What's New - 24 January 2012

Stella Weigel has posted a link to a video of Nikolaas Tinbergen's Nobel Prize speech on her LinkedIn page.

You can read my discussion of Tinbergen in Talks No 21 and 22 (here); No 21 also has the link to the video.

Revised version of Talk No 10 on Alexander's early supporters - three strong, enlightened and progressive women (here)

New page added on George Ellett Coghill with link to detailed paper on his life, work and involvement with the AT (here)

Talk No 9 updated and retitled "The question of balance" (here)

Broken links to talks No 29 and 30 on Benjamin Libet fixed (here). Many thanks to Duncan Knowles for pointing out the problem.

Revised version of Talk No 31 on David Garlick - including discussion of red and white muscle fibres - added (here).

Revised version of Talk No 28 on the perils of stretching before exercise added (here) and academic paper version added (here).

Revised versions of Talks Nos 24 and 25 added (here).

Some broken links pointed out by Halvard Heggdal - many thanks

Revised versions of Talks Nos 23 and 23a on Frank Pierce Jones added (here)

Comment by Mark Jones on the importance of language in our work (here).

Talks Nos 26 and 27 on Raymond Dart have been revised and an additional one, No 27a, has been added. The Dart Procedures have been given particular and critical attention. (here)

References to new AT books by Noel Kingsley and Richard Brennan added to Information Sources page (here)

Revised versions of Talks Nos 21 and 22 on Nikolaas Tinbergen added - see Talks page (here)

Comment from Rex Alexander added on Comments page (here).

Many thanks to Tim K for pointing out the broken links to Talks 29 and 30 on Benjamin Libet on the Talks and Topics page.

Marilyn Monroe and Alexander Technique (here)

New paper summarising the work and relevance of Rudolph Magnus added (here)

Revised versions of Talks No 19 George Ellett Coghill (I) and No 20 George Ellett Coghill (II) added (here).

Revised version of Talk 18 Rudolph Magnus (III) added (here).

Revised versions of Talks 16 and 17 on Rudolph Magnus added (16) and (17).

Revised version of talk No 15, Sir Charles Sherrington (II), added (here).

Revised versions of talks on Reflexes (No 13) and Sir Charles Sherrington (I) (No 14) (here). Link to Conrad and Karin Brown website added in the "How does this help me?" section (here)

Comment from Uri bar Zeev on the Primary Control discussion here.

Comment from Malcolm Williamson here

New page on the troublesome primary control added. This is for AT specialists - geeks - rather than casual visitors here.

Review of Judith Leibowitz's book by Phil Evans added on News-Reviews page.

Paper added on Lund University research into head-neck relationship. See here for description and link.

Comment on muscle stretching and yoga here.

Comment on end-gaining here.

Comment from Daniel Trumbull on stretching, yoga and harpsichord-playing here.

Some problems with links to talks from the Talks and Topics page should now be sorted out.

Talk No 31 on the role of the red and white fibres in exercise added (here).

Steven Hallmark added to Performing Arts page.

An Introduction, setting out the scope and purpose of the Talks added.

The controversial neuroscientist Benjamin Libet was once thought to be of major relevance to the AT. Talks 29 and 30 take a sceptical look at his life and work. See Talks and Topics page.

Beret Arcaya biog added to Performing Arts page.

Revision of Talks and Topics page

Comment on stretching before exercise by Simon Brant in comments

New comment by uri bar zeev in comments

Talk No 28 Stretching; David Garlic added in Talks

Revisions to Finding a Teacher and Information Sources pages.

Comments by uri bar zeev in Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

The aim of this site is to be a comprehensive source of information on all aspects of the Alexander Technique. It is for the simply curious visitor; for people already learning the Alexander Technique (AT); for Alexander teachers and trainee teachers. For further information about anything on the site, you can e-mail me here

I am particularly interested in the scientific aspects of the AT.  The site is continually being developed as resource for those who are similarly interested and I particularly welcome comments and questions.

When significant changes are made in the site they are noted in the What's New sidebar.

"What is the AT?" gives a brief introduction to the AT for someone coming to it for the first time. It also describes what happens in an Alexander lesson.

"Finding a teacher" offers guidance on finding an Alexander teacher. It also gives some background on the training that Alexander teachers undergo and the various Alexander Technique professional organisations.

"Information sources" is a guide to the available information on the AT. It provides links to the two most important specialist publishers of AT books and other materials, as well as other important information sources as I learn about them.

"Talks and Topics" links to the notes of various talks to trainee Alexander teachers and other topics I have been developing over my years of researching and thinking about the Technique. John Dewey the philosopher and educationalist; the novelist Aldous Huxley; the great neuroscientist Sir Charles Sherrington; and Nobel Prize winner Nikolaas Tinbergen, are on the list of famous names who supported the Technique. The talks cover the life and work of these people and their connections with the Technique. They also tackle some simple technical topics of relevance to the workings of the Technique.

"The performing arts" briefly describes the long-standing connections between the AT and the performing arts. It also provides links to some of the people I happen to know who combine work in the performing arts with AT teaching.

"Muscles and fitness" looks at the idea of fitness and its relation to health. Fitness is not just about big muscles; it is also about having the proper balance between the red and white fibres. This page has links to a booklet I have written on the physiology of muscles, concentrating on the role of their red and white fibres. A shorter version of the discussion can be found in Talk No 31.

This section of the site also has a discussion on whether stretching before exercise does more harm than good. The extent to which medical science thinks it is a bad idea is surprising. This is discussed more fully in a short paper I have written on the subject here.

"Towards a neurophysiology" attempts to weave together a variety of scientific insights into the working of the AT. Its starting point is in the classic works of the early neuroscientists Sir Charles Sherrington and Rudolph Magnus. This is a relatively long and technical document.

"The troublesome primary control" deals with the technical issue of the "primary control" and Alexander's unclear and sometimes contradictory references to it - this is for AT specialists.

"The relevance of Rudolph Magnus" pulls together the various references to Rudolph Magnus on the website and summarises his relevance to the AT - this is also for AT specialists.

"News-Reviews" contains AT news and book reviews.

"Comments" provides an opportunity for comments and discussion relating to the website or the AT in general.