Many thanks to
Constance Clare |
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by Constance Clare
Invigorating to spiritual practices, the Alexander
Technique can bring an expanded consciousness to the
entire self.
At the core of the Alexander Technique is the principle
that the connections between the mind, body and spirit
are creating the Self.
In the practice of sitting (zazen) we are instructed
to "Just sit upright" For most of us, the
instinctive reaction to this stimulus is to stiffen
up or to brace, fixing the joints and holding the breath
in the process. The Alexander Technique teaches us to
initiate a conscious direction of our use that leads
to sitting upright without fixing, keeping all the joints
as open and free as possible, beginning with the sub-occipital
joint where the head sits on top of the spinal column.
In the practice of Yoga, the Alexander Technique brings
the concept of allowing the self to organize in an asana
around the condition of non-doing. The indirect approach
of allowing the whole self to respond to a position
of the body increases the balance of body, mind, spirit.
By applying the Alexander Technique to the practice
of Yoga, impediments to progress can be observed and
overcome, the student's practice is enriched and the
work toward wholeness of body, mind and self can be
greatly enhanced.
"In Spiritual work we are
engaged in the process of increasing our capacity to
perceive, tolerate, accept and eventually celebrate
the energy in our systems, and the system at large.
The more we can stabilize ourselves in a spacious and
grounded condition, the less reactive our ego structures
will be, and the more we will be open to the potential
of the present moment. F.M. Alexander's work and his
gift to us is a completely practical technique to encourage
these qualities within everyday life." (Mike
Cross, the-middle-way.com)
Spiritual seekers are attempting to be present to the
divine in all areas of life.
What Alexander teachers call "Direction" can
be understood by spiritual seekers as life force. When
we are present to the life force/the divine, when we
allow the life force to move us, when we get out of
the way with our preconceived ideas about how things
should be, we allow ourselves to experience the freedom
and ease we are meant to experience, as spiritual beings
in our human bodies.
www.constanceclare.com
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