Guidelines for Body Oriented Therapy. The main schools and methods of body-oriented psychotherapy. Improvement in physical condition

Body-oriented psychotherapy is a group of psychotherapeutic methods focused on the study of the body, the client's awareness of bodily sensations, on the study of how needs, desires and feelings manifest themselves in various bodily states, and on teaching realistic ways to solve problems using bodywork techniques. Body-oriented psychotherapy is one of the directions of world psychotherapy. Or in other words, the term “body-oriented psychotherapy” means a group of psychotherapeutic methods aimed at healing diseases through work with the body, with the experiences imprinted in the body and internal conflicts of the individual. The action of the methods of body-oriented psychotherapy is often more gentle and effective than the so-called "verbal" psychotherapy.

The goals of body-oriented psychotherapy are different from those underlying physical training, physical education, etc.

The methods of body-oriented psychotherapy are presented quite widely, among them the most famous are the characterological analysis of W. Reich, the bioenergetic analysis of A. Lowen, the Feldenkrais concept of body awareness, the method of integration of movements by F. Alexander, the method of sensory awareness (Sh. Selver and C. Brooks), structural integration, or Rolfing, techniques of biosynthesis, bonding, original domestic technique- thanatotherapy. Methods close to body-oriented psychotherapy are methods, fragments of which can be used in working with patients: the rosen method, biological energy system therapy, the insight method, various types of movement and dance therapy, including movement analysis (R. Laban) and acting techniques , bodily-respiratory and sound psychotechniques, as well as oriental types of bodily practices.

The historical roots of body-oriented psychotherapy lie in the works of F. Mesmer, C. Riquet and JP. Charcot, I. Bernheim, V. James and P. Janet, who are on a par with I. M. Sechenov's theory of "muscular feeling". The basis for the emergence of body-oriented psychotherapy was practical experience and many years of observation of the relationship between the spiritual and the physical in the functioning of the body. It was believed that overcoming the dualism of body and mind and returning to a holistic personality leads to profound changes in the understanding of human behavior. According to the data of many authors, body-oriented psychotherapy gained wide popularity and systematized design thanks to the works of W. Reich, starting from the end of the 30s. 20th century W. Reich began his work as a psychoanalyst directly under the guidance of Z. Freud. The first fundamental innovation introduced by Reich into the practice of psychoanalysis was the transition from the analysis of individual symptoms to the analysis of the patient's character. Reich's second observation was the phenomenon of "enclosing character in a shell," or mechanization. mental life, arising as a result of the suppression and containment of emotions under the influence of social stereotypes and an authoritarian family atmosphere. “A person has to restrain the expressive components of emotions due to muscle tension,” W. Reich believed. Therefore, on a functional, physiological level, Reich's "psychological shell" is identical to the "muscle shell". The third innovation of the Reich system was the concept of “biopsychic”, or vegetative, energy introduced by him, the normal distribution of which in the body is the basis of mental and physical health, and violations of the free flow constitute the pathogenesis of neuroses and other painful conditions. At the same time, the source of neurosis energy is created in the process of everyday mental life by an imbalance between the accumulation and expenditure of the vegetative energy that saturates it. Thus, according to Reich, the neurotic state differs from psychological health precisely by the presence of stagnant emotional arousal and its bodily equivalent - stagnant foci of autonomic energy (the so-called unreacted emotions). Thus, Reich proposed a pathogenetic method for the treatment of neuroses - vegetotherapy, or the restoration of the normal flow of vegetative energy by acting on areas blocking its flow of chronically increased muscle tone, as well as in a specially regulated breathing.

Main schools and methods of body-oriented psychotherapy

Characterological analysis of W. Reich. Wilhelm Reich is an Austrian psychiatrist, a representative of neopsychoanalysis. He proposed a personality structure consisting of three independent levels. The “surface level” is formed by socially approved forms of interpersonal communications under the influence of social values ​​of society. "Intermediate level" represents impulses, including aggressive-sadistic drives and libido drives. "Deep level" - these are natural and social impulses that have a truly human character; here a person is emotionally healthy, harmonious, capable of sincere love.

According to Reich, a person's character includes a constant "set" of defenses. Chronic muscle clamps block three major emotional states: anxiety, anger, and sexual arousal. Reich came to the conclusion that the muscular and psychological armor are one and the same. Emotions blocked in this way are never eliminated because they cannot fully come out. These blocks (muscle clamps) distort and destroy natural feelings, in particular, suppress sexual feelings, interfere with a full-fledged orgasm.

W. Reich began by applying the technique of characteristic analysis to physical postures. He analyzed in detail the patient's postures and physical habits in order to make the patients aware of how they suppress the vital feelings by means of tensions in various parts of the body. Reich asked patients to intensify a certain clamp in order to become more aware of it, to feel it and to identify the emotion that is connected in this part of the body. He saw that it was only after the repressed emotion had found expression that the patient could completely give up chronic tension or constriction.

W. Reich helped patients to become aware of their characteristic features, often imitated their characteristic features or postures, or asked the patients themselves to repeat or exaggerate a pattern of behavior - for example, a nervous smile. When patients stopped taking their characteristic behavior for granted, their motivation to change increased.

He believed that every characteristic relationship has a corresponding physical posture and that the character of the individual is expressed in his body in the form of muscular rigidity or muscular armor.

W. Reich believed that chronic stress blocks the energy flows that underlie strong emotions. According to W. Reich, a person can free himself from a blocked emotion only by fully experiencing it; moreover, negative emotions must be worked through before the positive feelings that they replace can be experienced.

Reich emphasized the importance of liberation, relaxation of the "muscle shell" in addition to the analysis of psychological material, because he viewed the mind and body as an indissoluble unity. Reich sought to unravel the protective shell, the blocks of feeling that distort the psychological and physical functioning of a person; considered therapy as a means of restoring the free flow of energy through the body through the systematic release of blocks of the "muscle shell", therefore he called his method of treating neuroses "biophysical orgone therapy".

When working with the “muscle shell”, W. Reich found that the release of chronically tight muscles often gives rise to special physical sensations - a feeling of warmth or cold, tingling, itching, or emotional uplift. He believed that these sensations arise as a result of the release of vegetative or biological energy.

According to W. Reich, the "muscle shell" is 7 main protective segments, consisting of muscles and organs of the corresponding functions. These segments form a row of 7 horizontal rings at right angles to the spine. The main segments of the shell are located in the area of ​​​​the eyes, mouth, neck, chest, diaphragm, abdomen and pelvis:

1st segment - eyes. The "protective shell" in the eye area is manifested in the immobility of the forehead and the "empty" expression of the eyes. Opening is accomplished by opening the eyes as wide as possible, as well as free eye movements, rotation and looking from side to side.

2nd segment - mouth. The oral segment includes the muscles of the chin, throat, and occiput. This segment holds the emotional expression of crying, screaming, anger, biting, sucking, grimacing. The "protective shell" can be relaxed by the client by imitating crying, making sounds that mobilize the lips, biting, gagging, and through direct work on the relevant muscles.

3rd segment - neck. This segment includes the muscles of the neck and the tongue. "Protective shell" keeps mostly anger, screaming and crying. The means of opening the shell are screams, screams, gagging, etc.

4th segment - chest (broad chest muscles, muscles of the shoulders, shoulder blades, chest, arms with hands). This segment holds back laughter, sadness, passion. Breath control, which is an important means of suppressing any emotion, is largely carried out in the chest. The "shell" can be loosened by working on the breath, especially by exhaling completely.

5th segment - diaphragm. This segment includes the diaphragm, solar plexus, various internal organs, and muscles of the lower vertebrae. The shell here holds mostly strong anger. One must largely dissolve the first four segments before proceeding to dissolve the fifth through work with the breath and gag reflex.

6th segment - stomach. The abdominal segment includes the broad muscles of the abdomen and the muscles of the back. Voltage lumbar muscles associated with fear of attack. "Protective shell" is associated with the suppression of anger, hostility.

7th segment - pelvis (all muscles of the pelvis and lower extremities). The stronger the protective shell, the more the pelvis is pulled back, sticking out backwards. The pelvic "shell" serves to suppress arousal, anger, pleasure. The "shell" can be released by mobilizing the pelvis and then kicking and hitting the couch with the pelvic area.

W. Reich's therapy consists, first of all, in the opening of the "shell" in each segment, starting from the eyes and ending with the pelvis. Each segment is more or less independent and can be handled separately. Actions required to open the shell:

1) the accumulation of energy in the body through deep breathing;

2) direct action on chronic muscle clamps through pressure, pinching, etc.;

3) open consideration, together with the client, of the resistances and emotional limitations that come to light.

W. Reich found that as patients acquire the ability of complete "genital bestowal", their whole being, including their lifestyle, fundamentally changes.

The methods of breathing, emotional liberation, and increased tension in blocked areas of the body developed by W. Reich formed the basis of bioenergy, structural integration (rolfing) and other psychotechniques.

Thus, Reich is considered a pioneer in the field of body psychology and body-oriented psychotherapy.

Structural Integration (rolfing). The structural integration method (or Rolfing) was developed by Ida Rolf. It is a direct physical intervention used for psychological personality modification, but is based on the psychotherapeutic views of Reich.

According to Rolf, a well-functioning body remains straight and vertical with a minimum of energy expenditure, despite the force of gravity, but under the influence of stress, it can adapt to the latter and distort. The strongest changes occur in the fascia - the connective sheath that covers the muscles.

Structural integration is a system that seeks to return the body to its correct position and correct lines through deep and often painful stretching of the muscular fascia, accompanied by direct deep impact.

The goal of structural integration is to bring the body into better muscular balance, better conformity with lines of gravity, closer to an optimal posture in which a straight line can be drawn across the ear, shoulder, femur, and ankle. This leads to a balanced distribution of the weight of the main parts of the body - head, chest, pelvis and legs - to more graceful and efficient movements.

Rolfing works primarily with fascia, the connective tissue that supports and binds the muscles and skeletal system. Rolf pointed out that psychological trauma or even minor physical damage can result in small but permanent changes in the body. Bones or muscle are slightly displaced, and the build-up of connective tissues prevents them from returning to their place. The disturbance of the lines occurs not only at the site of the immediate injury, but also at fairly distant points on the body in order to compensate. For example, if a person unknowingly spares an injured shoulder for a long time, it can affect the neck, the other shoulder, the hips.

The goal of Rolfing is to manipulate the muscle fascia and relax it so that the surrounding tissue can move into the correct position. The therapy process is based on deep massage with fingers, knuckles and elbows. This massage can be very painful. The stronger the tension, the greater the pain and the greater the need for such manipulation. Due to the interconnection of the fasciae of the whole body, tension in one area has a pronounced functional compensatory effect on other areas.

Certain types of emotional problems are often associated with specific areas of the body. Massage of the corresponding area of ​​the body relieves tension and leads to emotional release. The Rolfing procedure is often associated with pain and the possibility of structural damage to the body. The method is especially effective in cases where "muscular armor" and tension reach a significant degree.

The Rolfing procedure consists of 10 main sessions during which the movement in the joints is reorganized. As in Reich's therapy, the pelvis is of primary importance for overall health. During structural integration sessions, the following activities are usually performed:

1st session covers most of the body, with a special focus on those muscles of the chest and abdomen that control breathing, as well as the femoral ligaments that control pelvic mobility;

2nd session concentrates on the feet, leg transformations, ankles, alignment of the legs with the torso;

The 3rd lesson is devoted mainly to stretching the sides, especially the large muscles between the pelvis and chest;

4th, 5th and 6th sessions are devoted to the release of the pelvis; to make the pelvis more mobile and inscribed in the rest of the lines of the body is considered one of the important tasks of Rolfing;

7th lesson - concentration on the neck and head, on the muscles of the face;

8th, 9th and 10th sessions - basically, the organization and integration of the body as a whole.

Working on certain areas of the body often releases old memories and promotes deep emotional discharges. However, the goal of Rolfing is primarily physical integration, psychological aspects processes are not the subject of special attention. Many who have combined Rolfing with some form of psychological therapy or growth work have noted that Rolfing helps to release psychological and emotional blocks, facilitating advancement in other areas.

Bioenergetic analysis by A. Lowen. Bioenergetics is a modern method of psychotherapy, rooted in the techniques of the work of Wilhelm Reich, an Austrian psychoanalyst who enriched psychoanalysis with the so-called work with the body ( body-work). The creator of bioenergy, the American psychiatrist and psychotherapist Alexander Lowen (born in 1910), was his patient, then a student and collaborator. Taking from Reich the basic concepts of the energy basis of psychophysical processes, he developed his concept of psychotherapy and founded in the 50s. 20th century Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis in New York. Over the next thirty years, dozens of similar institutions sprang up in many countries.

Bioenergetics considers the functioning of the human psyche in terms of body and energy, considering the suppression of feelings as a source of neurosis, depression and loss of self-identification, which manifests itself in the form of chronic muscle tension that blocks the free flow of energy in the body. In early childhood, specific skills for avoiding pain, despair, and fear, and ways of gaining safety and the love of others, are manifested and then reinforced. They lead to the development of a person’s character structure, which consists of a distorted image of the world and one’s own personality, rigid patterns of behavior and feelings, as well as “self-control” patterns that limit the vitality of the body, also called “character shell”. Thus, the physical appearance of a person symbolically reflects his psyche. The therapy consists of learning about the character structure and "reviving" the emotions frozen in the body. This results in the release of large reserves of energy previously expended on restraining bodily impulses, which can now be used to form less stereotyped, more creative options for adaptation and development of individuality. Of particular importance is the restoration of free breathing, the violation of which is closely related to fear. The goal of therapy is to unblock the limitations of personality development. The focus is on the ego and its integration with the body. Satisfaction of basic emotional needs and personal aspirations without unnecessary expenditure of energy is associated with a realistic orientation in the surrounding world. A mature personality has contact with the internal energy pulsation of the body and changing feelings. She is equally able to both control their expression and turn off self-control, surrendering to the flow of spontaneity (for example, during orgasm, in creative ecstasy, etc.). She has access equally to unpleasant feelings: fear, pain, anger, and despair, as well as to pleasurable experiences: sex, joy, love, and empathy. The bodily expression of emotional health is the grace of movement, good muscle tone, good contact with people around and with the ground underfoot (in the terminology of bioenergy - this is "grounding"), a clear look and a soft, pleasant voice. Keeping a methodology close to modern psychoanalysis, bioenergetics uses touch and pressure on tense muscles, deep breathing and special postures. The patient performs exercises that expand body awareness, develop spontaneous expression and psychophysical integration.

Method of F. M. Alexander. Franz Matthias Alexander was an Australian actor. He suffered from a recurring loss of voice for which no organic cause was found. Through prolonged self-observation, he found that the loss of voice was associated with a pressing movement of the head back and down. By learning to suppress this habit, Alexander stopped suffering from laryngitis; in addition, the removal of pressure on the neck had a positive effect on his entire body. Working on himself, Alexander created an integrated movement training technique based on a balanced relationship between the head and spine.

F. Alexander believed that the prerequisite for free natural movements is the greatest natural stretching of the spine. The formula for Alexander's method is: "Loosen the neck to allow the head to move forward and upward to allow more lengthening and expansion."

The goal is not to engage in any muscular activity; the student strives to let the body automatically adapt during the concentrated repetition of the formula, and in the lesson - when responding to the teacher's guiding movements. In the lesson, movements from normal daily activities are worked out, and the student gradually learns to apply the principles of technology. The balance between the head and the spine provides relief from physical tensions and clamps, improves the lines of the posture and creates better muscle coordination. On the other hand, the violation of these relations gives rise to clamps, distortion of the lines of the body, spoils the coordination of movements. Alexander's technique lessons offer subtle guidance in mastering the more efficient use of the body. The leader must be able to see various blocks that impede the free movements of the body, to anticipate movements with preliminary unnecessary tension. By directing the student's body adjustment in small movements, the teacher gradually gives him the experience of action and rest in an integrated, collected and effective way.

F. Alexander's lessons usually focus on sitting, standing, walking, in addition to the so-called "work at the table", when the student lies down and in the hands of the teacher experiences the sensations of an energy flow that lengthens and expands the body. This work should give the student a feeling of freedom and spaciousness in all ligaments, an experience that gradually wean a person from clamps and tension in ligaments generated by excessive tension in Everyday life. F. Alexander's technique is especially popular among people of creativity, but is also effectively used to treat some injuries and chronic diseases.

Alexander Psychotechnics helps people get rid of habits that negatively affect the physical, mental and emotional functioning of a person.

The Feldenkrais Method. Feldenkrais' psychotherapeutic method is a method of self-improvement, or personal growth, which he called "awareness through movement" ( Awareness through movement) is one of the "pillars" of body-oriented psychotherapy, which arose "at the junction" of modern Western psychological science and ancient Eastern tradition presented in various spiritual and philosophical schools of self-improvement.

The basis of this popular method is the development of self-observation skills during self-immersion in a shallow altered state of consciousness (superficial kinesthetic trance) during a series of bodily and mental exercises. Feldenkrais called this state of awareness ( awareness), associating it with directed attention. (It is appropriate here to recall the definition of an altered state of consciousness according to M. Erickson, as "attention directed inward"). Thus, the essence of the Feldenkrais method can be most briefly formulated as "self-awareness." The orientation of the method is consonant with the recipe for self-improvement of one of the traditional Eastern (in particular, Zen) spiritual practices - “abide completely in what you are doing”, interpreted as contemplation, self-observation (G. Gurdjieff) or the practice of mindfulness (R. Walsh).

According to Feldenkrais, getting rid of psychological problems and limitations, harmonious development or self-actualization acts as the formation of a “complete image of oneself”. At the same time, a person achieves the naturalness inherent in children, “spontaneity”, which physiologically corresponds (in right-handers) to the “liberation” of the right hemisphere, releasing it from the usual oppressive influence of the dominant left hemisphere. In the process of work on self-improvement, non-verbal functional states are used, which are a “pause between a (verbally formalized) thought and a (bodily) action” - an analogue of the “silence of the mind” described in Eastern spiritual practices, the “gap between thoughts”.

The Feldenkrais system absorbed, along with ancient spiritual traditions, the achievements of modern physiology. nervous system, sometimes even ahead of them (his classic work "Awareness through movement" was published about 30 years ago). The idea of ​​Feldenkrais about the need for a holistic approach to personal improvement, not the correction of individual character traits, but “systematic work on the image of oneself”, is only beginning to be fully revealed in the most modern techniques psychotherapy, in particular, in the DHE (Design Human Engineering) method that replaced NLP, developed by R. Bandler.

