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But we are proud to say that Elyse Shafarman contributed 142 entries already.
Ordinarily I don’t share my political views on my professional page. The healing touch of Alexander Technique is for everyone regardless of political affiliations. That said, many of my clients are traumatized, angry and fearful months after the elections. A recent article on PBS’s news hour attests that these anxious emotions are so widespread they’ve […]
Someone commented that the article I referenced in my last blog post looked interesting, but not easy to understand. Here’s the article. Proactive selective inhibition targeted at the neck muscles: this proximal constraint facilitates learning and regulates global control, Loram et al. 2016 Decide for yourself. The good news is that even if you don’t […]
An elegant new study by Professor Ian Loram’s group in the UK demonstrates that stopping neck tension improves coordination of the whole body. Participants used ultrasound biofeedback to monitor activity of neck muscles while playing violin – as well as other less complex tasks. Results showed that when participants reduced activation in the neck they […]
HH 450 Somatic Education & Holistic Health with Elyse Shafarman & Cliff Smyth Thursdays 4:10–6:55 pm · 1/23 – 5/18 Gymnasium 114 San Francisco State University 1900 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132 Info: ihhs@sfsu.edu Survey of somatic traditions such as Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, Aikido, Biogenetics, Hakomi, Reflexology, Rolfing, Trager and yoga therapy. History, philosophy, […]
I popped in my ear buds, chose a science podcast and walked out my front door. When I came-to five hours later, I was somewhere in Bay View, which I called “The Bay View,” and pretty soon just The Bayou. I could tell it was the Bayou because of the large gully that I was […]
Notice your solar plexus. That’s the soft area right between your ribs. It’s the place, where, if punched, knocks the wind out of you. The solar plexus is where your diaphragm, your principal breathing muscle, lives. Isadora Duncan (the famous innovator of modern dance) believed that the solar plexus initiated all movement and was the […]
Reading FM Alexander ~ One, in what will likely be a series of essays In the second chapter of Man’s Supreme Inheritance (MSI), FM Alexander rails against popular cures for the, “mental, nervous and muscular debility,” (pp. 5), which even in 1910 London were common symptoms of the type of work/life stress that we are […]
I’ve suffered for years as a teacher trying and failing to teach a form (i.e. the FM Alexander Technique). After spending a week with my nose buried in a pile of books in the hopes of creating a Somatics course syllabus for a batch of unsuspecting SFSU students, the insight that I lacked for the […]
Sounding the Depths of the Organs Sunday, December 4, 10am-1pm The second workshop in this series Explore the qualities of your organs and how they support the authentic expression of your voice! The Singing Body Embodied Voice & the Alexander Technique with Francesca Genco & Elyse Shafarman Sundays, 10am-1pm November 6, December 4 & January […]
Everyone likes to be seen, heard, and invited. This is the basic truth of the human animal. We are communal creatures and we thrive in the warmth of our friends and loved ones. Can you offer the same warmth to yourself? In the Alexander Technique we use inner speech, or directions to optimize our movement. […]
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