In a recent description of the Alexander technique, the author of a Seattle blog outlines something she learned from AT teacher Jeanne Barrett: that we are more than just a series of isolated parts. As a model for this concept, Jeanne used a tensegrity structure, a term coined by Buckminster Fuller and one which is familiar to most of us as a children’s toy: short wooden rods held suspended by a series of elastic bands. You can squeeze the form and compress it, but when you let go it springs right back to its original shape.
What a fantastic model for the human organism. An assemblage of parts, yes, but parts that are so intimately connected that it is impossible to affect one part without altering the whole. In explaining to students and friends why we focus on the head-neck-back relationship in the Alexander Technique, this concept of unity is essential. To quote the Seattle blogger, “If one part of the structure operates against the design of the whole, the integrity of the structure is threatened. For example, if you are moving your back in a manner that strains your hips or your neck, your walking and breathing are affected.”
The Alexander Technique works by restoring structural (and psycho-physical) integrity.
