Blog Posts - Bette Chamberlin

My first AT teacher helped me to be comfortable with being clueless!

7/22/2018

Yea, clueless was liberating.

I was spending so much time trying to be right with my posture that I soon realized that my idea of right was all ‘wrong’. So what’s better than assuming that there is a right to get to? Be clueless! Or as the dictionary defines it:  having no knowledge, understanding, or ability.  That emptied all my pre-conceived notions! At least, temporarily however……

My assumptions about the muscular components for movement needed to shift. And I found that shift with my first Alexander teacher, Pamela Anderson.

Pamela instructed me to ponder not what was muscularly right (habit) but what was free –less muscularly  engaged – and light (a healthier habit ). Freedom from muscular contraction was massively difficult after working so hard for so long in my dancing career. If I wasn’t doing something muscular throughout my whole body, what was I doing? This applied to both dancing and the daily, more pedestrian ways of moving.

It turned out that knowing the structure of my skeleton was one of the pieces of information I was missing. Then, learning to use my body in a way that honored that structure. And then allowing my mind and my body to be blank so that a new learning could take place, preventing the old inefficiencies from taking over. Those pesky, comfortable yet unwanted habits run deep.

Here’s what Pamela said in an interview about her own first lesson:

At my first lesson, I was touched and taught in a way I had never felt before. Instead of manipulating my body into some contorted form to be able to “dance,” I was gently coaxed to discover my own unique structure and mechanics. I felt who I was inside, which I had been tightening and trying to force into some distortion of the right way to be and move. Plus I was learning how structurally I was designed to function. It felt so good!!!

As I was taught by my first teacher, I am honored to pass on these life changing, comfort inducing experiences onto my students.  Click here to watch me working with my student Erin Marie Akin.

Watch for my workshop in September! I will be sending an outline in my next post.

If you want to find out more, book a lesson with me, either on Zoom or if you are in the NY/NJ area at my studio in Montclair, NJ. Please use my contact form, tell me about yourself and leave your availability. I will respond within 24 hours.

If you know others who may benefit from reading my blog, please forward.

How do you think about your posture?

7/5/2018

When I was a young ballet dancer, people commented on how straight my posture was – no misappropriated curves in my spine (actually few curves altogether!), basically straight. I would hear “you have such good posture”. I thought I did and so did they.

The truth is that none of the above mentioned qualities were examples of good posture – especially outside of the studio and stage.

Dancers, musicians, singers, and athletes can all develop habits while pursuing their passion and unknowingly pile on interferences. They may be in the form of stress both mental and physical and recruiting the wrong muscles for the job prohibiting the needed muscular effort elsewhere.

If interference persists, pain, ache, tightness and injury may be the result. I was surely there 15 years ago.

We still talk about good posture as an important contributor to health and wellbeing. What is less talked about, though, are the potential pitfalls of our belief around good posture.

Do these statements ring true?

Having good posture means a straight neck and spine.
Having good posture means that you are “doing” something.
Having good posture means that you are pulling up.
Having good posture means that you are very relaxed.

If we take statements 1, 2 and 3 as inaccurate, would the contrasting #4 be accurate?
The answer is a definite NO. Very relaxed is probably collapsed or another form of compression.

So, how in the heck can we improve our posture if our potential ‘fixes’ are all counterproductive?

Exactly!

Most postural recommendations arise out of a sense of ‘doing’ something. The problem is that when we try to correct our posture by physically doing it, we are accessing what we already know quite well – OUR HABITS. Oh dear, we are often back to square one.

Posture, or how we move ourselves in our lives can be tricky. Here are some common approaches. See if you can spot yourself.

Stiffening or bracing. (Vertebrae are held in place with little flexibility. Movement restricted)
Pulling down. (Vertebrae are compressing. Movement restricted).
Knowingly or unknowingly holding your breath to “keep everything together”. Movement restricted because your diaphragm and ribs are not moving.
Keeping your neck ‘straight’ and tall. See # 1.

