Method improves movement by helping break bad habits
By Dawn Schuett
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
In her early 20s, Laurel Podulke had a habit of slouching.
It was the Alexander Technique, an educational method meant to teach people how to improve their movement, balance and postural habits.
“In a practical sense, the Alexander Technique has helped me alleviate lower back pain, embody my full stature and move with greater freedom throughout the everyday activities of life,” said Podulke, now 34 and the only certified teacher of the Alexander Technique in Rochester. “In a deeper sense, the technique has brought me greater awareness, presence and ease.”
The Alexander Technique was developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander (1865-1955), an actor in Australia who lost his voice after performances. When medical treatment couldn’t cure the problem, Alexander set out to find a solution. He came to believe he was using his body in a way that caused his voice loss. Following the principles of his technique, he began to move his body differently and his voice problems went away.
Podulke said the technique is unlike any movement modality that exists. It is not a series of poses or strengthening activities like those associated with such practices as yoga or Pilates, and is not a therapeutic or medical treatment.
“Learning the Alexander Technique is a gentle process of unlearning bad habits,” she said.
One of the principles of the technique is “primary control,” which refers to the relationship between the head, neck and torso. Awareness of the relationship allows students of the technique to change their habits and think about movement that’s in accordance with their human design, said Podulke, who completed a three-year, 1,600-hour training program at the Alexander Training Institute of Los Angeles.
“A student learns to stop doing the things that interfere with free movement,” Podulke said.
Today, the Alexander Technique is taught at many performing arts academies to help performers learn to move, speak and breathe better. Others drawn to the technique include athletes, people who suffer from musculoskeletal pain and some who use it to manage stress, according to Podulke.
Ella VanLaningham, 71, of Rochester, recently started taking private lessons with Podulke to study the Alexander Technique.
“All my years, I felt I’ve needed to improve my posture,” VanLaningham said.
During a lesson last week, VanLaningham reclined on a table with her head on a short stack of magazines while Podulke provided verbal and hands-on instruction to make VanLaningham aware of how movement affected the head, neck and torso.
VanLaningham said she is more conscious about how she moves throughout the day. She still wonders if she can correct a bad habit at her age but is willing to try with the Alexander Technique.
“I don’t have anything to lose,” VanLaningham said.
