New Year, New You?

This is the time of year when many of us begin to think about turning over a new leaf.  We make resolutions to change some bad habit we know is harming our well-being, begin a new program of exercise, or otherwise embark on a program of self-improvement. I'd like to make a radical suggestion: don't bother. It probably won't work (whatever it is).  What's more, it's not necessary.

I don't believe in "self-improvement," because I don't think we need to improve ourselves.  I think we are all just fine the way we are.  If anything needs improvement, it's the way we talk to ourselves about, well, our selves.

Does this mean you shouldn't quit smoking or cut back on your sugar intake?  No.  What I'm saying is that you are sufficient already, have amazing powers of intuition, empathy and creativity. In particular, your body-mind is nothing if not highly resilient.

I have to thank Dodinsky for reminding me of this.  For those of you who aren't familiar with this wonderful soul, Dodinksy has a Facebook page called The Garden of Thoughts, and he posts beautiful photos and little messages of positivity there.  He recently posted:

Do not sell yourself short by promising to be a better person. You have always been amazing. Recognition starts from within.


One of the principles of the Alexander Technique is that when we allow it, our systems operate beautifully, reliably, and dynamically. Alexander lessons provide the means to restore innate balance so that "the right thing does itself," as we like to say. And not even "restore" balance actually, but simply access it.  It's not like it's not there already. One component of the Alexander experience is the process of eliminating interferences -- unnecessary excess tension, misuse of various moveable body parts, application of excess force, dulling of the sense gateways, unconscious automatic thought patterns.  Once you get out of your own way, amazing things can happen, and often do.  


Okay, so that's a form of "improvement," I get that.  But to me, it's not the same as resolving to be a better  person. I find the whole "self-improvement" industry a little insidious, frankly. The underlying message I hear is that I'm not good enough; I'm broken and need fixing. Nope. (I have the same problem with fundamentalist Christian theology too, but that's for another blog.)  I have my flaws, but so does some of the most beautiful artwork ever created, and most of the living creatures on the planet. 


So if we're not improving ourselves when we study Alexander Technique, what are we doing?  Are we learning a new skill?  Well, sort of, but it's a skill we already possess, if only we knew it.  I sometimes describe it as waking up to myself, encountering my whole self in real time (i.e. now) and noticing how highly functional and able I really am. This takes consistent practice, so if we're improving anything it's our ability to recognize this inherent wellness.  


F. M. Alexander recognized it, or at least refused to sell himself short. A professional actor in late 19th-century Australia, he suffered from vocal problems. Doctors could not find a permanent solution to his problem and, as the story goes, finally one of them told F. M. that he just had a "weak" voice and would be better off choosing another profession. Luckily for us, he did not take kindly to this advice and had been raised to be self-determining (he also appears to have been a little arrogant, like me and maybe you), so instead of giving up his art and livelihood, he set about to understand his part in the whole situation. He discovered that his voice was not weak at all, but the way he had been using it masked how powerful it actually was.

I agree with Dodinsky that recognition starts from within.  Give yourself a little recognition, remember how amazing your body-mind is.  Let it do its thing.  Don't resolve to be a better person in 2011; just resolve to be.  Then go about the business of quitting smoking or losing weight or strengthening your core or whatever you think you should be doing more or less of.

Breathing with Comfort and Joy

When F. M. Alexander first began sharing his newfound discoveries about human psycho-physical functioning, he traveled around his native Australia and became known as "the Breathing Man." The core of his work was free and full breathing and its relation to overall wellness. Science is now catching up to what Alexander knew in the 1890s.

NPR recently did a helpful piece on the stress-relieving aspects of healthy breathing. Read and/or listen to it here.

The Alexander Technique remains one of the best ways to understand the anatomy and physiology of your own breathing system, and to begin to reverse some of the unconscious habits that develop in everyone over time, and which  interfere with healthy breathing. Similarly, a Somatic Release session often restores full breathing function, as clients begin to let go of restrictive muscular tension in the thorax and throughout the body.

I recently had an SR session with someone recovering from a day-long outpatient surgery. He told me that one of his post-op instructions was to take a few deep breaths every hour or so for the first several hours once he got home. They explained that this would increase oxygen flow to his bloodstream and speed the healing of his surgical wound. It also must be enormously helpful after being intubated and receiving general anesthesia.

I was encouraged to hear this. Doesn't it seem like deep breathing would be one of the best (and least expensive) things hospitals and clinics could do to put patients at ease during procedures and post-op recoveries? Not to mention, knowing how to breathe deeply and mindfully might help the caregivers themselves. (uh-duh, kind of a no-brainer)

Yet most of us remain largely unaware of how we are breathing and what affects our respiration. Unless you are a full-time professional yogi or you have a disorder like asthma (which continues to proliferate, among children especially), you probably take your breathing for granted. After all, it is a reflexive action, something that happens automatically. We don't have to consciously choose to breath in and out all day long; thank goodness! We'd never accomplish anything.

The cool thing about the breath (one of them anyway) is that it is also a process that can be directed. You can choose to hold your breath until you're blue in the face if you want to (but you probably still won't get your way). You can coordinate your swimming with breathing in and out. You can sing. You can breathe your baby out in childbirth. You can slow your breathing down or speed it up. We do this, consciously and unconsciously, all the time. The more awareness of our breathing apparatus we have, the clearer and more powerful our breathing becomes.

First, you have to know your equipment. While a good anatomy book is a joy forever, the best way to learn is by direct experience. Cool Thing #2 about the breath is that it is always with us and so it can be experienced and experimented with at any time. Hey, how about now?

Try This:

• Assuming you are reading this at your computer, begin by settling into a comfortable upright position. Let your feet be resting flat on the floor, or tuck them under you, Indian-style.
• Feel the support underneath you. What is holding you up? How is the weight of your body making contact with the chair, cushion or floor? Notice the contact of your back against the chair, or if you are not using back support, simply become aware of the space behind you.
• Begin to observe your breath. Notice how it drops in and drops out. Follow the in-breath and the out-breath, allow your breathing to be the focus of your attention.
• Notice what is moving in your body as you breathe. What is happening in your chest? In your belly? Can you feel your shoulders rising and falling as you breathe in and out? Is anything moving in your back? What else do you notice?
• Take in a very full, deep breath. Let it out on a sigh.
• Repeat this two more times.
• What changes do you observe in yourself after taking three big sighs?

Were you surprised at how much is going on in one simple breath? And this is just the really noticeable stuff, like shoulders rising and air moving in and out through nostrils. There's all kinds of chemical exchange going on every time we breathe, and information about our immediate environment being processed by our neuromuscular system. It's interesting to realize that the air we take in and then release out again is our most constant, intimate connection to the world. 

There are so many things in life that are out of our control. Breathing is not one of them. You can learn to breathe with freedom and awareness, decrease the stress in your life, and boost your immune system. (click through to the NPR story above or under Links to see how improving your breathing improves your health.) 

That sounds like a really good way to get through the Winter Holiday Season with comfort and joy!
Come in for a "breathing tune-up" at Way Opens Center. Call me at 917-216-5850.

Way Opens Imagery

Here's a beautiful image of how way opens in autumn:

Way Opens Center  is open for business in its brand new home in the heart of Bucks County in the lovely borough of Newtown.  22 South State St., 2nd floor.
Join me this Wednesday, November 10, from 5:00 - 8:00 pm
Way Opens Wednesday (WOW!) Open House
Good company, refreshments, and a demonstration of Alexander Technique
Hear about Way Opens Center's other bodywork services and learning opportunities.
Call 917-216-5850 for more information.

Website Goes Live!

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.)

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!

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!)

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.