The Alexander Technique & Creativity

okay please come in thank you I'm Anthony rocky rocky uh have a seat over there okay and you're going to talk to me oh so first of all Rocky thanks so much for coming what what's your profession composer you're a composer okay um have you got any pains anything that hurts is uncomfortable anything in your performance that you would like to work on recently I've been having some abdominal pain yeah okay for a while now and what do you think that's connected to stress okay for some other reasons so the stress of composing or the stress of living or both composing work so the as in having to compose having to get pieces ready to yeah to meet the deadlines to meet deadlines wonderful that's really an interesting reason for coming as in the pressure of deadlines having to perform having to achieve and having to complete something yeah and the pressure that impacts on you yeah that creates maybe abdominal pain and maybe just general a general sense of non wellbeing yeah is that right yeah okay so I think that's relevant very very relevant for an Alexander teacher most people may come with necks and back problems but I think what you're saying is oh I have that problem too yeah tell me yeah I've had like neck pain and headache as yeah so anything I'm sitting too long okay so sitting too long and composing yeah Under Pressure yeah also creates neck and back discomfort yeah sort of yeah but I do exercise regular yes that kind of guess away um it releases something okay that's another really interesting thing so you've got certain things you do that temporarily releases or relieves the the discomfort exercise movement and so on but then it comes back again uh neck pain or back pain yeah not so often but the uh stomach pain the stomach pain yes not pain but discomfort discomfort okay okay right so this this session will be about how do we think about Alexander in a way that's appropriate for you could say attitude issues of what sort of mindset are you in or Mind Body set are you in that may increase the tendency to get abdominal pain or sometimes neck and back pain and how we can shift this Mind Body State into a condition which prevents or minimizes these discomforts okay that's the way we're going to think about the technique all right and now I know you've had no lessons before so it's a wonderful opportunity of starting from scratch and we'll see where we go okay so do you know that I guide you with my hands do you know anything about what I'm going to do today with you no idea great okay so we'll start from from the first thing which is I you're here to help me show show the students in my school what I do with a a student a pupil in their first lesson and I do I do the work and I'm going to guide you with my hands and my my words into a different condition that hopefully will teach you because you're going to learn something something about maintaining or moving towards a a recovery condition a place of increased Harmony which you can maintain in the middle of the deadlines of having to to compose and sitting for a while at your desk having to write pieces and so on all right good so we'll start with you standing and we'll have you around here and looking out there out of the window and we'll start with your feet a little wider apart and come back a little closer to the stool yeah so what I do is I use my hands and I move you and your role is very very simple Your Role is to let me move you that's your only role for the time being unless I ask you to do something like bend the knees As you move towards the the stool or I might ask you to stand up using your all your feet including your heels right okay any questions that you have as we're working feel free to ask me all right any right now as as you're standing is there any discomfort at all in the abdomen neck or shoulders or back anything murmuring in not really Whispering fine so it would mainly you'd mainly have these discomforts when you're actually in the middle of sitting for a while composing or having to produce a piece yeah okay are you in the middle of composing something right now yeah all the time all the time so there's are there any resting moments or is it like this is an everyday thing you have to come up with pieces all the time how does it work I try to give myself a break in the evening in the evening right does it work do you give yourself a break in the evening yeah I I do I have to you have to otherwise you'd go Bonkers yeah yeah okay and when you give yourself a break in the evening do these tension patterns ease a little bit sometimes and sometimes not yeah so sometimes it's too too much like yeah yeah feel guilty you feel guilty for not performing not working yeah okay that's a really useful way of describing the the condition when you feel guilty it's almost like you put yourself under enormous pressure that you have to keep going otherwise well I'll ask you the question if you didn't carry on sometimes performing when you feel guilty what would it be like what would you feel um just feel like I should not have Wast time wasted time yeah so there's a huge pressure and it's a big emotional pressure you mustn't waste time otherwise you're not doing very well you're not a very good person I don't know what it means to you but something is very very strong that urge to succeed and produce yeah to come up with the goods and if you don't do that you feel guil guilty and bad and you're not doing well yeah okay so right now here's a little moment