Body Learning: The Alexander Technique

Send us a textAmanda Cole, an Australian academic researcher, writer and performer, is the author of "Marjorie Barstow and the Alexander Technique - Critical Thinking in Performing Arts Pedagogy." She is also a long time student of both the classic and Barstow-inspired versions of the Technique. She draws on multiple sources, including a significant collection of written correspondence between F. M. Alexander, Marjorie Barstow, Frank Pierce Jones and Professor John Dewey that provides a new, and very different, perspective on the history of the Alexander Technique. This is the sixth in a series of her conversations with Robert Rickover about her discoveries. Robert is an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska. In this conversation, Amanda and Robert discuss the importance of this new perspective for Alexander Technique teachers and students today. More information about Amanda: https://amandacolemezzo.com/More information about Robert: https://alexandertechniquenebraska.com More information about F M Alexander: https://alexandertechnique.com/fma More information about Professor John Dewey: https://alexandertechnique.com/dewey More information about Marjorie Barstow: https://marjoriebarstow.comMore information about the Alexander Technique: https://alexandertechnique.comInformation about ordering Amanda's book from Amazon: https://marjoriebarstow.com/book

Send us a textAmanda Cole, an Australian academic researcher, writer and performer, is the author of "Marjorie Barstow and the Alexander Technique - Critical Thinking in Performing Arts Pedagogy." She is also a long time student of both the classic and Barstow-inspired versions of the Technique. She draws on multiple sources, including a significant collection of written correspondence between F. M. Alexander, Marjorie Barstow, Frank Pierce Jones and Professor John Dewey that provides a new, and very different, perspective on the history of the Alexander Technique. This is the first in a series of her conversations with Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska. This episode provides an overview of her findings. Subsequent videos will go into greater detail. More information about Amanda: https://amandacolemezzo.com/More information about Robert: https://alexandertechniquenebraska.com More information about F M Alexander: https://alexandertechnique.com/fma More information about Professor John Dewey: https://alexandertechnique.com/dewey More information about Marjorie Barstow: https://marjoriebarstow.comMore information about the Alexander Technique: https://alexandertechnique.comInformation about ordering Amanda's book from Amazon: https://marjoriebarstow.com/book

Send us a textAmanda Cole, an Australian academic researcher, writer and performer, is the author of "Marjorie Barstow and the Alexander Technique - Critical Thinking in Performing Arts Pedagogy." She is also a long time student of both the classic and Barstow-inspired versions of the Technique. She draws on multiple sources, including a significant collection of written correspondence between F. M. Alexander, Marjorie Barstow, Frank Pierce Jones and Professor John Dewey that provides a new, and very different, perspective on the history of the Alexander Technique. This is the third in a series of her conversations with with Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska. This episode is primarily about the gap between Alexander's stated hopes for the future of the Technique, and his actual behavior.More information about Amanda: https://amandacolemezzo.com/More information about Robert: https://alexandertechniquenebraska.com More information about F M Alexander: https://alexandertechnique.com/fma More information about Professor John Dewey: https://alexandertechnique.com/dewey More information about Marjorie Barstow: https://marjoriebarstow.comMore information about the Alexander Technique: https://alexandertechnique.comInformation about ordering Amanda's book from Amazon: https://marjoriebarstow.com/bookPart 1: https://youtu.be/KpKE7U0uBHk Part 2: https://youtu.be/0KZMpPAcCug Part 3: https://youtu.be/p2IIh8r9FKw Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3fRz6W0cfs Part 5: https://youtu.be/AyxvQv1ofak Part 6: https://youtu.be/aEtwPff7qj8

Discover newly available documents shedding light on the evolution of the Alexander Technique from the 1940s to 1980s. Explore the connection between the technique and education, focusing on the integration of thinking and movement. Delve into practical applications of the technique for performance enhancement and learn about unique teaching methods in the field.

Send us a textRobert Rickover continues his discussion with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware, about F. Mathias Alexander's use of the term "psycho-physical." An earlier conversation was about why he used that phrase, and some of the implications of the meaning he assigns to it, and can be seen here: https://youtu.be/b9NxHqCLuX8 In this video, they explore the subtle physical manifestations of simply thinking about speaking as a way of experiencing just how tightly-knit "mind" and "body" actually are.More information about Amanda: https://amandacolemezzo.com/More information about Robert: https://alexandertechniquenebraska.com More information about F M Alexander: https://alexandertechnique.com/fma More information about Professor John Dewey: https://alexandertechnique.com/dewey More information about Marjorie Barstow: https://marjoriebarstow.comMore information about the Alexander Technique: https://alexandertechnique.comInformation about ordering Amanda's book from Amazon: https://marjoriebarstow.com/bookPart 1: https://youtu.be/KpKE7U0uBHk Part 2: https://youtu.be/0KZMpPAcCug Part 3: https://youtu.be/p2IIh8r9FKw Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3fRz6W0cfs Part 5: https://youtu.be/aEtwPff7qj8 Part 6 https://youtu.be/AyxvQv1ofak

