There are numerous reasons to introduce children to Alexander's techniques. Media articles are increasingly reporting on the growing number of young people experiencing backaches, discomfort, stress, and anxiety. Alexander's technique helps young individuals take a step back, discover inner resources, and maintain a connection with their well-being. This is in contrast to an educational system that often prioritizes goal-setting and exams. This article explores the topics of posture, education, children, and the Alexander technique.

Understanding Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique is a valuable resource for addressing sensitive and contemporary issues. It offers a comprehensive approach that considers various perspectives, including the subject's viewpoint and strategies for helping children avoid developing and fixating on poor postural habits. Additionally, it takes into account external factors such as the effects of heavy backpacks or inadequate school furniture, as well as family psycho-physical patterns.

The effectiveness of the Alexander Technique is proven when children actively engage in various activities and apply it to their daily self-use. This includes sitting, moving, striving to achieve goals, and directing their attention towards their body in a way that aligns with their goals and desires.

Alexander teaches you how to prevent the formation of bad habits subconsciously and how to consciously create healthy postures while performing tasks. This educational process is continuous and progressive, benefiting children by enhancing their self-perception and psycho-physical coordination. It equips them with new thinking tools and grants them more freedom of movement.

Children benefit from the Alexander technique in various ways, like:

  • Acquiring life skills, such as practicing mindfulness.
  • Pausing while making decisions.
  • Achieving optimal body balance.

This helps children maintain proper posture, and be attentive, confident, and happy while responding to demands without feeling overwhelmed.

The Benefits of the Alexander Technique for Children

Alexander technique helps children acquire lifelong skills, specifically focusing on emotional resilience, stress and conflict management, and self-awareness. Through Alexander, children gain the ability to better comprehend and control their responses to stress and conflict, as well as develop greater emotional intelligence. It also helps them improve their physical and emotional literacy.

The character and quality of our lives are determined by how we react to external stimuli. Often, these reactions are automatic and habitual patterns. Unfortunately, many of these patterns are detrimental to us and can lead to tension, hostility, low self-esteem, illness, and more.

Making a significant change to these patterns is typically considered impossible, even if you can recognize them. The stimuli we are constantly exposed to throughout our lives are often beyond our control. However, we can develop the ability to choose how we react to these stimuli, thus acquiring the power to shape our responses.

The Alexander Technique teaches conscious and constructive control. The optimal time to learn these skills is during childhood, and the ideal setting for teaching them is at school. Children pick up skills such as the following:

  • Learning becomes easier when you sit with balance and poise, as research indicates that this increases brain oxygen levels.
  • Without experiencing undue stress and with improved coordination, individuals can engage in a variety of activities such as reading, writing, using computers, playing sports, and playing musical instruments.
  • They are better able to concentrate, which enhances their learning capacity and makes the learning experience more comfortable.
  • Stay open-minded and curious. Making mistakes is an essential part of the learning process and should not be feared. Additionally, it enables the children to regulate their fear response when it becomes overly active.

The ideal form of education balances the development of the mind, body, and emotions. Incorporating the Alexander technique into the nursery and primary school stages of education promotes positive child development. It seamlessly integrates into the educational setting, providing children with a means of learning about the world and themselves.

Alexander's work holds immense significance as the cornerstone of a child's educational program. It not only boosts their self-esteem but also encourages them to reflect on their actions and empowers them to make confident choices.

The Alexander Technique for Education and Posture

In the classroom, good posture is essential for encouraging focus and learning. When a child maintains proper posture, they can concentrate on the task at hand instead of their sitting position. However, it can be challenging to maintain good posture for an extended period.

A student's strength, body awareness, the fit of their chair or desk, and their need for a movement break are some of the variables that can affect their posture. Thankfully, the Alexander method supports proper posture during learning.

Positioning

The Alexander technique enables children to sit comfortably, avoiding the need to have their arms raised high on the desk or their feet hanging loose. It is recommended that children should not have to bend over or reach up to sit with their feet on the ground and their arms comfortably rested on the working surface.

If the classrooms have movable desks that can be adjusted to meet the unique needs of each student, it makes it much easier. However, not all desks in the real world are adjustable. In such cases, there are simple fixes that can help address positioning issues.

For instance, to prevent children from dangling their feet, you can find a seat that sits higher or place books underneath their feet. It's important to ensure that the students' knees are not bent past 90 degrees when adding supports beneath their feet for optimal alignment. Checking this several times a year would be beneficial as children develop and change.

While still allowing for mobility, incorporating various seating arrangements such as stability balls, air discs, or ball chairs can assist students in developing their core strength.

Movement Breaks

Promoting proper posture in the classroom necessitates movement. Students who fidget and shift around in their seats often develop poor posture. Moreover, hunching over or constantly fidgeting makes it challenging to maintain concentration.

Frequent fidgeting often indicates a need for movement. When a child starts to fidget, it's better to encourage them to get up and move around instead of telling them to sit still. Incorporating brain breaks is a good strategy to provide the necessary stimulation for fidgety children to regain focus on their studies.

