Ease Of Movement

27/08/2022

Technika Alexandra opisana jest w 2gim punkcie :)

🤔Kojarzycie sytuację, gdy ktoś w ciągu sekundy tak wkurzył Was swoim zachowaniem, że czuliście, że możecie albo się na kogoś wydrzeć albo wyjść z pomieszczenia?

🙃Ja miałam tak wiele razy, bo często reagowałam ogromną instynktowną złością na niespełnienie moich oczekiwań/potrzeb.

👉🏼Przepracowałam to. Moment "pauzy" sprzedała mi psycholożka, a w sieci zauważyłam, że cudowna ujęła to w świetną grafikę, dlatego tłumacząc na polski prezentuję ją Wam w nadziei, że się przyda ☺️

🧐Wszyscy zostaliśmy wyposażeni w złość. Może ona powstawać, gdy nasze granice zostały naruszone, a/lub nasze potrzeby niezaspokojone. Na swps.pl czytam, że "złość to niemal to samo co sytuacja stresowa – fizjologiczną podbudową złości jest uruchomienie się fizjologicznego mechanizmu stresu. Podnosi się poziom adrenaliny, noradrenaliny, kortyzolu."

😤W złości możemy jednak wziąć głęboki oddech i zrobić sobie pauzę - uważną chwilę, aby upewnić się, że nasze działania są zgodne z naszymi wartościami.

🧠Przestrzeń do zastanowienia:
1. Czy stosuję reakcje obronne? Dlaczego?
2. Co przez to rozumiem?
3. Co teraz czuję? Dlaczego?
4. Czego teraz potrzebuję?
5. Co jest dla mnie teraz ważne?
+Jak mogę reagować bardziej świadomie?

źródła znajdziecie na blogu

14/09/2021

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Kochani, zostały trzy ostatnie miejsca na warsztat online TA dla wokalistów i osób pracujących głosem. Ruszamy 25go września, 10 spotkań do końca listopada w soboty przed południem. Czy ktoś jeszcze jest chętny?

07/09/2021

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Drodzy wszyscy. Tak jak obiecałam grupie warsztatowej Wokal Bez Spiny, zamieszczam wam tu filmik z ćwiczenia warsztatowego - ćwiczenie na uspokojenie i na odnalezienie balansu. Stosowane regularnie działa cuda! Jeśli ktoś nie wziął udziału w warsztatach a temat go interesuje, napiszcie do mnie na info@easeofmovement.com.pl - wyślę wam nagranie z zajęć. Pozdrawiam wszystkich wokalistów i tych którzy na codzień pracują głosem:)

07/09/2021

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Obiecane Video powarsztatowe!
Jeżeli ktoś nie był z nami, napiszcie na info@easeofmovement.com.pl a wyślę wam nagranie i materiały:)

25/05/2021

Mam marzenie..Jeśli chcesz usłyszeć moją historię i przesłać ją dalej, może moje marzenie rozwinie skrzydła i stanie się rzeczywistością? A ty, jakie masz marzenie?🎧🪕🎻🎼❤🎹🥁🎷🎺

22/05/2021

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To będzie twój czas na pozytywną i trwałą zmianę. Serdecznie zapraszam.

18/05/2021

Już są! Pełne informacje na temat warsztatów Techniki Alexandra dla muzyków w Łąkiem w lipcu!
http://easeofmovement.com.pl/zapisy_na_warsztaty/

Zapisy na kurs! Kurs Techniki Aleksandra Dla Muzyków

10/05/2021

Zapraszam serdecznie wszystkich muzyków na rozmowę na temat Techniki Aleksandra na kanale Na Setkę. Najbliższa środa o 20.00.

04/05/2021

Trochę o lipcowych warsztatach dla muzyków. Przesyłajcie dalej:)

04/05/2021

Nareszcie! Kolejne warsztaty z Techniki Aleksandra dla muzyków!!! Lipiec 12-18, w przepięknym miejscu na Kszubach. Kto chce odzyskać radość z muzykowania a przy okazji odpocząć: rezerwujcie:)

24/04/2021

It has been a few weeks since I wrote my last reflection and I have been playing with this ‘prevention idea’. Instead of getting cross with myself (or indeed with my daughter or my students) for not doing what I wanted to achieve (or I wanted them to do), I kept asking: What prevents me from: writing the blog, tidying up, having a rest, or what prevents them from: ease of movement when playing the instrument, or what prevents my daughter from doing what I asked her to do. Posing the question in that way, makes it easier to accept ‘what is’ and not longing to be somewhere else, in non-existing world where all our plans come true. The desire to change the place where I am right now, has been turned into curiosity and detective-like approach to one’s own limitations, emotions, tightness and generally all the causes for not ‘following the plan’. It turned out that it made me, my child and my students, much calmer and positive. It allowed us to learn a great deal about the present moment. As it happens, by tuning to our needs and emotions, we were able to settle them down more easily and then to get on with what we wanted to do. With my daughter it was a different story of course, as she doesn’t process things the same way as adults. She subconsciously responds to my state of being. When I am quieter, when I am conscious and when I act decisively but gently, it is much more easy for her to accept my decisions. I just keep asking in my head: what prevents my daughter from following my requests: is it hunger, is it tiredness, is it boredom or too much stimuli? Usually I have my answer within a minute and then I can tailor the way I am with her. Sometimes just knowing it, changes something in me, and she calms down without any further steps being taken. Sometimes just knowing it, helps me to remain steady when she has ‘a toddler tantrum’, and leaves me less exhausted than I would have been otherwise. It is a truly powerful question: what prevents me from… It helps to see the world around us as it really is, without filtering it through our ‘emotional lenses’.
So, what prevents you from…. today?
Happy thinking!

