Alexander Technique with Erin - Mindfulness in Movement

02/06/2022

It has been awhile since my last post, 6 months and 16 days to be exact. What have I been up to? To be honest, I was in complete stillness.
It is scary to feel like I am not doing anything but I was finding myself pushing and forcing in every way and sensing that tug of war in my body. So I paused and waited, waiting for things to precipitate, waiting for things to clear up and waiting for the right thing to surface. A lot of things actually happened during what I might felt like complete stillness. And I needed to create space for that to happen so that I can rebalance myself, my mind and my body.
Maybe if we can start to notice the micro movements that are happening within that stillness, we will start to appreciate being still more and be more courageous to allow ourselves to be still more often.

07/16/2021

Join us on 👋Clubhouse

https://www.clubhouse.com/join/poise-alexander-tech/cWevdlFA/M5YkJDrO

06/17/2021

10 years ago, I started my journey of becoming a teacher of the Alexander Technique. This photo of Martha working with me was taken at the end of my first year in the training program. Seeing the smiles on both of our faces always brings such warmth to my heart and reminds me why I teach this work.

I remember my life before AT; I was in so much physical pain that I thought it was the end of my career as a musician. Somehow I came across AT, I took a leap of faith and started taking private lessons with my first teacher Meade Andrews. The change was subtle at first but overtime I noticed the pain had subsided tremendously. As I tried to get to the source of my chronic pain, I discovered how my physical and mental habits that intertwined with each other contributed to the pain. It was AT that offered me the tools to untangle the mess I was in. This transcendent experience led me to training to become a teacher of this work. And it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

You never know where life will take you. Sometimes you just need to have a little courage and faith to try new things and maybe that new thing is what you have been looking for all these times.

Photo credit

06/03/2021

Here is an edited version of the free online intro class that went live on fb. I put the PowerPoint slides in the video so it is easier to understand what I was referring to during class.

5/30/2021 Introduction to AT (Zoom Class)
https://www.atwitherin.com/resources?wix-vod-video-id=c2a01114c01440bcab95fab7270f27c2&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-kphao8p9

Alexander Technique is developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955). It is a psycho-physical reeducation process that helps people recognize any mental and/or physical tension patterns that interfere with our innate ability to move freely and learn ways to eliminate these unwanted habits to...

05/31/2021

05/30/2021

Went live while teaching an introduction class on zoom this morning. The class starts around 7:52 mark. The pictures mentioned were on PowerPoint in case you were wondering but hopefully you can still find some useful information.

05/21/2021

I had the honor to appear as a guest on Sarah’s podcast speaking about how AT has helped me as a parent.

Her podcast is about taking care of ourselves and embodiment in the parenthood journey. Check out her podcasts, there are a lot of good information and interesting talks.

https://poisedpowerfulparenthood.com/blog

https://fb.watch/5DFXgPK-2X/

05/12/2021

I am teaching a free introductory class at the end of May. Space limited. Registration link in Bio.👆🏼(Free Online Intro Class)

Wondering about what the Alexander Technique is and how it can imporve our mental and physical functioning? In this introductory class, we will be learning how we are designed to move through gentle exploratory movements. Bring your curiousity and learn to enjoy the freedom in your movement.

05/07/2021

Is your mental and/or physical habits holding you back from reaching your full potential?

Alexander Technique is a process to help you recognize any mental and/or physical habits that are interfering with your ability to reach your goal efficiently. By practicing the technique, you will learn to pause and redirect your energy in a more efficient way. Instead of reacting habitually to a situation, you are able to respond to a situation with clearer intention, and as a result your movement becomes freer.

Freedom is in all of us, we just need to let go what’s holding us back.

05/01/2021

This was the conversation I had with my 5 year old today.
He has been having a lot of tantrums lately so we sat down and talked about how his body feels when he is frustrated.
Then he said, “my brain is like a video game and sometimes the bad monster is there. All I have to do is pause and then I can figure out what type of monster that is and how I can deal with it.” Of course he went on imagining ways to combat the monsters with martial art moves and weapons.

But I was so surprised that there it is, F. M.’s process “observation, inhibition and direction” coming out of my 5 year old’s mouth.

If we could allow ourselves to take a moment and come back to our awareness, and notice what is happening in our body, we are at a better place to sort out our emotions and thinking. It was kinda amazing to hear a 5 year old talking about pausing so that he can make a better choice. It also makes me think that the process is really that simple, we just have to allow ourselves to take more time.

04/22/2021

It seems appropriate to talk about renewal on Earth Day. 🌎

I was inspired by the new leaves budding from the tree branches on my walk last week. The sense of renewal in nature reminded me that we also have that ability in our coordination, with every breath we take and every time we allow our head to rebalance over our spine.

Nature always has this magical way to help me feel grounded and connected to the space around me, which helps me find just a little bit more freedom in my movement and in my thinking. So I encourage you to go outside today and be inspired by nature. As we appreciate the ability to renewal and regrow in both nature and within ourselves, remember to love the earth and love yourself. 🌎🙏🥰💗



🌎

04/14/2021

We often focus too much in being right, trying to have the “right” posture and then holding on to it. This creates tension and rigidity. What would happen if we pay more attention to the quality of movement and ask ourselves where it feels easy and free?

04/03/2021

Notice how the head (2 facets) of the ribs ( except the first rib and the lower three ribs) attach to two adjacent vertebrae. The lower rib facet articulates with the upper costal facet of its own vertebra and the upper rib facet articulates with the lower facet of the vertebral body above.
This is why our spine moves with our breath.

Wanna know more about how our ribs move with each breath and how our breathing apparatus supports our uprightness? Join us tomorrow on Clubhouse at 10:30am PDT/ 1:30pm EDT/ 8:30pm GMT.