Life
Moves©Vol. 1, No.
3, December 1998
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Life
Moves© |
|
| Self-Care News You Can Use |
Vol. 1, No.
3, December 1998
|
Originated by Australian actor and teacher F.M. Alexander (1869-1955), AT evolved out of his discovery of patterns of tension between his head, neck, torso and other areas that resulted in his losing his voice while performing.
AT teachers use simple activities and gentle verbal and manual guidance to enhance sensory awareness and facilitate movement and breathing.
AT is taught in many drama and music schools and is popular with performers. It has benefitted people with neck and back pain, postural disorders, breathing and voice problems, hypertension and stress-related conditions.
Throughout its history, AT has received support from within the scientific and medical communities. Experimental findings have shown its effectiveness and some reasons why it works. Call me to find out how the Alexander Technique can help you.
Computer-
Related Injuries Go to College
"The basic tool of the 21st century is potentially dangerous," says a graduate
student recovering from a repetitive stress injury (RSI) he developed through
excessive computer use. A New York Times article by Sara
Rimer on computer-related RSI in the nations colleges and universities
pointed out the extent of the problem.
Graduate students, who may obsessively sit and type or 'mouse' at their computers for hours on end, seem especially at risk for tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as elbow and other joint pains. Rimer noted that undergraduate students seem less affected than graduate students, perhaps because they take more frequent breaks from their terminals. The article pointed out that more and more colleges are making efforts to head off a potential large-scale problem. For example, at its freshman orientation, MIT provides instruction in proper posture, keyboard use and seating as well as early warning symptoms for RSI.
The Alexander Technique is not mentioned in the article. However AT teaches the ability to recognize, stop and redirect our postural-movement habits and has been found to be an effective method for preventing and dealing with RSI.
Creative
Flowing
"Flow" labels a state of living wherein we attend to and enjoy our immediate experience. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has reported on his research on flow in his book Creativity. He points out some ways that each
of us can enhance our personal creativity and sense of flow.
Any time you can set clear goals, no matter how small, become immersed in what you are doing and give you attention to what occurs, you can increase the possibilities of flow and creativity in your life.
Some rules that he suggests for encouraging flow include:
- Wake up in the morning with a specific goal to look forward to.
- If you do anything well [no matter how mundane], it becomes enjoyable.
- To keep enjoying something, you need to increase its complexity.
Important
note:
This material is
meant for your information and not intended to substitute for evaluation
or
treatment by a physician
or other health-care professional.
Copyright Conditions: This material is copyright by Bruce I. Kodish. However, permission is hereby granted to download, copy and distribute the text to others if (1) the text is not altered, and (2) there is no charge to the recipient, and (3) this copyright notice and conditions are attached. It is a copyright violation to distribute this material in any way for which remuneration is received without the prior permission of Bruce I. Kodish. Contact: backsolutions@aol.com Return to Top of Page