19/03/2021

On staying in tune with myself and surviving developmental leaps

Some of you may not know what the developmental leap is. Although if you are a parent, I suspect you do know that more than you would like to..:) The developmental leap is a stage in your child’s life, when she or he acquires new skills and learns new ideas. Typically it involves lots of whining, screaming, crying and holding your leg or arm pretty much most of the time. It can really stretch parent’s patience and put them (and their child) out of their comfort zones!
I had a few of those days when I have just lost it, meaning, my reaction towards my daughter was inappropriate and not helpful. It only showed that I was tired and needing some space to recover. Two days ago I had a rather different experience though. I started the day with more clarity in my head and intention to stay tuned to my needs and my emotions as I was ploughing trough it with my ‘developing and leaping’ daughter. It was a bit like having a constant soft voice in my head telling me what was happening inside and outside me. It was reporting to me rather simple things, like: “You are getting annoyed because Łucja is not eating her breakfast”, or “You are getting tired of putting her toys away’, or indeed “Łucja is whining right now – it looks like she feels lost and doesn’t know what to do next, or perhaps she is tired?”. As you see, these observations weren’t remarkable at all. They were just simple statements. What was remarkable though, was the influence they had on my state of being – they made the whole day calmer, quieter and happier. By recognising what I needed and what Łucja needed at any given time, BEFORE taking any action, I was able to guide us safely through her tantrums and my impatience. I listened attentively, I stopped I SAW what was happening and I acted accordingly. Alexander Technique has a very fancy name for it: “analysing conditions present”. It simply means that you think before you act. Why is this not so easy to achieve though? Well, I think this is because we very rarely really stay in tune with ourselves. There is so much ‘mental traffic’ going on in our heads, so much noise (sounds, social media interaction, emails, distractions!) that we simply never notice ourselves enough to know what is really going on!
How about taking some tome out and for two seconds come back to what is now? Trust me, it is worth it, especially if you have a ‘terrible toddler’ around..
Happy leaping!

19/02/2021

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with my violin student who learns as well a little bit about the Alexander Technique. She mentioned that now she enjoys playing the violin a bit more, as she treats the practice time as ‘me time’ - a bit like giving one to one lesson to herself. It came to me that unintentionally she described something, that provides the basics for Alexander Technique work – it is this idea of giving oneself a lesson. For example, when I teach someone about, let’s say a natural breathing, I give myself a lesson too – otherwise it simply wouldn’t work. I know there is a scientific proof for it now, with all the new neuroscience, but I am not going to focus on it today. Instead, I will leave you with a few examples of what I mean by giving a lesson to yourself. If you want to have a calm chat with someone, you know that you remaining calm is at the heart of succeeding. In order to accomplish it, you have to stay aware of your own state – calmly navigating your thoughts and emotions and other reactions, your words, the way you speak etc. You listen to the other person speaking and you adjust your response accordingly in oder to remain calm, even if the other person is getting slightly anxious or angry. If you ‘switch off’ and let yourself to be drawn into the argument, soon enough you will see that your aim (of having a quiet chat) is far from being reached! So when you have that conversation you actually ‘give yourself a lesson’ - you pause to see what it is being said, what is being felt, perhaps you remind yourself of breathing as you listen to the other person. You check your thoughts and remind yourself of your aim. In a way you are ‘inside and outside yourself’, like having an internal teacher who, although is connected to the whole of you, is able to draw a broader perspective in order to see things more clearly, to see ‘a bigger picture’ so to speak. It is fascinating, isn't it – how much of your attention goes towards your conscious control, when you really want to govern yourself clearly and avoid any behavioral ‘hiccups’!
But (you may interrupt me), it is all very well and nice in the theory, but immensely difficult when I try to do it. The more I try, the more I am tensed up and nothing changes! Instead of talking calmly, I loose myself, instead of performing beautifully, I make mistakes, instead of following my dreams, I am dragged down by internal inertia...so where, the hell, is that conscious control of yours???
Well, you see, giving oneself a lesson is an art in itself – it requires learning, how to calm down your nervous system, how to balance your body so it doesn’t get over tensed or slacked, how to find a lively but not strenuous voice, how to move, feel and think from the place of quietness – where the true freedom allows you to make a free choice. This is what the Alexander Technique practice is about. There are other methods as well, I am not denying it, but this one seems to me to be really complementary and efficient. It just works.
Here you may point out, that OK, you sort of get it and after a moment of ‘pregnant silence’, you may exclaim accusingly: Hold on! So if you giving yourself a lesson when giving a lesson to somewhere else, you are already benefiting from it, plus you get paid on the top of that???That’s not fair!
Well, I would say (calming myself down and coming back to my conscious state of being) – that is much more than ‘not fair’. That is the real beauty of it.
Happy lessons everyone, drop me a line if you want one (said I with a cunning, yet real smile…)
:)