of you having to produce the goods and I'm going to say to you you're going to sit and stand in a little while and what I want from you is not to do anything to make it good to achieve to [Music] perform but in a way to feel that there's nothing you have to do at all there's nothing you have to achieve right now apart from letting me move you okay so I'm moving your head and now I'm going to move an arm now I want to take the hips back as you bend the knees As you move to the chair to the stool yes all the way till you hit the stool the chair's there I'll never take it away by the way at the last moments I won't trick you I'm going to take you backwards and I'm going to take you forwards and there's nothing you need to do so right now you may feel I've got to get ready to stand I don't know if you do or you don't but you know that that may be on the agenda and what I'm saying with my hands and my words is okay Rocky I'm going to take you to the point where you may have to stand and I want you not to prepare to not get ready to stay feeling I'm not not ready for this I'm not doing anything I'm being a bit lazy okay now I'm taking you back and now I'm going to take you forwards yep and hold yourself there so even now at the point when I might get you out of the stool I want you to say to yourself hold on a minute I'm not going to get ready and in this state of not getting ready all I want from you right now is to stand up with your heels exactly that all all the way up and as I said any questions that come in feel free what's it like standing there not having to do very much so here you're in a condition of you don't have to be the composer right now I'm the composer I have to produce the goods so you're on the receiving end now take the hips back and bend the knees yep so the audience here the students are here to examine my composition so all the pressure is on me let me take you further forward and hold yourself there I'm going to take you backwards Let Me Take You further forwards and hold yourself there yeah and and I want you now to stand up with the heels that's it and then you bend the knees over your toes we're going to keep on this movement for a little while yes and now stand up again and bend the knees again and then heels and bend the knees and then heels and bend the knees and then heels and bend the knees and then heels and bend the knees and heels HS mhm and keep on looking out of the window there's nothing you need to do to go inside and improve what do the movements feel like sitting and standing like that is that a familiar sort of way that you'd experience yourself sitting and standing or is a a sense of something a little bit different about this quality of mov movement yeah what what feels a little bit different feels quite light quite light yeah feels a bit lighter than normal yeah mhm and take the hips back and bend the knees all the way good and then stand up with the heels and bend the knees and then heels that's it and then bend the knees and then heels good yeah so the movement feels lighter not such an effort yeah and do nothing in the neck nothing in the shoulders you're just standing there looking out of the window and waiting for me to give you a little instruction of what I want to happen next I'm going to lift the arm so again that's you doing absolutely nothing but letting me be the the lifter and then they fall by the themselves another way of looking at what you do with yourself when when you're composing is you Pro we could probably call it the difficulty of relaxing while you're composing is that would that make sense that it's e it's it's not easy to stay relaxed and composed no is that fair yeah that your mind doesn't really relax it's like it's quite stressed intense yes it's quite intense yeah yeah now what do you think the body does when the mind is not able to relax and it's quite intense what do you think the body does what condition tense yeah intense mind tense body do you see the connection I mean it's in a way it's very obvious isn't it we all know this that when your mind is having quite an intense time of having to achieve and churn out the goods the body is going to adapt and really reflect that quality of mind and be quite tense which would make sense in terms of the neck and back and the abdomen yeah okay now take the hips back and bend the knees yeah all the way and the sto stop way there nothing to do absolutely nothing for you to do and stand up with the heels yes and then bend the knees slowly all the way to the sto heels and bend the knees heels and bend the knees again and then heels yeah yeah what are the movements like right now question more relaxed more relaxed so lighter more relaxed and then another interesting question what condition is your mind in right now compared to maybe when you walk through the door uh kind of not so much going on not so much going on perfect not so much going on I mean that's really vital it's a little less cluttered isn't it less full of stuff less is going on bit more empty yes do you reckon you could compose in this Condition it's a strange question isn't it do you reckon it's possible to be creative in this condition of not much going on in terms of intensity do you reckon that in the less intense you right in this condition that composing would be in any way possible bend the knees or would you feel can't compose unless I'm intense it's just a question well I'd like to try it it'll be an interesting experiment wouldn't it if we helped you move towards