Sense awareness. This psychotechnique was developed in the USA by S. Selver and C. Brooks and is based on the works of E. Gindler and H. Jacobi. The technique is aimed at studying the integral organic functioning in the world that a person perceives, of which he is a part. For a therapist working in this field, the “personal ecology” of a person is of interest: how he performs actions, how he relates to people, situations and objects. He seeks to find what is natural in this functioning and what is conditioned, what is the product of the evolutionary development of human nature, and what has become "second nature" that isolates him.

Sense awareness is the process of learning to return to contact with the body and the senses, abilities that a person had as a child but lost during formal training. Parents respond to children in terms of their own ideas and preferences, rather than trying to feel what can help the child's real development. Another problem with children's experience is making an effort: parents do not want to wait for the natural development of their children's abilities and teach them to "try."

The work of sensory awareness focuses on direct perception, learning to distinguish one's own feelings and sensations from culturally and socially inculcated images. Many of the exercises in this system are based on everyday human activity - to open up an attitude to the environment, to develop a conscious awareness of what a person is doing. Another aspect of sensory awareness involves relationship with others. Most of the exercises of the system have an internal, meditative orientation.

Biosynthesis- This is the direction of body-oriented (or somatic) psychotherapy, which since the beginning of the 70s. 20th century developed by D. Boadell and his followers in England, Germany, Greece and other European countries, North and South America, Japan and Australia.

Biosynthesis is a process-oriented psychotherapy. The client is not required to follow the therapist's health model, to replace his patterns with his. The therapist gently works with the breath, helps to loosen muscle tension in order to most accurately perceive and reveal the internal trends in the movement and growth of the client, his capabilities and the characteristics of his pulsation. The therapist in biosynthesis becomes a "dance partner" who accompanies and leads the client to a new experience, a different feeling of grounding in his own body, the restoration of a healthy pulsation.

The biosynthesis approach relies on experience:

1) embryology - in this regard, biosynthesis is said to have given psychoanalysis its organic basis;

2) Reichian therapy;

3) the theory of object relations.

The term "biosynthesis" was first used by the English analyst Francis Mott. His work was based on deep research intrauterine life. After the death of F. Mott, David Boadella decided to use this term to describe his own therapeutic approach. He also wanted to emphasize the difference between his method and bioenergetics, developed by A. Lowen and J. Pierrakos, and biodynamics - the school of G. Boysen and her followers, who were engaged in various forms massage to release blocked energy. All three areas - bioenergetics, biodynamics and biosynthesis - have common roots (Reichian analysis), but they have fundamental differences.

The term "biosynthesis" itself means "integration of life". We are talking about the integration, first of all, of the three main life or energy flows, which are differentiated in the first week of the life of the embryo, the integrative existence of which is essential for somatic and mental health and which is disturbed in neurotics.

These energy flows are associated with three germ layers: endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm.

From W. Reich, biosynthesis "inherited" the point of view that personality can be understood at three levels:

a) on the surface we see a “mask”: a “shell” of characteristic relationships, formed to protect against a threat to the integrity of the personality in childhood or earlier; it's called fake self which protects self true, whose needs were frustrated in infancy (or before birth);

b) when the defenses begin to weaken, a deeper level appears painful feelings, which includes anger, longing, anxiety, despair, fear, resentment, a feeling of loneliness;

c) under the level of painful feelings is the main "nuclear" level, or "core" of the personality, in which the feelings of basic trust, well-being, joy and love are concentrated.

The frustration of the core creates a level of suffering, the suppression of suffering and protest creates a "mask". It should be noted here that many therapists, using various theoretical concepts and a variety of techniques, easily lead a person to experience pain, fear, rage. However, if the work is limited only to this level, the client learns emotional release and acquires a new pattern, acting out becomes a kind of drug. In biosynthesis, the therapist tries in each session to direct the client to the primary "nuclear" level of sensations, since only in contact with feelings of joy, hope, well-being, pleasure to live does a person receive energy for real changes, for healing - physical, mental and spiritual. Emotional release is not an end in itself: the intervention ceases to be therapeutic if, after reacting, the client does not find new sources of internal support.

And the defense system itself is considered in biosynthesis as a strategy for survival, adaptation, and support. Therefore, any patterns of a person are not “broken”, but are examined with great respect. Biosynthetics say: "Before a train can be put on rails, bridges must be built." Before transforming (not destroying!) patterns, it is necessary to ensure the implementation of the “life-protecting function”. Biosynthesis uses and develops W. Reich's idea of ​​a "protective muscular shell", tracing its connection with embryology. At the same time, in biosynthesis, the concept of "shell" is detailed - three "shells" are described, each of which is associated with one of the germ layers:

a) muscular (mesodermal),

b) visceral (endodermal),

c) cerebral shell (ectodermal).

The muscular “shell” also includes the tissue one, since not only the musculoskeletal, but also the vascular system develops from the mesoderm.

There is a danger of dividing people into "healthy", who do not need therapy, and sick, those who cannot live without it. However, "it is more realistic to consider health as a wide range of conditions and manifestations" (D. Boadella). Then we recognize the right to neurotic reactions of "prosperous" people and the ability to "healthy reactions" in people with severe somatic and mental disorders. Thus, the effect of therapy depends on the ability of the therapist to reveal the internal resources of the client's health. The inner canvas of biosynthesis is the work to achieve somatic, mental and spiritual health; external - work to restore the integration of action, thought and feeling lost in the early stages of development (reintegration).

The three main reintegration processes are:

a) grounding ( grounding),

b) centering ( centering),

c) vision facing).

Grounding is working with the mesodermal "shell". Grounding involves revitalizing the flow of energy down the back and from there into the "5 limbs" - legs, arms, head.

Centering is a movement towards harmonious breathing and emotional balance.

Vision ( facing) and sound ( sounding) – therapeutic work with eye contact, gaze, voice.

Primary therapy A. Yanov. Arthur Yanov - American psychologist, in the late 60s. 20th century who formulated the main provisions of "primary therapy", which was developed in the activities of the Institute of Primary Therapy in Los Angeles.

Primary therapy is based on the premise that traumas experienced in childhood and repressed in the process of growing up, as well as early unsatisfied needs, lead to neuroses and psychoses. Yanov calls these injuries primary. They are stored in a person in the form of tension or are transformed into psychological defense mechanisms. Primary traumas and unsatisfied needs prevent the natural progression through all the stages of development that each person goes through, do not allow to become "real", stop a person's normal access to his feelings. The tension associated with primary traumas can lead to psychosomatic illnesses.

Primary therapy is based on the fact that the person must re-experience the primary trauma, return to the situation that caused it, and release it with the help of a cry. The goal of primal therapy is to get rid of all the "fake" things that cause a person to use alcohol, drugs, smoke or make rash, unreasonable decisions just because otherwise he cannot cope with the ever-increasing internal stress. These regressive and neurotic reactions force a person to live in the past without changing or changing the way they perceive the world. The words and actions of such a person are due to his neurosis, since he is not free from feelings that arose in some situations in the past. Training in primary therapy is necessary to identify the feelings and sensations caused by early traumas, express them, and experience therapeutic changes.

Primary therapy is used to treat clients of different ages, both adolescents and adults. It depends on the client how much he will be able to get in touch with those feelings that arose as a result of primary suffering. Primal therapy involves following a rigid set of instructions and breaking habits acquired through pent-up exertion. The first phase of psychotherapy lasts approximately 3 weeks, and during this time you can not go to school or work. The course of treatment is very intensive - the patient is engaged daily up to 3 hours a day. At the end of the third week, the client is included in the work of the primary therapeutic group, which meets 2-3 times a week for 8-12 months.

The carefully planned primary therapy process begins with a discussion of the client's problems with a specially qualified psychotherapist. During psychotherapy sessions, early memories, resentments and wounds are revealed. The psychotherapist encourages the client to "physically" relive them, causing the manifestation of tension, psychological defense, etc. The main task at this stage is to gradually weaken the psychological defense. When a client starts working in a psychotherapeutic group, the discussion of his problems continues; now he enters into a wide variety of relationships with other members of the group, which can contribute to the experience of more primary emotions than in individual psychotherapy. Clients recall traumatic events from early childhood, up until the moment of birth. The task of the psychotherapist at this stage is to guide the client in the search for exactly those events that caused these destructive feelings, without the expression of which healing is impossible.

Group psychotherapy is combined with deep breathing training in order for participants to get rid of shallow, neurotic breathing and come closer to experiencing primary suffering. The therapist also works to change the client's manner of speaking, which is seen as one of the defense mechanisms. The purpose of these and many other techniques is to enable a person to get in touch with primary experiences and gain the ability to express those feelings that he has realized.

Clients who have completed a course of primary therapy shed the burden of previous suffering and begin to better cope with life situations without needing such a high degree of recognition and acceptance by other people. Their actions acquire meaning and become "real", which contributes to the acquisition of spiritual comfort and social status. Release from tension, a new sense of self allows the client, who has completed a course of primary therapy, to more accurately assess his emotional and physical state in any situation.

To be "real", according to Yanov, means to be free from anxiety, depression, phobias, to be able to live in the present, without an obsessive desire to satisfy one's needs.

Primal Therapy was one of the first methods of psychotherapy that moved radically away from psychoanalysis, placing more emphasis on focusing on feelings and experiencing the wholeness of the self.

In popular Greek mythology, Thanatos is the embodiment of death. A creature that walks the world and collects the souls of the dead. He is the only one of the gods who does not love gifts. Has an iron heart and is hated by the gods. Hypnos, god of sleep, is the twin brother of Thanatos. In ancient mythology, however, the god of death on Olympus is not Thanatos, but one of his incarnations - Hades, brother of Zeus and Poseidon and son of Cronus.

The central link of the presented method is the initiation of natural death, an initiation built on the principles of modeling the characteristics of the body of a person who has just died such a death. The extremely rare natural death, in contrast to the usual, accompanied mainly by painful experiences, and often severe mental and physical suffering and pain, at the level of the body of a person dying by such a death, is characterized by maximum relaxation, reduced or completely absent overcontrol (control by consciousness ), passivity (“objectivity”, “objectivity”, “objectivity”).

The field of thanatotherapy is the area of ​​contact with the processes of dying and death, and the main goal of thanatotherapy is to establish this most complete and real contact. Every living person knows that he will die, but no one believes that he will die. The transition from the “sluggish” process of dying to the terminal (final) one is a devastating emotional and physical shock for a person. Thanatotherapy is based on the phenomenon of natural (correct) dying and the idea of ​​the so-called biological and social body. Life and death are two sides of the same reality. Ignoring death is depriving oneself of a colossal source of energy (compared, for example, with the energy of the fear of death).

The use of special body-oriented psychotechniques allows those involved to master a kind of technology of dying a natural death, the main goal of which is the “correct dying”, and, therefore, the correct life. In the course of initiation, when a group of 5–6 people works with one person, using at the key moment the pressure of the weight of the entire group on the lying partner, a deep degree of immersion in trance is achieved and through this strong transpersonal experiences, “traveling - ordeal”, experiencing relationships " soul-body”, relationship to death and life.

The experience of members of thanatotherapy groups shows that this is a powerful means of maximum relaxation, which in certain situations allows you to turn off supercontrol of consciousness, find pleasure in the objectivity and objectivity of your own body, enriching transpersonal experience, giving strong experiences of an erotic nature (the connection of Thanatos with Eros).

Bonding. The natural approach to childbirth and parenthood is based on the phenomenon of bonding. Bonding is an invisible connection between a child and a mother, thanks to which they continue to remain a single whole even after childbirth. Bonding is what makes the mother understand the child's language; something that fills for her with concrete content his every clumsy gesture, grimace, every sound he makes. The mother must "know" her baby, she must "know" his needs and his condition. And she "knows" this through bonding. She feels the condition of her child better than any professional doctor.

J. C. Pierce provides the following excellent examples of bonding to help you understand what is at stake: “In my book The Magic Baby, I told about an American mother, Jane McKellar, who observed how newborn babies in Uganda were carried on straps near the mother’s breast. No diapers were used, and since the babies were always clean, Jane asked the mothers how they managed their babies' urination and bowel movements. "We're just going into the bushes," the mothers replied. “But how,” Jane asked, “do you know when a tiny baby needs to go into the bushes?” The astonished mothers replied, “How do you know when you need to go into the bushes?” In Guatemala, mothers carry their newborns in the same way, and if the newborn still wets the mother after two or three days, the woman is considered a stupid and bad mother.”

In fact, bonding occurs from the very beginning of pregnancy. A woman does not just bear a child. It undergoes changes that allow it to carry out the function of motherhood. Feelings are aggravated, intellectual activity is dulled, intuitive perception is enhanced. Feelings and intuition are the tools that allow you to feel the child, understand his needs. Bonding relationships are formed if the mother naturally follows and accepts all the changes that take place in her. This is the period when you need to withdraw into yourself, into your pregnancy, into your child. A woman ceases to be just a woman. She becomes a mother.

Any violence against this process, rejection of changes, the desire to live an external life, intellectual overload - all this disrupts the formation of bonding.

Childbirth, the first minutes and hours of a baby's life is a particularly important period in the establishment of bonding. The first minutes of the life of a baby who has just gone through the hellish circles of birth and plunged into this frightening and incomprehensible world are extremely important. F. Leboye, a French obstetrician-gynecologist, writes that “for a baby, this world is frightening. Its diversity, vastness drive the little traveler crazy. Birth is a thunderstorm, a hurricane. And the child is shipwrecked, destroyed, swallowed up by a rushing tide of sensations that he does not know how to recognize. He needs help and protection. Who is the best to do it? Of course, mother. Pressing him to her chest, she partially returns him to his former conditions of existence. The mother's warmth, the beating of her heart, the first drops of colostrum from the breast soothe the child, giving him a sense of security.

The mother provides the infant with the so-called contact-comfort, which is of great importance for his entire subsequent life. This contact-comfort is the primary source of positive emotions. The feeling of comfort and security emanating from the mother is an important factor in establishing bonding.

The bonding relationship encourages the mother to feel and satisfy the natural needs of the child, which is a condition for its development. The need for love and affection, the need for maternal warmth and maternal milk is one of the most important.

Bonding is an important condition for the formation of positive personal qualities. “Attachment to the mother is a necessary phase in the normal mental development of children, in the formation of their personality. It contributes to the development of such social feelings as gratitude, responsiveness and warmth in relationships, that is, everything that is a manifestation of truly human qualities,” says Professor AI Zakharov. The relationship between mother and child in early infancy is a model imprinted in the child for his future relationship with all reality. Meeting love, attention to their needs, satisfaction of their natural needs, the child learns to perceive the world as his own home. If he is loved, he learns this love. If his needs are felt, he learns to feel the needs of others. Perceiving the mother's confidence, he gets a sense of security, and with it, self-confidence, in his abilities, is formed.

There is always a bond between mother and child. Even in the most adverse conditions(for example, when mother and child are separated) by their attitude, due mental attitude, the mother can fill this connection with the necessary content with her spiritual state.

If there is bonding in your relationship with your child, you will know without any weighing whether your milk is enough for him, and without examinations you will understand whether the baby is healthy and what he needs more now.

Rosen therapy. The Rosen Method is a special practice of studying one's body, which allows one to influence the mental state of a person through bodily influences, as well as teach the body to respond to external influences in the desired way. The Rosen Method is undoubtedly useful for everyone, but it is of particular importance for pregnant women and for young parents. The method helps to relieve muscle tension, emotional discomfort, stress, harmonizes the physical and mental state of a person.

Most of the well-known body-oriented psychotechniques appeared and developed outside the group direction in psychotherapy, however, they are most often used in group forms.

In the classical approaches of body-oriented psychotherapy, there are a number of important concepts that are of fundamental importance: “energy”, “muscle armor”, “ground underfoot”, etc.

Body-oriented psychotherapy has its own psychotherapeutic procedures that affect breathing and promote understanding of the bodily state and tense postures, as well as movement exercises that work with physical contact between group members. Most body-oriented psychotherapy groups include physical contact as part of the group interaction. Motor exercises contribute to the return of participants to a primitive emotional state, to their primary nature. Some exercises are designed to help provide access to blocked emotions of anger and rage, others help each participant to release emotions.

Based on the exercises, the leader and members of the group draw conclusions about the “armor of character” of each participant, blocks of the spontaneous flow of energy and make an analysis, correlating the bodily state with psychological problems. In body-oriented psychotechniques, it is believed that the release of negative affects can lead to positive personal changes.

Psychotherapy -> Sergey Vladimirovich Petrushin workshop of psychological counseling
psychotherapy -> Psychotherapy in special states of consciousness
psychotherapy -> Workshop on Cognitive Therapy w. W. Norton New York St. Petersburg Speech 2001 bbq ​​84. 5 M15
psychotherapy -> The book is intended for psychologists, teachers, educators, defectologists, social workers, organizers of children's and family leisure, parents. L. M. Kostina, 2001 Publisher
psychotherapy -> Vikhansky S, Golichenkov A. K., Gusev M. V
psychotherapy -> Aaron Beck, A. Rush, Brian Shaw, Gary Emery. Cognitive therapy for depression
psychotherapy -> Т.К. T. K. Kruglovoi. M .: Independent firm "Class" In fact, this book

Welcome to the site website !

Our resource will be useful to therapists, psychologists, psychotherapists - professionals in their field, those who love their work and who are not indifferent to the achieved result. Those who are fond of psychology, psychotherapy, those who do not want to stand still and strive to learn new methods of work, improve themselves and help people around them.

We really hope that the materials published on the site site will be able to help everyone who needs psychological help or a psychologist's consultation, for those who are trying to find a way out of a difficult life situation, and who want to help themselves and their loved ones, those who need support.

We are together, and together we can do anything!

11 Steps of Gratitude

Many successful people start their day by expressing their gratitude to the Universe for everything they have. They do not act according to the scheme of most people “first I will receive, and after that I will thank”, but they find something in their life for which they can be grateful, as they realize how much great power has gratitude...

