Anyone tried the Alexander Technique?

K

katherine1975

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 January 2010
Messages
1,787
Location
Devon
Visit site
I am thinking of having Alexander Technique sessions to improve my balance, posture and straightness when I ride. I have seen one person advertising Alexander Technique and then riding horse simulator to improve riding. Just wondering what other people think and if you have any experiences, good or bad?
 
I tried it once. I was on a riding course and they had an Alexander Technique person come and work with each of us one day. For some unfathomable reason I passed out cold about 1 minute into my session lol. I really and truly don't think its a common reaction though, didn't hurt or anything. She just went to do something to my head and over I keeled :confused: Other people on the course really felt it helped

Mind you I have fainted reading a book when I got to a nasty bit so its not that out of character! :D
 
I tried it many years ago, with a household name in the field. It was a 2-day course and was flipping expensive but we spent a vast amount of time sat on our backsides "walking" across the floor on our buttocks. We also learnt how to give one big snort down our noses to immediately remove all our confidence problems (honsetly!). Even if someone lent me a barge pole I wouldn't touch it!
 
I tried it, and though we didn't have to snort down our noses, it was all rather silly! If you want to improve your balance, posture and straightness and get your body more toned as well try yoga! Any decent instructor will be able to give you specific poses to help you with your riding too :)
 
I had Alexander lessons for about a year (not on the horse), and yes some of it did make you feel a bit silly, though don't recall having to walk across the floor on my behind or snort! That said, it is very relaxing and really makes you aware of your posture and bad habits. I have a long standing neck problem and during the time I was having Alexander lessons, I didn't have any headaches or need to see the chiropractor.

So I would def recommend it, though it is pricey.
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
I tried it many years ago, with a household name in the field. It was a 2-day course and was flipping expensive but we spent a vast amount of time sat on our backsides "walking" across the floor on our buttocks. We also learnt how to give one big snort down our noses to immediately remove all our confidence problems (honsetly!). Even if someone lent me a barge pole I wouldn't touch it!
Click to expand...

I've had alexander technique done a few times and nothing but nothing like this at all. Nothing. its all about releasing inner core muscle tension so the fact they had you moving at all would defeat the purpose. I think who ever you'd used clearly was either a total con artist or it was a different technique.
 
You'll probably find pilates more useful - a good pilates instructror will work on your posture as well as core strength, and if you tell her/him that you ride should be able to point out which exercises will be particularly relevant.
I've been having lessons for just over a year and it has massively increased my core strength which has put me in a better position in the saddle (I was a chronic tipper forward!)
I did have some alexander technique sessions a few years ago to help my bad back but found it just made me go to sleep :)
 
katherine1975 said:
I am thinking of having Alexander Technique sessions to improve my balance, posture and straightness when I ride. I have seen one person advertising Alexander Technique and then riding horse simulator to improve riding. Just wondering what other people think and if you have any experiences, good or bad?
Click to expand...

Yup I've had it done a few times and found it amazing. Its the strangest experience in that (if its done properly) will make you aware of inner core tension and as soon as you feel it you can relax it. I have quite rounded shoulders and my collar bones are not level. After I've have alexander done my back straightens, my arms actually hang correctly when im standing upright and my collar bones are aligned.

When I first had it done and got up I felt a bit woozy for a few seconds. And when I started walking it was really strange cause it felt like my body was about 4 stone lighter and what weight i did have was all in my feet so i was walking like a chicken. :D Only lasted a few minutes though.

My mum also had it done to see if it would help her golf and the results were incredible. She's always been very flexible but after breaking her shoulder a few years ago she can't rotate it very well. Doing Alexander gave her a fair bit of the rotation back again.

I'd give it a go. Even do it once and see how you feel. If I had the money I'd go every week. I love it and I had no idea how bad I was until I was fixed.
 
the lady who runs it does her clinics where i work and it looks very interesting, they start in the morning and have a theory session, then they use our mechanical horse and at the end they use our school horses, i might give it a go as it looks good and she always has a good amount of numbers
 
Thank you. I am going to try it, I do get neck and shoulder pain and know that my posture is not good. Saddle slips over to the right when I ride, horses get their backs done regularly but I guess we need sorting out too! Hopefully it will help, just having Alexanber Technique first and if I find it helps will have lesson on horse simulator as well.
 
There is a lot of bunkum talked about the Technique, and in fact it is simply a way of rebalancing yourself, mentally and physically, and part of this is by becoming more self aware so that you can change the things that we do that don't work for us.

I am training to be an Alexander Technique teacher and have ridden all my life. The reason I am now training is because only AT lessons (on the ground, not even on horseback) have given me the sense of freedom and grace on a horse that I enjoyed when I was much younger and fearless. It is all about not trying too hard and getting a flow. Nothing about bum shuffling or snorting!

The Technique is great for getting back to a general state of balance, and applies as much to everyday life as it does to riding. The habits that we develop start to get in our way more and more and because they are a habit, we don't notice they are there. The Technique shows up what habits we have and where they are unhelpful so that we can let them go and let our body get on with being balanced without us thinking that we have to organise ourselves all the time. It all means you can go about life and riding with much less effort that we think we need, which means lots more energy to play with! The horses really respond to the freedom we get from this and they move more freely too.

The other fantastic benefit is that if you have good balance in your body, your mind frees up and rebalances too.

The Technique is a skill like riding and you will find out as much about your riding by having some AT lessons as you would do if you had straightforward riding lessons, and the cost is comparable. If you do what you always have done, you will continue getting what you have always got, so it is only when you try something new that a different result may come about. Go for it - it is fun!
 
did it a few years back and it really helped me relax in the saddle and sit up..and it really helped the fizzy unbalanced horse I was riding to as its really about using ur whole body and not just ur legs and hands.. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top