Body Learning: The Alexander Technique

Robert Rickover

A podcast devoted to all aspects of the Alexander Technique, a method of learning how to release harmful tension and perform all your activities with greater ease and freedom.

  1. 4D AGO

    Concentration: Powerful Skill or Harmful Habit - Part 2

    Send us a text Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska talks with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware go into more detail F. M. Alexander's understanding why so many of us today are caught up in the harmful, narrow focus, type of concentration, and what the "solution" is in his view. Unfortunately it was next to impossible for most of his students to implement and moreover it disregarded the core principle that our body should be viewed as unified whole, not a collection of parts. It also reveals Alexander's misunderstanding of how our brain and nervous system work - not surprising given that he was writing a hundred years ago.  Nonetheless his "solution" continues to inform some Alexander Technique teaching methods today.  Imogen's website: https://ImogenRagone.com  Robert's website: https://AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com  More information about the Alexander Technique: https://AlexanderTechnique.com  Below are the links to the Introduction and the other 3 of our video conversations:  Introduction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdJfYYzJmg4  Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1loMyHGPU-w  Part 3- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB1Ed4F3N1E  Part 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5kZtkvZFp0 Below are the audio podcast versions of our conversation: Introduction: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833486-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-introduction Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17834255-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-1 Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833661-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-2 Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833713-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-3 Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833731-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-4

    18 min

  2. 4D AGO

    Concentration: Powerful Skill or Harmful Habit? - Introduction

    Send us a text Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska talks with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware in which we introduce our four conversations about the two types of concentration, why it is important to distinguish one from the other, and what F. M. Alexander had to say about them in his second book, "Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual". We discuss how this topic brings out aspects of F. M. Alexander's thinking - sometimes very good, and sometimes problematical - that have huge implications for how the Technique is taught today. We also discuss how potential Alexander Technique students may find that their concentration improves as a sort of "side-effect" of taking lessons for the usual reasons - back pain, stress, improving skill for performers and the like.  Imogen's website: https://ImogenRagone.com Robert's website: https://AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com  More information about the Alexander Technique: https://AlexanderTechnique.com  Below are the links to all four of our video conversations:  Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1loMyHGPU-w  Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-kO3UA6s7s  Part 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB1Ed4F3N1E  Part 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5kZtkvZFp0 Below are the audio podcast versions of our conversation: Introduction: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833486-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-introduction Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17834255-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-1 Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833661-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-2 Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833713-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-3 Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833731-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-4

    13 min

  3. 4D AGO

    Concentration: Powerful Skill or Harmful Habit? - Part 1

    Send us a text Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska talks with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware in which we outline F. M. Alexander's understanding of the harm caused by one type of concentration, and the sequence of events he believes brought us to this sad situation: Poor Use of people today leads to Mind Wandering which then leads to Concentration.  Imogen's website: https://ImogenRagone.com  Robert's website: https://AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com  More information about the Alexander Technique: https://AlexanderTechnique.com  Below are the links to the series Introduction and the other three video conversations:  Introduction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdJfYYzJmg4  Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-kO3UA6s7s  Part 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB1Ed4F3N1E  Part 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5kZtkvZFp0 Below are the audio podcast versions of our conversation: Introduction: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833486-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-introduction Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17834255-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-1 Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833661-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-2 Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833713-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-3 Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833731-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-4

    12 min

  4. 4D AGO

    Concentration: Powerful Skill or Harmful Habit? - Part 3

    Send us a text Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska talks with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware discuss the fact - and the implications of that fact - that most Alexander Technique teachers believe concentration is harmful, while most of the rest of the word think it's a good thing.  Imogen's website: https://ImogenRagone.com  Robert's website: https://AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com  More information about the Alexander Technique: https://AlexanderTechnique.com  Below are the links to the Introduction and the other 3 of our video conversations:  Introduction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdJfYYzJmg4 Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1loMyHGPU-w Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-kO3UA6s7s Part 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5kZtkvZFp0 Below are the audio podcast versions of our conversation: Introduction: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833486-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-introduction Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17834255-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-1 Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833661-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-2 Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833713-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-3 Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833731-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-4

