To Direct in the Alexander Technique is, roughly, 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.
The previous Tip (Tip 31) is about Inhibition, but once you stop the old way, you need a new way. Direction is the collection of orders that you give yourself in order to do something in a new way and also create new habits. It is important to remember that although Inhibition and Direction are different, they can only work as a pair. More on that in the next Tip. There is also a video of this at Tip 81.
More Alexander Technique Theory
Video: What Is Direction in the Alexander Technique?
Inhibition and the Alexander Technique
Video: What Is Inhibition in the Alexander Technique?
Inhibition and Direction in the Alexander Technique
Objects are Incidental in the Alexander Technique
Video: The Chair Is Incidental
What’s Wrong with Using Your Hands?
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I love this tip and your demonstration of it. Simply perfect!
what is the satisfactory direction of head?
Ans@ forward and up.
what is the satisfactory direction of neck?
Ans@ back and up.
what is the satisfactory direction of thoratic curve?
Ans @ back and up
what is the satisfactory direction of lumbar spine?
Ans@ back and up.
what is the satisfactory direction of sacrum,pelvis?
Ans@ back and up
what is the satisfactory direction of sitting bones?
Ans@ back and down.
unless until we experience the alexander principles, we wont believe the truthness of the principles.
But, to go forward , i have to believe those principles.
JAW( chin) ‘alex postural directions’ .
about CHIN ‘Postural directions’ while the remaining parts are in satisfactory postural directions@
forward and down of the chin( POSTURE)
the chin goes forward with speak,eat, talking, smiling stimulus ( DIRECTION)
‘back lengthen and widen’- POSTURE
‘back(torso) goes back and (up)’- DIRECTION
so,
alexander directions are ‘Postural Directions’ involving a physical,logical,imaginative movements(NOT DOING).
What is direction?
Ans@ a direction is a conscious physical or logical movement of part with stimulus, in space by directing towards up,down,forward,out to the side,in, out, towards etc.
Alex directions works as a whole for the satisfactory movements.
How much time took for alexander to develop his technique?
Ans@ he took almost 10 years to become healthy, and parallelly invented fundamental principles of human movement and he worked 30 to 40 years in solving the health problems of the humans showing proofs. So, he almost worked 50 years. he declared that his technique is
‘born out by experience’.
What is the boundary of the primary movement?
Ans@ i believe the neck,head, torso are the parts in primary control.
Is this correct to think the primary movement works between top of the head to bottom of the sit bones and to the ends of shoulders?
Me: stop ! (i shouted very loudly with satya)
satya: what?
Me: what you noticed?
Satya: my neck is tight, and my head is in back and down direction.
Me: dear satya, your neck is not back and down. BUT,it is going towards back and down direction . And while talking with you that is still going towards, back and down direction, and you are still tightening the neck by unconsciously misdirecting all other parts of your body.
Satya: what i have to do?
Me: dont do some thing .
Just, prevent further collapse of going back and down of the head. And
with next stimulus(or) movement of the head direct (or) put the head in forward and up direction and prevent it going back and down.
Satya: ok! Am i doing rightly?
Me:ok, how much you will stay in that right position or experience?
Satya: may be one hour.
Me: ok, stay one hour rightly, but, after passing one hour atleast do what i told you and continue.
Iam sure one day you will vexed towards doing the right thing of head.
Satya: ok.
How the sitting bones direction changes dynamically, based on the activity relative to hipjoint while all the other parts of the body are in their satisfactory directions(alex directions) with stimulus of walk, sit,bend?
Ans@ 1)while sitting the sitting bone direction points towards the ground.
2) while bending standing on the ground, the sitting bone points towards the wall with out doing( not pelvic tuck, and head forward and up etc)
note@ the sitting bone angle changes with hip joint and this angle or length is not equal to the sitting angle while sitting.
3) preventing the sitting bone angle or relationship with hipjoint while walking.
So, the sitting bone has different directions with different activities.
What about other parts dynamic directions with relationship to the remaining parts, with the stimulus activities?
Am i thinking the sit bones, sitting dynamic alex direction while bending?
Every alexander DIRECTION has proper reasoning.
If i cant say and satisfy to myself
1)why iam doing the directions 2) what is the reason for doing the directions. (satisfying the whole) and not hear those reasonings with my ears then its clearly becomes DOING but NOT nondoing.