Here is what I know from years of training and teaching:

Good posture comes from a belief that our thinking can be a powerful conscious tool that can modulate the tone in our body. (BTW, we are doing that anyway- but it is unconscious).
We can modulate the tone in our body by understanding oppositions and by recognizing habits of tension that interfere with automatic uprightness. Look to toddlers and animals for this!
Good posture includes an awareness of our pattern of breathing. Do we breath shallowly, breathe in and out with unnecessary tension, or barely at all?

Every one of us yogini's, dancers, tennis players, musicians or singers can improve our level of performance by doing more thinking and doing less doing.
If this seems unfamiliar – you are right – but that is the point.

If you want to find out more, book a lesson with me, either on Zoom or if you are in the NY/NJ area at my studio in Montclair, NJ. Please use my contact form below , tell me about yourself and leave your availability. I will respond within 24 hours.

Oops, I did it.... again!!

6/26/2018

If you never have pain or soreness , don’t read on.

But if you are like most of us humans — myself included, you will push yourself to a point that is too far beyond your challenge zone.

I grew up in a middle class German ancestry family where pain and suffering was a way of life. Suffering was viewed as not just human but necessary in order to grow, toughen up and live life. Courage in the face of hardship was an attribute so respected that I learned early on to implicitly move towards suffering in order to activate my courage. It is no wonder I was able to become a professional ballet dancer and withstand the inherent discomfort built into such a physically demanding and athletic art form.

This paradigm has remained with me in varying forms. After practicing the principles of F.M. Alexander’s discovery there was a shift away from it. But, that overdoing nagger is half asleep waiting to wake up when I least expect it.

A recent illustration of this occurred in a ballroom lesson where my partnered choreography was demonstrated by another female teacher. It looked pretty cool and I thought – I can do that. The next lesson, I did and should not have. Dizziness followed me home and I was glad I had time to lie down before teaching my next student.

If I had tempered my enthusiasm and become more attuned to what I was doing in that moment, I would have saved myself from suffering – yet again.

Yet, soreness is a normal outcome of using new muscles to move our skeleton. But that is different from doing things that you know may be injurious to you. You may need to reconsider your approach to movement.

Here are 3 Ways to do that:

Be in the moment and notice what is happening in your body.
Be aware of overriding what you notice. Important!
Practice freeing the neck part of your spine. If you find it difficult to let go I can help you to do just that.

If you would like to unlock patterns of tension, and move with more ease and less muscular effort, book a lesson with me, either on Zoom or if you are in the NY/NJ area at my studio in Montclair, NJ. Please use my contact form below, tell me about yourself and leave your availability. I will respond within 24 hours.

Is google good for our nervous system?

6/2/2018

still point inducer

Imagine over dinner, you and a friend are trying to remember the name of an unusual named object and you both know what it is, BUT….., you simply can’t come up with it. It is on the tip of your tongues.

(This very scenario happened in a lesson last week between my student and me).

One of you comes up with the second word, INDUCER – yes that’s it and….the first is….?

Nothing comes to mind!

We can choose to go right to the google search bar and type in “INDUCER the thing that goes on your occiput”.

And voila! Here it is:

No more wondering; mystery solved – STILL POINT. The information was quickly accessed, but the brains potential to recall was impeded. Hmmm..

I thought, what if we wait a bit and don’t challenge our nervous systems to remember in this very instant, but let it marinate for awhile while the brain continues to wonder?

Although difficult, I managed to inhibit my desire to google it. And impressively, she did too!

That day, 3 hours later, I was taking a walk and Still Point, literally popped into my brain. I wasn’t trying to recall it, but there it was. We’ve all been there and it’s a bit weird.

The internet paired with google is a godsend to us curious humans who want more information quickly. It is unequivocally a huge money/time saver. But, I’m wondering what can be gained from letting our brains process tip of the tongue moments the good old fashioned way. Not google, not even that anachronistic thing called an encyclopedia.

But googling how ‘google it’ affects our nervous system returns few results.

Ironic, huh?

I did find this one:

Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains.

The author, Nicolas Carr shares his own experience:
“….what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski”.

