It is really difficult to notice how we move and function when we are so busy and concentrated in an activity. To the point where it is usually at the end of a day or a week that we notice discomfort, pain and for some of us even to the point of chronic burn out.

Some of us tend to freeze our movement when we stand, sit, play an instrument, sing, talk, etc. we seem to stop, stop as if waiting for the next thing.  We collapse, we narrow ourselves, our attention narrows and our system/body compresses, we squeeze in, we even interfere with our breathing. For most of us this is a normal way to be, we don’t notice much we just do it, without a thought so it seems.  It becomes part of how we we do everything we do,  in a fixed way and feels normal to us, it is now an habitual way to be.

But when we quiet ourselves and start listening in we can notice our thoughts as well as what is it that we do, how we have organised ourselves in any particular moment or activity. Taking time to notice opens up new possibilities for change, ease and greater coordination. The Alexander Technique shows us a way to understand the way we do what we do and gives us the opportunity to be mindful in our every day activity, so we don't build unnecessary stress and don't burn out.

To find out more
Burnout Prevention Class. Monday mornings 10.30am to 11.30,
send me an email for more info vdruesne@gmail.com

We're all concerned about the height of our computer chairs, are our desks the right size, we purchase wrist rests, foot rests, ergonomically designed mouse and so on but we rarely look at ourselves and how we use theses ergonomically designed furniture.

Yes having a chair that is at the right height for you and making sure the screen is right in front of you so you don't have to twist your neck to look at it are both a good idea. But we rarely look at how we might be sloughing on these chairs, how we might be tensing our neck and jaw as we're gripping the computer mouse very tightly and generally misusing ourselves in these activities.

The awareness of what we are up to when we work, sit, eat or whatever activity we might do on a daily basis, is essential to learn how to reduce tension in ourselves. We can learn this practice, I have done just that over the years of practising the Alexander technique. I have learned how to not build so much tension as I'm working at a computer and how I can choose how I react to most situations in a calmer and more thoughtful way. I have suffered RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), neck pain, back pain before I started exploring and practicing new ways of moving and thinking.

If you suffer RSI you have probably looked at your set up at work, more than likely have gone to doctors, chiropractors, physiotherapists and so on... And the outcome is probably not great if you are still looking for solutions.

Furniture ergonomics are only a small part of a solution. The Alexander technique will help you find solutions that can last a lifetime.


6 week courses starting September,
Visit alextechstudio/courses

For more info or email
vdruesne@gmail.com

Well the good news is you can find more time into your busy day by taking more breaks and introducing a real easy Alexander technique procedure.

A parents, we tend to have a hectic lifestyle, running from one pick up to cooking dinners, cleaning, going to work, getting a quick walk in, or trying an exercise class, shopping for the week, before going back to collecting, cooking and whatever else out busy lives involve. Can we pack in any more into our day?

An Alexander teacher, Richard Brennan taught a weekly class to the staff of Bank of Ireland, showing them some of the principles of the technique and introducing them to the lie down procedure. They did this on their lunch breaks for a couple of weeks. At first the management weren't quite sure whether they liked their staff taking some time to rest as they probably saw it as a loss of productivity.

After a matter of weeks, the staff actually increased their productivity and both staff and management were in agreement that taking rest and looking after yourself brings benefits to you and to your work. It sounds quite simple when you read it like this but most if us push on, don't take breaks and generally end up in a hip at the end of a day, collapsing in front of our TV's with no more energy to spare. Having the knock effect into your work or your family life as you are not at your best, always exhausted.

Introducing breaks, like the Alexander Technique lie down procedure will leave you refreshed and with more energy to carry on with your daily chores wether at work on in the home (which is all work). Why not try it for yourself and please email me if you have any queries on how to do this vdruesne@gmail.com

Looking after yourself doesn’t have to be hard work!
The lie down procedure for you and great for kids too! My son likes to lie down with me when I have my breaks.

Lying down is one the quickest and simplest ways of allowing our bodies to come back into shape. It allows the spine to lengthen and widen, allows the neck muscles to relax as they don’t have to support the heavy weight of head (about 5kg-8lb). Allows the pelvis to tilt backward and the lower back to flatten. Spinal and abdominal muscles can release allowing the diaphragm and ribcage to work more efficiently. A deeper breathing pattern happens, and the whole system calms down.

Lying  down in semi-supine for 10 to 20 minutes each day can be calming, restoring, refreshing and alleviate immediate pain. Lying down is advocated by osteopaths, chiropractors and back-pain clinics.

Place some books under your head, notice if your head is tipping back (books too low) or pushed forward (too many books). Lie down on a mat or carpet, (be careful of draughts), bend your knees and place your feet shoulder width apart. Try not to fall asleep, if you feel sleepy you would benefit more from going to bed.

