January 2008 Archives

Evelyn Rothwell, internationally respected oboist, widow of the famous conductor Sir John Barbirolli and also a patron of the Alexander Trust, died on January 25th 2008 at the age of 97.

Through much of her long and impressive musical career, Evelyn Rothwell used her maiden name but after her husband's death, she began to be known as Lady Barbirolli, or 'Lady B' at the Royal Academy of Music where she taught for a number of years.

Her Obituary can be found in the Telegraph and other papers.

Formed in 1991, the Alexander Trust is a registered charity with an impressive list of patrons:
Lady Barbirolli, Ursula, Lady Benn, Rev. Dr Martin Israel, Sir Ben Kingsley and Sir Charles Mackerras.

The Trust was set up to promote research and study into the Alexander Technique and to help make Alexander's work more available to the general public.

So far, it has supported book publications and some recordings, plus important research projects into the effects of the Alexander Technique when learnt by people with such conditions as cancer, Parkinson's Disease and repetitive strain injury (RSI).

Being a charity, it welcomes any financial help that people can offer, so that it may continue to support such projects in the future. If you have been helped by learning the Technique and would like to contribute to the Trust's work, you can visit the Trust's Website to find out more:
www.alexandertrust.org.uk

Do you want to know more about the process of climate change, written in easy to understand language? The BBC have created some graphics, based on scientific research, that do just that.

Compare the levels of climate change it's predicted we'll create through our present greedy consumption of fossil fuels, with the lower levels we could bring about with more sustainable lifestyles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_change/html/climate.stm

In the Alexander Technique we aim to improve our individual use and the means-whereby we gain our own immediate, personal ends, so that we look after our health and wellbeing. This attitude of mind can be expanded, to develop awareness of our use in relation to the world's shrinking resources and of our impact on the environment.

In order to gain the end that most of us agree that we want, ie a world in which we do not contribute to global warming, we need to address our increasing mis-use of these natural resources. The means-whereby most of us are living now, seems to be having a negative impact on the environment. We can all make conscious choices to live more sustainably, inhibit our unthinking and wasteful habits and bring about changes to improve the situation.

For ideas about how you can make positive changes and live more sustainably, visit: http://www.everyactioncounts.org.uk/

F M Alexander was born on 20th January 1869 in Tasmania. He was a premature baby and had a struggle to survive. He later attributed his frequent bouts of illness as a child and young man to his poor use and once he taught himself to improve this, his health also began to improve.

His family had originally lived for many generations in the ancient village of Ramsbury in Wiltshire. Whilst exploring some of my own family history I have discovered that my mother's family also came from Ramsbury and one of them married a Mary Alexander in 1764, quite possibly part of F M's family, although I have not been able to verify this yet.

F M's paternal grandfather, Matthias Alexander was a hurdle maker and other family members were craftsmen. However they supported the impoverished agricultural labourers during the swing riots, in which they protested against the new threshing machines which were costing them their livelihoods. As a result of this support, Alexander's family was sent to Tasmania as convicts in 1831, something that F M never admitted to in public. If you are interested in discovering more about Alexander's background, his biography by Michael Bloch makes for interesting reading.

From these difficult beginnings, F M developed an interest in horses and in the theatre and in 1889 he moved to Melbourne, Australia and began to train for a career as a reciter. A few years later, after many bouts of illness which threatened his new career, F M began to develop his now famous Technique. This process is described in some detail his book 'The Use of the Self' and it is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in learning more about the Alexander Technique.

After his death, a group of teachers that Alexander had trained, formed the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique, STAT, in order to maintain and develop high standard of Alexander Technique Teacher Training and Professional practice.

Many Alexander Technique pupils find that it is easier to utilise their learning when they meet up with others who are also interested in the Technique.  When people around us also use, discuss and think about the Technique during their activities, such as going for a walk or having a cup of coffee together, its application becomes much more 'ordinary' and a part of daily life, which is what we are aiming at.

One way of helping this process is to join Friends of the Alexander Technique, a registered charity that is linked to STAT. You can join online or pick up an application form from Hilary.

For a small annual fee you can receive the Alexander Journal and some e-mail newsletters, plus attend various workshops and events around the country which can help you extend your understanding of the work and stimulate a deeper interest in the Technique.

As a Friend, you will become part of a wide-reaching community that shares an Alexander outlook on life and it would be possible for you to set up events specifically for A/T Friends.

There is also a move to create an Alexander Orchestra, which musical Friends can join, the details of which you can find on the Friends' Website.

With wet leaves and some wintry frost and ice here, it's time to take care on pavements. If you are afraid of falling on slippery paths like mine, it is tempting to tense up all over but remember, you will have more sense of your balance and more control over your movements if you refuse to tighten but walk in an alert and free manner - a good time to use all you have learned in Alexander lessons.

It's also time to keep warm, in order to look after our health. Perhaps we can do our bit for the environment and start off by wearing an extra layer of clothing, rather than turn the heating up without thinking.

Wildlife needs even more help from us at this time of year. I was watching a blackbird trying to drink in the birdbath, which had frozen. He kept pecking at the ice but it was too solid. The blackbird watched as I went out and poured water into the birdbath and seconds later he was happily having a drink and a bath.  Fortunately my pond had not frozen over yet as frogs will be hibernating there.

Gardens are wonderful places in which to create your own outdoor space, get back in touch with nature and to return to a calm state after the hustle and bustle of city life. Allowing yourself just to be, whilst observing the world around you can be immensely helpful for your wellbeing. For my part, I shun the often sterile, over-designed gardens and I find it an added pleasure to create a garden that is to be shared with, and helps support, some of the wildlife that lives around me.

The gardener who wishes to help wildlife and the environment can find inspiration at places like Kew Gardens, where they have introduced a number of ideas that both enrich habitats and therefore biodiversity - and that are interesting to look at. We can be creative, as well as environmentally aware.


Take this huge wooden stag beetle sculpture at Kew, for instance. This sits amongst rotting logs at the base of a standing but dead tree, the ideal habitat for the real stag beetle which is an endangered species, largely through the loss of habitats that it can live in. Many invertebrates, plus wood mice and amphibians such as frogs and toads which are struggling to survive, will be able to seek protection and find food amongst leaf litter and the humid areas between the logs.

The dead tree will also attract birds such as woodpeckers, that make use of holes in the trunk and will eat insects from under the bark.

 
The sculpture is home to fungi which forms an interesting texture visually. The sculpture may itself rot down into the log pile, eventually. So wood piles don't just have to look untidy and somewhat boring. With some imagination, they can create an interesting new feature in your garden that you can enjoy gazing at, whilst they also help wildlife to survive.

You need to be careful and look after yourself when lifting heavy logs around and it is a good time to consciously use the Alexander Technique.  Inhibit before lifting anything and give yourself directions; be thoughtful and aware of how you move and lift things.  A monkey position may be useful to use for lighter logs, or a squatting position may be better for larger logs.  In both cases, make sure that you are well balanced and keep the weight as close in to your body as possible, so that you avoid straining your back.