As young children we have grace and freedom of movement. Toddlers bend, squat, and reach with ease, and sit effortlessly on the floor in an upright position. By the time they go to school, many children find it difficult to sit on the floor without slumping, and they start developing round or hunched shoulders. Consequently their natural poise and co-ordination become impaired.

The teenage slouch can cause twists in the spine and tension in the neck. Teenagers experience growing spurts and find it difficult to know how to adapt to these changes. They often try to minimize their stature by sinking down, pulling the shoulders forward, and slumping into chairs. In addition to the postural difficulties already mentioned, children are often under tremendous pressure to become achievers in all kinds of activities and have to act speedily to keep up with adults.

Several children were sent to FM Alexander with various difficulties. Some had asthma, scoliosis, or reading difficulties.  As a result, he set up a special school to help children between the ages of 3 and 18 years. The school was run following the principles of the Alexander Technique. Activities during the day were varied to cope with concentration. Children were encouraged to sit on smaller and lower furniture to enable them to work with ease. Alexander’s approach was to encourage thinking and awareness. He worked with small groups, chatting to the children and giving them individual turns by skilfully using his hands to enhance the “use” of the child.

All qualified teachers of the Alexander Technique are able to work with children and help them retain their natural balance and poise.

References

1. Sue Holladay, Play with Posture (Positive Child Development using the Alexander Technique), First published in 2012, by HITE, London, United Kingdom.
2. Gal Ben-Or, Directions for Life (Alexander Technique for Children and Youth), First edition 2011, Israel.
3. Aisa Masterton, Alexander Technique: A Step-by-Step Guide, First published in 1998 by Element Books Limited, Great Britain.

 

Alexander Technique was a huge contributor to my labour and birthing process. The birth of my third child was a wonderful, empowering, climactic experience. I found I could be in my body, my breath and my mind and be with the pain of contractions in a very different way to my other two birth experiences.  I used the thought: there is so much room for the contractions, the baby and for me. This feeling of pain is not everything; it is not all of me. Taking my time to stop and breathe as a contraction arrived early on without fear meant I was setting up a context for pausing and waiting and trusting as the labour pains grew and grew.  Realising I wanted to go to the hospital I remember walking to the car a contraction coming and me waiting standing at the car – not getting into the car – feeling the moment come and go, not forcing a rhythm but letting my breathing be the rhythm.  Such a small thing but a practiced example for me of inhibition and how empowering it felt. Staying with space – refusing fixity – letting the contractions come and using my body in a coordinated way so I could stay with the process of things coming and going.

The peaceful, inherent trust I am building in my body from my work in the Alexander technique is allowing me to know that it’s all good – I am able – I am built for all the tasks life requires of us – I can move and perform without strain and pain. From the labour and birth to the healing process to the intense mothering of a baby and two other rambunctious boys – I am enough. I am strong and soft. I can recover. It takes conscious noticing and directing but the ever growing awareness is so enjoyable and is becoming more and more refined.

There is so much opportunity for noticing and thinking in activity. Activities that are simple everyday exercises that are repeated over and over again.  Sitting and standing. Picking up and putting the baby down. Sitting and holding and feeding the baby. Getting in and out of bed. All these things can be effortless or holding patterns for extra tension and micro fixing. Add crying and tiredness into the mix and it is a tough thing to remember I have choices and the mental and physical tension can be responded to in different ways. Hearing my baby crying generates worry, adrenaline, frustration. I am working on not  letting these states be contagious and grow. He is so small but such a powerful force, a vortex that can suck all the space and energy in the house. He is unreasonable. I can easily be swept up into his maelstrom but I keep coming back to myself as a safe island of strength and resilience; an island for myself to land as well as the other people in my home. So I am giving permission many times a day for release; asking for my co-ordination.