10 habits of people with hidden depression

In a state of depression, a person loses interest in life, becomes irritable, and sometimes simply goes into a “stupor” and does not react to the surrounding reality. Feelings of fatigue, guilt, resentment for the whole world, inability to make decisions and concentrate on important things, fear and sadness are constant companions of depression. Much more dangerous is another, “hidden” depression, which a person does not show in any way, and most often does not even know about its existence, and in the meantime it makes a person’s life more and more difficult, does not allow him to enjoy even the happiest events in his life ...

Hypochondriacs: how to learn to live with "imaginary" patients

Hypochondriacs constantly complain of ailments and feeling unwell, and when symptoms such as a runny nose or a rash appear in a panic, they run to the clinic to take tests, require serious medical research, insisting on the incurability and seriousness of his disease ... How to learn to live with "imaginary" patients?

Common mistakes of unhappy people

Most people are absolutely sure that fate makes them unhappy. They miss the last trolleybus, they are not appreciated at work and they give promotions to employees who least deserve it, they have constant scandals in the family and the children do not obey. In a word, not life, but a terrible fairy tale with a tragic end. These people most of the time go gloomy and gloomy, it is enough just to recognize them in the crowd...

9 secrets that women prefer to remain silent

In relationships with women, the main principle of men is simple: if a woman is silent and does not express claims, then everything suits her. And at this moment, men often relax, allow themselves all sorts of liberties and cease to control the situation. We just got used to the fact that women are very sociable creatures (to put it mildly), so they can always tell us about everything ...

Article at random

The essence of the psychotherapeutic process

Out of all the variety of existing definitions of psychotherapy, regardless of the tradition to which psychotherapists-practitioners belong, and from the theoretical constructions underlying this or that model, method or technique of psychotherapy, there obviously exists some intuition common to all practicing psychotherapists, which sets itself the unity of psychotherapy as a special kind of practice. Clarifying this intuition will lead to a better understanding of what psychotherapy really is.

Organismic psychotherapy

Organismic psychotherapy was developed by the American psychologist Malcolm Brown, who, along with his wife Katherine Ennis, ran the Institute for Organismic Psychotherapy in Atlanta. This body-oriented therapy takes the ideas of the German neuropsychiatrist Kurt Goldstein as a theoretical model...

Somatic therapy for psychic trauma

Somatic therapy for psychic trauma is a body-oriented approach based on the study of the natural behavior of a person during trauma as a model for the treatment of disorders resulting from trauma. Somatic therapists rightly believe that a person's mental trauma arises as a result of his struggle and attempt to escape from stress. Each of these reactions is quite natural, a kind of response of the human body to stress factors. As a result, the biological processes of a person are closely associated with his psychology. The founder of somatic therapy is Stanley Kaleman, a legendary bioenergetic therapist...

Guides
in body-oriented therapy

Compiled by Yakubanets B.

Publishing house "Rech"

St. Petersburg

EDITORIAL FOREWORD

Even in ancient times, when the ideal of a person was not conceived outside of integrity and harmony, there were therapeutic areas associated with movement, breathing, dance, massage and the impact on the human soul.

In the last century, dance, body culture and education through movement have experienced influences that primarily set the task of overcoming hostility to the body. Other origins of modern methods lie in the field of rhythm, musical pedagogy, gymnastics, respiratory and vocal education, relaxation techniques and massage. Yes, and various systems of training in acting have influenced modern methods or find their direct continuation in them (therapeutic theater, therapy based on dance, music, etc.).

Modern methods have spawned those that can in most cases be characterized as somatherapeutic insofar as they all go back to the vegetative therapy developed by Wilhelm Reich, based on characterological analysis, and in addition to the works of those who can be considered in one way or another a student of Reich. Two of them: Alexander Lowen and John Perrakos laid the foundation for bioenergetic analysis. Arthur Yanov, the creator of primary therapy, also known as plasma therapy, also relies on the works and methods of these scientists. The differences between the methods within the mainstream are often very small, although in some ways these methods distance themselves from each other. And yet, there are also quite strong mutual influences, so the commonality of the starting position for all methods of body-oriented therapy becomes obvious: most of the methods of working with the body, to a greater or lesser extent, on the one hand, are the heirs of psychoanalysis, on the other, the therapeutic movement based on on contacts in the group.

Other origins of therapeutic work with the body can be found in the practice of Far Eastern yogis, especially adherents of hatha yoga, and through it in the Chinese system, tai chi, the great redistribution, up to Zen Buddhism with its various methods of meditation and massage. Along with this, of course, there is a whole series of eclectic methods, attempts to create a kind of synthesis and all sorts of combinations.

What does Body Oriented Therapy mean? In many types of psychotherapy and group practice, interest in the body is limited to either obtaining additional information for verbal and mental work ("Now I have a headache. What does this mean?"), Or physical confirmation of verbal processes ("So, apparently, it is. My head stopped hurting."

AT this case the body is, so to speak, a provider of information. But at the same time, the actual psychotherapeutic processes are, as it were, expected by mental, for example, thoughtful interest or (self) understanding. These latter may then be accompanied by physical sensations, for example, a feeling of relief, which is evaluated as a confirming sign. If the body is “put into action” in this way, it becomes something like a means to an end, that is, it becomes objectified. The emphasis is on the mental, while the bodily is understood as a phenomenon that accompanies mental processes.

By work with the body is meant a direct therapeutic effect on the body, and from this effect a psychic cure or change is expected. Here we are talking for a direct effect on the body. The mental experience must be influenced by the body. “The body as a savior of the soul” or “therapy of the soul through work with the body” - these words are placed on the title pages of books on bioenergetics by Alexander Lowen. “Heal the soul through the body” is the name of Gerda Boiesen’s introduction to biodynamics. Based on the above, we conclude that the impact on a person is carried out through work with the body, for example, directly with the processes of breathing or muscle contraction, which in turn entails associated psychic phenomena. The expectation of mental relaxation is associated with physical liberation.

In this book, we offer the ideas of the most famous representatives of body-oriented therapy, who have influenced modern methods in this area and enjoy continued success both in the West and in our country.

ALEXANDER'S METHOD

The founder of the method Frederic Alexander

Frederick Matthias Alexander was born in Australia on January 20, 1869. He spent his childhood in Wynyard, a small town on the northwest coast of Tasmania. The eldest of John and Betsy Alexander's eight children, Frederick was born prematurely and no one expected him to live more than a few weeks. But he survived thanks to his mother's boundless love for her first child.

All childhood, Frederick was tormented by a wide variety of diseases, especially asthma and other diseases of the respiratory organs. Having entered school, he continued to get sick often and his parents were forced to take him out of there and hire a private teacher for evening classes at home. For this reason, Frederick had a lot of free time during the day, which he liked to spend in his father's stable. Gradually, he became a real specialist in the care of horses and their training. Along with this, he gained the experience of non-verbal, "bodily" communication, which later turned out to be truly priceless for him.

Over time, Frederick's health improved.

At the age of seventeen, due to financial difficulties of the family, young Alexander had to give up such a sweet life in the free air and take a job in a tin mining company in the town of Mount Bischoff.

In his free time, he participated in amateur performances and played the violin.

By the age of twenty, he had saved enough money to go to Melbourne, where he settled with his uncle. But within three months, visiting theaters, art exhibitions, concerts, he managed to spend all his hard-earned money.

By the end of this term, he decided to try to become a reader-reciter.

Frederic did not shy away from any work to pay for education: he was a real estate agent, a storekeeper in a large store, a tea taster in one of the tea companies. He quickly gained recognition as an excellent reciter and soon organized his own one-man theater, where he read his favorite works of Shakespeare.

But soon the breathing difficulties that haunted Frederick in childhood arose again. He became hoarse, and then, during one of the performances, he completely lost his voice. He no longer dared to take engagements, fearing to lose his voice during the performance. Later, he underwent treatment and learned to spare the vocal cords, but these measures gave only a temporary effect.

His acting career was in jeopardy and he was willing to do anything to get healed.

By this time, Frederick was so desperate that he did not speak at all during this period, and by the time of the speech, the hoarseness had completely disappeared. But at the same time, approximately in the middle of the program, the voice again found itself in a “very deplorable state”; and towards the end of the evening the hoarseness became such that he could scarcely speak. He was seized with despair at the thought that henceforth he could only count on temporary relief, and that he should say goodbye to the dream of an acting career that promised to be so successful.

The day after the speech, he again visited the doctor, who insisted that his recommendations should be strictly followed. “But if my voice was flawless at the beginning of the performance,” said Frederick, “and so deteriorated towards the end that I could hardly speak, is it not natural to assume that I somehow overextended it that evening and that this was the reason? »

After thinking for a moment, the doctor agreed, and this led Frederick to ask a new question: "What exactly caused such a deterioration?" The doctor honestly admitted that he could not answer. "If so," said Frederick, "I'll have to try to figure it out myself."

From this dialogue between Frederick Alexander and the doctor, the development of a methodology that has earned worldwide recognition began.

Very soon, Alexander became convinced that if a person suffers from headaches, back pain, arthritis, insomnia and other ailments, there is always a deep reason for this. He turned to the well-known law of cause and effect: every action inevitably causes a reaction. Such opposition was the loss of voice. In order to find out what action caused the ϶ᴛόᴛ phenomenon, he spent many hours in front of the mirror, studying himself.

When he managed to regain his voice, rumors that Alexander managed to "cure" himself quickly spread, and many actors and reciters began to turn to him for advice. Frederick soon became convinced that with the help of light touches, many different ailments can be healed.

Continuing his career as an actor and reciter, he began to recruit students and introduce them to his methodology; At this time, he was joined by his younger brother, Albert Redden Alexander, and together they labored and a number of different Procedures and recommendations, which were included7 in the methodology. The brothers labored and worked together for about six years; teaching in Sydney and Melbourne.

Gradually they moved from working exclusively vocal cords to the application of his method in many other cases. It is important to consider that their fame grew, and some doctors began to refer their patients to the Alexander brothers. One such doctor, Dr. J.W. Etuart McKay, persuaded Frederick to go to London to make his technique available to the general public,

In the spring of 1904, Alexander left Australia forever. With only a letter of introduction from Dr. McKay, he soon began to practice in Victoria Street, and later moved to central London, at 16 Ashley Place.

Alexander's students and clients were many eminent people, including George Bernard Shaw. Aldous Huxley, Sir Henry Irving (actor), Sir Charles Sherrington (Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine) and Prof. E. Coffiel (anatomist and physiologist).

After the outbreak of the First World War, Alexander crossed the ocean and began to introduce his technique in the United States.

In 1925 he settled again in London, where he founded the first training course in methodology. Until his death in. 1955, Alexander taught and worked with clients.

How to start helping yourself?

Usually, people turn to the Alexander technique only after they get sick. It is necessary, however, to emphasize what benefits it can bring to those who feel healthy. They will not only gain the joy of life and sharpness of perception, but will learn to constantly prevent the occurrence of many ailments.

In conditions of constant stress, it is especially important to be aware of its presence and, thanks to this, to avoid the accumulation of stress. It is worth noting that traditionally we neglect the signals that our body gives, and do not realize that stiffness and lack of movement give rise to disease.

An exercise

The first thing to do to relieve muscle tension is to stop for a few minutes and not move, being alone with yourself. So you can notice tension or heaviness in the muscles in the initial stages, before serious health problems arise. Just carve out ten minutes each day to withdraw into yourself, whether you're sitting or lying down. It is better not to at this time; neither the radio nor the TV was turned on and that nothing was distracting.

Learn to be alone with your thoughts. In this way, you will bring the body to a state of rest. At first, these ten minutes will seem endless, but as you begin to get used to such solitude, time will fly by.

Awareness and observation

Observing ourselves and others is the first important step in understanding how wrong we are in even the simplest of actions. It is much easier to notice this on others, first of all, to him, that in this situation we are more critical. When observing people, try to see them as a whole, not individual parts of the body, and ask yourself the following questions:

does ϶ᴛόᴛ stand straight?

does he lean forward?

does it lean back?

If it leans forward or backward, where does the lean begin:

at the ankles?

in your thighs?

in the upper back or shoulders?

Often two or more opposite tendencies can be noted at the same time: for example, someone may lean back from the waist, while the head and shoulders are directed forward (Fig. 2). It is also interesting to observe the postures of people when they are sitting. Observe, if possible, how the posture of people changes under the influence of external and internal factors.

When you start noticing flaws in other people's posture, try to see if you have them too. It is important to maintain the utmost objectivity, and here a sense of humor helps a lot! Alexander used to say, "This is too serious a job to take seriously."

If you notice something in yourself that, in your opinion, needs to be corrected, do not rush to change it immediately. Whatever you do, it will cause an increase in tension, thereby contributing to the establishment of a bad habit. The natural tendency of a person is to achieve what he wants immediately, but it is vital to engage the mind and, first of all, determine the cause that caused this problem. In other words, you should “stop” rather than “start” doing something, but this is easier said than done.

How do you stand

In order to better understand; are you right, answer the following questions:

1. Am I leaning more on one foot than the other, or is the weight evenly distributed on both feet? (Even if it seems even to you, try to lean more on one leg, then return to the previous position. Which position you feel more comfortable in will determine your trend).

2. Do I lean more on my heels or on the balls of my toes? (This will help determine if you're leaning forward or backward.)

3. Am I leaning more on the outside or the inside of my foot? (Note that this may be different for each foot. Thus, the left foot may be supported on the outside, and the right foot on the inside.)

4. Do I straighten my knees with force from excess tension, or do they relax and buckle?

All other characteristics of the standing position reflect shades of mood that are not sufficiently reliable, therefore, to obtain accurate information, you need a mirror or a video camera.

If, after asking yourself one of these questions, you find a tendency to unbalance, it is advisable to consciously increase this tendency for a short time in order to feel how much the whole body is tense. In other words, if, for example, you tend to lean more on the left leg, and on the outer part of the foot, then consciously increase the emphasis. After a few minutes, there is a feeling that the whole body is losing balance. This sensation is always inherent in us to some extent, but we are not aware of it, since habit dominates the kinesthetic sensation (the sensation that determines our position in space).

The desired changes begin with the awareness of how we stand.

How to improve your posture

Although Alexander does not insist on a strictly defined standing position, since this would create a new set of habits, he does provide a number of useful recommendations:

1. The feet should be placed at an angle of approximately 45° to one another, and the distance between them should be about a quarter of a meter. This will give you more stability.

2. If you have to stand for a long time, it is recommended to put one foot slightly behind the other, and the weight of the body should fall mainly on the leg set back. Then you will not "settle" on one thigh, provoking an imbalance of the whole body. This is especially useful for those who usually lean on one foot.

3. The hips should be pushed back as far as possible, but in such a way that the body does not lean forward and balance is not disturbed. This reduces the habitual tendency to push the pelvis forward when standing.

4. There are three points on each foot forming a triangle. The first point is located on the heel, the second on the pad under the thumb, and the third at the base of the little finger (Fig. 4). The engineer knows well that every object, in order to be stable, must have at least, three interconnected points, therefore, standing on only two points, we break the balance, and as a result, the muscles experience much more tension

The next time you change or repair your shoes, take a look at exactly where they were worn - this will help determine if you are evenly leaning on the entire foot.

An exercise

1. Stand in a comfortable position with your eyes closed in front of a mirror.

2. Open your eyes and see if your posture really meets the requirements described above.

3. Close your eyes again and try to stand in front of the mirror in such a way that the body is perfectly balanced.

4. Open your eyes again and check if your feeling corresponds to reality.

5. Repeat all these steps, turning sideways to the mirror.

How do you sit

In order to understand whether you are sitting correctly, answer the following questions:

1. Do I sit at right angles to my body on both sitting bones, or do I prefer to lean more on one of them?

2. Do I put one foot on top of the other, and if so, which foot do I usually put on top?

3. Am I "settling" or do I tend to sit upright in a stiff posture?

4. Are my feet touching the floor, or are my legs extended forward or under the chair? (If so, the lower back is overstretched.)

5. Do I always lean against the back of a chair? (In this case, the back muscles do not work at full strength and gradually lose their elasticity.)

It is important to understand that none of the described postures can be called wrong. For a while, our body can adapt to almost any position; but if it becomes habitual, considerable tension accumulates in the muscles. For this reason, there are no prohibitions, you just need to remember that you should not constantly sit in the same position. On fig. 5, a and b show postures characteristic of many people; and in fig. 5, in showed correct posture— not "settled" and not hard.

It is common for children to sit leaning on a desk. The teacher, knowing that this is harmful, usually tells the child to straighten up. Then, whether from fear or from a desire to please, the child freezes, stretching upwards, lifting the chest and straining all the muscles of the back, which ultimately leads to a curvature of the lumbar spine. The teacher, seeing the student only from the front, does not notice this bend in the lower part of the waist.

Based on the above, we conclude that many children overstrain their muscles in order to maintain a straight posture, which gradually leads to chronic pain in the lower part of the spine. This is the most widespread type of pain.

An exercise

Here again you will need a mirror.

1. Place a chair in front of a mirror and, without looking into the mirror, sit down as you normally do.

2. Look in the mirror to see if your idea is true; how you sit.

3. Again, without looking in the mirror, try to sit as straight as possible.

4. Look in the mirror and check:

a) Do you tilt your head to the side?

b) whether one shoulder is higher than the other;

c) are you leaning to the side;

d) whether the legs and feet are symmetrical.

Repeat this daily for a week or two, writing down all your observations, and you will soon see how the position of the body changes. It is useful to remember that it is not natural for a person to sit for a long time, and that only very few chairs fit the shape of the human body. For this reason, if you have to sit for hours, be sure to get up and walk around more often. Information from the site Bigreferat.ru / site Sometimes it is useful to walk instead of driving.

It is important to note that the tension in the back when sitting is much greater than when you are standing. Many seats, for example, in automobiles, tilt back, inducing the seated person to lean forward, and in order to counteract this desire, one has to force oneself to stand straight. You can, however, buy chairs with adjustable seats and adjust them so that they lean forward. This will prevent "sagging" or resting on the hips. The same effect can be achieved by placing a piece of wood about five centimeters thick or two books under the seat of a kitchen stool. Try to do it.

Movement mechanisms

Have you ever paused for a moment to reflect on how you "really" move? Have you really chosen the easiest and most efficient way to do things? Most people don't bother to think about these things; it's so out of character. us that at the first moment you can not even understand what is at stake.

In fact, we are made up of 206 bones, each of which is an extension of the other. All of them are "suspended" on the muscles that hold the structure together and, maintaining a certain tension, support us in an upright position. At the top is the head, the weight of which is approximately 7 kilograms.

