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Learning How to Use the Mind...

... to Use the Body Well

Liz Patula, Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique

101 S. Graham Ave. Carbondale, IL 62901

The Alexander Technique is a unique method of utilizing our own understanding of how we use our bodies to better achieve our goals. Simply put, it is correct body mechanics. Very often we may not understand why we are in pain or not achieving the performance level we desire. I certainly didn’t during 13 years of terrible back pain. Only after discovering the Alexander Technique did I come to realize what harmful postural habits I was using to cause the pain, and how to correct them.

The bottom line is, the way we use our bodies has an enormous influence on how we feel and function. It is not coincidence that toddlers, who generally don’t experience back or related kinds of pain, have beautiful poise and body mechanics. Adults, and even young adults, often develop habits which take them away from this correct use (via slumping, tensing, and a million other ways!) that result in chronic and acute pain.

What makes the Alexander Technique unique is the level of subtlety an Alexander teacher offers with respect to proper body mechanics. An Alexander teacher trains for three years, 1600 hours to develop the skill to work with each individual person and his or her individual habits. Even after training, a teacher continues to develop his or her skill. It’s not a matter of “memorizing equations,” it’s a deep sense and understanding of subtle, complicated body mechanics.