To Direct in the Alexander Technique means to give yourself conscious orders that replace a habitual way of doing something. It is the second Alexander step for breaking old habits and establishing new habits.
More Alexander Technique theory to follow up on the previous tip. Once again, if you want more information on Direction, and its partner Inhibition, visit tips 31, 32, and 33.
Or, for a more practical approach:
Three Tips on Bending
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Hi Leland,
Thanks for your tips.
Put in the context of walking, would the tip sound like:
“I’m not walking, I’m placing one foot on the ground and lifting the other.” ?
Thanks again.
Robert
Hi Robert,
In short, your suggestion is exactly correct. However, once you are Inhibiting walking (not walking), you are not limited by the one Direction you describe (“placing one foot on the ground and lifting the other”). Once you choose not to engage in the habit of walking, you have many new choices available to you as you explore the action of walking. First, one should start with the classic Alexander directions which are applicable in all activities:
Allow the neck to be free.
To allow the head to go forward and up.
To allow the back to lengthen and widen.
Along with that you can add, “place one foot on the ground and lift the other”, and/or some other ideas you might discover on your own or learn in Alexander lessons. It is through this process that the Alexander Technique suggests you can explore, change, and improve the way you walk. By choosing not to walk (Inhibition) you have the option of choosing a new way to walk through your conscious thought (Direction).
Thanks for your comment, a really good one.
Leland
Exploring f.m direction ,
‘that to lengthen i must put the head forward and up’?
Ans@ that to the spine lengthen
OR
to DO that spine(cervical,thoratic,lumbar,sacrum) natural cures he has to put the head forward and up direction while he was standing for reciting, which takes his total spine very far and far to back and up,
and the hips goes back with the spine, and the knees goes very far forward from the hips(hip joints),
and shoulders widens away from the spine,
and the limbs releases very far away from the torso.
‘Prevention is better than cure’.
What is f.m technique?
Ans@ f.m discovered the head compressing the spine with out awareness is vicious cycle which compresses the total body.
2. He noticed the nearest part neck is responsible for this.
3. He noticed the freeing the neck not possible directly , and it possible only indirectly freeing the total body.
4. He developed ,
neck
head
back(torso)
legs
arms
directions to reduce the head compression to the neck.
5. He declared we have no sense and dont know what is good use.
6. To get sense he told think of his directions in the daily (selected) activites for identifying the bad use, with out giving too much importance to the feeling.
7. He suggests a teacher for training.
8. Not thinking too much technical with a commensense,
free the neck indirectly by keeping the head forward and up ,
which helps lengthening the spine and widening the shoulders which makes the shoulders not going towards ears and away from each other,
and the arms not raises means the arms not takes the shoulders towards ears,
and the knees goes forward and hips back,
feet pushes the ground ‘one after the other alltogether’ with sit,stand.
F.m hints and statements to the students@
‘that to lengthen i must put the head forward and up’.
‘i must put the head forward and up in such a way prevented the lifting of the chest simultaneously brought about widening of the back’ .
The above points may works for me.
What is alexander technique?
Ans@
1. Is worlds best conscious tool which acts on both mind and body for the prevention of bad habits.
2.alexander technique is a technique of discovering the alexander technique.
3. A tweak and cracking the mind for knowing the body.
.Why we need to respect the alexander neck head back(torso) limbs, a sequence ‘one after the other alltogether’ with stimulus of sit,stand WHOLE DIRECTION?
ans@
1.that process is the alexander technique.
2. Even though the student not progressing rapidly he always respects that WHOLE DIRECTION.
3.the student does PARTIAL DIRECTIONS leaving some parts, for gaining reasoning processes.
But the student knew, that with out f.m WHOLE DIRECTION the PARTIAL DIRECTIONS just becomes DOING.
4. Now The WHOLE DIRECTION feeling may be not good. But the student believes one day it becomes good
5. The student does partial directions and f.m whole directions parallely.
And he notices f.m whole directions are reliable in the long term.
6.the student knows the PARTIAL DIRECTIONS leads to ‘end-gain’ .
So, he not forgets the f.m whole concept and does with sit stand stimulus daily even though that feeling is not good.