    15 min

  5. 4D AGO

    Concentration: Powerful Skill or Harmful Habit? - Part 4

    Send us a text Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska talks with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware discuss F. M. Alexander's view of the underlying cause of the narrow focus concentration that is so prevalent today - namely our poor use of ourselves compared to that of "savages and wild animals".  Not an easy topic to talk about but very important if we want to understand Alexander's thought process. Imogen's website: https://ImogenRagone.com Robert's website: https://AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com More information about the Alexander Technique: https://AlexanderTechnique.com  Below are the links to the Introduction and the other 3 of our video conversations:  Introduction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdJfYYzJmg4 Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1loMyHGPU-w Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-kO3UA6s7s  Part 3- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB1Ed4F3N1E Below are the audio podcast versions of our conversation: Introduction: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833486-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-introduction Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17834255-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-1 Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833661-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-2 Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833713-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-3 Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833731-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-4

    18 min

  6. SEP 8

    An Alexander Technique teacher talks about how the AT helps her with her ongoing long COVID recovery

    Send us a text Rena Deveza, an Alexander Technique teacher in New York City, talks with Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska about her experiences with long COVID, and how the Alexander Technique has helped with the recovery process. Rena's website: https://alextechmanhattan.com Robert's website: https://alexandertechnique.com  More information about the Alexander Technique: https:/alexandertechnique.com  Resource suggestions from Rena:  Patient-Led Research Collaborative - https://patientresearchcovid19.com/covid19-patient-led-research-team/  #ME Action https://www.meartistsproject.com/ Articles: Fatigue Can Shatter a Person: Everyday tiredness is nothing like the depleting symptom that people with long COVID and ME/CFS experience. - https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/07/chronic-fatigue-long-covid-symptoms/674834/  One of Long COVIDF’s Worst Symptoms Is Also Its Most Misunderstood: Brain fog isn’t like a hangover or depression. It’s a disorder of executive function that makes basic cognitive tasks absurdly hard. - https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/09/long-covid-brain-fog-symptom-executive-function/671393/  Recent novel:  There’s Nothing Wrong with Her - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CLKZK173/?bestFormat=true&k=there%27s%20nothing%20wrong%20with%20her&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_k1_1_27_de&crid=1EW9HVQWNR57I&sprefix=there%27s%20nothing%20wrongwith%20  Missy Vineyard's book: - How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live: Learning the Alexander Technique to Explore Your Mind-Body Connection and Achieve Self-Mastery-  https://www.amazon.com/How-You-Stand-Move-Live-ebook/dp/B00D0UYB3E/ref=sr_1_1?crid=D6Q1AZVR6O27&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.paY6qwMbdZqiVnA29TS3FCPI8PXNxXto2BBX0F7bKIs.naZaPvhKMKDC7Bd2Ewp3GwxL1dwpzgj7VOceMl5p48Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=missy+vineyard&qid=1757267906&s=digital-text&sprefix=missy+vineyard%2Cdigital-text%2C103&sr=1-1

    47 min

  7. AUG 22

    Short Introduction to the Alexander Technique

    Send us a text Brief introduction to the Alexander Technique. More information: https://AlexanderTechnique.com

    1 min

  8. JUL 2

    Metronome Therapy and the Alexander Technique

    Send us a text Robert Rickover and Imogen Ragone talk about Metronome Therapy and how it can be useful to Alexander Technique students and teachers. Robert is an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska. Website: MomementCoaching.com Imogen is an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware. Website: BodyIntelligence.com  Original video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQufcmCty-c  More information about the Alexander Technique: AlexanderTechnique.com

    22 min
See All (570)

4.4
out of 5
43 Ratings

About

A podcast devoted to all aspects of the Alexander Technique, a method of learning how to release harmful tension and perform all your activities with greater ease and freedom.

Information

You Might Also Like