Whether U shaped ‘sitting bones’ are confusing us with its name?
Whether iam thinking, while sitting only( since they are sit bones)?
Whether the direction of sit bones while standing allows the knees release forward?
So, it proved ischial tuberosities direction is useful with stimulus of stand,walk,bend etc and not alone with sit.
…
Whether our body is
irregular shaped object OR
shaped object?
I dont know, what ever it is!
Alexander discovered that our center of gravity is at the forward and up DIRECTION of the head.
Why f.m.alexander the great devided the body into parts, and created for each part directions ,making as a whole direction with stimulus,
and he not finished his job by stating the command just ‘UP’?
Ans@ he might thought creating the body into parts makes the sensory easy to reach to the brain and easy to analyse for making a fresh direction.
He might thought , simply thinking ‘UP’, not makes the sense.
I dont think sunday is holiday, for alexander directions.
‘Thinking rather than doing’ ?
Ans@
1)an alexander student sat in the chair, and doing the computer work.
2) he knows his work completes with in an one hour.
3) he has to get up from the chair for the ‘tea-break’ after one hour
4) so, being an alexander student, he started remembering him self giving commands like
‘i should not throw the head back and down’,
‘not raise the chest’ ,
‘release the knees forward and hips back’ etc one after the other all together when he raises from the chair for going to tea-break.
5) with in an hour he remembers the commands almost 100 times(just assumption, not exact number),
6) being an alexander student, he thinks these directions and not does.
A. These 100 commands are just dummy commands, there is no signal passing to the muscle groups.
If the student does these 100 commands,he has to throw the head back and down almost 100 times with imagined images.
And the head,neck,back,limbsmuscles lengths are satisfactory, and no need project extra tension.
B. The student does the command while he is getting up from the chair, by inhibiting the desire and projecting the wish.
His end is now satisfactory.
……
This plan may works for me.
Wether thinking of static lengths and widths of the body parts(posture) alone, with out alex directions of good use with stimulus leads to doing?
Wether thinking of dynamic Satisfactory lengths and widths of the body parts, with alex directions of good use with stimulus sit,walk etc leads to NONDOING?
The alexander technique is ,
securing the resting length of the neck,head,torso,limbs muscles by using alex directions of good use, with stimulus activities like sit,bend,walk,
OR
paradoxically in any activity.
Protect the original stuff of alexander technique, and it may soon go out off from our hands by mixing with different techniques and may transform to different forms.
Shall i believe the back has innate capacity of lengthen and widen by itself with our consciousness on back , unless we keep the head forward or not back and down?
A commensence story copied from the alexander thought@
i will take 10 cetimetres thread.
This the satisfactory length of the thread.
I will keep this thread on the floor, and makes that ‘ C ‘ shape.
Then i will measure the length of the COMPRESSED thread. This length assumption is 6 centimetres.
If i have to make that thread to its satisfactory length which is 10 centimetres, i compulsary pulled the both ends.
If i pulled at one end, and not the other end
then the length may be 9 centimetres which is not a satisfactory length of 10 centimetres.
If i pulled more on the both ends, the length becomes 11 centimeters which is not a satisfactory length of 10 centimeters.
So, i have to pull at the both ends with some energy which makes the thread length 10 centimeters.
If i think the thread as the spine, i have to pull the both ends of the spine at one end by keeping the head forward and up, and the other end by not tucking the pelvis and sacrum spine and in the middle of the spine not raising the chest and shoulders releasing out to the side etc with activities like sit,bend etc for securing the length of the spine.
If any one of the end fails, then the length shortens.
I know the extradinary uses and benifits of the spine with satisfactory length for the breath and for the mood of the mind.
So, i should compulsary secure the length of the spine with stimulus activities.
good tip, since the direction of habitual command like ‘ IAM STANDING’ may lead to habitual reaction which is faulty.
and
the command ‘I BEND MY KNEES AS I REMAIN STANDING ON THE FEET’ , is an
excellent command from the brain to the knees,feet which helps us for
non doing.
today i asked my self one question?
:::whether the toning of the neck,head,ribcage,pelvis muscles with primary movement ,is needed for the toning of the release of the legs,hands muscles to their satisfactory directions?