Notes is a series of journal entries in which I attempt to break down my own understanding of The Alexander Technique and psycho-physical education with the goal of finding new ways of articulating this field of study and of rebuilding my own understanding of it from first principles.
What is the central claim of this field of study?
If you notice, a small child will sit down completely upright, effortlessly poised, without having any concept of good posture, or of stretching or exercises. When they are toddlers and are stumbling around, they are poised and upright even as they are falling down while trying to walk. Essentially this is a field of study that asks “How can we describe and understand that natural state of lengthened muscle tone and effortless poise that is present in animals, young children, and even many adults, but is almost universally absent in adults leading a modern western lifestyle?” The central claim of this work is that what we are observing is an automatic, reflexive system of postural support and muscle tone, and that although many of us drastically interfere with the functioning and organization of this system, we can in fact restore its function even as adults.