Benefits:
Releases muscles and joints
Allows intervertebral discs to plump up allowing spine to regain its full length
Releases diaphragm giving more rib movement
Allows for more regular breathing
Frees neck muscles
Takes pressure of eyes
Jaw releases
Undlenches hands
Gives time to think and become more conscious
It’s free.

Véronique Druesne, Alexander Technique teacher Cork
vdruesne@gmail.com

The technique also helped me a great deal throughout my pregnancy as balance becomes more difficult and it was a great help to have lessons during this challenging and exciting time.

Low back pain is a common complaint among pregnant women. As the baby grows, a woman's center of balance changes. With increased weight forward, her usual tendency is to compensate by leaning back at the waist. This puts unnecessary pressure on her sacrum and lower back, and can cause excruciating back pain. But no pregnant woman has to accept this as a fact of life. In an Alexander Technique session, her teacher will show her how to protect her back. As her center of gravity shifts, she can learn how to adjust, easily. By decompressing the spine and distributing the baby's weight through her entire body, she can be far more comfortable and pain-free.

As the baby grows and occupies more of her internal space, the woman's heart, lungs and other internal organs become compressed. If she does not capitalize on her body's internal support system, this can result in digestive problems and shortness of breath. With the Alexander Technique, she learns to reduce compression by allowing the torso to expand. This gives her, literally, more room to breathe. And she'll need access to all her resources with the challenges to come.

As formerly easy daily activities become difficult, a pregnant woman can learn a practical, enjoyable way to handle moves as simple as standing and sitting. It is crucial for pregnant women to learn how to bend efficiently. An Alexander Technique teacher will show her how to use her torso as she attempts, for example, the now trying task of tying her shoes. She will learn how to rise from a chair, lie down or sit -- comfortably.

Studying the Technique also helps a woman ride out the profound physical and psychological changes that ripple through her during pregnancy. As hormonal shifts spark mood swings and the nature of home life changes dramatically, this effective form of self care can help in regaining emotional equilibrium.

I can't write, I can't draw, I can't.... The list goes on, my life is full of I can'ts. Is yours?
So who's putting the I can't there in the first place?

Me of course, if I can place them there and make them part of my belief system, can I not just as easily replace them? Well of course I can as I'm discovering for myself at the moment.

Usually "I can't..." is followed by " because..." and the explaination soon follows, justifying why the can't is there in the first place. All nicely tied up so it becomes our truth. I've been experimenting and noticing some of my "I can't" habits of thinking and I'm playing around with simply switching to "I can" and see what happens. At first it feels a bit strange to do something you have believed all your life you couldn't do and actually just doing it. Feels strange but i'll have to say absolutely liberating at the same time. Up to now I've used the Alexander technique to help me release unnecessary tension throughout my body, repetitive strain injury, neck pain and TMJ (Temporomandibular joint disorder, or clicking jaw) but had never experienced challenging my belief system.

So that's my next challenge, breaking down some of my ideas around what I think I can't do so I can actually meet my true potentential.
Looking forward to it.

If you'd like to work on some of these ideas yourself why not come for a course of lessons and start your Alexander journey.

So one day I went to an Alexander workshop, a whole day and a new world opened up to me. I was able to see a potential I didn't understand but I could sense. The very gentle touch and approach, really appealed to me. It's a strange thing to say but from that very day my whole being knew there was something so deeply true, I had to find out more.

From there I participated in a 6 week course which was fun and showed me lots of different ways to explore and play with activities and see how I could change the way I moved using less effort. The value of seeing other people in the group changing, thinking and moving effortlessly was quite amazing and very quickly I justI wanted more of that freedom in movement.

I moved on to one to one classes and there the deep and profound changes I made are still with me now. I started to feel better in myself, my RSI pain disappeared and my posture started to change. It took time but it was absolutely worth it.

Thank you to my first teacher, Rosemary Moone for showing me this amazing path.

To be continued...

I was a very shy, self aware teenager, always uncomfortable in my own skin, I suppose most of us feel that way in our teens although it didnt' seem that way back then, it always felt I was the only one. My shoulders were rounded, my posture stooped and adults always commented on it and made their usual suggestions to stand up straight, pull your shoulders back and so on. Which from my side sounded just awful and got me into a worse state than actually helping at all.

As a young woman, tension got worse, I developed neck and shoulder pain and as a graphic designer, spending long hours at a computer, tight deadlines, I suffered from repetitive strain injury in my right arm (RSI). I was in a lot of pain, my fingers and forearm would get really sore, particularly after a day's work until eventually the pain was there all the time. So I looked for the usual routes, doctor, physiotherapy, but really I found no help at all and was getting quite desperate.... (more later)