurately reproduced -- the title they originally gave it is "Bold, Balanced Bodywork" -- and edited a bit (by someone other than my friend Stephen Hanks who originally commissioned it). Still, it gives a pretty good introduction to some of the principles of the Alexander Technique.
If fortune favors the well prepared, then it is important to be prepared in a way that is clear and unencumbered. Digging out from under the past three years of neglect of my equipment -- both animate and inanimate -- reveals to me some buried treasures I had forgotten about, some decay that cannot be reclaimed, and some new wonderments that arise because I have continued to grow as a human even though I haven't been teaching very much.
In this moment I feel enthused about opening my heart and my doors to new students and new neighbors in Newtown (aptly named!). I know how I feel because I can sense it in my body. For me, that would not be possible without having learned the Alexander Technique, the tool I discovered for digging out from under, so that I would not be buried alive.
So I have been preparing to move my necessary equipment -- table, stools, bolsters, mirror, books -- out of where it has been stored around my house and into the new office. Doing this has made me aware of how I've neglected this equipment over the past couple of years, and so naturally this has become an Alexander teaching moment for myself. The table needs to be cleaned and the wooden legs oiled and tightened. The mirror needs polishing, and just where the heck did I put the mounting bars and screws? The bolster is covered in cat hair and may need to be replaced if I can't get it clean enough. And, oh dear, just look at the state my little skeleton model has gotten into! He will not last much longer, I fear. Time for a newer, better model.
Neglecting our equipment happens when we are busy putting our energies into other places. From an AT perspective, this usually means applying energy in an unbalanced or misdirected way. But it can also mean just plain old ignoring ourselves or some part of ourselves, until we literally forget about it. When I first began Alexander lessons, I had almost no sense of my body at all. My awareness was so dim that when my teacher encouraged me to think about opening up and moving from my hips, I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. I thought my hips were the same as my hip bones, never suspecting that hips are big, generous joints that move! This is just one of the many ways I was disconnected from my physical self. It took me a while to reacquaint myself with my body and maintain a sense of my whole self as I moved through my life. Truthfully, this is a journey I am still on and hope to continue for a long, long time.
Meanwhile, I am uncovering all the accumulated junk stored on top of my table, wiping clean the dust and grime from books, bookshelves, etc. As I do this, I am reminded of how one of my students described her Alexander process: like an archeological dig. This is such a gem, and I use it often in attempting to describe what the Alexander Technique is. (I'm working on my "elevator speech" and will devote another post to that soon.) We have been conditioned to think of learning as a process of accumulation, but AT work is all about letting go of what is unnecessary, eliminating the interference we habitually infuse into even the simplest of activities, and unlearning our faulty thinking, so that we can become authentically dynamic in how we move and live and have our being (as an old Episcopal prayer goes).
I described this in an article I wrote in 2005 for Energy Times magazine. The link here is to an archived version on their website, which has been inaccurately reproduced -- the title they originally gave it is "Bold, Balanced Bodywork" -- and edited a bit (by someone other than my friend Stephen Hanks who originally commissioned it). Still, it gives a pretty good introduction to some of the principles of the Alexander Technique.
If fortune favors the well prepared, then it is important to be prepared in a way that is clear and unencumbered. Digging out from under the past three years of neglect of my equipment -- both animate and inanimate -- reveals to me some buried treasures I had forgotten about, some decay that cannot be reclaimed, and some new wonderments that arise because I have continued to grow as a human even though I haven't been teaching very much.
In this moment I feel enthused about opening my heart and my doors to new students and new neighbors in Newtown (aptly named!). I know how I feel because I can sense it in my body. For me, that would not be possible without having learned the Alexander Technique, the tool I discovered for digging out from under, so that I would not be buried alive.
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