An exercise

Collect items with a total weight of 7 kilograms, for example, seven pouches of sugar. Put them in some kind of container (box or bag) - and you will get the opportunity to use them in a new way to feel the weight of the head. It will be very amusing to realize that at every moment of your life you have to carry and balance such a load.

But that's not all. The head is almost unbalanced, so when the neck muscles relax, it always leans forward. A person who falls asleep sitting in an armchair has his head bowed to his chest. So, we have to not only balance a 7-kilogram head, but also reckon with the fact that its center of balance does not coincide with its center of gravity (Fig. 7).

An exercise

Take a dinner plate - one that is not a pity to break, and try to keep it on the weight with one finger.

Now repeat the experiment by placing your finger two inches from the center of the plate. This is the position of the head in relation to the neck.

At first, this may seem like nonsense: if we are forced to carry such an incredible weight on the spine, nature would have to place it in a balanced way. Mysterious puzzle! The answer is simple and at the same time witty

An exercise

Take a minute to try and find the answer to why the head is out of balance.

Head imbalance

The reason for the head's fulcrum to be behind its center of gravity is as follows: in order to turn the head, it is necessary to relax the suboccipital muscles. Then the head will move slightly forward and under the action own weight sets the whole body in motion. In other words, in order to turn the head, a person must simply relax certain muscles, the rest will be done by the ᴄᴫᴏ reflex system. In all other cases, the movement requires certain efforts, especially at the first moment. For example, in order to move a stationary car, you need to make significant efforts, in order to then maintain movement at a certain speed, relatively less effort is required.

Far-reaching conclusions follow from this. If we can maintain a more coordinated position, less energy is required to make movements, and by the end of the day we will save more strength. This will lead to the fact that our life will become more harmonious, despite the fact that most of the conflicts and stressful situations are associated with fatigue and lack of vitality.

So, Alexander's technique boils down to treating your body as nature intended, namely: to reduce muscle stress during movement and not overstrain the muscles. The belief that any movement requires effort is maintained in us throughout our lives by parents and teachers who say that “you won’t achieve anything in life if you don’t try hard.” Following this advice, we unconsciously increase our existence both physically and spiritually. By giving up unnecessary effort, you can discover how easy a lot of things in life can be. When this thought enters your brain, we will be able to relax no matter what we do.

The instability of the human body

However, over the years, out of fear of falling, we try to gain stability by tensing our muscles. This cannot but affect the entire physiological system, as the reflexes become relatively inactive.

As a result, we expend excessive muscular energy to perform actions that could be purely reflex.

In short, if we treat ourselves in a wrong way; as intended by nature, then we will begin to use our muscular apparatus in such a way that this will inevitably lead to unnecessary stiffness of individual parts of the body and to unnecessary relaxation of others. Unnecessary stiffness usually occurs in those parts of the muscular apparatus that perform functions that are unusual for them, and are poorly adapted to them.

Walking

If we remember to observe the principles described above, we can see that in the process of walking we are working together with the force of gravity rather than overcoming it. Walking is a process during which certain muscles work that connect the head to the body and allow it to lean slightly forward; Since the body is in an unstable state, it is ready to fall. At the slightest sign of this, the reflex mechanism will automatically send the foot forward to prevent the body from falling.

By examining the process of walking, one can come to an important conclusion, namely:

Every movement must begin with the head. It is important to understand this in order to use the Alexander technique.
Elephant or snake - any animal starts moving from the head; that is why the most important sense organs (eyes, ears, nose and tongue) are located on the head. This may seem obvious at first, but few people remember it while driving.

An exercise

1. Stand in front of a mirror.

2. Take a step forward.

3. Ask yourself: “What did I need to do to take a step forward?”

4. Notice if you moved to the right or to the left as you stepped forward (if so, your hip was overstretched).

5. Ask yourself: "Which part of my body initiated this movement?"

6. Repeat the exercise several times until you are sure that a stereotype is being developed.

As you have obviously noticed, when you take a step, you lift your leg, and the thigh muscles overcome the force of gravity. Of course, unnecessary energy is spent on this, and if you think about how many steps you take per day, you understand how much energy is wasted. And this is not just an expenditure of energy, but also an increase in tension in the entire body to maintain balance at the moment when the foot leaves the ground. This kind of tension is harmless if it occurs once, but since it occurs hundreds of times a day, it inevitably leads to stiffness, and ᴨᴏᴛom and pain.

An exercise

1. Start falling forward and keep yourself from falling by taking a step.

2. Pay attention to which foot you took the ϶ᴛόᴛ saving step.

3. Do you still tend to lift your leg rather than let it obey the reflex?

4. When you start walking, notice if you are stepping on the outside or on the inside of your foot. (It is necessary that both parts of the foot have an even load, in extreme cases - a slight tilt to the outside. Excessive load on the inside of the foot will inevitably cause deformation of the arch of the foot.)

5. Check if your feet are facing in or out. (It is possible, and highly likely, that this will be different in both legs.)

6. Check if your feet are pressed into the ground hard. There is no need to emphasize how important it is not to try to change anything: this would only increase the tension in the muscles and make the situation worse. Change will occur when the habit becomes conscious. And right away, these changes may not be noticed, so be patient.

slopes

Bending down to pick up something from the floor, many bend only at the hip joint (Fig. 10, a). This causes excessive tension in the muscles of the back, especially in the lower region. Without realizing it, these people add half their own weight to the weight of the object being lifted. For example, if a 76-kilogram person lifts a 12.7-kilogram object without bending his knees, he is essentially lifting an extra 44.35 kilograms of his own weight with the muscles of the lower back, and this, undoubtedly, causes unnecessary stress. It is worth noting that traditionally this entails back pain, and in extreme cases - displacement of the intervertebral disc. If you've watched loaders at work, you've probably noticed that they always squat down, leaning over the load (similar to small children), using mainly the muscles of the thighs and buttocks, and not the muscles of the back.

On fig. 14, b shows the correct posture, which ensures the preservation of balance when tilted. Alexander calls it "the posture of mechanical auspiciousness."

Optimal slope

“As a result of mastering the posture of mechanical auspiciousness, a remarkable system of natural internal massage, which has never been achieved by the methods of orthodox medicine - a system extremely beneficial for removing toxins from the body and thus preventing self-intoxication.

An exercise

1. Place a book on the floor in front of you.

2. Without thinking about what you are doing, pick it up from the floor in the usual, most convenient way for you.

3. Repeat this several times.

4. Try to notice how you lean. Information from the site Bigreferat.ru / site Do you bend only at the hip joint, or are the ankles and knees also involved in the action?

5. Try to squat down. If it's difficult, see how low you can go. Do not squat by force. You can first hold on to a nearby chair or table.

As soon as you become aware of your actions in different situations, for example, how you take milk out of the refrigerator or take out your morning mail, you will definitely notice a change in the way you move. Daily activities will become easier, and this will certainly affect the overall perception of life.

At first new way moving may seem strange to you, even abnormal, because it does not fit into the usual row. But at the same time, the ϶ᴛόᴛ way will soon become natural, and the old habits will seem clumsy and absurd.

How do we sit down

If you follow how you sit down, you will notice that you will certainly lean back at the moment. It creates fear and makes you tense. In addition, the legs do not receive the necessary load to keep them in shape. The correct way to sit down is shown in fig. 11. You bend slightly and gently touch the chair with your buttocks. At the same time, every second you should be ready to change your mind and rise to your feet. If for some reason this is difficult for you, try to sit as if there is no chair under you - then you will definitely take the correct posture.

An exercise

In addition to the usual types exercise, such as walking, running, swimming, one of the most beneficial movements for the body is squatting

In childhood, all movements associated with bending are performed from this position, but as we get older, we try to bend our knees as little as possible. If you're not used to squatting, start doing it with caution. In order to keep your balance, you can grab onto a strong support; go down slowly, not too low at first.

You can also use this movement when picking up something from the floor. Take your time - this will help to avoid unnecessary tension in the body. Keep your ankles, knees, and hips working at the same time, and keep your back straight, although this does not mean that it should always be vertical.

Deceptions of sensory perception

The main difficulty faced by beginners in the Alexander technique, and which Alexander himself met, is that one cannot rely on one's own sensory (sensory) perception. This means that our spatial imagination (the sense that tells us how the parts of our body are located in relation to each other and in space) is distorted and presents false information.

- First of all, it is necessary that the student understands that he has some kind of defect or defects that require correction. Second, the teacher must accurately diagnose these defects and decide how to deal with them. The student will know that he suffers from the fact that his mind misperceives the actions he performs and that his sensory perception, or kinesthetic sense, is deceptive and misleading. In other words, he will understand that the registering mechanism by which he determines what muscular effort is necessary for him to perform even the simplest daily actions is false and harmful, that his mental (mental) representation of such states as tension and relaxation is not applicable to practice.

For there is no doubt that a person on a subconscious level trusts too much distorted perception or the feeling that guides his organism at the psychophysical level, and that as a result he is emotionally unbalanced, with all the detrimental consequences that follow from this.

F. M. Alexander

An exercise

1. Without looking at the soles of your feet, place them nine inches apart so that your toes point straight ahead, that is, parallel.

2. Now look at your feet to check if their real position matches the intended one.

3. Now really place your feet at a given distance, parallel to one another.

4. How do you feel? Try this exercise for a possible more of people; you will notice that the position of the feet will be very different for everyone. Now do another exercise:

1. Ask your friend to sit on a chair.

2. Put your hand on his lower back.

3. Ask him to sit up straight.

4. Watch how he bends his back, shortening the spine, and instead of straightening, hunches over.

Kinetic feeling

This term sometimes used in connection with the Alexander technique.
The kinesthetic sense sends signals to the brain about every movement of the joints or muscles. Through the nerves, these impulses are transmitted to the brain, informing about the position of the limbs in space and the location of individual muscles and muscle groups, as well as joints relative to each other.

An exercise

In order to practically understand what kinesthetic feeling means, do the following:

1. Close your eyes.

2. Slowly extend your left hand to the side.

3. Without opening your eyes, check if you can feel where in space your hand is.

4. If you succeeded, then your kinesthetic sense was involved.

Alexander discovered that if the kinesthetic sense gives wrong information, it can have the most serious fires. During classes, you come across a typical example of deceptive sensory perception: the student is not able to answer correctly, right? whether it's worth it. It seems to many that they are standing straight, although in fact they lean back almost twenty degrees. This is especially noticeable in group classes: everyone can see that a person is leaning back, and he is convinced that he is standing straight.

Deceptive sensory perception. It seems to a person that he is standing straight, although in fact his back is bent like a bow.

A person thinks he is standing straight, but in fact he is leaning back.

Right and wrong

In order to achieve the necessary changes, to develop a new, better way of transportation, it is necessary to do exactly what we consider wrong. Alexander once remarked: “The last thing to do is to do what we think is right, because no one really knows what it is. Everyone wants to be right, but no one thinks about whether their idea of ​​what they think is right is correct. When people are wrong, they think that what is actually right is wrong.”

So the problem is actually not simple

It is human nature to want to move, sit, or stand in whatever way is most comfortable. We will not even think of moving in a way that seems strange to us - yet this is precisely what is required. Alexander came across this discovery only thanks to the mirror. He was dismayed to find that he was doing the exact opposite of what he wanted to do, believing that he was stretching his head forward and up, he was actually throwing it back and lowering, and even more actively than before.

Alexander advised his disciples to "try to feel and act wrong" - in this situation there is hope that they will act correctly. That is why it is important to take a course of classes first, otherwise each problem (or a potential problem) can only be aggravated and further increase muscle tension. Being well trained and remaining an outside observer, the teacher will easily notice the unnecessary tension that arises when trying to do something right. It can also teach you to feel lightness and ease of movement, which will help you in the future.

From an early age, we are taught to do the right thing. We are rewarded when we are right and punished when we are wrong, and like Pavlov's dogs, we develop reflexes about what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad. As we grow up, we build on what our parents and teachers instilled in us, and often do not dare to think for ourselves. Let's turn to history. There was a time when Europeans "knew" that the earth was flat. They were so convinced of this that anyone who thought otherwise was a threat to their belief system and was ridiculed or declared insane. And only when Christopher Columbus made a trip around the world, people admitted that they were mistaken. Information from the site Bigreferat.ru / site We just persist in many false beliefs about ourselves and are ready to challenge anyone who says that we are mistaken.

It is very important to have an inquisitive mind and developed sense humor when trying to navigate through the tangle of illusions and realities. Often the student is stumped when he discovers that what he thought was true is based on a false premise. But at the same time, bewilderment is replaced by confidence when the understanding of the top comes, what is reality and what is not. Here is what Richard Bach says in his "Illusions": "When the problem is solved, you become aware of something that was previously inaccessible";

In order to get an idea of ​​​​deceptive sensations, do the following exercises:

Exercise 1

1. Close your eyes.

2. Raise the index finger of your right hand so that it is at eye level and level with your right ear.

3. Raise the index finger of your left hand so that it is at eye level and level with your left ear.

4. Without opening your eyes, line up both fingers and point them up into the air."

5. Open the stasis and compare what is with what you thought. Information from the site Bigreferat.ru / site

Exercise 2

1. Ask a friend to stand in front of you with their eyes closed.

2. Ask ᴇᴦᴏ to raise his hands to shoulder level.

3. Check: a) if one hand is higher than the other; b) whether both hands are level with the shoulders. Exercise 3

1. Close your eyes.

2. Clap your hands, making sure that they connect at the same level and symmetrically (i.e. so that the fingertips of both hands are at the same level).

3. Open your eyes and check if this condition is met.

The impact of deceptive sensory perception on the structure of the human body is especially pronounced in old age, when in many people the deterioration of posture and incoordination become noticeable.

The only way for followers of Alexander's method to cope with deceptive sensations is to understand and accept that during the course of training they must master movements that may at first seem unnatural to them. Then, within a short period of time, the new way of life will become natural for them, and the old habits will seem ridiculous.

It is important to emphasize that the expression "deceptive sensations" refers specifically to sensual, and not to emotional sensations.

At the same time, a deceptive self-perception, certainly affecting our physical condition, cannot but affect the emotional background. Emotions begin to control the mind to such an extent that the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat is happening in reality is disturbed, and the ability to distinguish good from evil is lost. Thus a vicious circle occurs.

An exercise

Stand sideways to a mirror. Stay straight. Try to straighten up even more. Now, with the help of a mirror, check whether this is so: how much your idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthat you are standing upright corresponds to reality. If these impressions do not match, stand up straight, looking in the mirror for a second, and ask yourself how much you can trust your feelings. Take your time during the exercise to notice as many details as possible.

Prohibitions

The term "prohibition" has been used to characterize the spontaneous suppression of urges or emotions ever since Sigmund Freud used the term in this Meaning in his writings on psychoanalysis.

The modern dictionary gives this definition of this concept: "Suppression of the direct manifestation of instinct."

Alexander discovered that in order to learn how to skillfully control your body, you must first of all impose a ban (or delay) on your habitual, instinctive reactions to specific stimuli. By pausing for a moment before performing an action, we have time to use our mental abilities to decide which way will be most effective and appropriate for performing this action. This is a vital step towards gaining freedom of choice at every level.

Before the brain can be used as an instrument of action, it must be used as an instrument of inaction. The ability to delay (postpone) our reactions until we are adequately prepared is what is meant by the term prohibition.

This pause before the action has nothing to do with the concept of "freeze" or "suppress", as well as with the slow execution of the action.

If we want to change our habitual responses to specific stimuli, we must consciously decide to stop acting on our former automatic unconscious patterns: that means we must say no to our ingrained habits.

By putting a ban on the primary instinctive impulse, we are able to make a completely different decision. Prohibition is an essential and integral part of Alexander's technique.
He himself gives the following definition of prohibition: “So, prohibition is a special reaction to a specific stimulus. Few would agree with this definition. It is easier to think that it is about how best to sit in a chair or get up from it. But this is not true. The main decision of the student should be what he generally agrees to do and what not.

There are many old sayings and proverbs about the importance of thinking before acting:

Not knowing the ford, do not poke your head into the water.

Seven times measure cut once.

The morning is wiser than the evening.

Hurry up and make people laugh.

Fast doesn't mean good.

Think first, then say it.

Haste is the enemy of success.

If you can keep from habitual actions, then you are halfway to success. To refrain from some act is an act in itself, the same as an action, because in both cases the nervous system is involved. In addition, it is possible and desirable to put a ban on all bad habits and tendencies, not only before the performance of a particular action, but also at any other time.

Exercises

1. Every time the phone rings or the doorbell rings, wait a second or two before answering or opening. (This may be harder. Than it looks.)

2. If you find yourself involved in a heated discussion or argument, try to count from ten to one before each answer. (In addition to being a useful practice of prohibition, you will be able to rethink what you wanted to communicate.)

3. During the simplest action - brushing your teeth, for example, or washing your face - stop for a moment and check if there is any unnecessary tension in the body. If you do this every day for a week, you will find that the area of ​​increased tension is always the same. Try to relieve this tension as much as possible and continue your activity, trying to understand if you feel changes;

4. Do the following:

a) Place a chair in front of a mirror.

b) Get up from your chair and sit down again as you normally would and see if there are any particular tendencies (i.e. something that repeats itself every time). Don't be upset if you don't succeed.

c) Do the same again, only for ϶ᴛόᴛ times, wait a second or two before each repetition, until you consciously abandon the usual manner of sitting down and getting up from a chair. You will soon see that there are many ways to perform these simple steps.

d) Consider whether there is a difference between the old and the new ways of sitting down and getting up. (You may notice this difference in a mirror, or feel the difference on a sensory level.) You may need to do these exercises several times to get results.

One of the most notable tendencies Alexander identified in himself was that he constantly tensed his neck muscles. At first he thought it was his idiosyncrasy, however, further observations showed that neck muscle tension is inherent in almost everyone.

This habit invariably leads to tilting the head back, which in turn causes compression of the intervertebral discs and a reduction in the length of the spine. Constant tension in the back is one of the main reasons for the "drying" of people in old age. Leaning the head back is also detrimental to what Alexander called "primary control." This term refers to a system of reflexes that are triggered in the neck and are able to control all other reflexes that keep the body in a coordinated and balanced state. It is called "primary", because the action of this reflex is associated with all other reflexes that arise in the process of the life of the body.