In Alexander discovery terms, here is how the availability of 24/7 instantaneous access to all information affects our nervous system:

Although we are in the moment, we are too rapidly adding information to our limited mental space.
Eventually, our nervous system becomes habituated to being forced to react in a staccato manner all the time.
We are living in a version of fight or flight.

Changing habits rewires our nervous system. I help people do this every day to feel better. Whether it is creating more ease and flow in your daily life or your favorite activity, there is a toolkit available to you 24/7 once you spend some time noticing what you are already doing that is working against you.

I'd like to thank the Internet AND google for helping me create this blog!!

If you want to find out more, book a lesson with me, either on zoom.com or if you are in the NY/NJ area at my studio in Montclair, NJ. Please use my contact form, tell me about yourself and leave your availability. I will respond within 24 hours.

Could un-learning be the best learning?

5/10/2018

Learn, learn, learn....

It's a noble process that feeds our soul and ego.

Learn a new skill to improve yourself, learn French, or add a checkmark to a long delayed To Do list.

But what if unlearning makes learning so much more efficient?

When I started my training in un-learning, I had no idea how challenging it would be - days of confusion, and wanting that old model of 'you do this and then this happens', period.

As a dancer I had to execute, practice, learn new choreography, and acquire better technique. It served me well, until my body started to complain.

But I soon discovered that unlearning habits that are creating impediments is truly the organic method of moving forward with ease. The world opened up in a way that I did not anticipate.

As I went to my AT training each day, the only requirement was to bring my curiosity. No conclusions, no remembering, no testing myself or getting anxious about not having accomplished enough. Does that sound luxurious to you? I came to love this process and I began to see real results. Yes, my friend, unlearning creates results.

Here's one example: In a recent lesson, we discussed the smooth frame - each partner reducing the habit of compressing to maintain the hold - replacing it with thinking expansion through the shoulder girdle and widening in the whole torso. It's going well. This all by thinking - try it!

I continue to work with my students in this way.......identifying ingrained habits and selecting new thinking to replace them.

Here's another more pedestrian example: Using your cell phone - compressing your neck to look down at your phone and tightening in your hip joints. Wow - this does sound familiar. And, we've been visually conditioned to see this collective habit as RIGHT. But hey, what if we just changed our way of using our phones by NOT compressing.

Then, that would seem RIGHT. Right? I will definitely go out on a limb and say that right is also respectful of how we are designed.

If you suffer from physical discomfort both in and out of the ballroom, I can teach you how to care for yourself for the rest of your life!

If you want to find out more, book a lesson with me, either on zoom.com or if you are in the NY/NJ area at my studio in Montclair, NJ. Please use my contact form below, tell me about yourself and leave your availability. I will respond within 24 hours.

If you know others who may benefit from reading my blog, please forward.

Can we learn from a weeping willow tree? (But hold the weeping!)

4/24/2018

My home is located just steps away from what I consider my own park. It’s small yet private – me and my neighbors walk – with or without their dogs – bike, run and alas, during the dark hours when the weather is warm appear handfuls of teenagers doing illegal things. Of course, to an extent, these are rights of passage for many teenagers. Full disclosure, I was a Mom who was shocked that my child was one once. But now I am grateful that this was (probably?) the worse shenanigans under my watch.

But I digress….

There is a small lake with a gushing water fountain and this newly sprouted young willow tree:

I love the movement of its wispy leaves wafting in the breeze, a once barren stick now usefully providing the spine to its appendage leafy branches, moving freely through the wind.

It is probably not lost on most of us that our bodies are much like this willow tree. Our spine gives stability and support so that our arms and legs can extend both up, down and widen outwards, filling up the external space because our center is organized, strong and free at the same time.

One of my students is introducing the willow tree into his kinesthetic experience by observing habitual holding patterns that restrict the spirals, oppositions and free breathing that our bodies seek. The concept of non-doing is not yet a consistent new habit, but he is most definitely learning the well known adage, work smarter, not harder. Pause and think to challenge assumptions about what is required for us to move.