12/02/2021

Resting, taking naps, taking a break, doing nothing or simply sitting with your cup of coffee are not very much ‘popular’ ways of passing our time in our busy lives. We may as well do some of them, but most of us, including me, have a slight pang of guilt each time when we choose to go for it. We don’t trust ourselves that we will keep the right balance, perhaps we are afraid that once we start resting – we will loose our sense of control and either, slip into a complete ‘inertia’ or some kind of mild depression. Sometimes we may be anxious that once we choose to stop, we will see more of our ‘inner needs’ that will eagerly present themselves and press upon us, making as feeling overwhelmed and lost.
That my be so. I suppose, if we were ignoring our self-care for a long time, there me be as well a long queue of ‘inner petitioners’ standing at the edge of our consciousness and waiting for the right moment to start a mental avalanche. But if that is the case, we will have to find some strategy to deal with it sooner or later.
Recently I’ve been thinking about resting and pausing to have a break, as I was observing the different patterns of my daughter’s day nap times. She is now on the edge of not needing them anymore but going to bed early, or having one nap in the afternoon and dropping off around 9pm, which, I must say, is quite late for me. She used to have them twice per day though- around 11am and then around 3pm. What became interesting for me is that, when I think about it for myself, I can still recognise my need to have a break or a short nap around 11am and around 3pm. And when I honour those times (having a sit down with a hot drink around 11 and putting my feet up for couple of minutes around 3, my day seems to run smoother, I am more efficient in the evening hours and generally happier.
Not everyone can put their feet up in the afternoon, I know. We all have different obligations and working schedules, but is more about recognising that need and finding creative ways in order to fulfill it. Sometimes it may be only admitting that it is there, sometimes taking 2 minutes to sit quietly and breath or look out from the window, sometimes it may be about having a quick chat with someone at work. What counts is that you know it is happening – that you listen to yourself and you acknowledge your body’s call for a break. It is amazing what difference it can bring in terms of your (and mine!) wellbeing. Thanks to Alexander Technique I become just a bit more tuned into listening to my thoughts, emotions and inner states, but it was actually my daughter sleeping patterns that drew my attention into this question. Motherhood can be quite a training in our personal wellbeing – if we allow it, if we agree to learn and if we agree to stop and listen.
So what is your favourite way of resting? Does it leave you refreshed and energised or floppy and sleepy? Can you change it in a way that will make you feeling better? Can you implement it just a bit more into your lifestyle?
Too many questions as for one blog!
Take care and rest well:)

29/01/2021

Today I had a bit of a nervous day, so I decided to share with you a little exploration I do, when I am in a need of regaining some composure.
I find a quiet space (if I can!) and then just look at things around me. I become aware of the space in between different objects and my body. I become aware of the space inside me. I notice my breathing and just let it be as it is. I remind myself, that my eyes are only ‘corridors’ for light and the real seeing happens at the back of my head in the visual cortex. This allows my eyes to soften and my face to become smoother. I decide to focus on one object and just track its shape with my eyes – patiently inviting my vision to slower down the pace. While doing it, I am still aware of the space within and outside me. I do it for 2-3 minutes and it usually works miracles.
If you cannot find a quiet space, do not worry. You may do it on the go, just noticing things around you, but it makes things easier and faster if you can stop and sit down somewhere.
I know it sounds not very much interesting, quite obvious really, but the wisest things are sometimes the most obvious ones. Try it. It can save you lots of negative fuel. It saves lots of mine:)

22/01/2021

Someone has recently sent me that quote and it got me thinking. Usually, I would respond – “The journey, of course” (knowing as well, that more often then not, my actions, choices would steer me towards “The destination” - I am not proud of it, but that is the truth). The third option, the Tiny Dragon’s response, makes a perfect sense though. In order to thrive, to achieve our dreams, we need each other, we need relationships and feeling of belonging somewhere. It is even more obvious now, with all the Covid restrictions, when we all struggle with not being able to see people. But I have been thinking about ‘the company’ aspect from the quote, yet in another way. What if we could be ‘the best company’ for ourselves? My Alexander Technique experience tells me that only very kind, non judgemental, empathetic, curious, friendly, lively and patient approach works with my students. One needs to be in a safe space in order to learn, to really see and to be able to make changes, be it tiny adjustments or big turning points.. Is that not the same for ourselves? I can be the best or the worst ‘buddy’ for myself. So, along knowing what I want (my destination) and setting out for the ‘how’s, who’s and where’s’ (the journey), I want to guide myself in a gentle yet firm, patient yet encouraging, friendly yet motivating way.
Be your best friend.
Be your best company.
:)