The Uninvested Hand

In Michelangelo’s depiction of creation on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the hands of God are electric, stretched out, and anticipatory, fully invested in an outcome. No, not at all. Take a look. They are the hands of a gourmand pointing to a choice on a...

A Trope on Forward and Up and Vitruvian Man

F. M. Alexander favored the words “forward and up” when describing our head’s relationship to our torso. Forward and up is the opposite of what most of us do, the opposite of how we tend to wear our heads, anchored to our shoulders and our shoulders...

Real life waviness

The wind of G-d moved upon the face of the waters and there was light. What? Light from waves? Well, of course, now that we think about it. What happens when your wind, your breath, moves upon the surface of your coffee. Waves. That’s what we seem to be made of,...

The Alexander Technique and the Virtuous Circle

A good colleague is leaving town and my wife and I are having a farewell dinner with her and her husband at the swankiest place in town. Jim, we’ll call him, my colleague’s husband, not a teacher of the Alexander Technique, says, “it’s amazing,” and...

Living in the Upbeat

A musical upbeat does wonders. It establishes mood. It establishes tempo. It summons our energies, those of an orchestra, a choir, an ensemble, or a soloist. It demands continuation; it awakens expectation. It brings everyone together in concert. There is even a...