In the Alexander Technique world we are identifying the interferences (working harder) that we can then give up, opening the door for thinking about how we are approaching a new movement, dance style, or daily activities that are unavoidable in order to feed ourselves, walk, brush our teeth, comb/dry our hair, et cetera. Can we do what we are doing with less doing? Less muscular effort that serves to free our skeleton to move with an economy of effort?

If you want to see uninterfered with movement, watch a 4 year old pick up an object and look at it. They will flex their joints and lengthen their torsos away from their lower body. This is what we did when we were 4, 5 ad 6 before the longer hours of sitting at desks encouraged us to compress and pull down.

But our 4 year old selves can be re-awakened and re-educated, reminding us of how we used ourselves in life before sitting, trauma, both emotional and physical and poor emerging habits caused compression, pain and discomfort.

Learn to move like a Willow tree!

I can help you.

If you want to find out more, book a lesson with me, either on zoom.com or if you are in the NY/NJ area at my studio in Montclair, NJ. Please use my contact form below, tell me about yourself and leave your availability. I will respond within 24 hours.

Lose phone, reduce stress

4/2/2018

On Sunday, my cell phone went missing. I was sure it was in my house but after looking in all intuitive and non-intuitive places – nothing!

Oh my. This is my everything phone, both personal and business. I will spare you the details around this loss and talk about the shock of the loss and an interesting silver lining to an upsetting mystery.

On Monday, I was still looking for it, but I needed to be out doing errands for a few hours. As I started the car the glaring ‘bluetooth connection failed’ appeared and became yet another reminder that my Iphone was indeed in a location unknown to me .

My phone addiction – no awareness until now – was beginning to kick in and thoughts of missing family ’emergency’ calls and prospective client inquiries was unsettling. Texting was out, weather and time checking (no wristwatch here!), and of course no opening all those important dinging emails begging immediate attention. (Delete, delete, and delete…)

By the time I got to the third errand, boy did my nervous system calm down! My un-tetheredness to my device was morphing into the realization that “I am happily minus a familiar, habitual YET now conscious stimulus that creates a tension filled non stop startle“. By removing it, I experienced freedom of movement, And a freedom of thought.

Being aware of nervous system states and the means to modify them adds a welcome discovery to my own predicaments. But not always……think the shoemakers children have no shoes.

BUT, in this case I immediately noticed space, expansion, calm and a clear contrast to my previous phone dependent nervous errand run. I breathed, smelled the roses (in the grocery store), and felt my senses come alive. (I’m not making this up!)

So, remove interferences in order to change inefficient patterns. Hmmm…..Did I unconsciously lose my phone in order to consciously teach myself a lesson? Maybe. This I will never know for sure.

But, for sure the experience of calm and breathe that appeared due to the absence of a strong stimulus was a powerful reminder that we always have a choice.

I feel fortunate that somewhere in the netherworld a choice was made for me this time and I was the lucky recipient.

So will I replace my phone? Of course! I am now thinking about getting an upgrade status, with no upgrade available. Bring the price down. Get the best deal.

But I am also planning to schedule phone moratoriums where I can be untethered for longer periods of time, smell the roses (again in the grocery store), enjoy what I am doing in the moment.

Sorry Iphone, we’re separating……..more often.

Do you have a habitual excess of muscular tension that you would like to reduce or eliminate? Please leave your comments I can help you – it’s what I do for others (if not always for myself!)

If you'd like to book a lesson with me either through Zoom.com or at my studio in Monclair, NJ, click on the contact form below.

the thing about mental pressure

3/24/2018

Being a performer for many years and then taking up competitive ballroom dancing at a mature age, I thought that my nerves would be tamped down and chill during comps. I was wrong.  Maybe you are not a performer but find that you avoid public speaking like the plague. You feel put on the spot, anxious about remembering what you have set out to say.

But, certain conditions can mediate or eliminate the very nerves that can interfere with a free, rehearsal repeated speech or routine. And it has to do with self imposed pressure……and isn’t all mental pressure self imposed?

There seems to be an unexpected reduction of self pressure when the very element of winning is perceptually removed. The pressure of winning is out of the question because of an initial poor performance, or a confluence of events that seems to make winning unlikely.

