Testimonial
Noeline used her Alexander Technique magic on me at a time when I had blown three discs and was in extreme pain. She re-educated me on how to sit, stand and walk so that I could move out of pain with knowledge and confidence. Alexander Technique is a very subtle but powerful healing modality that I would highly recommend. Nikki Bush, speaker, author and mother of two active boys
Nikki Bush
THE BRIGHT IDEAS OUTFIT
Cell: 083 265 5754
Fax: 086 669 6071
www.brightideasoutfit.com
Speaker | Author | Educational Game Designer | Toy Judge
Nikki Bush
THE BRIGHT IDEAS OUTFIT
Cell: 083 265 5754
Fax: 086 669 6071
www.brightideasoutfit.com
Speaker | Author | Educational Game Designer | Toy Judge
Testimonial from John Gaunt
I was introduced to the Alexander Technique and to Noeline Levinson almost 20 years ago. I had for years suffered from severe lower back problems that seemed to have originated in heavily-loaded infantry service in the army in the 1950s but could also have been an old sports injury. (I had been active in sport since childhood.) I was also desk-bound, which seemed to exacerbate the problem. The usual rounds of the usual orthopaedic suspects produced little, but advised me to undergo expensive surgical operations, the success of which seemed notional to say the least.. As a rule I ended up on a physiotherapist’s couch at least once, and often twice a week. This treatment (mostly involving ultrasound) worked, more or less, in that it reduced the savage pain, but it was essentially therapeutic and the root causes remained.
I mentioned the problem during a casual conversation in Johannesburg with a friend who was a theatre director. He suggested that I investigate the Alexander Technique, as used on the stage, and also gave me the name of one Noeline Levinson, who at that time was teaching the technique to his actors. As an avid reader of any and all published material on lower back problems I happened to have seen a short article on the subject in an American magazine. This optimistic puff re-read, I called Ms L and arranged an appointment. Since that day I have not darkened a physiotherapist’s door again. Literally. Ever.
I’m far from being a devotée of ‘lifestyle’ gurus, most of whom seem to be American crackpots whom I consider a pain somewhere in the region of where I used to have one, and I would refute any over-egged claims for the Technique. All it does – or did for me - is show how properly to stand, breathe and move, which might seem obvious enough but appears for most of us to be a lost art. That said, it is not an exaggeration to say that it changed the life of one cynical student (me).
One must remember that the ‘all’ is the product of Matthias Alexander’s lifetime study so it is necessary to get an understanding of it and adopt some new thought patterns and postural rules. For most of us this requires reinforcement at regular intervals and also a bit of self-discipline, but once one is into the ‘right’ mode of thinking it’s not too difficult to maintain. As a lifelong sceptic I did set out to read extensively on the Technique and I do have something of a handle on its founder, his motives and methods. That said, books alone won’t do the job and a teacher of the calibre of Ms Levinson is pretty well essential (‘of the calibre’ meaning properly trained and certified: there are quacks in this trade, as in most).
In my case, at 1.85 metres being too tall for my own good and like many tall people tending to move too quickly, I have to pay particular attention to my neck and shoulders, and it is all too easy to slip back into old habits. A stern word or two from Ms Levinson usually did the trick but now that she is too far away for regular visits (er, 14 000km, actually) I have to rely on recall of her instructions echoing in my ears, a bit like one of the Guards drill sergeants at Officer Cadet School; although I hasten to say that there, the resemblance ends. When I do have the occasional twinge I know how to deal with it and the fear factor familiar to back pain sufferers has gone.
In my opinion the Alexander Technique could be better promoted and publicised, although granted it’s not easy to explain in words. I have even seen it described in print as a ‘cult’, which it most assuredly is not. But certainly during my researches I discovered what might be called a sub-culture of those in the know. Lots of actors and others in the public eye are said to practice the Technique (including, it’s claimed, the Queen and the Prince of Wales, Richard Gere and the late Paul Newman: to get the idea, watch the relative slowness of their movements, the way they stand, sit, pick up a telephone, hold their notes, turn their head when they look in another direction). There are also claimed to be consequential psychological benefits of perception and impulse control, hence perhaps its popularity among the Luvvies.
