Ageing and the Alexander Technique

Mandy, a 43-year-old musician, came for Alexander Technique lessons for help with painful hands and feet. She was also “feeling old”:

'A few years ago, if I wanted to learn a new instrument, I just went ahead and learned it. The commitment and energy to do it was just there. Now it feels like such an effort to do anything new. I feel like I’m just coping with what’s on my plate and there’s no longer that feeling of “bags to spare.”'

Many of us would describe this as a symptom of old age. The prevailing view seems to be that our bodies are machines in the same way a car is, with parts that wear out and need to be replaced. There are two things this popular idea misses: one is that the body is able to repair itself; the other is that it is more accurate to see a person as a car plus its driver. Look a little more closely at the way people behave and you notice that a large number of people, most of us in fact, are doing the equivalent of driving with the brake on. Then we wonder why our brake pads and engines wear out.

While playing her violin, Mandy was:
 

• playing the violin with a stiff neck, leaving most of her neck vertebrae unable to help her move her head subtly. Our heads weigh about 5 kilos, the weight of a solid kitchen chair. A free neck means that our head’s weight can be used to balance us with great subtlety

• Shortening her back, which prevented her being free to twist in her torso, or use her pelvis and lower back in her playing

• Pulling in her shoulders, elbows, wrists and fingers, using energy that should be used for making music to compress her shoulder and arm joints

If your head and neck can’t balance you, your back, arms and legs have to. To stiffen your neck and compromise your balance makes it nearly inevitable that you will shorten and stiffen your back, arms and legs-- they're trying to balance you as well as help you do things, and they simply can't do that efficiently. They'll do a bad job, and they'll feel "old" and heavy.

After a few Alexander Technique lessons, Mandy was learning to let her neck be free more and more of the time. She was sometimes able to play without pain, although she still lapsed into her old habits some of the time, particularly during difficult passages. After 20 lessons she was able to let her neck, head and back co-operate effectively. As well as relieving her pain, her musical tone and expression improved, and she started playing with a new beauty and freedom.

'The Alexander Technique has changed my life, not just my music. I had no idea how much damage I was doing to myself. It felt like my career was slipping away from me, but now it’s going from strength to strength. And I felt older than this in my twenties!'


Wellness Tip: Lie down for 10-20 minutes each day with a book or two under your head (it should feel comfortable), feet flat and your knees pointing at the ceiling. Lying down like this lets your spinal discs decompress, boosts your energy and clears your head (more details).

Nick Mellor teaches the Alexander Technique at Healing Well on weekday evenings. He can be contacted on (0458) 192 321.