As for the later, I can recount a recent experience at the NY Dance Festival. I started the comp with only 2 hours sleep the night before and soon realized that the number of dances I would be doing was more like 2 or 3 times the number I signed up for. There were semi-finals, finals and some hidden ones I did not take note of.

For those reasons, I felt that going for a win was beyond consideration. I just wanted to stand up in my last heat! (It took some grit, but I did and won 2nd place in my first gold comp in scholarship round and 3rd place in championship round). I wouldn’t recommend these conditions, but it is interesting to note how a reduction in self imposed pressure plays out.

Similarly, Nathan Chen the favorite to win gold in the men’s singles ice skating competition fumbled and fell badly in his short program. Pretty much a disaster. There was almost no chance that he could finish on the podium. Here’s what he said after the short program:  “Regardless, I am going to be nervous,” he said. “It was the same pressure I always put on myself.  Honestly, it was bad . I made as many mistakes as I possibly could have.”

But, in his long program, we wondered if this would be another embarrassing repeat of the short program. It could not have been more opposite. He landed every single jump, quad or otherwise and even threw in a 6th quad for good measure. He finished off the podium but moved impressively from 17th to fifth.

So how could this be? Remember that Chen also had a poor skate in the team competition and then followed up with the bad short skate. By the time the long program rolled along, he had nothing to lose – except his nerves around winning. He was more relaxed and able to plug into his rehearsals and training, allowing his nervous system to quiet and his muscles to coordinate.

The reason for the first two unexpected performances? According to Nicole W. Forrester, an Olympian and a registered mental performance consultant who wrote the article excerpted below:

“They are catapulted from minimal attention to intense media focus, which can make the athletes feel like they’re being scrutinized and judged.  This new attention can shift their focus on the need to win and away from what will allow them to be successful — the process.”

Aha! This is something I can help you with. Being in the moment, staying in the process, the pressure of winning is all in the future – you can only be in this moment, literally. Easier said than done, but a rich endeavor that, yes, can help you be successful in whatever you do!

If you want to find out more, book a lesson with me, either on zoom.com or if you are in the NY/NJ area at my studio in Montclair, NJ. Please use my contact form below, tell me about yourself and leave your availability. I will respond within 24 hours.

One tiny tweak that can improve your posture no matter what you do

3/14/2018

When I started taking Alexander Technique lessons 18 years ago I had little awareness of how subtle this tweak thing was. I spent a lot of time trying to fix myself around the technique but after awhile I understood the consequences of utilizing a thinking process as a way to enjoy a kinesthetic change.

Every day I am honored to pass this on to my students!

So here’s the definition of tweak: Tweak; to improve (a mechanism or system) by making fine adjustments to it.

How can this tiny tweak help our posture?

Your head is heavy – around 14 pounds – your whole spine enjoys the length that a balanced head/neck invites . Muscles in the neck need to let go so the head can poise. Forget about position.

So, the fine adjustment that defines ‘tweak’ is really a letting go?

Imagine what happens when you ‘tweak’a mechanism or even a process. Take computer coding; Programmers use the term elegance to explain the seamlessness of a well running program. And they are continually ‘tweaking’ the code to distill it down to just what is needed to operate smoothly.

Another example: Discovering that a slightly loosened screw creates just enough ‘wiggle room’ to build in better balance, and stability to that bench or other structure you are putting together.

Yes, an awareness of what you are doing and what you can give up.

Yeah, I know – this is not what you are used to. Working hard is well, working hard and universally rewarded. But what we are seeking is the impression and possession of ease, balance and grounding.

Yet, if we can manifest these qualities by giving up selectively targeted muscular tension, we can attain what we are seeking and……It involves….

…….One, Tiny, Tweak.

Here are 5 reasons why it can make a demonstrable difference in your posture:

It is quite simple…..when you think about it.
It involves not doing something (Read: take a break from working so hard!).
It is kinesthetically pleasureable.
It promotes good health, away from dis-ease.
The tiny tweak impacts your whole body.

In lessons, I can show you through my hands what this tweak feels like.

It’s freeing.
It’s a self care tool that you can use anytime you choose.
You can apply it to any movement, stillness or an entire ballroom competition!