If we habitually throw our heads back, interfering with the work of "primary control", the consequences can be very serious.

First of all, coordination and balance suffer, and in order not to fall, we will try to keep the body in a more rigid, fixed position.

Data

In the mid-1920s, Rudolf Magnus, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Utrecht, became interested in the problem of how physiological mechanisms affect the intellectual and emotional state. Together with colleagues, he conducted a series of experiments to determine the nature of reflexes and their effects on the body and wrote over three hundred articles on this issue. From Magnus' point of view, it is the neck-head reflexes that play the main role in the orientation of the animal. They regulate the position of the body, both during the performance of an action and during rest.

Magnus' experiments confirmed what Alexander had discovered a quarter of a century earlier: the head controls movement. Now it seems obvious to us, since all the senses are located in it. In humans (unlike animals that move naturally and easily), the head is constantly thrown back when moving, which is the source of many problems.

An exercise

In order to make sure that the head leans back when moving under the influence of tension in the muscles of the neck, do the following:

1. Sit on a chair.

2. Place your left hand on the left side of your neck and your right hand on the right side of your neck so that both middle fingers touch at the back of your head.

3. Get up:

4. Sit down again.

5. Keeping your hands in the indicated position, you can notice the slightest movement of the head. Feel how your neck is pressed against your hands. This indicates that the neck muscles are tense and the head is tilted back.

6. Do the exercise several times; on the second and third repetitions, you will notice an increase in tension.

Other important discovery Magnus had what he called a "restorative reflex". He noticed that after the action, reflexes begin to work, returning the animal (or person) to its former relaxed state. During the functioning of this restorative mechanism, the relationship of the head, neck and back becomes especially important. For this reason, it can be argued that when a person tenses his neck muscles and throws his head back, he disrupts the natural coordination of movements and prevents the body from returning to a state of rest and balance.

Exercises

Stand in such a way that your arms hang freely along the body. Focus and try to feel your hands. Don't you think that one of them is longer, heavier or more intense than the other?

Raise one arm to shoulder level and hold this position for a few seconds. Lower your hand. Repeat the same with the other hand, but at the same time try to follow your action.

Note if there is any difference in the sensations of both hands after this exercise. Often in the second hand there is a lightness that is not in the first.

Body control

For a long time, Alexander explored the possibility of conscious control of his body. He admitted that he had never thought about how he controls his movements before. He just acted out of habit in what he thought was "natural" and "right"

As a result of reflection, he came to the following definition of management:

This is the process of coordinating the work of the body and its individual parts with the help of signals sent by the brain.

You can control individual parts of the body or the entire body at a particular moment, or you can control future actions by consciously deciding how and what you will do. But in any case, there may be problems associated with overexertion of the neck muscles and a violation of the “primary control”. For this reason, when mastering the Alexander technique, one of the main tasks is to learn how to relax the neck area so that “primary control” is restored.

This requires the following:

1. the neck should be free, 2. so that the head can move forward and upward, 3. so that the back lengthens and expands. Information from the site Bigreferat.ru / site

These instructions may vary slightly during class. For example:

"The neck must be free"

translates to release your neck, or imagine that your neck is relaxed, or try not to tense your neck, or relax your neck (Alexander himself originally used this exact wording, but changed it when he found that his students relaxed the neck muscles too much).

“In order for the head to be able to move forward and upward

sounds like: imagine the head stretched forward and lifted, or push the head forward and lift it, or let the head move forward and lift, or be careful not to tilt the head back and down.

“In order for the back to lengthen and expand”

might sound like: imagine your back lengthening and widening, or let your back lengthen and widen, or be careful not to slouch, or let your torso lengthen and widen.

Let your neck loosen

The purpose of this indication is to reduce the excess tension that almost always occurs in the muscles of the neck. This is important so that the head is free in relation to the body, and "primary control" can be freely exercised. This condition must be met in the first place, given that without the functioning of the "primary control" all other instructions will be ineffective.

Let your head move forward and up.

This command helps the natural and free functioning of the body. Considering that the head is balanced in such a way that when the neck muscles relax, it slightly moves forward, which sets the body in motion. If you only make sure that the head stretches forward, it will inevitably fall, causing overvoltage in the neck area. It is important to understand that “moving forward means moving the head on the spine (as if the person is about to nod in the affirmative). And the upward movement is the movement of the head away from the spine, and not from the ground (although in the “standing” position this is almost the same thing) (Fig. 17).

Let your back lengthen and expand:

Since the spine is shortened as a result of additional muscle tension when the head is tilted back, the command in question will contribute to the lengthening of the body. Indeed, people who use the Alexander technique grow two centimeters or more! The command to expand is included to save the dimensions of the back

The three commands discussed above are very simple and straightforward in themselves, but at first they can be confusing. And it is precisely to ᴨᴏᴛom that they are so simple, and we are used to thinking in more ᴄᴫᴏs categories, and it is hard to believe that the solution to a long-standing problem can turn out to be so simple. If the result of our actions does not come immediately, we usually begin to think that we are doing something wrong. Be patient, be observant, and you will find that your ingrained habits change.

Auxiliary commands

When teaching the Alexander method, auxiliary commands are also used. If the main instructions are universal, then the secondary ones are applicable only in certain situations and with certain ailments. For example, a patient complaining of drooping shoulders can be advised: “Imagine that your shoulders are trying to disperse in different directions,” and a patient with arthritis-affected fingers can be asked: “Imagine that your fingers are lengthening.”

Here are other examples of auxiliary commands used in teaching the Alexander technique.

In a sitting position

Think about how the shoulders diverge in different directions. Think about how your buttocks relax. Think about how your feet are lengthening and expanding. Imagine that something is pushing between your wrist and elbow. Imagine your shoulders slumped. Information from the Bigreferat website .. Imagine that all the heaviness of the legs has passed into the feet. Imagine arms getting longer and wider. Text from the site Big Abstract RU Imagine that the fingers are getting longer. Imagine that the toes are lengthening. Think about not slouching. Imagine that your chest is sinking.

Standing

Most of the commands above are used, plus the following:

Imagine that the distance between the feet and the head increases.

Think about how your weight is evenly distributed on both feet.

Think about keeping your knees back. Think about not pushing your hips forward. Imagine that the distance between the navel and the upper part of the chest increases.

Imagine that the tension in the buttocks is reduced. Think about how the arms hang freely from the shoulders. Think about the connection between the head and the soles of the feet.

When walking

The same commands are used, but in addition the following:

Think about how the knees diverge in different directions. Imagine your knees moving over your toes. Imagine that the left shoulder "breaks away" from the right hip. Imagine that the right shoulder "breaks away" from the left hip. Imagine that the weight of the body has been transferred from the heel to the toes.

Imagine that the torso "breaks away" from the hips and rushes up.

There are also many individual commands used in specific cases, which, however, must always be preceded by basic instructions.

The words “think about…” can often be replaced by the word “let” at the request of the teacher or student. It is interesting to see whether such a substitution would have any effect. It is important to remember that any change must be achieved by thinking about it but doing nothing about it. As has been repeatedly repeated, any action will only increase muscle tension, and the effect will be just the opposite.

The last kind of commands or instructions is intended for / mental control of one's body as a whole.

An exercise

1. Look at some object.

2. Without taking your eyes off it, imagine that your eyes are getting closer and closer to this subject.

3. When the head begins to move in the direction of this object, let the Body follow it. You will see that the body is controlled by the head.

There is no right position, only right direction.

F. M. Alexander

People often equate the Alexander technique with the ability to position themselves. various parts body. But at the same time it is something quite the opposite. The main thing is that the head retains freedom of movement regardless of the position of the body.

The influence of thought on action

It is very difficult for us to believe that thoughts can lead to radical changes in a person. But at the same time, the following exercises will allow you to see what effect thoughts have on your body:

Exercise 1

Try the exercise first on yourself, then on a friend.

1. A hand weighs about four kilograms (about four bags of granulated sugar). Thinking about this, begin to slowly spread your arms to the sides.

2. The spread of the arms will take approximately half a minute. All this time, continuously think about how much your hands weigh.

3. Hold your hands in a horizontal position for another half a minute to feel how heavy they are (each four packets of sugar!)

4. Slowly lower your arms.

In the course of one to two minutes, register (mentally or by writing down) the feeling in your hands.

6. Wait a few minutes until the feeling in your hands disappears. If necessary, ᴨᴏᴛ ruffle your hands.

7. Leaving the arms hanging along the body, imagine that on each side a balloon is sandwiched between the arm and the chest.

8. Imagine how both balloons simultaneously slowly slide out.

As the balls slide out, they lightly lift your arms.

10. When the arms are at shoulder level, imagine that they are carefully propped up by the balls.

11. Now imagine that air is slowly escaping from the balls, and the arms are gradually lowered along the body.

12. Notice what feeling you now have in your hands and whether it is different from before; if it is not the same as before, it proves that thoughts influence the result, because in both cases you acted in exactly the same way.

Exercise 2

Ask a friend to focus ^ try to think only of the forehead. Now push him and let him resist.

2. Do the same, but for ϶ᴛόᴛ times ask a friend to imagine that his feet are deeply buried in the soil.

3. Do you feel the difference in how much effort is required when pushing in both cases?

Exercise 3

This exercise will clearly demonstrate the power that thoughts have over the body.

1. Lie down comfortably. Close your eyes and imagine a situation in which you feel especially uncomfortable: for example, that your car is in a traffic jam, and you are late for work, or that your boss reproaches you for something.

2. Within a minute, you will notice how your muscles tense up from these thoughts alone.

3. Get it out of your head and start thinking about more pleasant things: like lying on a beach in the Bahamas, or walking down a country street on a summer day, 4. After a minute, you will find that your muscles have relaxed from these thoughts. But you didn’t even leave the room - the reason for the tension and relaxation of the muscles was only in the imagination.

Habits and freedom of choice

At every moment of our conscious life, the sense organs transmit information from the outside world to our brain, so we can act quite consciously. But how much are we really aware of everything that is happening around? We tend to think more about what happened in the past or what awaits us in the future. We rarely live in the present, because since childhood we have been taught that we need to think about the future.

If thoughts are occupied with the past or the future. It is important to understand that there is no place for the present in them, and we do not think about our actions. Unable to make an informed choice, we persist in our habitual, automatic behavior. In order to properly use the Alexander technique, you need to live for today and make conscious actions in everyday life. Then the degree of awareness increases, feelings become more acute.

Exercises

1. Go for a walk outside the city or to the nearest park.

2. Take a good look around and try not to let anything escape your view: trees, clouds, grass, etc.

3. Write down your impressions.

4. Now “turn on” your hearing… What did you hear? Perhaps the sound of the wind in the foliage of trees, or the cry of a child, or the singing of birds?

5. Write down your impressions again.

6. Now pay attention to the sense of smell ... what smell did you catch? Flowers, herbs?

7. What about touch? Do you feel a breeze in your hair, on your face, or perhaps your breath, the beating of your heart?

8. After returning home, go to the kitchen, make yourself something to eat and focus on the sensation of taste ... texture of food, its smell, etc.

9. Think about whether your feelings have become more acute than usual.

If this exercise was performed correctly, you should have a sharper sense of the taste, smell, texture of the object, and besides, you should see and hear better than before. We tend to overlook many things in life that we habitually pay too little attention to the present moment. It is detrimental to us—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Have you ever gone to the store and passed it because your mind was completely occupied with something else? Or drive past the right turn and not notice it for a few more minutes? Alexander calls this "habitual absent-mindedness."

We always have the opportunity to think about something really important, but our thoughts are floating somewhere, and attempts to manage them often turn out to be fruitless. At first, it may seem tedious and difficult to give yourself certain directions and commands, but this is a sure path to success.

habits

The dictionary defines "habit" as follows: behavior indicative of an automatic response to a particular situation.

Two types of habits should be distinguished - conscious and unconscious.

Conscious Habits

These are habits that we are aware of, for example:

Sitting in the same chair all the time;

Constantly take food at the same time;

brush your teeth after eating;

Biting nails;

Worry in vain;

Do not screw on the cap of the toothpaste tube.

Some of these habits are completely harmless, others are even beneficial, but in general, habits harm a person's natural, laid-back behavior. Being aware of your habits, you can change them in the desired direction.

Unconscious Habits

These are habitual actions that Alexander constantly talked about. It is important to consider that there are too many of them to name them all; here are just a few:

Neck muscle tension;

Pulling the knees inward;

Excessive flexion of the back;

Rest of the big toes in the ground;

Pushing the hips forward;

Shoulder lift;

Throwing the head back;

Stiff chest.

All of us unconsciously strive to acquire some, if not all, of the above habits. In order to achieve the desired results, it is necessary to realize what was hitherto unconscious. It is impossible to change a habit if it is at the subconscious level. It is vital to understand the consequences of long-term unconscious habits, i.e., how they affect our health and well-being.

At the heart of Alexander's methodology is an understanding of the relationship between physical, mental and emotional processes in any kind of human activity. It follows from this that any physical habit acquired during life inevitably entails a change in the mental and emotional state. For this reason, if you learn to move easily and naturally, both your attitude to life and your emotional mood will change.

It follows from this that the feeling of dissatisfaction of any kind ultimately stems from our inability to control the physical state, as well as thoughts and feelings. The usual way of life of an adult cannot but affect his physical condition and mentality. This, in turn, stimulates destructive habits, causing feelings of hopelessness, anger, lack of self-confidence and, as a result, a feeling of unhappiness. Then this emotional state becomes habitual.

No one enters life with a feeling of anger or hopelessness, with a sense of insecurity or lack of self-respect; all these feelings are acquired throughout life, and by no means immanently inherent in the mental or emotional make-up of a person.

Exercises

Often habits are created when we don't think about what's going on around us.

Try to be aware of your usual way of sitting. Think about whether you always sit in the same position. Ask yourself these questions:

Do you sit with your left foot crossed over your right, or vice versa?

What position are your feet usually in?

What are the arms and hands doing at this time?

Do you cross your arms or clasp your fingers?

Have you ever noticed that you tilt your head to the side? Even just by asking yourself these questions, you will be able to detect the presence of certain habits.

To better understand your own habits, try the following.

Exercise 1

1. Stand in such a way that your weight is evenly distributed on both feet.

2. Now transfer the entire weight of the body to the right leg, leaning on the right thigh and not lifting the toe of the left foot from the floor.

3. Repeat the procedure, leaning on the left thigh.

4. The more comfortable of the two positions is the habitual one.

Exercise 2

Try squeezing a lemon or orange with your non-working hand (usually your left, as most people are right-handed).

Here is a funny story that happened in America and testifies to the power of habit.

The patrol car was standing at the crossroads when another car passed in the opposite direction. The policeman felt a little sleepy and imagined that the car had run a red light, which in fact was not. With his headlights and siren on, he hurried after the car and soon overtook the female driver. As he made his way to the car, he realized, to his dismay, that he had made a mistake. The woman, in complete panic, asked apologetically, “What have I done wrong?” The terribly embarrassed policeman said, "Madame, you were running a green light." But at the same time, true to her eternal habit of making excuses, the woman replied: “Oh no, no. I ran a red!”

Our habits always stem from the stereotypes of our thinking, from many prejudices and baseless assumptions. For this reason, realizing the fallacy of our behavior and trying to change it, we also change the way we think. By understanding and accepting the principles underlying the correct posture, we will always find a way to get rid of many bad habits.

Choice

There is an old, very wise saying: "If things are going badly, don't follow them." But this is easier said than done; at any given moment, we are faced with the need to choose what should and should not be done. Freedom of choice in everyday life leads ultimately to freedom of the spirit - a quality inherent in each of us by nature. This freedom is very important if a person wants to assert his dignity and honor, which give him the right to be called the "crown of creation."

Alexander in his writings brings to us the idea that even after a person has made an initial choice, he must be open to the possibility of "changing his mind."

An exercise

This exercise illustrates Alexander's technique.

1. Slowly raise your arm until it is at shoulder level.

2. Refrain from immediate action on the "raise hand" command.

3. Give yourself the following commands (instructions):

a) The neck is relaxed and free.

b) The head moves forward and upward.

c) The back lengthens and expands.

4. Continue to give yourself these commands until you master them enough to move on to the original task of raising your hand.

5. As you continue to follow the commands, stop and think carefully about your initial decision. Ask yourself if you will continue to raise your hand or not. Maybe you will do something completely different - lift your leg, for example?

6. Now make a new decision, either:

a) not to strive forward and stick to the former “goal”;

in this situation, continue to give yourself the commands outlined in paragraph 3;

b) do something completely different (for example, instead of raising an arm, raising a leg); in this situation, too, continue to give yourself commands until, following the last decision, you will raise your leg;

c) finally move forward and raise your hand; in this situation, keep giving yourself commands to reach the new "goal" and then take the action of raising your hand.

All this may seem too important and unnecessary to perform the simplest action, but in this very procedure lies the secret of free choice. At first, this exercise will take a lot of time, but with practice, you will do it faster and faster.

In all three cases, the point is to stop, make a decision, but constantly keep giving yourself commands.

Remember, if you do what you always do... you will get what you always do.

Muscles and reflexes

Alexander has worked out a method by which we begin to realize how much balance we keep, correct posture how well we move in our daily activities. People understand the meaning of the word “posture” differently. It is often misunderstood as "the manner of holding oneself in a sitting or standing position," but the very word "keep" itself suggests that one must somehow "keep" oneself in the correct position.

The fact is that our body is permeated with a network of involuntarily contracting muscles, capable of maintaining the absolute balance of the body in any position. In young children, these muscles keep the body in a straight position without any effort, but over time they gradually lose their efficiency. Then we seem to “settle” and, in order to maintain a straight position, we must strain a completely different muscle group that is not intended to maintain a straight posture.

muscles

Muscles are the tissue with which, thanks to their ability to contract, any movement begins and continues. Since there are over 650 muscles in the human body, they make up approximately 45% of our body weight.

Involuntarily contracting muscles

These muscles are called so ᴨᴏᴛmu that we cannot consciously control their work; they work reflexively and do not get tired. It is important to consider that they are also called smooth muscles because of their appearance. Their only function is to keep the body upright. They are located mainly in the torso. The cardiac muscle, being involuntarily contracting, is partially striated; some muscles of the larynx and two small muscles of the inner ear are also striated.