a condition of less intensity more light less going on more relaxation would that support your composing would it support your composing or would it be impossible to compose in this increase of Stillness possible yeah it's a question isn't it it would be a question for us that we'd need to explore we could ask an even deeper question is creativity supported by the Mind quietening down moving towards less going on or is creativity going to only come from a place of trying and fighting and effort and pushing and pulling that creates the abdomen problem and the neck and shoulder stuff that's our question so we're really asking what condition of mind body supports creativity and in your case supports composition it's a great question and very very very relevant to the Alexander technique that's it and stay there that's it so what's happening what am I doing with you you're sitting and standing stand up again and then bend the knees again and hold yourself there and then heels and bend the knees what's going on in the neck and back as you're sitting and standing bend the knees uh get leaning forward you're leaning a little forwards yeah and what's happening in the neck and shoulders as you're coming in and out of a chair bend the knees uh kind of in a line it's yeah it's in a line and it's not distorting itself that's right nothing much is going on then in a way less is going on in the mind and less of go is going on in the neck and spine which is why you're saying it's aligned you're not distorting that line of poise it's not getting all Disturbed okay so let me move you again and now I want you to just go up onto the tip of your toes and then down to the heels yep wait there look out to the window again onto the tip of your toes yeah and down to the heels again stop okay so nothing happening in the abdomen nothing in the neck and chest still see something out of the window and then take the hips back again as you bend the knees and you reach the stool mhm and hold your yourself there what's it like having a mind that's a little less intense right this moment is it easy or is it a bit of a challenge it's easy so in this room right now it's easy I would guess that if it was evening time and you wanted to give yourself a bit of a break being in this condition might not be so easy is that fair sometimes yeah so at least here I suppose there's no great pressure on you to have to perform in this room that you know that right now right now at any rate there's no pressure to compose so maybe it's easy to give yourself a bit of a break let me take you further forwards yep good and I'm not letting you get ready to stand so that's a little performance and my hands are saying you may think you have to get ready and do a little production or composition and the hands and your experience says can you see this your mind and body is is saying I'm not getting ready I'm going to stay in this condition of ease of not jumping of deeper relaxation and see where we go and then you stand up with the heels and you just got out of a chair then how much effort was that to stand not so much not so much at all no almost nothing very very efficient and quiet and still and wait so once more take the hips back and bend the knees MH yeah I'm going to move an arm I'm going to move this arm yep and you keep on looking out of the window why am I saying look out of the window so you don't get too interested or concentrating about anything you have to achieve in here inside of you and inside the room so after you've now been maintaining this condition of not having to do very much is it still reasonably easy or do you feel it's about time to start composing it's Prett easy yeah okay so imagine now that you're back home and it's the evening and you you want to give yourself a break and you think yourself into that situation what would start to happen in this condition you're sitting and you think well don't know if I can give myself a break I feel a bit guilty what would start to happen in your mind and body maybe just don't think too much that's what would happen or that's what you'd like to happen yeah sure what you'd like to happen is that you can stay in this condition and not to do too much thinking but to stay in this not much going on in the mind business yeah but it may not be so easy it may not be so easy when you're on your own because you might just fall back into a sort of Habitual way of doing things let me take you forwards and start to push and pull and be a bit more ambitious with yourself so let me take you forward so now in this condition in this room you're practicing not being too ambitious not making a big effort with your mind and body so this is a different way of being Rocky isn't it this not position because I don't care what position you're in you can move around as you talk to me again how easy is it to be in this condition right now it again feels quite light quite light anded you're enjoying it yeah what would not be so easy about maintaining this quality when you have to perform and You' got a deadline yeah what would start to happen to this Rocky uh I guess when my body would just get tense it would wouldn't it yeah the body would get tense yeah and could you show me what it would start to do yeah like that it would wouldn't it do you want to do that again yeah yeah exactly it would start efforting yeah yeah and what do you think that effting makes you feel more capable of doing or let's say the other way around when you don't do this what feels not easy