Alexander Technique with Penny O'Connor MSTAT http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk Alexander Technique Lessons in London and Alonnisos Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:12:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Hugh Jackman and the Alexander Technique http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2012/01/hugh-jackman-and-the-alexander-technique/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2012/01/hugh-jackman-and-the-alexander-technique/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:10:33 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=535 http://youtu.be/l10vmT9gwu0

a  youtube short film: Hugh being interviewed on the Actor’s Studio.

Most actors are trained in this quintessential work. It’s usually a kind of secret base they work from…..their centre.He looks pretty good on it!

 

 

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2012/01/hugh-jackman-and-the-alexander-technique/feed/ 0 A quote from Rumi http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/12/a-quote-from-rumi/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/12/a-quote-from-rumi/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:59:36 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=527 This quote reminds me of my own journey, although I don’t know if I’ve hit wisdom yet

‘Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world

Today I am wise, so I am changing myself’

seeing the light

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/12/a-quote-from-rumi/feed/ 0 Exercise, stretching and the Alexander Technique http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/11/exercise-stretching-and-the-alexander-technique/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/11/exercise-stretching-and-the-alexander-technique/#comments Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:34:20 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=522 Gerlad Foley a colleague of mine has done a talk and written a very interesting paper on this isssue at

  http://www.geraldfoley.co.uk/Pre-exercise%20stretching.pdf

It is not true that as AT teachers we are anti-exercise, but HOW we exercise, and some of the those savage ham string stretches before a football match may well be what causes the torn ligaments.

“stretching somehow increases tolerance to pain – that is it has an analgesic effect.  It does not seem prudent to decrease one’s tolerance to pain, possibly create some damage at the cytoskeletal level and then exercise this damaged anaesthetised muscle.” (Ian Shrier)

Gentle easy warm ups are the answer then.

‘So we tell our pupils that before they start exercising it is a good idea to stop and get rid of whatever tightening and pulling down they are doing, and allow themselves to lengthen and widen.  This brings their muscles into a state of lengthened and balanced equilibrium which is the best state to be in for doing the next thing.

  1. And if they are going to the gym or going to play squash or tennis, they should certainly go through a gradual warm-up to whatever level of activity they want.  And they should do this by gentle movement rather than violent pulling at themselves in static stretches.’  Gerald Foley

 

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/11/exercise-stretching-and-the-alexander-technique/feed/ 0 Lying down in semi-supine competition http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/10/lying-down-in-semi-supine-competition/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/10/lying-down-in-semi-supine-competition/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:49:31 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=519 I have started a competition for the best photo of semi-supine on my facebook group ‘I like lying down in semi supine’. The prize is the clock shown here, supplied by STAT.  All you have to do is join the group and put a photo up by December 1st, and you may win! My theatre students said it would be like ‘planking’ …..and plan to take pix of unusual places to lie down in…could be fun!

prize for competetion

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/10/lying-down-in-semi-supine-competition/feed/ 0 Alexander Technique and restaurants http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/10/alexander-technique-and-restaurants/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/10/alexander-technique-and-restaurants/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:42:55 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=517 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/restaurants/8838203/Restaurant-review-Cut-London.html

is a review of restaurant that mentions Alexander Technique if you keep reading….I clearly would be OK to sit in these chairs since I’ve been working with AT for 36 years now….we get more flexible as we get older! Yippee!

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/10/alexander-technique-and-restaurants/feed/ 0 alexander technique trial for neck and shoulder pain http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/10/alexander-technique-trial-for-neck-and-shoulder-pain/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/10/alexander-technique-trial-for-neck-and-shoulder-pain/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:10:57 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=512
library.constantcontact.com
 
Click on this to find out all about a new research protocol about to start comparing AT with acupuncture regarding neck and shoulder pain, funded by Arthritis Research UK.  Since it’s only just starting, it will be quite some time before we find out the results, but I am very hopeful and it will add to the growing evidence of AT as a useful tool to fighting muscular-skeletal disorders. I am personally interested as my Dad had rheumatoid arthritis and died before I was qualified to try and help him……

my dad

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/10/alexander-technique-trial-for-neck-and-shoulder-pain/feed/ 0 Alexander Technique Workshops in Alonnisos! http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/07/alexander-technique-workshops-in-alonnisos/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/07/alexander-technique-workshops-in-alonnisos/#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:38:12 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=485
eating fish at Kalamakia

My 3 workshops in June and July went very well indeed – see my facebook page ‘ alexander technique in greece’  for some photo albums of this.

Spaces left for workshop September 2nd – 9th. Still time to book.  See  www.alexanderingreece.com   for more details…….

Spiros was there too

our boat for the day

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/07/alexander-technique-workshops-in-alonnisos/feed/ 0 Rob Summers walks again http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/05/rob-summers-walks-again/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/05/rob-summers-walks-again/#comments Mon, 23 May 2011 09:20:52 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=483 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/20/paralysed-sports-star-steps-history-rob-summers

This is a very iteresting artcicle on someone paralysed, given the chance to walk again by attaching electrodes to the legs. What is clear they have learned that it is the legs and spinal cord that are the main drivers of walking – messages from the brain facilitate, but it is the weight transfer that is important. The article of course puts ut much more clearly than this brief summary and there’s a bigger report on this research in the Lancet linked in this article

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/05/rob-summers-walks-again/feed/ 0 Alexander Technique for musicians http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/05/alexander-technique-for-musicians/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/05/alexander-technique-for-musicians/#comments Sat, 21 May 2011 00:00:28 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=481 There’s a great new film short on youtube   http://youtu.be/hwKkbl-EzfQ  watching and listening to musicians in New York at Juilliard and Aspen who have had lessons with Lori Schiff.  Makes it very clear.

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/05/alexander-technique-for-musicians/feed/ 0 Robert Fripp and the Alexander Technique http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/05/robert-fripp-and-the-alexander-technique/ http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/05/robert-fripp-and-the-alexander-technique/#comments Mon, 16 May 2011 19:47:28 +0000 Penny O'Connor http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/?p=476 Robert clearly does Alexander Technique as this article suggests:
http://www.wvpubcast.org/blogs.aspx?id=20053&blogid=1536

Robert Fripp

]]> http://www.alexanderpen.co.uk/2011/05/robert-fripp-and-the-alexander-technique/feed/ 0