How do I usually move? (And why do I need to ask?)

I believe the Alexander Technique’s core purpose is to ask the question, “how do I usually move?” This includes, but is not limited to; how do I usually walk, talk, sit in a chair, swing a tennis racket…whisk…the list goes on.

It could be said that the whole AT philosophy was born from FM Alexander asking himself this very question, which he writes about in his book ‘The Use of the Self’. The Alexander Technique exists in the form that we know it today, because FM noticed that there was a difference between the way he moved when speaking normally to the tight compressed way he moved when using his voice when acting.

These contrasting situations then prompted FM to wonder whether the amount of vocal-effort he was using when acting was really necessary? The answer unsurprisingly was that he didn’t, and that the increased tension was what was causing him to lose his voice in the first place. The ensuing experimenation into speaking with more ease is where the Alexander Technique was born and is why when we ask, “how do I usually move?”, AT subsequently wonders, “...and could it be easier?”

If we take a step back from FM’s vocal trouble and look at the world around us, we will see that we live in an environment that is constantly in motion. The earth spins turning day to night, tectonic plates shift under our feet, rain falls (probably in Glasgow) and someone somewhere is whisking. In the language of Newtonian Physics, we live in a three dimensional world of mass, matter and gravity. Objects collide with one another with force and velocity creating equal and opposite reactions.

I would suggest humans are also in a constant state of motion. Currently, my feet are falling towards the floor because of the pull of gravity, as a result of this my head shoots equally and oppositely up towards the sky, pulling my spine is into length and balance. This upward force pressurises my breathing apparatus so my lungs fill with air after each exhale. Meanwhile air vibrates my eardrums and light waves at my retinas and thus I see and hear that person whisking over there, causing my breathing and heart rate to increase in tempo with meringue-based anticipation.

In considering the question “how do I usually move” AT becomes interested in how it is to be a person in physical relationship with the world. Then, by asking “...and can it be easier?”, AT acknowledges that moving our bodies through space and interacting with the world requires expending energy, whether we decide to jump, or indeed, if we are pushed.

It is a really good idea to consider “how you usually move”. From a purely mechanical perspective a growing number of studies show that in the gym moving ‘well’ is the key to optimising performance and avoiding injury. In terms of longevity, studies into postural sway and falling have shown that maintaining our ability to balance is vital. Injuries from falling not only affect our physical health but can cause us to be fearful of moving and therefore interacting with the world.

‘How I usually move’ is not a solely mechanical issue, there are also social and emotional considerations. As any politician or business tycoon will tell you, the non-verbal content of our body language is a potent tool when trying to win friends and influence people. As we navigate the world we learn how to move to attract attention or to project our personality into the world. For me, the weight of social pressure during my adolescence caused me to crumble. I hunched my shoulders and drew myself inward so as to reduce our physical presence in space. I also remember that at times I would hold my breath or breath as quietly and shallowly as possible to try and keep calm when the world was becoming a lot to manage.

As the deleterious effects of stress start to become a more mainstream concern and the extreme exhaustion of ‘burnout’ is being recognised as a serious health concern, it seems there is no better time to seriously consider how much effort is being expended as we navigate the world (...and whether it could be easier?)

The reason we need to ask the question “how do I usually move?” in the first place is because “how I usually move” is by necessity an automatic, unconscious or habitual affair. In terms of energy expenditure, if every step I took or every word I spoke required me to consciously manage the movement of my whole muscular-skeletal system I would be exhausted. What kind of a hellscape would the world be if the flick of my thumb whilst mindlessly scrolling instagram, required even an iota of conscious effort?! (NB this is a joke. Obviously having even one single thought would actually be hugely beneficial in this situation. If only I had willpower...)

In the book ‘How the Body Shapes the Mind’, Shaun Gallagher defines the ingrained catalogue of automatic movement that dictates “how we usually move” as our Body Schema. For instance our Body Schema allows us to automatically duck under a low tree branch whilst walking the walk and talking the talk with a fellow tycoon. It’s also how we automatically know the different amount of effort required to lift a martini glass to one's lips for a sip as opposed to when we need to lob the contents over a rival.

All this means that when we ask the question “how do I usually move?” we are considering something that is somewhat unknown, or at least something that is beyond our day to day lived experience, which can be a complex undertaking. This is why Alexander Technique practitioners train for 3 years to help clients to navigate this somewhat baffling question. As we’ve discussed, a movement pattern may have some emotional significance and may have been formed to meet a challenging stimulus. Equally we may have learnt to move in a specific way to ease pressure on a specific area of the body so as to help speed up a recovery process. This may well have been entirely necessary at the time but no longer serves the purpose it once had.

If I had to draw a similarity between AT and any other profession, which I don’t have to but I’m going to, I would suggest AT work is most similar to psychotherapy. I am not a psychotherapist so this opinion is drawn from my experience of being a client in a psychotherapy situation.

For me the similarity lies in the quality of the relationship between the professional and their client. My therapist has worked to create an environment in which I feel increasingly comfortable to explore my deeply held beliefs that define who I am and how I interact with the world around me. Spending time in this environment has helped me to re-negotiate my relationship with the world beyond the therapy room and bring about a meaningful positive change in how I navigate the world. My therapist doesn’t judge me (I hope) nor do they tell me what to do or to think, they help me to reflect on my life and how I choose to live it.

I perceive the job of the Alexander Technique professional to have the same objectives; however instead of the psychological or emotional content of a person’s life, the AT professional engages with a person’s somatic, embodied reality.

Different AT professionals work in different ways, but I prefer to work ‘hands-on’. As far as I’m aware the AT hands-on is a unique quality of touch that is characterised by being dynamic and interactive as opposed to manipulative. AT hands are often described as ‘listening hands’ because the touch is like a tactile conversation.

And finally, in the spirit of unconditional positive regard, AT professionals acknowledge that ‘how a person usually moves’ is the result of the cumulative experience of their life and should be treated with the utmost respect and sensitivity.

All in all, how you usually move underpins every experience you have in your life and who doesn’t want their life to be easier? So, if you would like a hand in exploring these questions with someone who spends most their time considering how best to navigate them, then I would highly recommend coming for a £10 Alexander Technique taster session with me at my studio in the centre of Glasgow.