But habits run deep and lessons provide a continuous reminder of what new habits can be learned and taken on as the new normal.

Back and neck pain becomes the small passenger in the rear view mirror, no longer in the front seat!

If you want to find out more, book a lesson with me, either on zoom.com or if you are in the NY/NJ area at my studio in Montclair, NJ. Please use my contact form, tell me about yourself and leave your availability. I will respond within 24 hours.

How's your conditioning?

3/2/2018

How’s your conditioning? It’s not just physical….

I used to think that conditioning only referred to activities such as exercise, body work, and all manner of movement in support of what we choose to do outside. We talk a lot about forming a strong and flexible back, lats that are willing to be activated in a tennis forehand or spiraling to pick up an object in a tight spot,

Tennis, or pilates or yoga, or you name it is an athletic endeavor . So, the idea is to best use ourselves in a way that we can demand more ourselves often by doing less.

Conditioning exercises offer weight work, stretching, cardio and a multitude of workout expressions (think The Barre Method, Pilates, Yoga, Gyrokinesis/tonics, biking, running, swimming, the list goes on and let’s not forget Pole dancing -I hear another great workout, although I have never tried it!).

Any of these assist our chosen activities in a way that gives us more physical fitness. All good.

But I am also thinking about conditioning in a new way. Here is a definition via Merriam Webster:

A simple form of learning involving the formation, strengthening, or weakening of an association between a stimulus and a response

Ha! Amazing, Merriam Webster must have known about FM Alexander’s troubles trying to find out how to stop contracting his neck muscles before reciting Shakespeare!!
To cut to the chase, so much what we do is governed by our learning and our conditioning within that learning.

Our conditioning, or habitual reaction is strong and ingrained. We react all day long, but in a split second, unconsciously. It is a very useful approach to recognize the familiar, right feeling thing that isn’t working for us anymore, and then take a pause and think about doing something different, however new and unfamiliar.

Another way of practicing change and recognizing conditioned habits is to sit and meditate in unconditioned awareness. In this way, we are in the present, not the past, not the future but being just now, in the moment. I have become acclimated to this simple yet supremely powerful way of being. If you meditate, you already know the value of pausing.

The work of our chosen passion/activity, whatever you want to call it is not only sweat born out of hard work, but being curious about the habits that get in the way. I always do better when I remove something that interferes rather than adding something.

If you are curious about this, book a lesson with me in my Montclair studio or online via zoom.com You can contact me here, tell me about your pain, discomfort or desire to change something:

Student Reflections

I had no idea how profound this work would be! Of course most of it has to do with Bette’s expertise and innate sense of what I need. It was like magic – my head no longer felt heavy and my jaw, shoulders and neck were free of tension. Through common sense and subtle reminding without actually DOING, I have been able to address my unconscious habits which have freed my body and thus my emotional state considerably. I highly recommend this work for everyone who moves!
Susan Borofsky
Singer

I had struggled with pain for a few years - rotator cuff disease, carpal tunnel in both hands, and pain in one of my legs that was sometimes so bad that I could barely walk. A friend whose daughter is an Alexander teacher had been urging me to go for a couple of years, but I resisted the idea until last December when physical therapy wasn't working and I thought I might need back surgery. I sent out some inquiries and Bette responded and even fit me in for a session just before the holidays. The results are way beyond expectations. My pain is so much better, I've been able to decrease the medication by over half, and I never have trouble walking. The sessions are enjoyable, and I always learn something. Bette is professional, kind, and has a great sense of humor. I'm only sorry it took me so long to get there!
Phyllis Zoon, Pastor

It is really important to choose the right instruction tailored to your needs. Bette’s extensive movement background coupled with her acute sensitivity and gentle style put me at ease immediately. Starting off on that note allowed me to be the most receptive in getting a lot out of each session.
Terri Gelenian-Wood
Artist/Silversmith

“I believe this work helps the nervous system to unload habitual patterns of movement and provides opportunities to discover new ones.” I leave sessions feeling significantly more relaxed. Sitting, standing and moving with less tension has great implications. Bette brings her knowledge, experience and insight to each session while making it a fun experience.
Rebekah Frome
Structural Integrationist