If you ask different people about their physcophysical problems, they will explain you different flavours of problems.
Then, what is alexander technique?
Ans@ ‘ the alexander technique is not a solution for problem’ .
But, it makes to exactly pin point where the real problem is.
Then, we can direct our energy towards that problem and we can nutralize that energy infavour of us, in different daily activities by ‘non doing’ and remembering that problem.
What is direction?
Ans@ the conscious release of energy, against the bad unconscious habitual direction .
Wether thinking of posture alone with static lengths and widths, with out alexander directions leads to DOING?
Wether thinking of posture with dynamic lengths and widths of the body parts, with allowing the alexander directions of good use leads to NONDOING?
Wether,
‘SIT ON THE SIT BONES’
command leads to doing?
OR
‘use the sit bones while moving forward and backward while rocking on them on the chair’ , while other directions are in their satisfactory directions, how this command works?
Wether,
‘SIT ON THE SIT BONES’
command leads to doing?
OR
‘use the sit bones while moving forward and backward while rocking on them’ , while other directions are in their satisfactory directions, how this command works?
my brain told with me that my neck is with too much tension, what i have to do then?
Ans@ dont believe the brain signal , that is cheated me many times.
I dont do any thing. I will analyse or scence my present head direction. If i got the data forward and up, then i believe the brain cheated me.
Else,
if i got the data back and down, i wont do any thing with the head. Then i analyse or scence my thorax,
what is thorax direction?
If this is wrong direction , then i will scence or analyse by going on to pelvis,back,limbs directions one by one alltogether.
I will check while nondoing of these directions, my neck is freeing or not? ( with stimulus llike walk, sit etc activities).
……
This idea may helps me.
wether the feeling generated by the muscle tension with stimulus activities like sit,walk etc activities AND
doing the sitting,walking rightly AND
comparing my sitting with the, sitting photo of ‘jackie chan’ are paradox and untrustworthy?
Wether the scence and present direction of neck,head,back, limbs are trustworthy and real to secure their future directions to make as a whole direction with stimulus only ,since the bad habit is a solution in the stimulus liquid?
Believe the cycle mechanism to believe our body mechanism@
we are riding a cycle by applying some energy or force on the pedals. Then
the front wheel moves forward on the ground first .
(Note@ the back wheel not initiates the movement)
the total cycle moves forward, we can say any of the cycle mechanism is malfunctioning or misdirecting and directing in a wrong direction , then we have to apply more force on the pedals to move forward. And misdirected cycle part misdirects other parts of the cycle.
So, this is utterly a simple commonsence thought to grasp.
In the same way alexander discovered the fundamental human movement forward and up direction of the head leads the movement of the total body, based on our natural body design and the bad habit of back and down of the head makes a break to the whole mechanism of the body, and our body is a mechanism of different parts working as a
whole, if any part malfunctions or misdirected in wrong direction with unconscious bad habit then we have to apply more force or energy to move with unnecessary tension.
Wether feeling based on muscle tension, is an untrustworthy source for directing to a direction with stimulus activities like sit,bend, walk etc activities?
“”doing the right thing ( end-gaining), comparing to the end which are untrustworthy “” are prohibited from the Alexander technique.
Direction is the trustworthy for ever.
“””doing the right thing ( end-gaining), comparing to the end “” are prohibited in the alexander technique.
So,
every body agreed BACK and TORSO are same.
So, i think there is no wrong with the below directional sequence@
direction 1 : let the neck be free.
Direction 2 : (to) let the head go forward and up
direction 3 : (to) let the back lengthen and widen.
Direction 4 : (to) let the legs relase away from back.
direction 5 : (to) let the shoulders release out to the side from the back, and the arms release from the back.
Direction 6 : (to) allow the breath at the back naturally.
So,
every body agreed BACK and TORSO are same.
So, i think there is no wrong with the below directional sequence@
direction 1 : let the neck be free.
Direction 2 : (to) let the head go forward and up
direction 3 :(to) let the back lengthen and widen.
Direction 4 : (to) let the legs relase away from back.
direction 5 :(to) let the shoulders release out to the side from the back, and the arms release from the back.
