El Sr. Alexander....entiende que lo psíquico y lo físico siempre están interaccionando, a veces de una manera obvia y otras inconscientemente. Uno tiene que inhibir la rutina muscular familiar y casi inconsciente para dar paso a la nueva , bien planeada, coordinación conciente. Me parece de fundamental invención del Sr. Alexander haber encontrado la manera de hacerlo. Primero te muestra tu general incapacidad de disociar y controlar tus movimientos; luego te da ciertas órdenes para lograr relajar el cuello, la posición de la cabeza, el alargamiento del cuerpo y la ampliación de la espalda. Al comienzo son meras aspiraciones, ya que tenés prohibido hacer algún intento de llevarlas a cabo muscularmente, por la simple razón de que tus viejos hábitos no te permitirán realizarlo. De hecho no sabés realmente que es relajar tu cuello, alargar el cuerpo o ampliar la espalda...
El Sr. Alexander procede literalmente a remodelar al paciente, primero sentado y luego parado. Él dedica su atención al cuello, al bajo torax y al abdomen, pero observa que las piernas estén relajadas. Presionando, empujando, tirando, alargando y reajustando - todo muy suave y persuasivamente - te devuelve a la forma, creciendo de vez en cuando y viéndote desde la distancia, como un escultor podría ver el progreso de su trabajo. Este proceso tiene un efecto doble, aparentemente: gradualmente aumenta tu discernimiento muscular y al mismo tiempo la coordinación correcta que él realiza tiende a que perdure y se convierta en habitual. Lentamente entendés que las sensaciones en tu espalda y el control consecuente crecen. Te sentás y te parás con gran facilidad y satisfacción. Aprendés a discriminar y separar actos musculares...para agarrar una silla sin implicar a los músculos de la parte alta de los brazos o de los hombros, para dirigir tus piernas sin usar los músculos abdominales o contrayendo el cuello...Al final uno aprende a "cobrar ánimo", y lo que es mejor, a mantenerse hacia arriba, pararse; preferir una postura apropiada a una equivocada...
traducción del libro de M.Bloch "F.M.The life of Frederick Matthias Alexander"
Acá está la versión en inglés, si alguien tiene algunas sugerencias en la traducción por favor no duden en hacer el comentario...
ResponderEliminarMr Alexander . . . is patient and gentle, and with the traditions of an actor, each new audience of one comes to him as a fresh opportunity to explain and illustrate his art. He does not have to undress you or ask you what is the matter with you... Your obviously faulty posture and movements immediately strike his keen, experienced eye ... He invites no violent exercise - indeed, would have you refrain for a time from exercise, since it but serves to reinforce old and vicious habits. He does not force the change of mind and posture, but bids you have good hope that, by projecting the orders he suggests, and reforming your bodily ambitions, and recognizing the vicious nature of your former habits and aspirations, you will, after twenty or thirty daily 'lessons' lasting ,half an hour each, find yourself, without intermitting your usual daily routine, a new person. But more than that, he promises that you will continue to improve when the lessons are over...
Mr Alexander...realizes that the psychic and the physical are always interplaying, sometimes obviously, usually unconsciously. One has to inhibit [one's] familiar and quite unconscious muscular routine in order to make way for the new, well-planned, conscious co-ordination. It seems to me to be Mr Alexander's fundamental invention to have hit upon an effective way of doing this. You are firstshown your general incompetence to disassociate and control your movements; then you are given certain fundamental orders in regard to the relaxing of the neck, the position of the head, the lengthening of the body and the broadening of the back. There are, however, at first mere aspirations, and you are forbidden to make any attempt to carry them out muscularly, for the simple reason that your old habits will not permit to you to do so. As yet you do not know what it is really to relax the neck, lengthen the body, or broaden the back...
Mr Alexander then proceeds literally to remodel the patient, first sitting and then in standing posture. He devotes his chief attention to the neck, lower thorax and abdomen, but sees to it that one's legs are properly relaxed. By pressing, pushing, pulling, stretching and readjusting - all quite gently and persuasively - he brings you back into shape, rising now and then to take a look at you from a distance, as a sculptor might view the progress of his work. This process has a double effect, apparently: it gradually increases your muscular discrimination, and at the same time the correct coordinations he makes tend to hold over and ultimately to become habitual. Slowly you realize that the sensations in your back and your consequent control are increasing. You sit and stand with ever greater ease and satisfaction. You learn to discriminate and separate muscular acts ... to grasp a chair without implicating the muscles of the upper arm or shoulder, to manage your legs without using the abdominal muscles or contracting the neck ... At last one has learned to 'brace up', and, what is more, to stay up; to prefer the right posture to the wrong...