UNIVERSITY of LIMERICKIRISH WORLD ACADEMY OF MUSIC AND

DANCEIntroduction to the Alexander Technique

Presented by

Niall Kelly MSc(Mngt), MIITD, MSTAT, MISATTOrganisation Development Consultant

Alexander Technique Teacher

You translate everything –

Whether physical, mental or spiritual

into muscular tension

Environment shapes us

• Tree• Sources of tension

– Internal – mind and body– External –goals and tasks, relationships, CCC

environments

External environments: WMD

– WMD

Sitting

Gravity

INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTSMental and Physical

Internal environments

ThoughtsAttitudesBeliefsNeurology

AMS - Adaptive Muscle Syndrome

Our Mind and Body Are One

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

HABITS

“People do not

decide their futures,

they decide their habits

and their habits decide their futures”

history

Teaching objectives

Directions – cumulative & reiterative

1. Allow my neck to be free2. Allow my neck to be free so that my head goes

forward and up3. Allow my neck to be free so that my head goes

forward and up to allow my back lengthen and widen

4. Allow my neck to be free so that my head goes forward and up to allow my back lengthen and widen and my shoulders to move away from each other and back towards the floor

Directions

Not doingOnly

Allowing

Teaching Objectives

• Creating Awareness• Learning to Inhibit• Devising new Means whereby • Consciously implementing the

new means whereby through giving DIRECTIONS

Rules of the Road

There is No doingOnly

DirectingAnd

allowing

Expressing and Invoking emotion without succumbing to it

Soprano Anna Netrebko singing " Quando m'en vo" from La Boheme. Placido Domingo conducting

Dr Nick Neave, Northumbria University

WE FOUND THAT (WOMEN PAID MORE ATTENTION TO) THE

CORE BODY REGION: THE TORSO, THE

NECK, THE HEAD”END QUOTE DR NICK NEAVE

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY

Grading - BASED on your:

• Participating in classes:– Openly experiment, explore, reflect, discuss and gain

insights which you record in your journal• Submitting 3 short Reflection papers:

– 1 immediately, 1 pre mid-term & 1 pre semester end • Attending and Attention:

– Do the lie-down daily, no absences, lates, early departures, excessive toilet breaks, phones, chatting, falling asleep, generally not paying attention.