Send us a textAmanda Cole, an Australian academic researcher, writer and performer, is the author of "Marjorie Barstow and the Alexander Technique - Critical Thinking in Performing Arts Pedagogy." She is also a long time student of both the classic and Barstow-inspired versions of the Technique. She draws on multiple sources, including a significant collection of written correspondence between F. M. Alexander, Marjorie Barstow, Frank Pierce Jones and Professor John Dewey that provides a new, and very different, perspective on the history of the Alexander Technique. This is the fifth in a series of her conversations with Robert Rickover about her discoveries. Robert is an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska. This episode focuses primarily on the influence of Professor John Dewey's influence of Marjorie Barstow's group teaching.More information about Amanda: https://amandacolemezzo.com/More information about Robert: https://alexandertechniquenebraska.com More information about F M Alexander: https://alexandertechnique.com/fma More information about Professor John Dewey: https://alexandertechnique.com/dewey More information about Marjorie Barstow: https://marjoriebarstow.comMore information about the Alexander Technique: https://alexandertechnique.comInformation about ordering Amanda's book from Amazon: https://marjoriebarstow.com/bookPart 1: https://youtu.be/KpKE7U0uBHk Part 2: https://youtu.be/0KZMpPAcCug Part 3: https://youtu.be/p2IIh8r9FKw Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3fRz6W0cfs Part 5: https://youtu.be/AyxvQv1ofak Part 6: https://youtu.be/aEtwPff7qj8

Send us a textRobert Rickover continues his discussion with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware, about F. Mathias Alexander's use of the term "psycho-physical." Our previous conversation was about why he used that phrase, and some of the implications of the meaning he assigns to it, and can be seen here: https://youtu.be/b9NxHqCLuX8 In this podcast, they discuss more implications that flow from Alexander's concept of mind/body unity - specifically how an understanding of it can help us avoid one of the major obstacles faced by students - and teachers! - when self-directing and inhibiting. Imogen's website: https://ImogenRagone.com Robert teaches in Omaha, Nebraska. Website: https://AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com Both Imogen and Robert also teach online. For more information about the Alexander Technique: https://AlexanderTechnique.com Here is part of what Alexander wrote in his second book, Constructive Conscious Control, and which is quoted in the interview: "I wish to make clear the sense in which I use the word psycho-physical. The term psycho-physical is used both here and throughout my works to indicate the impossibility of separating "physical" and "mental" operations in our conception of the working of the human organism. As I wrote in (my first book) Man's Supreme Inheritance, 'In my opinion the two must be considered entirely interdependent, and even more closely knit than is implied by such a phrase."  (emphasis mine)Part 1: https://youtu.be/b9NxHqCLuX8 Part 2: https://youtu.be/-KQmTjo_Vf4 

Send us a textRobert Rickover talks with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware, about F. Mathias Alexander's use of the term "psycho-physical" - why he used it, and the implications of the meaning he assigns to it. This is the podcast that inspired our conversation: bodylearning.buzzsprout.com/382/313810-mind-body-unity-and-the-alexander-technique Here is part of what Alexander wrote in his second book, "Constructive Conscious Control", and which is quoted in the interview: I wish to make clear the sense in which I use the word psycho-physical. The term psycho-physical is used both here and throughout my works to indicate the impossibility of separating "physical" and "mental" operations in our conception of the working of the human organism. As I wrote in (my first book) "Man's Supreme Inheritance", "In my opinion the two must be considered entirely interdependent, and even more closely knit than is implied by such a phrase." I am forced to use the words "physical " and " mental" here and throughout my argument because there are no other words at present which adequately express the manifestations of psycho-physical activity present at these various stages, not in any sense because the "physical" and the "mental" can be separated as such. I wish, therefore, to make it clear that whenever I use the word "mental," it is to be understood as representing all processes or manifestations which are generally recognized as not wholly "physical," and vice versa the word " physical " as representing all processes and manifestations which are generally recognized as not wholly "mental."Part 2 of this topic: youtu.be/-KQmTjo_Vf4 Imogen's website: https://ImogenRagone.com Robert teaches in Omaha, Nebraska. Website: https://AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com Both Imogen and Robert also teach online. For more information about the Alexander Technique: AlexanderTechnique.com

Send us a textRobert Rickover continues his discussion with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware, about F. Mathias Alexander's use of the term "psycho-physical." Their previous conversation was about why he used that phrase, and some of the implications of the meaning he assigns to it and can be seen here: youtu.be/b9NxHqCLuX8 In this video, they discuss specific examples of processes and activities that illustrate those implications. (As one point I mention an Alexander Technique and Physicist in Amsterdam, but I couldn't think of his name at the time: Patrick Johnson, Phd. Website: smartbody.nl/alexander-technique ) Imogen's website: ImogenRagone.com Robert teaches in Omaha, Nebraska. Website: AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com Both Imogen and Robert also teach online. For more information about the Alexander Technique: AlexanderTechnique.com Part 1: youtu.be/b9NxHqCLuX8

Send us a textThis talk was given live during a session at the third annual ATTGP online Alexander Technique Summit in October 2022, and is designed to be listened to while lying down in Constructive Rest. Heather is an Alexander Technique teacher in Philadelphia, PA. ATTGP (Alexander Technique Teachers of Greater Philadelphia) website: alextechgreaterphila.com. Heather’s website: heathergardnerstudio.com. More information about Constructive Rest: AlexanderTechnique.com/ConstructiveRest. More information about the Alexander Technique: AlexanderTechnique.com