in other words what couldn't you do in this easy condition that you'd feel you have to do this for kind of just to help Focus exactly yeah you'd feel that without going into this one you couldn't focus on on the job there something about this will help you focus and produce and what I'm saying is something rather bizarre that actually this doesn't help you focus and produce I think that's my guess but actually you can pay attention in a different way that may be very creative and may enable you to produce the compositions but without all the discomforts that go along with Focus so this that's the experiment before us that's that's our experiment to see that when you don't go into that body tense place what can we do with it how successful can you be even though it feels that in this place of relaxation there's nothing you can you can achieve in this place of relaxation you cannot achieve you cannot achieve anything of value all right and therefore in in one way we take you forward again this condition does not feel like a place you can succeed in composition does that make sense so that's not easy because you want to you have a deadline you have to succeed you have to produce so we're exploring right now keeping this condition of not tensing not ambition not effting as you sit and stand and talk to me all right at least in this room and through gradually getting used to this new way of being this new way of being without without effting can become more available when you're on your own composing stand up with the heels and bend the knees again yeah that's the one and then heels yeah and then walk to the sa and back again and then just come back to the chair yeah and then back again good good good good what's it like to walk like that and then you can turn around and look at the window that's another movement isn't it like sitting and standing walk what was the experience of walking uh relaxed yeah you stayed relaxed and walked yeah the same way as you stayed relaxed and was sitting and standing as you stayed relaxed as you were talking are you with me so you can perform this new way of being Rocky in these simple activities and that's a bit different to what you'd normally do isn't it good good now put your feet wider again yeah all right any questions coming [Music] in okay so I'll ask just one one more time is it reasonably easy being soft like this or is it something is it not so easy on any level at all is it quite emotionally easy to be s soft and still and quiet or is is it a little bit unfamiliar and not not sustainable do you think or is it just something that think that you feel is so nice and easy I could keep it going forever yeah I could keep going forever H that's nice guide it yeah what only if I'm here yeah oh that's that's a little different I can't carry I can't do 20 [Laughter] 47 yes so yes so under that under the guidance it's like yeah you could be in this condition Forever The Challenge would be what happens when life happens outside of this room yeah and I would say then it would be more more of a maybe not so easy right all right so now I'm going to do similar things to the chair going to move your leg legs arms head and you've got the same job which is to let me move you without being too ambitious without feeling you have to succeed or produce you don't have to get anything right and that's a different headset isn't it it's very very different Mind Body set because you showed me something very interesting just now you showed me that when you're on your own and you have to perform and compose feels like you have to do a focus to achieve something and it creates a lot of tension in the abdomen in your face and neck and jaw you're concentrated and without that you don't think you'll be able to produce the goods and that's really really really important and it's not for me to argue with you and say don't be silly just chill out when you've compose that doesn't work otherwise what's the point in coming here so the Alexander lesson is I have to give you the experience of being in a different condition not to tell you to come into it with words alone I have to get you into this different condition of relaxation of ease of not trying and help you sustain it at least here in this room with different activities and then it becomes part of your brain pattern it's repeated it's reinforced and this newish pathway in the brain becomes more established and becomes more available when you're on your own with that feeling of I have to compose right now and whereas normally you'd go into this is what I need to do when I compose there may be a little glimmer a little opportunity of staying in this condition when you have to achieve a deadline and produce something because you'll have more faith in it it'll be a pathway in the brain and body that we've exercised here we've reinforced it here it's been repeated what did you notice just happened to your back just then stretched it did didn't it hugely and did you notice where you suddenly had more room H where yeah uh back the lower back and what's the front of the lower back what's the yeah belly belly abdomen yes where you say you have a lot of tension yeah so you just allowed a lot more space there rather than stress and contraction okay I'm going to lift up your head and the same thing for you is to let me lift it without helping yeah can you sense how little tension there is in the in the belly abdomen yeah that there's yeah what does it feel like to you quite loose loose loose rather