Voluntary twitch muscles

Voluntary twitching muscles allow us to perform all the actions, large and small, at our will. This is achieved through their contraction and relaxation: this moves the bones to which they are attached. But at the same time, in the process of work, these muscles get tired after a short time. For example, holding your hand up for a few minutes, you will feel that it hurts.

It is easy to understand why, if instead of involuntarily contracting, we begin to use voluntarily contracting muscles to maintain posture, this causes a number of difficulties. The muscles will soon get tired and either our body will "settle", or the muscles will become so tense that some part of the body will periodically be drawn into another, which will lead to habitual ailments.

Muscle contraction

It is important to note that muscles can only move bones, but cannot push them apart. That is why they usually work in pairs: one is the primary mover (the one that is in a state of contraction) and is known as the synergist muscle, and the other (which slowly relaxes, allowing controlled movement) is called the antagonist muscle. Apparently, all muscles alternately serve either as synergists or as antagonists. Essentially, the muscles are constantly “pulling” in opposite directions, which is what creates muscle tone. The only part of the muscle that does not contract is the ligament between the bone and the contracting tissue, commonly referred to as the tendon.

The movement of voluntary muscles is controlled by the brain, which coordinates all movements, using information given out by the muscles themselves, and also by the eyes and the balance organ located in the ear. Muscles that perform ᴄᴫᴏ movements, for example, the muscles of the hand, have one nerve in each fiber group, and power muscles (for example, the gluteus maximus) have one nerve for a large number muscle fibers

How muscles contract

Muscles are formed from bundles of muscle fibers (myofibrils) reaching up to twenty centimeters in length. Muscle fibers tend to shorten in response to nervous excitement. At the same time, the number of protein molecules in the muscles is reduced.

If the muscles are constantly in a tense state, the length of the fibers decreases, and this leads to a shortening of the entire muscle

As a result, the size of individual parts of the body can change, and in addition, the height of a person.

If a person thinks about lengthening and expanding muscles, he thereby stimulates an increase in the length of muscle fibers. After some time, lost protein molecules can also recover. This in turn leads to lengthening of the specific muscle or muscles. As noted above, during the course of classes according to the Alexander method, many people increase their height by three centimeters or more (϶ᴛόᴛ the process takes place over weeks and months).

It is important to note that any excessive muscle tension very gradually shifts the position of the bones, which causes unnecessary tension in other muscles. So, one tense muscle will affect the entire body.

A prolonged increase in muscle tension will also affect the nervous, digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems and inevitably disrupt their natural functioning.

circulatory system

The circulatory system consists of arteries, veins and capillaries, through which about 36 thousand liters of blood are pumped daily. Total length blood vessels is truly amazing - it is 20 thousand kilometers, that is, half the length of the equator!

Arteries and veins, like nerves, are woven into the muscles, out of them, braid them. These are not "hard tubes", they are able to contract and stretch, passing more or less amount of blood under the required pressure. If the muscles through which the blood vessels pass are too tense, this will greatly impede the flow of blood, and either the heart will have to work harder to compensate, or certain parts of the body will be deprived of the necessary blood supply. It is the tension of the arteries and veins that in most cases is the cause of such conditions as varicose veins and even thrombosis.

Respiratory system

Most people have a habit of shallow breathing, inhaling only a quarter of the amount of air that is considered "normal". The average amount of air inhaled daily by an adult is approximately 13,650 liters, so it is especially important that the respiratory system works efficiently and smoothly. People suffer from shallow breathing for the following reasons:

Sitting in a hunched posture that limits lung capacity;

Sitting in a tense position, in which the chest maintains a fixed position;

Overstrain of the intercostal muscles (muscles connecting one rib to another);

Shortening of the muscles of the back, limiting the movement of the ribs.

An exercise

1. Sitting on a chair, follow your breath: where does it start? Is it superficial or deep?

2. "Sit down" on a chair - the more the better!

3. Take a deep breath and notice how much air you can take in.

4. Now sit as tight and straight as possible.

5. Inhale very deeply again and notice how much air you could inhale.

6. Finally sit down not too "settled" and not very upright and inhale.

7. Compare all three results - they will speak for themselves.

From these exercises it can be seen that excess muscle tension, as well as insufficient, is directly reflected in breathing.

Digestive system

The normal functioning of the digestive system is directly related to the muscles. The ability to chew food depends on the work of the jaw muscles; from peristalsis - the passage of food through the digestive tract. Considering that, as already noted, the tension of one muscle invariably affects the entire muscular system, then the normal functioning of the processes of digestion, assimilation and absorption depends on how free the entire muscular apparatus is.

Skeletal system

Bone is a solid substance and can last for centuries. One can imagine how great the muscle tension must be in order to begin the process of wear and tear of the bones, as is the case with arthritis.

Since the bones are held together by muscles, when we exert excessive muscle tension, we are essentially pushing one part of the skeleton into another. Naturally, this adversely affects the coordination of movements and posture, and as a result, overall well-being, both physical and mental.

Nervous system

The nervous system consists of a network of nerve fibers that run from the brain and spinal column (together they make up the central nervous system) to the body. The function of the nervous system is to transmit information both from each and to each part of the body.

Many nerve fibers run between muscle and bone, and also between two muscles. If the muscle is constantly in a state of contraction caused by stress, the nerves are pinched by the hardened muscle and cause severe pain - for example, causing sciatica. Pain, of course, makes a person even more tense - a vicious circle occurs. Everyone who has experienced at least once what a pinched nerve is will say how painful it is.

An exercise

To show how hard a tense muscle can be:

1. Feel your biceps (muscles of the forearm) when the arm hangs freely along the body.

2. Lift a heavy object (for example, a chair) with one hand and feel the biceps in this position.

3. Note the difference.

reflexes

Reflex action is one of the simplest forms of the nervous system. There are three types of reflexes.

Surface reflexes

This refers to reflex movements caused by a slight pat or prickling of the skin. kneecap. This reflex helps with walking. The muscles of the lower leg lengthen, stretching over the patella; this causes the reflex to work, and the leg "throws forward" with the next step.

Body posture reflexes

It has been experimentally proven that many of the muscles that control the position of the body are actuated by nerve endings located in the feet. These nerve endings are sensitive to pressure, so the more weight we put on our feet, the better the muscles that control body position work. But at the same time, as ᴘẚʜᴇe said, many people hold their feet incorrectly when they stand; while the weight of the body is distributed unevenly and falls mainly either on the heels or on the fingers.

In such cases, the nerve endings cannot be activated, and the muscles that should automatically keep us upright do not work.

As a result, instead of them, we begin to use voluntarily contracting muscles, and due to the fact that they quickly get tired, we “settle”.

Retraining using the Alexander technique can help restore body balance, thereby stimulating the right muscles to perform specific tasks.

Finger reflexes

Between the bones of the metatarsus of the foot, ending in five fingers, there are four groups of muscles. Attached to each of these muscles are nerve endings that control the leg muscles. Reflex mechanisms operate mainly when a person is standing. If at the same time he does not rest evenly on both legs, the reflexes will not be able to work effectively, and again he will have to use voluntarily contracting muscles and spend much more effort.

An exercise

You can easily test these reflexes yourself:

1. Ask a friend to sit on a chair.

2. Make sure he sits straight. Put your hand on his knee and rotate his leg from side to side. She must move freely.

3. Now ask him to lean forward so that most of the weight is on his legs, and less on his sitting bones.

4. Put your hand on his knee again and try to turn his leg from side to side. On ϶ᴛόᴛ times, the leg will not turn so easily.

With more weight on the toes now, the nerve endings between the toes are activated, causing the leg muscles to tense up and get ready to stand up.

Reflex mechanisms that work under tension

This refers to the reflex contraction of the muscle in response to its stretching. The role of such contraction is to prevent any part of the body from changing its position relative to other parts of it in case of sudden pressure from above on the intervertebral discs or in case of other unexpected influences.

In other words, if the arm is extended in an attempt to increase its length, the result is that the arm becomes shorter. This raises the question: can traction in some cases cause the opposite effect. Professor Frank Pierce Jones writes: “When the body overcomes the force of gravity, the muscles are helped by stretching the part of the body that is being lifted (the movement that overcomes gravity is assisted by gravity itself). So, getting up from a chair, a person pushes forward his head, neck and shoulders as a whole, and their length does not decrease.

At the same time, the muscles of the lower back, buttocks and ankles are stretched. When the stretch reaches a certain level, the stretched muscles reflexively contract, straightening the hip joint and stretching the muscles around the knee.

As a result, the body rises easily and smoothly, almost without effort.

The following exercise is usually performed by students in class.

An exercise

1. Sit on a kitchen stool.

2. Stand up from it in your usual way.

3. Sit down again.

4. Now stand up, ϶ᴛόᴛ times with a single movement, lifting the torso. Try for a moment to feel that you are falling forward slightly.

5. Sit down and imagine that you are leaning forward and vaguely feel that you are falling.

Do this a few times and you will begin to understand how the reflex mechanisms work when stretched.

An exercise

Most people try to improve their posture with striated muscle rather than smooth muscle.

Since the voluntary muscles tire quickly, you can see if you are using them to improve your posture.

1. Stand or sit in front of a mirror.

2. See if there is anything about your posture that you would like to change.

3. If you can, take the desired posture.

4. Hold this pose for a few minutes to see if the muscles get tired. If you get tired, then you have tightened your muscles instead of relaxing them.

Give your back a rest

The ideal condition of the spine is of particular importance for the normal functioning of the body and the maintenance of health. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people suffer, often without realizing it, from spinal curvature.

F. M. Alexander

Spine

The spine, also called the vertebral column, is an important part of the skeletal system. It serves as both a support for the upper body and protection. spinal cord and outgoing nerves. The spinal column consists of bones standing one on top of the other; they are called vertebrae. The presence of a spinal cord supported by the vertebral column is typical of a more developed class of animals called vertebrates, and of all vertebrates, only man distinguishes vertical position body. This, in addition to significant advantages, creates a number of problems, since it is more difficult for a person relying on two (and not four, like animals) legs to withstand gravity and maintain balance.

The length of the spine of an adult is about 70 centimeters. The spinal column consists of thirty-three vertebrae: seven cervical vertebrae, twelve thoracic, five lumbar, five vertebrae combined into one unit form the sacrum and four - the coccyx.

An important feature of the spine, especially pronounced in humans, is the presence of four bends. These bends increase the strength of the skeletal system under loads, absorbing various shocks and shocks. If these curves are not sufficiently pronounced or, more often, too pronounced, the spine loses some of this ability and can no longer effectively support and protect the internal organs.

Intervertebral discs

Between each two vertebrae lies a thick layer of fibrocartilage called the intervertebral disc.

Each disc consists of an outer part called the annulus fibrosus and an inner part called the pulp nucleus. annulus fibrosus

This part of the disc is made up of concentric fibers that hold the nucleus in place when the disc is subjected to external pressure.

pulp nucleus

The central part of the disk consists of a gelatinous substance, consisting of 88% water; it houses the core, which can withstand the main weight of the body (Fig. 24).

Backache

There are many diseases accompanied by back pain:

sciatica, lumbago, intervertebral disc displacement are just some of them. Most of back pain occurs due to mechanical or structural disorders caused by improper body control. Habitual walking with an overstrained back causes pinching of the intervertebral disc between two adjacent vertebrae (Fig. 25). Nerves can also become pinched by the vertebrae, as in sciatica, or the nucleus of the intervertebral disc can, under pressure, embed itself in the fibril ring, breaking the outer sheath, which is especially painful, as anyone who has experienced it for themselves will attest.

There is a position in which all tension is removed from the back, and pain in the lumbar region disappears. This position is also indispensable for preventing pain in the future. It's about lying face up.

Lying face up

In the Alexander technique, this exercise is considered one of the most important. Lie on your back with a pile of books under your head, bending your knees and placing your feet firmly on the floor, calmly keep your hands on your stomach on either side of the navel (Fig. 26). The number of books placed under the head for different people is different. Sometimes it changes from day to day for the same person. In order to determine optimal amount books, ask the methodology teacher about it. The following advice can be cited as an example:

1. Stand with your back against a flat surface, such as a door.

2. Stand as you normally would (don't try to straighten up) touching the door with your buttocks and shoulder blades.

3. Have a friend measure the distance between the door and the back of your head.

4. Add one inch to this distance and you get a distance equal to the thickness of the stack of books you need.

Remember: let there be more than fewer books under your head, just make sure that breathing is not difficult.

The reason for placing books under the head is to prevent the head from falling back out of habit.

Heels rest on the floor. The legs are bent at the knees, the knees “look” into the ᴨᴏᴛolok. Feet should be pressed as close to the buttocks as possible. The legs can be turned with the knees in or out. It is important to observe the following instructions:

1. If the legs are turned with the knees inward, move the feet as close as possible.

2. If the legs are turned with the knees outward, spread the feet as far as possible. Then the tension in the muscles will be minimal.

Your back should be as close to the floor as possible, but do not deliberately try to straighten your back. Keeping your knees up should help your lower back relax.

Since most of us have round shoulders, place your hands on your stomach so that your shoulders roll back and relax. Information from the site Bigreferat.ru / site

Try to spend at least twenty minutes a day in this position. Start with five minutes, and add five more every day until you get used to lying down for twenty minutes. Lying on the floor, give yourself the following commands:

The neck is relaxed and free.

The head moves forward and up (but remember - this movement is in relation to the back, not to the floor!). The back lengthens and expands.

Shoulders straighten out.

The knees rush to the ᴨᴏᴛolk.

Lying in this way, try to feel if there is any tension in the body, and if there is, relax. Information from the Bigreferat website.. Ask yourself:

Where is movement felt during breathing?

How deep do I breathe?

Is my chest moving?

How fast is my breathing?

Remember that real, lasting change takes time, so be patient. And watch yourself every time.

Change in posture with age

Have you noticed how your parents or grandmothers "shrink" with age? It really is. A scientist named Junghens produced 1142 postmortem autopsy spinal column and found that the ratio between the thickness of the intervertebral discs and the thickness of the adjacent vertebrae decreases with age:

At birth, this thickness is the same.

At 10 years old, the disc is half the thickness of the vertebra.

At the age of 24, the disc is as thick as "/d of the vertebra.

At the age of 60, the disc is the thickness of "/^ of the vertebra.

By the age of 20, human bones are still growing, so some of this data is not surprising. But after 25 years, the intervertebral discs, it would seem, should not thin out, unless they experience excessive muscle tension, which leads to a gradual loss of fluid. The spine is a kind of hydraulic system that works on the principle of absorbing and expelling water; it is capable of absorbing twenty times its volume of water. It follows from this that with a decrease in the size of the intervertebral discs, the spine cannot work with maximum effect.

If you lie down daily for twenty minutes, you will not only prevent back pain, but will help the intervertebral discs to maintain their correct shape for as long as possible. This will enable you to move painlessly.

An exercise

1. Observe yourself, standing sideways to the mirror. Especially note the curves in the back.

2. Lie down for twenty minutes.

3. Again, stand in front of the mirror and try to notice the changes.

It is also important how you get into and out of the prone position. Rice. 27 will help you do it right.

What can you expect from an Alexander class?

As a result of my own experience and conclusions, I came to the conclusion that the technique gives everything that can be expected from the system of physical education, namely, getting rid of accumulated stress, and, as a result, improving physical and mental health. In addition, a greater awareness of the means to achieve the desired goal, a greater awareness of one's own behavior at all levels, mastering the technique of prohibition, which allows in practice to keep the body from tilting back and other incorrect body positions

Ultimately, this leads to the development of a ban on inadequate behavioral and emotional reactions. It is impossible to demand more from the system of physical education; on the other hand, if we want to change people in the right direction, we need just such a technique.

Aldous Huxley. Aims and means

Individual sessions

Undoubtedly, this is the best way to learn more about yourself. The lesson lasts from thirty to forty-five minutes. The student is given the following tasks:

Detect any hidden muscle tension and get rid of it;

Understand what causes this tension and eliminate the causes;

Learn to perform any action in such a way that excess stress does not arise.

The role of the teacher

The teacher's role is to identify your personal habits, explain why they are harmful and how you can get rid of them. This is done both with the help of verbal instructions and with the help of touches to the head, neck, and back. The touch of the teacher's hands usually does not cause pain. And yet, if you suffer greatly, it is recommended to undergo a course of treatment before engaging in the technique.

The teacher may first ask you to lie down on the table

In this position, gravity acts the least, so it will be easier to relax.

You will then be asked to do a series of movements, such as sitting or walking, so that you can learn different ways of moving. If any of these actions cause pain or difficulty in performing them, the teacher will be happy to relieve you of these sensations by showing you what causes them. At times, the pain may be exacerbated by muscle strain. You should not be afraid of this: such pains are akin to the “growing pains” felt in childhood. They disappear after a few hours.

The number of sessions required is individual for different people, but after the first one, the results will be noticeable.

Improvement in physical condition

Any pain you have experienced due to poor coordination or muscle strain will slowly but steadily subside. The intensity of pain attacks, their frequency will decrease. Improvement will not come immediately, but then you will feel more and more relieved.

It is important to understand, however, that you have a major role to play in mastering the technique. It is up to you to make a conscious decision to change your lifestyle. The Alexander Method is not a cure or a therapy; you heal yourself - you are only taught how to do it.

At the end of each session, you should feel lighter, and in addition, the feeling that you have become better in control of your body. At first, this will be a short-term effect, but gradually, with each new lesson, it will be fixed. Over time, and between sessions, you will feel good, and classes may become less frequent.

Improving the emotional state

Changes are also taking place in the realm of emotions. People prone to anxiety become calmer; those who have been depressed become more optimistic and discover that life is not so bad. In general, people become happier, and this affects those around them.

However, it should be remembered that some emotions for a long time suppressed, can make themselves felt. Most often it is anger or sadness, and you may feel it from time to time. But this will pass soon.

But still, more often you tried to suppress such natural emotions as joy, contentment, a sense of freedom - and they will now begin to manifest. Then, little by little, feelings of unhappiness, grief, sadness and longing will begin to disappear.

Deterioration of mental abilities

By becoming calmer, we will be able to think carefully about our decisions. We will have more time for this, and every day our choice will become more meaningful. This will naturally instill a lot of self-confidence. We will become more reasonable and sober-minded people, self-esteem and self-esteem will increase.