Direction 6 :(to) allow the breath at the back naturally.
Let the neck not tight
let the head go to not back and down
let the back not shorten and narrow
let the legs not goes into torso
let the shoulders release out to the sides, arms release
Alexander directions are preventive ideas@
Let the neck be free (to) let the head go forward and up (to)let the back lengthen and widen (to)let the legs release away from torso (to)let the shoulders release out to the sides arms release
(TO) word combining all the sentences making a whole idea.
Alexander technique is a preventive technique ,for changing bad habits by nondoing unnecessary or harmful muscle tension which is doing unconsciously .
A group of alexander students,pupils are walking in the street, for increasing awareness about this technique.
The other people who dont know, and dont want to know the alexander technique sees these students and may think and assumes,
wether these alexander students are doing excercises?that is why they are looking like that.
Wether anatomy of muscle,bones is a static posture?
Ans@
i think pictures of anatomy like torso,neck ,legs are static images.
I think anatomy of muscle bones
vs
alexander directions are always will be there and needed.
Means, anotomy and alexander direction has equal importance.
BUT
They are two parallel lanes like rail lanes and they never meet each other.
Thinking and comparing with our body of these anatomy satic posture length widths are like ,
doing the right thing and comparing to the end which is alexander end-gaining principle.
He told, there is no right or static posture, but right direction is there.
So, he might been not so much explained about muscle names,bone names in his books,even though he had knowledge.
alexander not described too much about anatomy in his books.
And he concetrated on inhibition and direction of neck,head,torso,legs,hands human parts as a whole satisfaction with stimulus.
Why alexander not described much about anatomy in his books?
the relaiable forward and up creates the perfect toning for the upper part of the body.
the debauchery or false forward and up creates the false toning for the upper part of the body.
toning is need for the forward and up direction, and the forward and up
direction creates the toning.
what is neck free?
the dynamic satisfactory tension( not more or less) of the neck with which
the head goes in forward and up direction, in the sit,stand,bend etc activites and the head secures the forward and up direction with the dynamic tension of the neck. this tension paradoxically called FREE THE NECK.
@@@@ corrections are welcome
directions makes the muscles toning indirectly.
the body has certain direction with which all the muscles get tone.
the direction is powerful than doing or nondoing.
we do the direction OR nondo the direction for the whole body satisfaction.
when you inhibit only, the chance of directing in a direction possible
other wise its not possible
ex: do the habitual activities.did you got any data or information about the directions. try it?
inhibition and direction by doing or nondoing with stimulus activities sit,stand,walk are the powerful concepts of the alexander technique.
alexander proved a manner can be changed with head,neck relationship paradoxically.
the body dont have static tension parts.they work as a whole with dynamic tensions.
we are the dynamic energies moving on the earth .
the directions makes the energies for the satisfaction of the body movement.
directing is a process by which direction releases dynamic energies by the alexander directions of the good use.
Why alexander put hand on the student head while teaching that student?
Ans@ i think he is preventing the back and down direction of the head and giving a perfect tone of the muscles and balancing the flexor extensor relationships with sit,stand,bend activities.
How great he was.
If i secure the forward and up direction of the head , by following alex directions of good use for neck,head,torso,legs,hands i may sure get some thing.
I believed Forward and up is not a posture ,but it is utterly a dynamic direction.
What is the present direction of my head?
What other directions i have to direct to secure that direction?
the alexander technique is certain logic based on muscle,bone anatomy.
A person projects unconsciously the directions of good use when he is really happy, but he had no idea that he had projected them in certain sequence.
If this person remembers this happy experience, and sees with eyes the body parts he may remember the body parts state.
The problem to this person is, when problem comes if he remembers the happy experience and the state of the organism at that time, he can project the same experience for the problem resolution.
Why my heart is so calm now, and my blood pressure normal by thinking alexander directions?
Wether the back lengthen and widen indirectly supporting the heart,lungs organs by the diaphram with the ribcage?
Or am i not going to activity too quickly, by inhibiting the instinctive stimulus, wether this making my heart calm?
What is the other possibilities?