Not only does getting children move to improve their posture, but it also enhances their learning abilities. There is a strong correlation between physical activity and cognitive performance.

Seating Alternatives

Some teachers have opted for different seating arrangements, such as students sitting on air cushions, stability balls, or ball chairs. These alternative positions allow kids to incorporate movement while maintaining better posture for learning. Additionally, these seating arrangements help to strengthen core muscles and enhance overall core strength.

Adjustments in Positioning

Ensuring that students have ample opportunities for physical activity throughout the day is crucial for maintaining optimal posture during learning. You can accomplish this by putting the children in groups in one area of the room, holding the morning meeting in another, and giving the lesson in a third. This approach is ideal for incorporating movement into regular tasks. Additionally, if a quick mental break is needed, it can be easily incorporated as well.

Good Postural Adjustments

Stand-up workstations are being used in some schools. With this, children can choose the posture that best suits their learning style. These workstations enable students to move around while maintaining their concentration on their academic work, whether they choose to sit or stand for the entire school day.

In the classroom, promoting proper posture goes beyond simply encouraging students to sit up straight. It's important to recognize that expecting students to maintain focus and sit still for extended periods is challenging. For children to learn successfully, it is essential to keep them actively engaged while also maintaining good posture in the classroom.

Dancing and the Alexander Technique

The Alexander technique is a straightforward and useful method of re-education. It is important to note that it should not be confused with massage, relaxation, or expressive arts techniques. This approach involves monitoring behaviors that lead to stress and disruptions, which eventually become automated.

Through gradual learning, you can then learn how to avoid these behaviors. As a result, the body's natural reflexes function at their best, enabling the learner to react to everyday stimuli with greater intelligence and autonomy.

The goal of the Alexander Technique classes for the dance course is to teach children the fundamental principles that can transform their perception of themselves and their craft, as well as help prevent certain problems. Some of the guiding principles in this educational process include use and operation, end-gaining, primary control, imprecise sensorial appreciation, inhibition, and guidance. These original ideas, created by Alexander, have been applied for over a century.

Poor Sensory Recognition

Alexander's research revealed, among other things, that his self-perception was flawed. The sensory systems that typically guide task performance were not functioning properly. According to Alexander, repeatedly using the body in an uncoordinated manner leads to imprecise sensory appreciation.

One of the major challenges in altering movement patterns is the lack of precise control over kinetics. People tend to learn in circular patterns, especially when encountering obstacles. They often exert more effort in the same direction, resulting in repeating the action with increased stress. In other words, they end up performing worse than before.

When a teacher instructs a student to move in a specific way, the student's only point of reference is their perception of what the proper way is. However, there is a significant risk that the student may perform the movement in an unsafe manner if their sense of what is right becomes faulty.

End-gaining

About the current operating pattern you use, Alexander also noted that it begins to take shape in childhood, with a sole focus on the desired outcome. This approach does not promote the idea that there is a process to follow to achieve goals. A considerable number of issues and incidents encountered by dancers stem from a lack of attentiveness and presence in the present moment.

Students should develop the capacity to maintain awareness of proper techniques, allowing movement to flow effortlessly. Although it could seem simple, one of the most challenging aspects to grasp is knowing when and how to release tension, thereby activating the body's innate balance and posture reflexes.

What To Expect In an Alexander Technique Session

The Alexander Technique integrates a variety of exercises that focus on the unity of the body and mind, promoting a harmonious connection between our physical and mental well-being. Consistent practice of these exercises can yield significant benefits. Some examples of these exercises include:

  • Games.
  • Telling stories (to study anatomy and introduce concepts of the Alexander techniques).
  • Roleplay.
  • Fun activities combining both fine and gross motor abilities, such as drawing, balancing, catching, throwing.
  • Practical anatomy and body mapping.
  • Coordination and balance.

In this session, you will explore a variety of captivating topics that are carefully curated to leave you feeling inspired. The session covers an array of informative subjects, such as:

  • Coordination and balance.
  • Viewing and observing.
  • Focus and attention qualities.
  • Emotional literacy.
  • Developing body awareness.
  • Responding rather than reacting.

All of these are connected to Alexander's principles. Furthermore, these concepts and ideas are integrated into the classroom. For example, during regular class periods, children are reminded to sit "soft and tall," and an Alexander teacher can provide gentle assistance to students at their desks and tables by placing their hands there.

Find an Alexander Technique Teacher Near Me

With the assistance of a teacher, both you and your child can acquire new skills, improve your current skill set, and learn the fundamentals of the Alexander technique. Throughout your learning journey, you will receive continuous support and encouragement as you work towards achieving your goals. At Trinity Acupuncture, a holistic healing center, we specialize in providing acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, we can guide you on how to incorporate the Alexander technique into your exercise regimen. Our professionals serve the city of Torrance, California. Call us today at 310-371-1777 for expert fitness advice.