The new “Batwoman” film features the Australian actress and model Ruby Rose, who uses the Alexander Technique. In answer as to how she differentiates Kate Kane (Batman’s Gotham-dwelling crime-fighting cousin, Kate Kane, who is, notably, a lesbian) from Batwoman, she replies, “When I do fight sequences and stunts as Batwoman, I do the Alexander Technique, where we study the bat and study the movement.”
The full article is in the New York Times.
Susanna Scouller was interviewed by BBC Radio London 30 May in a discussion about a new book #Mum’sNottheWord picturing women who don’t have children. She is very grateful for how much the #alexandertechnique helped her with her first ever live radio interview. She writes that she “Was much calmer and more poised than I might have been without the AT”.
To listen to the podcast go to BBC Radio London Sounds. (The conversations starts about 9:40 in and lasts about 20 minutes. Available until 30 June.)
The Guardian published an article about the book and some of the women: ‘Women without children’.
The book discussed, Mum’s Not The Word, can be viewed here: http://denisefelkin.com/mums-not-the-word.htm
This Daily Mail article tells the story of an accomplished performance artist, Roxani Eleni Garefalaki, who is hypermobile (has Ehlers-Danlos syndromes), and of her difficulties before she discovered the Alexander Technique.
A quote from the article (‘Hypermobility: When being flexible may not be such a good thing after all’):
Dr Bull recommends the Alexander technique — which teaches improved posture and movement — for musculo-skeletal symptoms.
‘If you consider the body as a machine, such as a car, the physiotherapist is like a mechanic ensuring that all your tissues are moving normally, and the Alexander technique teacher is like a driving instructor, teaching you to move more effectively,’ Dr Bull says.
For Roxani, the Alexander Technique has helped her manage her condition.
Read the article at the Daily Mail online website.
In this online BackStage Magazine for actors the first tip is to try the Alexander Technique:
Especially if you’re having vocal problems, relearning better ways to move, breathe, sing, or speak is potentially life and career changing. Actors and singers may benefit from private lessons with a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Read more in BackStage.
New video testimonial from one of our pupils: ‘. . . my back felt so much better, you feel much more relaxed, and you feel like your spine has been elongated and if a reset button has been pressed . . . ‘ more
An online news item reports on how a Falklands veteran, who used the Alexander Technique to cope with mental health problems, is now helping others benefit from the Alexander Technique.
“By practicing the Alexander Technique, I have learned to let certain aspects of the military go and, as a result, have a much better quality of life.”
Read the story in Cumbria Crack.
Advice for professional actors on how to take care of yourself using the Alexander Technique in the Backstage Magazine:
Everyone needs a chance to rebound from stress. The good news is that you can build in a regular practice such that the more you work, the more resilient you become. . . . This is where Alexander Technique comes in. The Alexander Technique gives actors tools for taking ownership of their time, starting by learning to pause. Allowing for moments to reset and drop in can free you from leaking too much of your energy over the day. Efficient use of energy is not just a body question, it’s the way we think into our body that can help us reduce stress and exhaustion, increase stamina, increase energy. . . . In an ideal world, there would be an Alexander specialist assigned to every show and a place to meet with actors backstage.
Read more at backstage.com/magazine. Or contact us for an introductory lesson and learn how to use yourself and your energy efficiently in everyday life – or in performance!
The Sunday Times Style Counsel, Toby Wiseman, wrote on the secret to looking good dressed (“wear clothes that fit”), 22 April, and then adds:
Body transformation can take on more drastic forms. A study in the British Medical Journal found that the Alexander technique is a form of physio [sic] particularly useful for relieving muscle tension. Somewhat incredibly, many teachers claim it can also help you gain up to 2in in height. Simply lie on the floor for 10 minutes with your knees bent, using two or three books as a headrest.
He then adds: “Personally, I’d rather put my faith in a good tailor, but by all means try it for size.”
We do recommend you try for it size – and for many other benefits!
This BBC video article reports on a woman who suffers from such severe back pain that she has to lie down every day, for 10-15 minutes, and sometimes in public (which she is uncomfortable about). The article does not mention the Alexander Technique, but the Technique has used and recommended the semi-supine (lying on your back with your knees up) for over a century, for everybody, whether you have back pain or not. Semi-supine is an ideal way to rest and release the muscles of your back and to allow your spine to elongate. She – Raquel Meseguer – also talks about the importance of ‘stopping’, which is an essential ingredient of the Technique. We very much want to support her campaign to have public spaces where it is acceptable to lie down. When having lessons in the Alexander Technique you will learn how to stop and how to use the semi-supine for optimal release of all of yourself (not just the back).
To hear Raquel Meseguer’s story go to BBC here:
This article nicely summarises recent behavoural science thinking on the importance of being able to say ‘no’. This ability – and how to learn it – is central to the Alexander Technique. Already in 1910 F. M. Alexander saw it as a means for change and for allowing rational thought. Today science agrees.
