MADERA HILLS RANCH UNDER CONTRACT FOR NOVEMBER SALE!!!!!

F. M. Alexander Technique

Personal Growth Opportunities


Are you becoming stiff and sore in the saddle and finding horseback riding less and less fun? Are you riding less often because of knee or lower back pain? Perhaps you are "pulling yourself down"  instead of "lightning up".  It could be you are unconsciously tensing your muscles to protect against a rough ride or imitate a certain riding style....USE AFFECTS FUNCTION....  Our neuromuscular system is designed to work with gravity.  Delicate balance of the head over the spine triggers the body's anti gravity response--a natural oppositional force that easily guides us upward and allows the spine and accompanying muscle system to lengthen and expand creating ease and lightness in movement.  The head/spine relationship--compressed or free--determines the quality of the body's overall coordination.  THIS IS WHAT MAKES ALEXANDER'S DISCOVERY (PRIMARY CONTROL) DIFFERENT FROM ANY BODY WORK TECHNIQUE OUT THERE.  IT IS SOMETHING YOU UNDO, RATHER THAN DO. 

From the February 3, 2003 Alpine Observer article by Jim Glendinning:

"The Alexander Technique describes itself thus: 'You work at a computer and by noon your back is hurting and your arm doesn't feel right.  You are an actor and when you perform on stage, your voice disappears and you have trouble remembering your lines.  You play tennis every week, have been doing so for ten years, and yet your game never seems to improve.  These are just a few examples of the ways our muscular habits shape our daily lives.  At exactly the times when most freedom is needed, we create tension instead - tension that interferes with healthy mental and physical functioning.'  How can we gain control over the habits causing this malfunction?  We are so accustomed to this tension that, unless we are in pain, we rarely notice it.  We need a new method to break us from the bad old habits and restore the body to a stress-free, natural posture, like when we were babies.

The Alexander Method applies equally to standing/walking/sitting and other daily activities as to riding.  Kate demonstrated to her other student,....from Ft. Davis, proper sitting and standing postures, using a chair at the side of the corral.  The intention is to use the appropriate amount of energy leftover for other things.  Adjusting her head to the right angle, Kate said, 'Lead with the head' and rose easily out of the chair to the standing position.  Turning back to the horses, she then demonstrated climbing into the saddle with one fluent, easy motion, maintaining a straight line with her body, in dire contrast with the grunts and strains I was expressing and experiencing as I heaved myself on to my horse.  By aligning the head with the spine and reducing tension, Kate was increasing her sense of weightlessness.  I was creating tension by poor body posture and abrupt movement.  I was tightening up and expending energy, while she was releasing tension and directing the energy.  The contrast in the exercise of climbing into the saddle could not have been more obvious."


                                                   




















ALEXANDER'S DISCOVERY:PRIMARY CONTROLL

We have a certain skeletal and muscle structure (just look at any muscle/skeletal drawing in an anatomy book) - beautifully symmetrical and complex like a fine watch - but do we use this architecture as it was designed?  For example:  ankles, knees, and hips are joints for movement, not for carrying weight, as most of us do by arching the lower back and tilting the pelvis forward. This mis-use can lead to pain and many problems.

The F.M. Alexander Technique applies to habitual tension patterns interfering with balance and poise and how this tension affects health, well-being, and day-to-day living.  Like our horses, much of our behavior is conditioned response.  Learning to let go of tension, restricting balance and movement, leads to natural posture and ease which in turns leads to a "natural seat" in riding.  Not only is the technique a valuable asset in equitation, but in  any activity pursued - such as, acting, singing, sports, playing a musical instrument - and is effective in reducing fatigue in an office environment.  Through a series of sessions, the student becomes aware of how muscle tension is "held" in the body, learns to "inhibit" that tension-response, and then to redirect through a thought-process to a new and improved use.  This technique becomes a tool for continued improvement.  The F.M. Alexander Technique is taught worldwide, having dynamic effects in schools of dressage and the performing arts, such as the Julliard School in New York, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. 

TESTIMONIALS:
1)
"Discovering the Alexander Technique has brought unexpected and continuing benefits.  In the past, I had ongoing issues with sinus headaches and nagging problems with my right knee and hip.  With Kate's expert quidance, I am more aware of how I move, sit, and walk and have learned to use "direction and intention" to self-correct many of the chronic problems.  I have even learned to properly lift a large suitcase into the overhead compartment of a plane successfully - and without strain to my shoulders or back."  Lorraine, Ohio

2)
"Alexander is a great compliment ot my Tai Chi practice as it refines the movements and enhances the benefits of Tai Chi for health and wellness.  Regular Alexander coaching helps to extend the benefits into daily practice to avoid stress of desk work or long drives.  I am grateful to have discovered Kate and her individualized approach to applying Alexander appropriately for each individual student."  Diane, Texas

Kate Vigneron, M.Ed., has been an instructor of the F.M. Alexander Technique since 1988. She  was certified in Europe by the Society of Teachers of the F.M. Alexander Technique of London and the American Society of the Alexander Technique, U.S.A.  She taught the technique in Europe until 1992 before moving to the Madera Hills Ranch in West Texas.

FOCUSING.....Kate is also a Certified Trainer of FOCUSING developed by Dr. Gendlin of the University of Chicago.  It is a step-by-step process of increasing self-awareness by paying attention to the bodily sensing of an event, situation, or problem.  It is the junction of mind/body where creative changes arise in self-growth, art and healing.

For more information, please feel free to email or call Kate Vigneron at 432-375-0296.