The Alston Center

07/19/2022

Before, During (see comments), and After Treatment.

Check out the pictures of our client on the yoga ball.

Do you see the difference? The transformation?

The spine, the feet, the arms, the shoulders.. They tell a story.

He came in with breathing restrictions.

He felt lethargic and short of breath.

After treatment, he felt opened, more connected to his body, and that he could breathe easier.

He said "I feel younger."

In just 50 minutes, he transformed his body.

The end result of the session?

After our session, he was able to go out and return to chores such as lawn mowing and weed-wacking that he had not been able to do.

He did it breathing easily with no pain.

Dynamic integration of the entire body, so he could go about his day with ease, function, and vitality.

🙏🏾💪🏾

09/28/2021

We recently purchased a state of the art LiveO2 oxygen system for our clients to have access to oxygen therapy on a regular basis. More details coming soon!

09/27/2021

To Learn Your Body Is To learn The World Around You.

09/24/2021

Highlight Reel from our very 1st Alston Method Day Retreat earlier this summer!! Check out what the experience was like and what the Alston Method is about!

09/03/2021

Our daily movement patterns build us up, or they break us down. How are you moving today?

08/29/2021

07/02/2021

The birth of The Alston Method that has come from over 28 years and thousands of people seen and or treated.

Here we go, the people’s method.

06/14/2021

06/03/2021

A few years ago, as I was approaching 80, my wife and a friend directed my attention to my steadily deteriorating posture. The friend, a knowledgeable New Yorker, added: "You need a trainer, and here in the Berkshires there's one who's as good as any I've had in Manhattan, maybe better. "My initial resistance yielded to this recommendation, and so I met Antoine Alston, with whom I've trained twice a week for nearly four years now.

What a help to my life this training has been! With each session Antoine manages to focus on elements of body strengthening, balancing and alignment that I, myself, hadn't realized were issues. With appropriate exercises that Antoine prescribes, he also provides insight into the subtleties of muscular functioning that testify to a comprehensive and thorough knowledge of anatomy and physiology. Through this combination of actions and explanations, he has renewed my awareness of the wonders of the human body while at the same time helping me stand straighter, move with great assurance, and continue to do own rototilling of our extensive garden.

That would be enough, but I must mention one other quality of character that I sense continually in Antoine: He is so sympathetic and supportive with all of his clients. Along with his exceptional gifts as a trainer, Antoine's wide ranging human sympathy must offer strength and encouragement to anyone who trains with him.”

- Rabbi Everett Gendler

05/28/2021

Hannah's full interview with Antoine, "How to survive isolation when your body craves integration.''

Thank you Hannah!

Motivation to get your mind and body in tip-top shape to navigate the (slower-paced) days ahead with ease.

05/26/2021

Hannah Van Sickle: "So how do I survive isolation when my body craves integration?"

Joseph Antoine Alston: "In short, inundate your system with things that allow it to move well so it doesn’t feel isolated and stuck on the inside (even though you might be!)

Introduce proper hydration and fuel so you will circulate well; this will make your body feel integrated.

Then, reintegrate your spirit and your emotions to be free from any isolation that was created before today (when we were all asked to stay at home).

When you integrate new, happy emotions — and rid yourself of the negative ones — your body will feel even freer. Inundating your cells with fun and laughter, floods your system with happiness.

Once you’ve dealt with the inner workings of the body — through healthy nutrients and positive thoughts — your body will no longer feel stuck and isolated, even if it is confined to your house. Now focus on moving well, walking tall, and breathing strong in nature."

This post is an excerpt from Hannah's interview with Antoine " How to survive isolation when your body craves integration."

05/26/2021

Hannah Van Sickle: "Was Darwin right, are there only three options when under attack: fight, flight or freeze?"
Joseph Antoine Alston: "Darwin was very close, but no cigar.

We actually know, from our earlier discussion, that there isn’t a “freeze” in the human body.

The cells are doing something all the time, so what Darwin calls “freeze” assumes the cells can stop in one place.

Anything that stops moving or freezes is actually dead or preserved in that moment.

So there is no freeze, even during hibernation; a bear’s system never stops moving, it simply slows down.

Darwin’s ideas stemmed from survival of the fittest: fight to get everything you need and run when you can’t.

In actuality, the human body understands this when it comes to encountering things that can cause internal or external harm.

Outside of these scenarios, the body simply wants to “be.”

The word homeostasis is defined as stable equilibrium among interdependent elements; in other words, homeostasis is when the body has found its center point and is just being.

It’s like a beautiful river or ocean that’s at its calm state; there are no ripples, but still there is a tremendous amount of cohesion, cooperation, movement and life happening within that moment.

Calm does not mean freeze; in fact, imagine yourself in a place where you just say, OMG, this is like heaven; I just want to stay here.

This is a “be” moment — one that is full of happiness, flow and ease. Negativity equates to fight/flight moments.

When the body spends too much time outside of the “be moments,” it begins releasing stress hormones that put your body on alert; this takes essential energy away from bolstering the immune system and healing and instead asks the body to survive the attack."

This is an excerpt from Hannah's interview with Antoine, " How to survive isolation when your body craves integration."