Ted McNamara Working with a Student

Post 100 Babyyyyyy!!!!!!

This is it.

The BIG BIG milestone.¹

Introducing Blog Post…

Three years ago I gave a lesson to Veeral Shah and he suggested that I start writing a blog - specifically on Substack - to try and get the word out on WTF I actually do! I hated the idea of just doing some marketing schtick, but it did pose a good question.

What do I do?

What is the Alexander Technique? and

How do you describe this to someone who has absolutely no prior knowledge of it?

Honestly, I don’t know what kind of grade I’d give myself… Some posts are clearly better than others.. But hopefully each post is giving my students something to think about in between their lessons. If it’s helpful to YOU and you’re not my student then I’m doubly glad!

To the Blogssss!!!

Over on Substack Notes I posted a link for two videos. These videos show Alexander Technique teacher Ted McNamara working with a student. When Ted showed me these videos back in November he had not yet released them on his site. I found these videos quite recently and think they are absolutely worth sharing.

The first video shows Ted working with his student getting in and out of the chair. As Ted told me, this student is a particularly wonderfully gifted dancer. Personally, I do not know her injury history and I do not want anyone watching this video to think, “Oh lord, I’ll never be able to do this!”; that’s not why I share these videos or why they were made. Instead, look at these videos as an example of Head Lead / Body Follow.

What You’re About to See

I’ve written a lot about what the Alexander Technique is, but I have not written much of anything about what lesson work looks like in person. If you didn’t know anything, you would watch this video and possibly think that you were watching a piece of choreographed dance or performance art.

What is taking place is more akin to partner dancing or sparring in martial arts. Ted McNamara takes on the role of leader and the student is the follower. The student is giving Ted permission to move her through space. This permission is a gentle thought that the follower persistently thinks about. When I wrote about General Bloom last week, that’s what I’m referring to.

If this permission does not genuinely happen, then the muscles and bones will tend to stay in a fixed / semi-statuesque manner. All subsequent movements will feel weird/off to the student and their state of tension will persist. In this video, you will see unwavering permission and quiet thinking from the student.

It’s quite the feat!

For Ted’s part, he places his hands mostly on the student’s head. Why? Because he wants to steer her about in space by giving her helicopter a flight path. Her head IS the top of her weight and the rest of her must adapt to maintain balance with the feet.

With that in mind, take a look at the video!

Pretty cool, eh? Here are a few more top level things I’m seeing. You might see a lot more than me!

Don’t Set in Place

Since the movement is at a slow and steady pace, you can really see just how much continuous balance she has as she transitions from standing to sitting and back to standing. I don’t think there’s a moment where she sets her weight into a fixed point. That takes a damn good bit of practice if setting into place is your habit, but it can be done!

No Heavy / Fixed Breathing

Notice that the student is not holding their breath in this process! Holding the breath will rigidify the muscles around the lungs and stiffen the spine.

Up on Toes

It’s tricky to see her full profile, but on occasion Ted guides her head and back UP and she follows by rising up on to the balls of her big toes. This is one of Alexander’s 5 procedures and is a terrific way to experience the spirals of the legs and the release of the lower back. Doing this while feeling the entire spine opening up is absolutely bizarre and wonderful! You will not see her pushing down in the back or stiffening to rise up. She merely transitions weight.

Flexible Spine

Does the student maintain a ‘straight back’? NOPE!!!! As she is guided in and out of the chair you will see that the back begins to undulate in order to follow her head. If Ted guides her head backwards and begins to pitch it up simultaneously, she bends her back. As Ted guides her out of the chair AND pitches her head up, she follows with a free neck and allows the spine to follow the pathway of the head. Hence, the spine flows like a roller coaster train track.

Why follow like this? Because it’s the only way to stay balanced without stiffening the neck or spine.

And this last point should be really driven home. This type of balance comes with a certain amount of strength. I do not mean that we need to become body builders and drink Brawndo. I mean that when we need a muscle to zig, it should zig and not zag.

More on Ted’s Site

I think I’ve written enough for today. I strongly encourage you to watch this video multiple times. Don’t attempt to copy what you see as your background and injury history will prevent you from doing that. Instead, use it as a source of inspiration for the principles of the technique.

If you’re interested in seeing Ted’s other videos, check out the link. It’s all available on YouTube but his stuff doesn’t have the followers/tags to get picked up by the algos. At the time of writing ARTICLE 100 this video has a grand total of 30 views… Under appreciated is an understatement.

Get In Touch

If you’re in NYC, you may learn more about my private teaching practice at johndalto.com.

If you’d like to book any lesson time with me, you can find my booking link here.

1. (miles tone new new for the jazzheads out there)