Improved state of mind

Becoming calmer and more balanced, stronger physically, we gain greater peace of mind and joy of life. Many people knew this in childhood, but over the years it has gone away. Alexander's technique will help to free ourselves from the shackles of rigid ideas and beliefs, we will regain the lost spiritual world and inner freedom.

The physical, mental and spiritual potentials of a person are much more than he thinks, more even than is generally possible for the human imagination. It is necessary to break the chains that bind our spiritual world and inherited from the previous stages of evolution. Having acquired the ability to consciously comprehend and control, which is the highest property of man, we will become a race of men and women, in many areas superior to our ancestors, hitherto unknown areas of life and activity will become available to us.

F. M. Alexander

So, the question is rather not whether to do the Alexander technique, but whether you can afford not to do it!

THE FELDENKRAIS METHOD

Moshe Feldenkrais: A Life Story - A Method Story

Moshe Feldenkrais was born in 1904 in Russia, in Baranovichi

At the age of 15, he left for Palestine and worked there as a sapper. Later, having received a secondary education, he began to study mathematics and for five years earned his living as a land surveyor and cartographer. It was at this time that Nᴇᴦᴏ developed an interest in self-defense without weapons - constant clashes between Arabs and Jews made martial arts especially relevant

In 1929, his first book "Jiu-Jitsu and Self-Defense" was published.

Feldenkrais then travels to Paris to study electrical and mechanical engineering.

In 1933, he completed his studies and, with an engineering degree, entered the laboratory of F. Joliot-Curie. Soon he began to study physics at the Sorbonne. Feldenkrais's acquaintance with Professor Igoro Kano, the founder of modern judo, dates back to this time.

At the age of 32, Moshe Feldenkrais, one of the first black belt holders in Europe, creates a judo club in Paris, where he teaches and writes several books on judo.

In 1940, fleeing the Nazisᴛᴏʙ, he had to flee to England, where he began to work in the Admiralty

At this time, after several injuries, the condition of his knee, injured in his youth on the football field, suddenly worsened. According to the doctors, it was impossible to count on a favorable outcome of the surgical intervention, and Feldenkrais refused the operation. Once again, he changed his life decisively.

Now he intensively engaged in anatomy, biomechanics, behavioral research, achieving a deep understanding of the functions of movement and their relationship with behavior, mental and social factors. He found that the knee often did not bother him for weeks, and suddenly the pain and swelling came again. Constant observations and numerous small experiments led him to the conclusion that he himself could bring about a deterioration or improvement in the condition of his knee. He began to learn how to use his knee in a new way so that he could walk without problems again.

The most important results of this work were presented in 1943 in a report to members of the British Association of Science Workers. This report formed the basis of the work “Body and Mature Behavior” published in 1949, which opened a new direction in functional rehabilitation.

In 1947, Feldenkrais opened the first group courses in London. There he met Franz Wurm, who later translated the Feldenkrais books and, through radio broadcasts, made the method widely known in Switzerland.

In 1949, Feldenkrais left England and moved to Israel, becoming director of the Israel Army's electronics division. At the same time, he continued to work in the field of functional rehabilitation and sensorimotor. This work has always occupied such a large place in his life that he finally decided to devote himself entirely to it.

In Israel, he continued the development of individual training, later called functional integration (Funktionale Integration), began regular group classes in Tel Aviv, which later became abbreviated as ATM (Awareness through Movement, i.e. self-awareness through movement). Gradually, Feldenkrais rose to prominence and achieved full recognition when he successfully healed the famous Israeli politician Ben Gurion.

In 1968 Feldenkrais prepared the first training course in his method, and in 1972 a revised edition of his book Self-Awareness Through Movement was published. This is the most famous work of Moshe Feldenkrais, which brought him wide fame in the world.

In 1972-1973. Feldenkrais was invited to teach courses and lectures at Esalin and Berkeley (USA), then the Mecca of applied methods of humanistic psychology. A participant in these courses, Thomas Hana, organized a three-year course for Feldenkrais at the Institute of Human Psychology in San Francisco (1975-1977), which cemented Feldenkrais' fame as a brilliant researcher and practitioner in the field of functional rehabilitation.

In 1980, Feldenkrais began a new training course in Massachusetts, but was unable to complete it.

In 1981, in Zurich, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, was operated on, but could not fully recover.

In July 1984, Moshe Feldenkrais died.

What is the essence of the Feldenkrais Method?

Each person moves, feels, thinks and speaks in his own way, that is, in a way corresponding to the self-portrait that he continues to paint throughout his life. In order to change his course of action, he must change his self-portrait, which he carries within himself. Often our ideas about ourselves, expressed in our “body scheme” are distorted or incomplete, which leads to internal dissatisfaction, neuroses and psychosomatic diseases. The essence of the Feldenkrais method is the awakening in oneself of the ability to find one's own ways of moving, expanding one's set of movements with the help of experimental enumerated variations. Based on the foregoing, we come to the conclusion that bodily sensitivity is noticeably improved, and the body scheme can be significantly refined and expanded.

The nervous system and the musculoskeletal system are closely related to each other. Any activation of the nervous system is accompanied by a change in the state of the muscles, and the brain, in turn, constantly receives information about every change in the position of the body, joints, muscle tension, etc.

Such an interconnection of systems makes it possible, on the one hand, to recognize the internal state of the nervous system by muscle tension, and, on the other hand, through muscles and joints, to influence the nervous system. Muscle tension is an external, visible picture of the state of the nervous system. Every thought and every feeling finds its expression in movement. Strong emotions, such as rage and fear, cause noticeable changes in the muscles of the body. Quickly flashed thoughts can manifest themselves only in a subtle change in the diameter of the pupils. The following exercise can clearly demonstrate the relationship between the emotional state and muscle tension.

1. Sit on a chair, lean slightly, lower your shoulders forward, pull the back of your head a little, relax your jaw and lower the corners of your mouth down. Maintain this position for at least two minutes. Observe how you feel, notice your thoughts and feelings.

2. Now straighten up, straighten your shoulders, lift your head higher and pull up the corners of your mouth. Stay in this position for about two minutes. Again observe how you feel, note the thoughts that come to mind. You can probably feel the difference.

External changes lead to internal changes. This obvious fact formed the basis of the Feldenkrais methodology and served as the starting point for the following conclusions:

- any muscular activity is movement;

- the nervous system is mainly engaged in movements;

- movements reflect the state of the nervous system;

- the quality of movement is easiest to determine from the outside;

- movements bring great experience;

- sensations, feelings and thoughts are based on movements;

Movement is the basis of self-awareness.

Based on the foregoing, we conclude that Feldenkrais considered movement to be the most effective means of achieving cardinal changes in human life in general.

Practical Lectures on the Feldenkrais Method

Preliminary remarks

1. The room for classes should be warm and spacious enough: so that there is still free, uncluttered space around the place where it would be comfortable to lie.

Use a blanket or not too soft mats as bedding.

3. You need comfortable, loose-fitting clothing.

4. Make sure that no one bothers you during class.

5. It is unpleasant to exercise with a full stomach, so wait at least an hour after eating.

6. If possible, do not start any business for some time after class in order to feel the changes taking place with you. Many people prefer to exercise before bed. The relaxation achieved and the great naturalness of body positions contribute to a restful and healthy sleep.

Exercise technique

1. Perform each movement slowly. Direct your attention to:

- the movement itself, and not on the goal that is achieved with ᴇᴦᴏ help;

- search for excessive voltage;

- training. Only if the exercise is performed very slowly do you have the opportunity and time to feel the meaning contained in it. Many movements may not seem very close to you personally, and only when they are slowly performed, the new situation will gradually and naturally become familiar.

2. Repeat each movement several times. Conscious repetition makes it possible to detect many important details that are present even in movements that are very simple at first glance.

Usually 10-20 repetitions are needed.

3. Pause.

Each individual movement is a complete process. Achieve a well-defined alternation of tension and relaxation. Sufficient pauses not only increase the ability to recognize details, but also avoid fatigue.

4. Get light, soft movements.

The most effective is learning associated with pleasant, joyful sensations. In addition, elastic and economical movements reduce wear and tear on ligaments, joints and tendons.

5. Concentrate on pleasant sensations. Be aware of how your breathing becomes free and easy, how your flexibility and ability to relax increases. This means your movements become harmonious.

6. Avoid excessive effort, both physical and mental. Your goal is not to achieve something, but to improve something.

7. Take your time, enjoy the movement! Unfortunately, many people have long lost the ability to move easily, as if playfully, to consciously experience their movements and experiment with their various variations.

8. Pay attention, first of all, to HOW the movement is performed. "WHAT" should fade into the background

9. Realize your responsibility for your own body, health and life in general.

10. Try to read the instructions for the practice exercises aloud - this would be best, given that it would give you the opportunity to fully concentrate on the movements. It is also convenient to record the text of the instructions on a magnetic tape and then use the recordings in your classes.

If you are working directly with a book, then read each practice section separately, immediately before completing the assignment.

Lecture 1. BODY AWARENESS

It is difficult to find a person who can equally easily feel or be aware of all parts of his body. Those parts of the body that are used daily in any actions are easier to realize, while those that do not play a direct role in the life of an individual are dimly recognized.

Bodily sensitivity on contact with the floor

Lie comfortably on your back. Stretch your legs, put your hands next to your torso. Close your eyes and try to feel the parts of your body that are in contact with the floor.

1. Let's start with the position of your heels

What position are the heels in?

Are both heels the same or different, exactly on the back side, more inward or outward? Is the pressure on both heels the same? Are their points of contact with the floor the same?

2. Now pay attention to the position of the calves. How are they on the floor?

Do you feel a difference in the position of the left and right calves? How do you feel the length and width of their contact with the floor?

3. Focus on your knees

Are your feet fully flat on the floor at the knees?

Or form a bridge?

Are the positions of the right and left legs the same?

How big is the distance from the knee to the floor?

4. Concentrate on the hip area.

Does one thigh lie more on the outside than the other?

How does the left thigh touch the floor?

And the right thigh?

Is there a position that you cannot clearly perceive?

5. Switch to the area of ​​the buttocks and lower back. Are the buttocks pressed evenly to the floor? What is the shape of the "imprint" of each of the halves on the floor?

How clearly do you feel your buttocks? Are you lying symmetrical? What is the contact with the floor in the lumbar region? Usually the sacrum and the lumbar part of the spine are located on weight, not adjacent to the floor.

Do you feel exactly how vast is the area where there is no contact with the floor?

How long is the gap between the touch points? How high is the ϶ᴛόᴛ bridge?

Where do you feel contact with the floor again? Can you point out the difference between the right and left sides?

6. With your mind's eye, go up along the spine. What place do you clearly feel? Can you feel each vertebra individually? Can you feel your lower ribs? On the right side? From the left?

7. Pay attention to the lower part of the chest. How clearly do you feel contact with the floor here? Can you feel individual ribs? How do you feel the shoulder blades or their parts? Which area of ​​the shoulder blades is adjacent to the floor on the right, which on the left? Which fits better? How does the area between the shoulder blades feel? Is the thoracic spine located exactly in the middle between the shoulder blades, or do you feel asymmetry here?

8. Now pay attention to the area of ​​the shoulders and the back of the head. Is the back of your head on the floor?

If not, how visible is the gap? How wide are your shoulders? Is there contact with the floor between the shoulders and upper arms?

9. Switch your attention to the position of the head. Does it touch the floor exactly in the middle of the back of the head?

How large is the area of ​​its contact with the floor?

10. Now bring your attention to your hands.

Do both hands lie the same?

Do you feel that your upper arms and elbows are on the floor? How far are the arms from the body?

Are both the same?

How do they touch the floor of the forearm?

Are both the same?

How are both hands?

With which part do they touch the floor - the back, the palm, or, perhaps, the rib?

What part of the hand and fingers touches the floor?

11. Find out for yourself what is the total contact of your body with the floor. Be aware of the imprint your body would leave on sea ​​sand, or imagine that you bathed in a vat of paint and immediately after that lay down on a white sheet of paper. What will your body print look like?

Then, very slowly, get up from the floor. Stay calm for a while. Feel how you feel now. What feels different than before class?

Remember how you lay on the floor, and cover the hatching on the next sketch with the imprint of your body. Where the contact with the floor was felt most clearly, make the shading especially thick. Consider then the drawing. It is a snapshot. If you work through this lecture again later, you will be able to more confidently determine what changes have taken place.

Feeling of length

Begin, as in the first part, with awareness of the contact of the body with the floor. But after completing all the tasks, continue to lie down, and after a short pause, proceed to new exercises.

12. First move your attention along the right arm from the shoulder - through the elbow - to the fingertips. Feel this distance and try to estimate how long your right arm is.

14. Now direct your mind's eye along the right leg from the hip joint (where do you suppose it is located?) through the knee to the foot and to the toes. Estimate its length.

15. Do the same with the left leg. How long do your legs seem? Does one leg seem longer than the other?

Do the toes of one of the feet feel more spread out? Do all fingers feel equally good?

16. Concentrate now on the spine. Go mentally from the coccyx through the sacrum to the lumbar spine. Then, bypassing 5 lumbar, 12 thoracic and 7 cervical vertebrae, get to the base of the skull.

Can you feel the entire length of the spine? Or is it especially painful to feel some vertebrae? How long does it seem to you? Does the spine feel straight or curved? What do you associate your spine with: with a stick or with a flexible chain consisting of individual links?

17. Now compare the length of the individual lines of your body. What seems longer to you:

Right leg or left arm?

Left foot or right hand?

Spine or right hand?

Spine or left arm?

Spine or right leg?

Spine or left leg?

18. Simultaneously imagine the length of all lines. You will probably see something that looks like a child's drawing. Which schematic figure most closely matches your ideas?

How symmetrical is this figure? What are its proportions?

Try to portray yourself the same way.

Now stand up slowly. Once again imagine the diagram of your body, and if you draw it, then when you repeat this task, you will easily notice the real changes that can occur, that is, how much your sensitivity has changed.

Lecture 2. FREE BREATHING

Breathing is one of the most elementary human functions. It is inextricably linked with all human activities, therefore, like movement, it is an imprint of our inner essence. Our thoughts, feelings and actions have a huge impact on the respiratory functions at any given moment.

Breathing is subject to such diverse and numerous influences that there simply cannot be a single "correct" breathing. We stand or walk, run or sing, whether we are thinking about something important or completely relaxed, excited or just relaxing - we always breathe differently.

Breathing must be adapted to the requirements of a particular situation and able to respond to their changes. Meanwhile, in most people, the repertoire of breathing patterns is rather limited, among which inflexible and poorly adapted forms of breathing predominate. This is due to the action of a number of unconscious restrictions and the habit of using only a small amount learned samples.

I. Breath awareness

1. Sit comfortably in a chair or armchair. And to begin with, try to answer the provocative question: “Are you breathing freely?” The answer is easy to foresee: "Of course, otherwise I could not live!" How do you know that you are breathing? Logically the situation is clear, but how do you know about breathing?

So what do you feel while breathing?

Do you feel a fresh puff of air as you enter?

Warm ᴨᴏᴛok of air in the nose or in the mouth when you exhale?

Do you hear a whistling or other noise?

Do you feel movement in your abdomen and/or chest?

Where do you feel this movement - on the side or behind?

Now try to be aware of the individual movements of your body as you inhale or exhale. (Keep in mind these movements can be quite small and unnoticeable.)

What part of the abdomen is moving?

Does the chest participate in breathing, if so, where exactly?

How wide are the breathing movements in your body?

Where do you think there are no movements associated with breathing at all?

Are you breathing freely?

What is the first thing that moves when you inhale? Where does exhalation begin?

It may seem strange to you just to observe your breath without trying to change it. But now your goal is only to feel. The changes will not yet be realized, because it is known that even a simple concentration of attention on the breathing process leads to its noticeable improvement.

How are you breathing at the moment? Which phase is longer - inhalation or exhalation? Which do you find more pleasant: inhaling or exhaling? Is there any other phase between inhalation and exhalation? What about between exhalation and inhalation?

Let your breath flow without tension. Keep watching him for a while.

2. Now lie on your back. Put your hands along the body, legs bent at the knees, feet together, resting on the floor. Try to get in a comfortable position. Repeat some points from the first? section - be aware of the different phases of breathing, their course, and the localization of respiratory movements in different parts of the body.

Is there a difference in sensation compared to sitting?

What new do you feel in breathing while lying down? Maybe now you feel different breathing movements in your body?

3. Roll over onto your stomach. Pay attention to the characteristic distinguishing signs of breathing in this position. What can you note now?

Where is the breath felt best? Has anything changed in the quality of the breath?

Lie down on your right side. Watch for possible changes, Breathing.

Turn to your left side, repeat the observations again. What changes did you note in these provisions?

You have probably noticed that with different positions of the body, the respiratory movements noticeably change, when the posture changes, new parts of the body are included in the breath, and the movement of other parts is blocked.

II. Breath release

In this part, you will consciously influence the breath by changing it.

6. Lie down comfortably on your back and concentrate on the process of breathing. What parts of the body are involved in respiratory movements? How long is the breath? How long does the exhalation last? Are there intermediate phases?

7. Now exhale very slowly and hold your breath at the end of the exhalation. Pause until you feel a strong impulse to inhale. Be aware of how vigorous the ϶ᴛόᴛ inhalation is and how far the breath moves.

What is involved in breathing in this situation?:

Where does inhalation begin now?

How long is it?

8. Force the breath two or three more times and observe the reflex inhalation. Be aware of the irresistible impulse that compels you to take a breath. Lie still and observe how your body participates in breathing movements and how your bodily sensitivity has changed.

9. Place your right hand on your stomach just below the navel, and your left hand on your chest, on the most protruding part of the sternum. Inhale slowly, filling your belly with air. This will raise your right hand. Don't lift your back! Lie in such a way that the lumbar part of the spine remains on the floor at all times.

Continue to "pump" the stomach with air, including its lower part. It should seem to you that the air completely fills the lower abdomen, its lateral parts and its front part.

How much can you “fill” your belly? (Please do not overdo it. Immediately stop this part of the exercise as soon as discomfort arises!)

Make sure that the exhalation occurs by itself.

Were you able to fill your entire belly with air?

What was happening at that time with the chest (under the left arm)?

Take a few breaths, trying to "inflate" your stomach like a balloon. Then take a rest.

10. Now inhale in such a way that the chest is smoothly filled with air. In this case, the left hand should rise, and the stomach should be retracted somewhat. Try to let the exhalation happen by itself. How much air is needed to fill your chest? How much can you pull your stomach in as you inhale?