than tight rather than tight yeah I think when you're in this Focus everything tightens including your abdom which is why I think would make sense that you have quite a lot of tension there and discomfort because you're in this contracted state of focus and the word Focus means everything is drawn together and right now you're not in in a condition of focus so the challenge would be can you inhabit this place of non-focus and work then we'd solve the problems wouldn't we in a way that sounds very very easy and in a way it is easy but it takes takes a while to trust the non-t trying and to trust that in the non-t trying the non-contracting the non the non- effort the non- ambition that you'll produce the goods because I think there's a little Habit in there somewhere that says unless I really fight myself and focus hard and squash myself nothing good will come out that I almost have to punish myself a little bit and give myself a bit of a rough time that without sweat there's no there's no success without fighting and pushing and pulling nothing of value can happen and that may be quite a deep-seated thought and experience and I think it's worth exploring the possibility that maybe creativity and production can come in when you're very kind to yourself like like this because Alexander is really a technique where you learn to be kind to yourself which means you're more efficient more able to do things without hurting yourself and I would say even more than that in this condition of being kind to yourself I think you're more productive you're more creative there's more good stuff that comes through not that you don't produce very well I'm sure with the effort you've clearly done a very good job as a composer until now but there's some side effects aren't they like tummy and stress and so on but I think it's an interesting idea that you could produce in a much more Gentle Way and creative way without having all of these side issues so rather than just having time out in the evening and even then you feel guilty that you're not doing stuff that maybe you could bring some of this timeout stuff not just into the evenings but this timeout quality into every day so Alexander is really about bringing that quality of ease into an activity rather than I'll go crazy for a while then I'll do timeout I go crazy for a while then I do time out as a sort of your pendulum between overstress relaxation actually that you can have this higher level of what you call relaxation ease expanse and perform that it there aren't two separate worlds there's one world where you can be kind to yourself and and con and perform and compose and I should say before we finish today that there's one experience that you may have to go through along this journey that may be helpful and I would say it'll be something like you might have to allow yourself to feel unable to perform or guilty that you're not making this effort and allow yourself to experience this oh I can't manage this without effort without Focus I feel a bit guilty that I'm not trying and go along that path that'll be the breaking of a habit that I think will be very valuable so you move from guidance here when it works rather nicely to your own autonomy when you're self-support good thank you any any questions jumping straight in so what's it like being you right now after we've been working for a while very relaxed very relaxed yeah and yeah I can see that in your face is it nice to be very relaxed it is yeah yeah and feel less stress mhm um generally feel very light yeah yeah relaxed less stressed and very light yes so our hope is that we could allow that condition to be more available when you're composing because the Habit you showed me very clearly was when I compose I have to do the focus and so I I'd want to give you the confidence that in this condition even though right now it feels it's only available here I'd want to give you the confidence and it would be an experiment to see whether you could compose and be extremely creative and productive with this increase of relaxation and ease without hurting yourself that would be a really interesting experiment yeah a good challenge it's a good challenge isn't it yeah and that's what you would get through engaging with this process where you have the experience that you think is more about just being in this room and growingly you'd have the confidence that it's about you rather than about what's happening now that somehow somehow something gets embodied and strengthened inside of you that's more available in the activities of everyday life and For You especially in the in in the composing world you can compose and allow The Inspirations to come in and the guilt feeling of I'm not doing hard enough work you'd cope with I feel guilty but I don't have to do this thing feels a bit rather it feels rather strange to be quiet and soft and kind to myself I'm not punish I'm I'm not punishing myself into this place I have to work and see where you go with that that would be the experiment this new you in a new condition and with your everyday activities okay thanks very much for volunteering and and sharing the the with us thank you thanks a lot thank you

Channel: Anthony Kingsley

Views: 27,268

Keywords: Alexander Technique, Alexander Lessons, Alexander Teacher, Alexander Technique Video, Somatic therapy, Psychotherapy, Emotional Healing, Trauma Healing, Polyvagal Theory

Id: Ud5Tg4j2p_w

Length: 39min 0sec (2340 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 24 2024