This author has not written his bio yet.
But we are proud to say that Elyse Shafarman contributed 142 entries already.
Practice a long whispered “Ahhh” sound. The most important part is to relax and wait for the body to breathe in on its own. On the exhale, think about softening the neck and jaw. Imagine the spine and head lengthening up to the sky on the exhale. It helps to smile gently with your eyes. […]
Sometimes, I get tempted by all the “flashier” body techniques. Techniques that promise answers, that build muscle, that involve more movement, more overt breathing, more rhythm and sweat and sound. Maybe even ecstasy. The Alexander Technique is nothing like that. It is quiet, subtle and indirect. It is powerful. We don’t do. We only pause […]
As a polemic, Katy Bowman’s Move Your DNA rates 5 stars. As a work of popular science and an exercise manual, I have to drop this rating to 2 stars. As an Alexander Technique Teacher, I can’t help but cheer at Katy’s thesis that the mechanical forces created from our daily hours of sitting, wearing […]
This review is from: How to Breathe with Ease (Kindle Edition) F.M. Alexander (1869 – 1955) apparently has the power to publish posthumously. I believe the technique is transformational on every level — after all, I’ve devoted the last 27 years of my life to studying and teaching the Alexander Technique. There’s even a gold […]
“For some reason, my lower back was giving me hell, and then I remembered the 3-D technique. I did that for a few minutes, and it’s really amazing how quickly it relieved my back pain.” If your back pain is due to poor posture, freeing up the breath will automatically support better postural coordination in […]
A student emailed me this morning to say, “I just wanted to let you know that the three-dimensional breathing technique you taught me saved my back yesterday.” 3-D breathing, adapted from Betsy Polatin’s wonderful new book, The Actors Secret, helps you experience optimal movement of the ribs and torso during breath. Try 3-D breathing: 1. […]
I don’t ordinarily talk to strangers. Maybe Dan Hoyle’s play, “Each and Every Thing” got under my skin. The play introduces the concept of “open time.” That is, no smart phone fourth wall. No screens. Face-to-face conversation with people on the street becomes possible. I saw a tall woman on a steep hill with her […]
Alexander Technique is a scientifically verified and cost effective method for solving back pain (BMJ 2008;337:a884).
We lean back as a culture. To compensate, we stick our necks out and push our hips forward. The stance is both physical and metaphorical. This posture reads as cool and relaxed, but the cost is low back pain (including sciatica), and irksome neck and shoulder tension. I wrote these exercises down for a student […]
For years I’ve been telling students that tension in the jaw is connected to tension in the pelvis and hip joints. But where did this idea come from? I always assumed Moshe Feldenkrais made the original observation, but I’ve never been able to find a reference. And, when I looked several years ago, all I […]
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