11. Once again fill the chest with air, while drawing in the stomach. The next breath should fill the stomach with air, causing the chest to drop a little. Repeat this procedure several times, alternately filling either the stomach or the chest. In this case, there is some oscillatory movement of the front side of the body, while the back continues to lie motionless on the floor.

How do you breathe while doing this? How fast can you perform this oscillatory movement? How distinct are its individual phases?

12. Inhale and then hold the air. Now, holding your breath, perform an oscillatory movement of the abdomen and chest several times. Hold your breath until the air itself escapes from your lungs. After exhaling, rest a little. Repeat this exercise several times, increasing the rate of oscillation. Try to achieve the implementation of 6-8 times of oscillation with holding your breath.

13. Exhale and then hold your breath. Again, perform oscillatory movements of the abdomen and chest. Have you noticed any difference in the nature of the breath? In which case is the movement clearer and easier? How often can you oscillate while holding air?

14. For ϶ᴛόᴛ times, perform the same oscillatory movement during inhalation. This option is very unusual and at first it is difficult to achieve a result. But after a few repetitions, you will soon be able to perform 6-8 oscillations while inhaling without stopping your breath.

15. Repeat the exercise again, now at the exhalation stage. Achieve a uniform movement and a well-defined oscillatory movement.

How do fluctuations occur in these cases? What can be said about the coherence of the movements of individual parts of the body?

How many oscillations can you make in one breathing cycle?

16. Can you imagine another version of the exercise? If yes, do it several times.

17. Now rest. Mark all changes. What is the position of your body?

What lies now differently, more relaxed than before? What can be said about your breathing?

Slowly get up and gradually return to your daily routine. Watch how your state of health changes during the day, depending on the circumstances. It would be good if you performed the oscillatory movements mastered in this lesson in different postures and under different circumstances.

18. Lie on your stomach. Perform oscillatory movements of the abdomen and chest.

At ϶ᴛόᴛ times you feel the floor with the front of your body. Do you find it easier to move in this position?

Recall the various possibilities for making oscillations. Perform a new variant of the oscillatory movement with holding the breath after inhalation and after exhalation, on inhalation and exhalation, and, perhaps, during the entire breathing cycle.

19. Turn on your right side and perform several variations of oscillatory movements.

20. Turn onto your left side and repeat these exercises again.

Observe the differences in movement depending on the posture. Pay attention to how the sensitivity changes in those areas that are involved in the process of breathing. Note that the back and sides are more and more involved in the breathing process, the ribs become more mobile, the diaphragm is activated. And this leads to muscle balance and health promotion.

III. Breath and emotions

Now slowly sit down, try to maintain a sense of peace and tranquility for a while. Enjoy how much easier and freer your movement has become, and feel how much more animated you yourself have become.

How long and deep did your breath become?

How is exhalation performed?

How has the pause between exhalation and inhalation changed?

First of all, pay attention to how the stomach moves. Notice how easily and harmoniously it can oscillate. It is simply impossible to confuse a loose, naturally airy belly with a flaccid, bobbing belly.

To feel this difference, draw in your stomach. What are your feelings? Is this condition familiar to you? Now relax your stomach and continue to breathe freely. Many will notice that unconsciously they did just that, drawing in the stomach.

21. Focus your attention on free breathing. Now imagine a situation in which you quarreled with someone, experienced stress, etc. Remember a similar story from your life or come up with one. Recreate in your imagination a picture corresponding to the following situation:

Where is the action taking place?

In what position is your body, what surrounds you?

Who; present at the same time besides you?

What connects you with the people around you?

What are the participants in the scene talking about?

What noises do you hear?

How does your body feel in this situation?

What emotions cover you?

Finally, how do you breathe in this situation?

22. Go back to the present and watch your breath again. Most likely, you will notice clear differences in comparisons with breathing during a fictional situation.

What has changed in your breathing?

What parts of the body are involved in respiration?

And which ones no longer take part in the respiratory process?

Are you breathing deep or shallow?

What happened to the pause between exhalation and inhalation?

23. Perform again the oscillatory movements already familiar to you.

24. Then again focus on your breath.

Has your breathing become freer? Does the abdominal wall participate in respiratory movements? Try to feel if you can distinguish the liberated state from the former one?

25. Return once again to the situation you invented. But for ϶ᴛόᴛ just watch your breath. Be aware of all the limitations inherent in this situation, and its most characteristic differences. Note that only awareness of your sensations changes the breath and relieves tension. Did you know that many everyday and especially stressful situations limit free breathing, and often block it for a long time? This deprives us of energy and we can only act half-heartedly. One of the first steps is to become aware of exactly what situations piss you off. Realizing our "stumbling blocks", we get the opportunity to work primarily with them.

Lecture 3. FLEXION PATTERNS

The movement, including bending, is one of the elementary patterns of movement. We will study the individual components of such a movement, we will try to rethink some of our habits and learn how to control them.

Pain, fear, self-doubt are imprinted in the human body in the form of strong flexion patterns, which over time become so habitual that they are perceived as normal. And this makes it very difficult to return to a natural state.

If we become aware of these patterns and learn to control them, we can improve our posture and also live a fuller and more creative life.

1. Lie on your back. The legs are extended, the feet are separated from each other by about the width of the shoulders. The arms are extended along the body. How do you lie on the floor? What is the contact with the floor of both sides of the body in the area:

- feet and calves,

- knees and hips

- buttocks,

- lumbar and thoracic spine

- shoulders and head?

How freely do you breathe?

The position "lying on your back" is convenient because it provides an opportunity to notice even the most subtle changes that occur in the body. If after the lecture you feel that you lie differently than before class, this can only indicate that your body has changed - after all, the floor has remained the same. In addition, the prone starting position provides an easy and quick way to identify residual stresses, since they are the ones that prevent optimal contact with the floor.

2. While lying down, raise your head as if you want to look at your feet. Slowly raising your head, remember to stop as soon as further performance of the task becomes uncomfortable. Notice how high your head reaches and realize how exhausting this exercise is for you.

Does your breathing change?

3. Put your hands on the middle of the chest, on the sternum, and push it towards the legs, while slowly raising the head.

Does the movement now flow differently than before?

Is it easier to do?

Is the breath free?

Do you inhale or exhale when you raise your head?

Does the position of the body below the back change?

4. Now bend your knees, feet shoulder-width apart, resting on the floor. Repeat the last exercise again - combine lifting the head with pushing the sternum. Have there been any other changes? How clearly is the position of the back on the floor felt? Do you lift your head up now?

According to how you organize the movement, it will be more or less easy to perform. Meanwhile, we often move purely mechanically and with a useless expenditure of strength. Pay special attention to the fact that you are able to successfully learn the correct movements, you already do.

5. Pause and stretch. Information from the site Bigreferat.ru / site Mark if you feel any changes in comparison with the beginning of the lesson.

Do you feel different than before? Is your breath calm?

6. Bend your knees again, feet shoulder-width apart. Interlock your fingers and place your hands behind your head. Raise your head, helping with your hands; try to lift it up. Repeat this movement several times.

How has the movement changed with the introduction of the new element? What parts of the body remain in contact with the floor? Is the movement easier now?

7. Now raise your head and bent leg at the same time. Repeat the movement several times, alternately raising your right and left legs.

Do you feel any difference from the previous exercise?

Does it matter if you lift your left or right leg?

8. Helping with your hands, raise your head and at the same time your right leg. At the same time, move your left elbow towards your right knee. Don't try to touch your elbow to your knee, given that this would lead to additional stress.

In which direction is your head turned at this time?

Where is the gaze directed?

What parts of the back put the most pressure on the floor?

9. Perform the same movement again, but now simultaneously with the head raise the left leg and force the right elbow to move towards the left knee.

Pay attention to the difference in sensations in comparison with the previous movement.

Where is the head now? What parts of the body put the most pressure on the floor?

10. Perform another version of the exercise; raise your head and right knee, and alternately direct your right and left elbow towards it.

How does this change affect breathing?

How easy is this alternating movement for you?

11. Stretch out on the floor and take another pause. Do you feel the difference between the right and left parts of the body? Is it more comfortable to lie on the floor?

Has the area of ​​contact of the body with the floor increased or not? Do you feel longer, more elongated?

12. Bend your knees again, resting your feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Raise your right bent leg, place your hands with interlocked fingers on your raised right knee. Now slowly bring your right knee (with your hands) closer with your chin. But do not try to touch the chin with your knee!

Is this movement easier or slower?

13. Make another small change: now reach towards the right knee not with your chin, but with your mouth.

Does this change make any difference?

14. Now stretch towards the right knee with your forehead. Are there any differences between the sensations that are caused by these variants of movement? Have you noticed anything new in the sensations of the lumbar spine and chest? How does additional leg movement affect head movement?

15. Reach towards the right knee alternately with the forehead, then with the chin.

16. Stretch out on the floor, pause again. Observe your feelings.

Do you feel your body is asymmetrical?

17. Take a starting position with bent knees, resting your feet on the floor.

In order to balance the right and left halves of the body, we will perform movements with the left knee. Start again with the movement of the elbow: the hands are clasped behind the head, helping it to rise, the left elbow moves towards the left knee.

Is there any difference compared to moving on the right side of the body?

How comfortable is this move for you?

What happens to the breath?

18. Towards the left knee, the right elbow moves simultaneously with the head.

How natural is this movement for you?

19. Grasp the left knee with clasped hands and move simultaneously with it and towards it alternately the chin, then the mouth, then the forehead.

Note the differences between the individual options.

20. Stretch and pause.

Do you now feel your body is more aligned? How comfortable are you on the floor?

21. Take the starting position again. Then put your right hand behind your head, and with your left grab your left knee. Move the right elbow (together with the head) and the left knee towards each other. Watch this diagonal movement.

Does the exhalation occur spontaneously during this movement? How is the pressure of the back distributed on the floor? Where is your gaze directed?

22. Change sides! Place your left hand behind your head and grab your right knee with your right hand. Move your right knee and left elbow towards each other.

Do you feel any difference compared to the previous version?

Does the lumbar spine now press on the floor? Where are you looking at ϶ᴛόᴛ times? How did the changes affect breathing?

23. Stretch again and once again try to find out what has changed since the beginning of the moment of the exercise. As before, pay attention, first of all, to the surfaces of contact of the body with the floor, to breathing, and to ideas about the length and width of the body.

24. Finally check the head movements. Raise your head and look again at your feet. Note how much easier and easier it is.

Why do you think this movement is performed now without difficulty and gently? What are you doing in a new way, organizing the interaction of different parts of the body?

Get some rest and do things that can still be changed.

How do you feel the contact of your back with the floor now?

25. Slowly get up and see how the changes are manifesting now.

Don't you think that now you are standing differently than usual?

How much lighter do you feel?

How do you feel about your size?

How do you rate the contact of the feet with the floor?

How secure are you on your feet?

Take a few steps and try to formulate what is new and unusual in your feelings. How do you feel about the environment?

What thoughts come to your mind?

What feelings fill you?

Note this important fact: the more you engage with your body, the clearer your awareness of your movement habits and the comprehension of harmonious, more natural movement patterns, the greater the impact on your mental and emotional state you will feel.

Continue walking, observing your sensations. Constantly immersing yourself in your everyday life, take with you those new movements that delighted you with their lightness and feeling of flying during classes.

Lecture 4

In the movements that we are concerned with here, accuracy can only be achieved by one who, before learning something, will be able to discard from the totality of the elements of movement everything superfluous, namely, that which hinders the Movement, disrupts its course, hinders it or contradicts it.

Peripheral, more distant parts of the body are more sensitive and differentiated in relation to bodily sensations than the central parts. For this reason, in order to relieve tension from the shoulder girdle and cervical spine, we will use hand movements.

1. Lie on your back. Stretch both arms at shoulder level in different directions and clench your hands into fists without tension. Bend your legs at the knees.

Pay attention to how your body weight is distributed across the floor. Slowly look around the whole body with your inner gaze, explore how you lie. Pay particular attention to the area of ​​the shoulder girdle and the area between the shoulder blades. Also note the differences between the position of the right and left sides of the body.

Where are your shoulder blades?

How is the spine located between the shoulder blades? How clearly is the interscapular region felt?

2. Mark the position of the hands and joints of the hands on the floor and take it as the original or "zero".

Now turn both fists at the same time "in the direction of the legs", that is, in such a way that the right fist rotates against the clock heating pad.

Note which parts of the hands began to come into contact with the floor. How far can you turn your fists? A quarter turn (90) or. half (180)? Does the left hand turn as easily as the right? Is it possible to increase the angle of rotation without applying more effort?

3. Lie still for a while, observing your body and noticing how you feel.

What has changed in your feelings?

4. Turn again from the starting position both fists in the same direction. At the same time raise your head and look at your legs. Turn your fists back to the starting position, at the same time put your head down. Has the angle of rotation changed now? What rises above the floor first?

5. Stretch out on the floor, try to feel the starting position again.

Are you still lying like before? Have there been any changes in your breathing?

6. Bend your knees again, position your feet comfortably. Stretch your arms to the sides at shoulder level, and clench your hands into fists without tension. Now rotate them towards the head.

Compiled by Yakubanets B.

Publishing house "Rech"

St. Petersburg

FOREWORD REVISION 4

ALEXANDER METHOD 6

Method founder Frederic Alexander 6

How to start helping yourself? eight

Awareness and observation 8

How do you stand 10

How do you sit 12

Movement mechanisms 15

Head imbalance 16

The instability of the human body 18

Walking 18

Slopes 20

Optimum slope 20

How do we sit down 21

Sensory Deceptions 23

Kinetic Sense 24

Right and Wrong 25

Prohibitions 28

Body control 31

Auxiliary commands 33

The influence of thought on action 34

Habits and freedom of choice 35

Habits 36

Muscles and reflexes 40

Circulatory system 43

Respiratory system 44

Digestive system 44

Skeletal system 45

Nervous system 45

Reflexes 45

Rest your back 47

Spine 48

Back pain 49

Change in posture with age 52

What can you expect from an Alexander class? 57

Individual lessons 58

THE FELDENKRAIS METHOD 61

Moshe Feldenkrais: A Life Story - A History of Method 61

What is the essence of the Feldenkrais Method? 62

Feldenkrais Practical Lectures 63

Preliminary remarks 63

Exercise Method 64

Lecture 1. BODY AWARENESS 65

Lecture 2. FREE BREATHING 67

Lecture 3. FLEXION PATTERNS 72

Lecture 4

Lecture 5. STRETCH PATTERNS 79

Lecture 6. TURNS, ROTATIONS 83

Lecture 7

Lecture 8

General Algorithm for Changing Habitual Movements Using the Feldenkrais Method 93

Criteria for optimal movement 95

Feldenkrais Walking and Running Work 95

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system: load and endurance 98

Sharp back pain. Specific Feldenkrais 100 Actions

Short lectures on unloading and releasing individual parts of the body 101

PRIMARY THERAPY BY ARTHUR YANOV 109

Essence of Artur Yanov's Primary Therapy 109

Introduction (problem statement) 109

Neurosis 110

Pain and memory 117

The Nature of Tension 121

Protective system 129

The nature of feeling 136

Treatment (primary therapy) 148

Appendix 174

LITERATURE 176

Editorial Preface

Back in ancient times, when the ideal of a person was not conceived outside of integrity and harmony, there were therapeutic areas associated with movement, breathing, dance, massage and influencing the human soul. In the last century, dance, body culture and education through movement have experienced influences that primarily set the task of overcoming hostility to the body. Other origins of modern methods lie in the field of rhythm, musical pedagogy, gymnastics, respiratory and vocal education, relaxation techniques and massage. Yes, and various systems of training in acting have influenced modern methods or find their direct continuation in them (therapeutic theater, therapy based on dance, music, etc.).

Modern methods have spawned those that can in most cases be characterized as somatherapeutic insofar as they all go back to the vegetative therapy developed by Wilhelm Reich, based on characterological analysis, as well as to the works of those who can be considered in one way or another a student of Reich. Two of them: Alexander Lowen and John Perrakos laid the foundation for bioenergetic analysis. Arthur Yanov, the creator of primary therapy, also known as plasma therapy, also relies on the works and methods of these scientists. The differences between the methods within the mainstream are often very small, although in some ways these methods distance themselves from each other. Nevertheless, there are also quite strong mutual influences, so the commonality of the starting position for all methods of body-oriented therapy becomes obvious: most of the methods of working with the body, to a greater or lesser extent, on the one hand, are the heirs of psychoanalysis, on the other hand, the therapeutic movement based on group contacts.

Other origins of therapeutic work with the body can be found in the practice of Far Eastern yogis, especially adherents of hatha yoga, and through it in the Chinese system, tai chi, the great redistribution, up to Zen Buddhism with its various methods of meditation and massage. Along with this, of course, there is a whole series of eclectic methods, attempts to create a kind of synthesis and all sorts of combinations.

What does Body Oriented Therapy mean? In many types of psychotherapy and group practice, interest in the body is limited to either obtaining additional information for verbal and mental work ("Now I have a headache. What does this mean?"), Or physical confirmation of verbal processes ("So, apparently, it is. My head stopped hurting." In this case, the body is, so to speak, a provider of information. However, the actual psychotherapeutic processes are, as it were, expected by the psychic, for example, by thoughtful interest or (self) understanding. These latter may then be accompanied by physical sensations, for example, a feeling of relief, which is evaluated as a confirming sign. If the body is “put into action” in this way, it becomes something like a means to an end, that is, it becomes objectified. The emphasis is on the mental, while the bodily is understood as a phenomenon that accompanies mental processes.

By work with the body is meant a direct therapeutic effect on the body, and from this effect a psychic cure or change is expected. Here we are talking about a direct effect on the body. The mental experience must be influenced by the body. “The body as a savior of the soul” or “therapy of the soul through work with the body” - these words are placed on the title pages of books on bioenergetics by Alexander Lowen. “Heal the soul through the body” is the title of Gerda Boiesen's introduction to biodynamics. Thus, the impact on a person is carried out through work with the body, for example, directly with the processes of breathing or muscle contraction, which in turn entails concomitant mental phenomena. The expectation of mental relaxation is associated with physical liberation.

In this book, we offer the ideas of the most famous representatives of body-oriented therapy, who have influenced modern methods in this area and enjoy continued success both in the West and in our country.