The strangest aspect of the Technique to me, when I first tried it, is its apparent gentleness. After the heavings and strainings of the average perspiring session on the physio’s couch, it seemed innocuous, to say the least. But one walks out of a 30-minute session with a good teacher as out of a cool shower on a spring morning. Could this apparently simple process of quietly rearranging limbs and head in their proper place really cure my back pains and give me a new outlook on life?
Answer: yes it could and in my case, did. I bless the day. Not to speak of Ms Levinson.
John Gaunt.
(Aside: When John started lessons he was working for a very large bank as one of the top managers. Today he is retired, but still works very hard on various projects.)
I mentioned the problem during a casual conversation in Johannesburg with a friend who was a theatre director. He suggested that I investigate the Alexander Technique, as used on the stage, and also gave me the name of one Noeline Levinson, who at that time was teaching the technique to his actors. As an avid reader of any and all published material on lower back problems I happened to have seen a short article on the subject in an American magazine. This optimistic puff re-read, I called Ms L and arranged an appointment. Since that day I have not darkened a physiotherapist’s door again. Literally. Ever.
I’m far from being a devotée of ‘lifestyle’ gurus, most of whom seem to be American crackpots whom I consider a pain somewhere in the region of where I used to have one, and I would refute any over-egged claims for the Technique. All it does – or did for me - is show how properly to stand, breathe and move, which might seem obvious enough but appears for most of us to be a lost art. That said, it is not an exaggeration to say that it changed the life of one cynical student (me).
One must remember that the ‘all’ is the product of Matthias Alexander’s lifetime study so it is necessary to get an understanding of it and adopt some new thought patterns and postural rules. For most of us this requires reinforcement at regular intervals and also a bit of self-discipline, but once one is into the ‘right’ mode of thinking it’s not too difficult to maintain. As a lifelong sceptic I did set out to read extensively on the Technique and I do have something of a handle on its founder, his motives and methods. That said, books alone won’t do the job and a teacher of the calibre of Ms Levinson is pretty well essential (‘of the calibre’ meaning properly trained and certified: there are quacks in this trade, as in most).
In my case, at 1.85 metres being too tall for my own good and like many tall people tending to move too quickly, I have to pay particular attention to my neck and shoulders, and it is all too easy to slip back into old habits. A stern word or two from Ms Levinson usually did the trick but now that she is too far away for regular visits (er, 14 000km, actually) I have to rely on recall of her instructions echoing in my ears, a bit like one of the Guards drill sergeants at Officer Cadet School; although I hasten to say that there, the resemblance ends. When I do have the occasional twinge I know how to deal with it and the fear factor familiar to back pain sufferers has gone.
In my opinion the Alexander Technique could be better promoted and publicised, although granted it’s not easy to explain in words. I have even seen it described in print as a ‘cult’, which it most assuredly is not. But certainly during my researches I discovered what might be called a sub-culture of those in the know. Lots of actors and others in the public eye are said to practice the Technique (including, it’s claimed, the Queen and the Prince of Wales, Richard Gere and the late Paul Newman: to get the idea, watch the relative slowness of their movements, the way they stand, sit, pick up a telephone, hold their notes, turn their head when they look in another direction). There are also claimed to be consequential psychological benefits of perception and impulse control, hence perhaps its popularity among the Luvvies.
The strangest aspect of the Technique to me, when I first tried it, is its apparent gentleness. After the heavings and strainings of the average perspiring session on the physio’s couch, it seemed innocuous, to say the least. But one walks out of a 30-minute session with a good teacher as out of a cool shower on a spring morning. Could this apparently simple process of quietly rearranging limbs and head in their proper place really cure my back pains and give me a new outlook on life?
Answer: yes it could and in my case, did. I bless the day. Not to speak of Ms Levinson.
John Gaunt.
(Aside: When John started lessons he was working for a very large bank as one of the top managers. Today he is retired, but still works very hard on various projects.)