Star Wars and the Alexander Technique

[linshukla]

This is wonderful, Andrea!

I've been a SW fan since the 70s & also a practitioner of yoga, TM, & shotokan karate. Through all these I also learned many of the lessons mentioned here. "Do, or do not. There is no try," has always been a favorite of mine!

Now, as an actress myself, I've heard much of AT, and long to find out more. And to see this comparison of it with the joyous philosophies in SW, I feel I've come full circle!

Thanks so much for sharing this!

I'm going to try . . . no, do AT!

[andreasdirscherl]

Hey, great you enjoyed - cool and thank you!

I wish you a great 2009 and a good start in the AT!

[PennyJOC]

Love it! I have been quoting 'Try there is no try. Only do or not do' for years comparing it to FM's 'Trying is only emphasising the thing we do already'. Now I can direct my AT students to this site. Thanks!

PennyJOC

[Mystefier]

I have a friend that quotes that line all the time and it annoys me because he can never explain what the hell he means. I guess I can find out by reading the Alexander technique. I mean how can a person stand up without moving their legs or pick something up without choosing to grip it?

[PennyJOC]

Get hold of a boo by Missy Vineyard on the AT - that will answer your last question . Of course the legs move when we stand - we move everything. But it is true we don't need to move our feet to prepare for standing or take a step.

[nodgie1]

Does the Alexnder technique teach that with more effort there'll be more success? or less success?

[andreasdirscherl]

It depends.

In my opinion the AT is seeking balance througout your body, your thinking and your psyche even.

So if you're more the passive type you will have to to put in more energy - - or effort - to the work. The majority of people however tend to "overdo" things so in those cases you definetely won't succeed with more effort. Here it needs less...

Also, as far as tenacity is concerned it definetely pays to invest a fair amount of devotion and energy to exploring the technique's priciples.

[magosh13]

The A.T teach you how to gain the so called success with the minimal amount of effort needed for the job.

That is: by inhibiting your immediate response which is usually very tense and overdue and replacing it by a new set of "means whereby".

OK - that's in short :-)

[reehz]

It's a process of re-education. Much like eastern philosophy, Alexander believed that the mind and body are one. The least one can learn from this technique is the ability to stop and think. It is a tecknique that can be applied to almost everything we do dail.

[In1breath]

This is brilliant! Thanks so much for posting it.

[coin4charon]

It's all Buddhism, what's Alexander got to do with it.

[andreasdirscherl]

I'n not saying that it's ONLY the Alexander-Technique, certainly there's much more there!

BTW: Have you seen the DVD "The Force Among Us" or History Channel's "THE LEGACY REVEALED"? Both are great documentaries about Star Wars Fandom as well as spirituality in the Star Wars universe. Very interesting! Buddhism is certainly one major influence...

[jm100jazz]

You're totally on it. Yeah!!!

[marcovequio]

I like it! The connections of Star Wars with Alexander T., Zen disciplines and other human holistic expressions it´s something to remark!!

A lot of knowledge in these movies!!

We all have a latent dark side, being conscious of it, allowing things to happen, not doing...

May the force be with you!

[AmazonTraveler]

cool

[o0sunsi0o]

Inspiring me to learn more about Alexander Technique, thank you. :)

[NataliePfeiffer]

What a good idea you had, thank you! Very enjoyable to watch your little summary of what makes us smile when we watch the Star Wars movies.

[JayneCortez]

jajajajajja, buenísimo! que la fuerza os acompañe!

[paulagloria]

I totally love this...I always felt that if nature didn't take me down the path she did I would have become an Alexander Teacher

[lolland30]

I like the way this film focus on the philosophy of Alexander technique, in my experience it`s very easy

to think of it as just learning posture, while the essence in my view is the unlearning of bad habits and redirecting signals in the nerve system, which results in changed posture, but it`s indirect

[thebigtimeout]

i think he/she was kidding. :) i love that you've done this. my wife has just finished her training, and i've been having lessons for three years - i always refer to it as the Force, which sometimes makes her laugh, sometimes makes her sigh... :) One of her friends who'd just graduated was having a bit of a crisis of confidence, so i gave her The Empire Strikes Back to watch - she was amazed by how much it helped. Pretty funny.

[lolland30]

I was kidding to, it`s a funny clip with alot of fm alexander thoughts in it

i`m taking lessons, I play drums

[lolland30]

this is great, you forgot the scene where

obi whan is teahing Luke the "monkey", it`s 30 minutes long, somehow didn`t make it to the film though

[andreasdirscherl]

Thanx for your comment! The "monkey" instruction scene sounds interesting. I'm afraid I don't know what scene you are talking about - could you please clarify that?

BTW: What is your connection to the Alexander Technique? Are student/teacher?

Regards,

Andy