I’m a yoga teacher and I really thought I knew my body. But Bette was able to reveal more of me to myself. Alexander Technique is a great way to get to know your habits and your blindspots; I use the new awareness I learned from Bette every day!
Emma Magenta
Yoga Instructor/Acupuncturist

I finally learned what “stand up straight” and “sit up straight” means. Until I worked with Bette, I was completely confused about my posture – I didn’t know what to do with my neck, my shoulders, anything! And most importantly – I learned what I was doing that was the root cause of my excruciating neck pain — and I licked it. Before I met Bette, I was considering neck surgery – I just couldn’t take the constant pain from my herniated disks. After working with her for a few months the pain went away, and never came back.!
Judy Hoffstein
Consultant

“I have become aware of how I “organize” my body through stillness and movement. I have begun to see that “organization” as something thru which I can move into towards greater support, freedom and less tension. Alexander work – a gentle and profound process has illuminated for me how we tend to rely upon habitual ways of bracing our bodies through life. I have come to see those patterns as a box. Alexander work presents a way out of the box.”
Jeanne Heinzer
Founder and President of Heinzer Consulting

“Studying AT with Bette, I am no longer suffering from a repetitive strain injury (I can play the saxophone pain free again) and, wonder of wonders, the chronic pain that I’ve had for a number of years in my right hip has disappeared.”
Steven Hartman
Attorney/Saxophonist

Lessons in the Alexander Technique made me conscious of how I was using my body. It helped me understand how to do things in a more efficient way without hurting or exerting unnecessary muscles.
Carol Meiseles
Violinist/Teacher

My work with Bette began many weeks before my first lesson with her. I was suffering from back pain and was making some choices about my care, not sure which direction to turn. I wanted to re-connect with Alexander Technique because I had studied it in my 20s and found it transformative.

Knowing no one in the area (my teacher had been in New York City and moved away many years ago), I found her practice on the internet and phoned her. She was leaving her house, but arranged to call me back. She did so and her generosity was evident immediately as her thoughtful questions and conversation made me feel listened to and respected. She even emailed me pointers for “Constructive Rest” so that I could begin to get some of the AT benefits even before my first session. I thought, “Wow! She is helping me before any money has been paid. And she doesn’t know me!” If you’ve grown up in New York and New Jersey, you know how rare that is.

She spoke with me a second time as well and she again gave me the benefit of her experience with some advice about movement/exercise. We also discussed some logistics about travel and cost (I do not have a car and was in a stressful place financially). Again, her thoughtfulness was so evident, that I made up my mind that she was the right teacher for me. I called to schedule an appointment within a few weeks.

Bette’s studio is a light-filled, lovely space that makes one feel better just by being there. Her manner is respectful, warm and intelligent. I have a personal history that makes a sense of safety of key importance. I felt within one session that Bette was not only very skilled, but very safe as well. She also has a great sense of humor!

I cannot say enough about Bette’s excellent work, her kindness and professionalism. I recommend her whole-heartedly as a teacher and as an individual.
Douglas Oxenhorn,
Teacher

"Paying attention to how I hold my body and how I move helped me with my long hours of sitting in front of a computer. The attention to form and alignment that I learned in my lessons also improved my yoga practice. Practicing awareness of how I hold tension in my body and breath helped me manage my stress and anxiety better.

Bette is a wonderful teacher with great energy. Alexander Technique is a subtle practice, and she does an excellent job tailoring the lesson to each student’s abilities and understanding. She’s very positive and encouraging. I always leave a session feeling better than when I got there."
Grace Dadoyan
IT Professional/Yoga Practitioner

What I love most in working with Bette is how she is able to show me through completely nonjudgmental observation, words, gentle and informed touch, where the strain is in my doing and what it feels like to enjoy the ease of doing. For example, as she guided my walking, I learned immediately how I tighten and strain my neck muscles and what it feels like to just allow my head to rest easily on top of my spine, inviting delicious ease and alignment. When Bette gets me on her table and rearranges my head, neck and limbs, it’s as if she has triggered a resetting of my muscle memory back to the carefree, limber, physically integrated child (or even baby) that I once was.
Wendy Dolber
Option Method Practitioner

