Faulty sensory appreciation
You sometimes unconsciously do exactly the opposite of what you want to do even though you have the good intention of correcting a bad habit. It hinders your ability to change.
During his research, F.M. Alexander became aware of this phenomenon and called it faulty sensory appreciation.
The Technique allows you to readjust your sensory system in order to become aware of your bad habits more quickly.
Awareness of your bad habits
If you take the faulty sensory appreciation into account, your first goal will be to identify your bad habits before you even try to change or correct anything.
Indeed, how can you change your bad habit if you are not yet aware of it?
As you learn, you will become aware of your bad habits more quickly. They will seem less bearable. You will then want to consciously stop them.
Conscious inhibition of your bad habits
Learning to stop and “listening to your inner noise” allows you, firstly, to identify your bad habits, and secondly, to consciously redirect your misuse to a better path for your body.
Once the bad habit is stopped, you’ll have the space for the right thing to do itself. The goal is to teach you to stop your bad habit at the pivotal moment when it seems irresistible to do otherwise.
The oneness of body and mind
The Alexander Technique is a holistic and indirect method: if one part changes, the whole will inevitably need to adapt.
A problem or pain in one part of your body may be related to the misuse of another part.
The work on your general coordination allows you to reconnect each part of your body to move towards oneness and a better fluidity of thought and movement.
Primary control
F.M. Alexander discovered that a certain relationship between the head, neck, back and the rest of the body was necessary for the proper functioning of the body.
When you implement a bad habit, you can systematically find an interference in the head-neck-back coordination.
This relationship then becomes a good benchmark for evaluating whether your habit is good or bad.
The conscious directions
Selon F.M. Alexander, il n’existe pas de bonne posture ni de bonne position : ce qui importe c’est votre direction d’usage.
En effet, si vous raccourcissez votre stature dans chaque geste et action quotidienne, votre corps risque bien de s’user prématurément.
Au contraire, si vous apprenez à arrêter de vous tasser ou de vous tenir droit au quotidien, toutes vos actions tendront vers une expansion de votre organisme ce qui aura de nombreux bénéfices.
J’espère avoir été clair et concis lors de ce bref aperçu des grands principes de la Technique Alexander. J’ai le projet d’écrire un article par principe théorique de la Technique Alexander pour pouvoir les élaborer plus en détails.
Quel principe voudriez-vous que je traite en premier ? N’hésitez-pas à m’en faire part dans les commentaires.
The main principles of the Alexander Technique