Blog | DiscoverEase in Movement - Alexander Technique

Balancing act

Hello all, happy winter! The phrase “balancing act” comes from the actual circus act performed by tightrope walkers, acrobats and jugglers, and it’s now used to refer to managing different tasks, responsibilities and interests. The cool thing about the phrase...

Standing around? Do it with more ease!

Hello all! This post was inspired by my suffering watching so many other participants in tango dance classes suffering from standing around as they listen and watch the teachers, but you can use these tips for standing around in your kitchen, in line or anywhere...

Teaching by hand, learning by heart – by Bruce Fertman

"Many people have asked me how, as a teacher, I get people to trust me so quickly and deeply. Being a movement educator, I often use my hands when I work, and because I do not have much time with a person, knowing how to establish almost immediate trust is essential...

Back in Motion – Alexander Technique for Back Pain Course

Back pain affects almost everybody at some point in life, and sometimes it can really get in the way of enjoying life. Alexander Technique has been shown to help people reduce back pain and get back to activity. And group classes are a fun and economical way to learn...

Partnering with Poise – Care for the Care Partner

I will be teaching a free workshop for care partners of people with long-term care needs in July at the Missoula Public Library. "Partnering with Poise" was originally developed by The Poise Project, a nonprofit, with funding from the Parkinson's Foundation and with...

Balance: Lessons in surf and life

Hello all! On the way to the beach for my first surf lesson, I admitted my fear of the ocean and waves to my surf teacher. He told me, “If you don’t stress and get worked up, you’ll ride the wave.” Well, that was the gist of it anyway. The lesson started on a board...

When the pain comes

When the pain comes it grabs my attention. It keeps me from thinking, from interacting with people. It’s invisible except for the grimace or the sadness or fear on my face. I am afraid it will last anywhere from 2 to 10 days like it does when this happens randomly...

Walking in my body

I am walking. I am walking over the beautiful desert through breathtakingly beautiful rock formations, I am walking under a wide sky with intriguing clouds. I am walking inside the house. I am walking with my whole body. I am walking on the outside and the inside....

Discovering beauty

Artwork by Rosemary Meza-Despias As part of my retreat, today we have come to Santa Fe, out of the wide open countryside to the picturesque city. I am practicing a couple things. One is paying attention to myself and what I am doing amid the greater stimuli in an...

Writing from New Mexico: blog 1

You may know that I am away at a retreat with a theme of walking with a teacher of mine, way out in the New Mexican countryside. The landscape is gorgeous. I love the colorful rock formations that are eons old. We have free time every day and I’m writing down some of...

Alexander Technique on All Things Vagus podcast

Listen to Mari talk about Alexander Technique on All Things Vagus podcast

Lily Gladstone

Native American actress Lily Gladstone describes how she uses Alexander Technique to feel balanced, centered and grounded and with a home for her psyche in her body. Here's a link to her PBS interview on Youtube.

Video on how Alexander Technique works

The Alexander Technique is an educational method for changing long-standing habits of tension. Research suggests it results in improved movement, balance and overall wellbeing, and that it has significant benefits for people with back pain, neck pain and those living...

How Alexander Technique and pain science are helping me with a broken elbow

As many of you know, I am a pain science nerd in addition to my fascination with Alexander Technique. As you may also know, I like to use my own pain experiences as a learning experience for us all! Every person and every pain experience is unique, but my reflections...

Posture … or presence?

Hello all! This month I decided to write about posture. What's "correct" posture? Well, the short answer is that there isn't one. Appropriate posture is very unique to each individual and to what you want to do. The end. Just kidding. There's more to the story. First,...

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