What Health Professionals Say About The Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique remains the best of the self care strategies to prevent the sequel of poor posture and poor breathing.
Harold Wise, MD, PC New York, NY

The Alexander Technique stresses unification in an era of greater and greater medical specialization. Its educational system teaches people how to best use their bodies in ordinary action to avoid or reduce unnecessary stress and pain. It enables clients to get better faster and stay better longer. This is undoubtedly the best way to take care of the back and alleviate back pain.
Jack Stern, MD, PhD
Neurosurgical Group of Westchester White Plains, NY

I found the Technique to be so beneficial in my condition that I have been referring patients in certain situations for Alexander lessons over the last several years.
Howard L. Rosner, MD Director, Pain Management Service The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center New York, NY

Lessons in the Alexander Technique taught me how to sit in a state of lumbosacral poise, and my chronic low back pain gradually became cured. The Technique is true education. Compared to surgery (e.g., for low back pain or for chronic obstructive lung disease) a course of instruction is inexpensive.
John H.M. Austin, MD
Professor of Radiology; Chief, Division of Radiology Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center New York, NY

I think I have given my patients something almost as good as magic. I have taught them what to do and not do when their backs give them trouble, and how to reduce unnecessary stress and pain. As a result, they no longer have to feel afraid and helpless when back pain occurs. Many consider themselves cured because they have been able to return to an active, normal lifestyle.
Deborah Caplan, PT
certified Alexander Technique teacher
author of Back Trouble

Not only do I see the therapeutic benefits of this work with various patient problems, but it has helped me deal effectively with my own adverse muscular tension. I continue to experience a newfound freedom of movement in my own body that I believe is making me a more effective therapist.
Howard W. Makofsky, MS, OCS
Mastic Beach, NY

In addition to its physiologic and musculoskeletal benefits, the Alexander Technique is extremely helpful in relieving the psychological states of depression and anxiety that so often accompany chronic pain and disease. It is my belief, based on professional experience, that the Alexander Technique should be part of all preventative health and education programs. It is as basic as good nutrition.
Jill Sanders, DO
New York, NY

The Alexander Technique makes sense in that appropriate use of the body will lead to reduction of various musculoskeletal disorders and remediate others which are established. No equipment is needed, just the skill and training of the teacher. This technique is very worthwhile as a primary preventative therapy. It is especially useful when posture is a key factor in back injuries while lifting and for workers who perform repetitive tasks while sitting.
Robert D. Greene, MD
Emergency Department, Norwalk Hospital Norwalk, CT

I recommend people to the Alexander Technique who have not improved with traditional rehabilitative therapies. Part of their pain may be due to posture and the improper use of their bodies. Many people who have neck or back pain and have gone through heat, ultrasound and massage with no relief can be helped by learning the Alexander Technique. It definitely works. Nothing works for everyone, as one well-versed in using physical therapy and biofeedback, I know how valuable this technique is. I highly recommend it.
Barry M. Scheinfeld, MD
Specialist in Rehabilitation Medicine and Pain Management Community General Hospital, Harris, NY

The Alexander Technique has been very helpful in identifying the postural and breathing habits that contribute to my fatigue and muscle soreness. I found it a good value: cost effective, making me less dependent on chiropractors and more comfortable at work.
Douglas J. Bush, DMD
Chester, NJ

When, in spite of my instruction, a patient is having difficulty understanding how to make changes in habitual movement patterns or has a profession with particular physical demands, I typically suggest the Alexander Technique. I have found it very helpful for patients who have low body awareness or who have trouble relaxing. Improvement in these areas facilitates many physical therapy modalities, especially cervical spine joint mobilization.
Gail King, PT, MS
Backtec Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy New York, NY

The Complete Guide To The Alexander Technique: Medical And Scientific Endorsements and Research

This site contains case studies related to the Alexander Technique and Parkinson’s Disease, physical therapy and respiratory functioning.