Alexander Technique

Elenore W. is a Gokhale Elements alumna hailing from Canada. She kindly volunteered to share her experience with the Gokhale Method. —  Editor

Elenore W., singer and Gokhale Elements alumna, with her trusty ukulele. Image supplied.

I lost my voice completely 5 years ago after singing a full out concert of Brahms’ Requiem. My voice came back, but never with the same resonance. The ears/nose/throat specialist said there was nothing wrong, but I knew something was. I couldn’t sing for long without having a sore throat. My speaking voice became raspy very easily. I couldn’t sing through a phrase without gasping for air. After a physio appointment, I’d have “my” voice back for a day or two and then everything would go back to “not normal.”

Voice problem...or neck problem?
Finally an Alexander Technique teacher told me: “Elenore, it’s not your voice, it’s your neck.” I took about 10 lessons with her and they did help, but I found the exercises tedious and didn’t experience enough success to stay motivated. Still I searched — acupuncture, chiropractic, reflexology — nothing helped for long. But I knew that if it was my neck and posture, there had to be something out there that would work for me.

Feldenkrais was another modality I tried. After a free summit I signed up for a course. It was lovely and gave me lots of new body awareness but was disappointing as an ultimate answer for my vocal issues.

Lots of women my age would just quit choir and singing, saying they must be too old. I was determined to show that a 67-year-old could still sing!

A new tack — that worked
I’d found the Gokhale Method online, ordered the book and tried following the instructions, but couldn’t seem to get it. After a free class with Esther, I was infected by her enthusiasm, convinced by her statistics, and decided to bite the bullet. Thank Goddess I did! I did the initial consultation with Esther and then the Elements class with Sheelagh Tobin. The results speak for themselves…

My husband and I put on three beach concerts from the balcony of our home this summer. This is what the distanced crowd looked like:

The distanced audience for our July beach concert. Our house is in the background, with the balcony visible. Image supplied.

The first of our three beach concerts took place in July when I had just started the Elements class. Notice how my shoulders hunch around the ukulele in the picture below and my neck strains toward the microphone. I was so disappointed to see this picture. I’d been determined to use my new learning. But I wasn’t surprised. This was a 30 minute children’s show and my voice felt strained throughout. Afterwards, I was vocally very fatigued.

This balcony concert with my husband Roland took place before I’d finished the Gokhale Elements class. You can see how I’m hunching my shoulders around my ukulele, with my neck straining toward the microphone. Image supplied.

The second show of about 45 minutes was much better, but still not what I’d hoped for. I made Roland do most of the songs, fearing my voice wouldn’t last.

Then we started planning the season finale. By the time of our performance on September 5, I had completed the course and looked like this while performing:

The air was a bit hazy from distant West Coast wildfires, but you can still see a noticeable change developing in my posture. Image supplied.

We put on a one-hour (!!!) program called Love and Dreams! Afterwards, I felt great. I’d sung lead or harmony in every song and afterwards my voice still resonated while speaking!

Just so you know, every muscle in my body (except my vocal chords) is a bit achy all the time right now. Maybe it’s having misused my muscles for 67 years, or maybe I want the results too quickly. I’m so new at this that I am always cautious to maintain my alignment lest the raspiness return. I keep telling my body that the challenge of re-learning movement is going to be worth it in the long run. I give my muscles sauna time, and lots of stretchlying or stretchsitting for relaxation. Every time I feel the power and resonance back in my voice, it’s totally worth it!

Thank you Esther and Sheelagh!

The single focus of many back pain interventions can be described as a “one-trick pony.” Image courtesy Nikki Jeffrey on Unsplash.

Many back pain interventions could be described as having a single, dominant approach: cortisone injections into inflamed tissue, insertion of acupuncture needles to open flow in meridians, “adjustments,” medications for reducing pain, etc. Of course, each of these interventions has complexity and nuance in theory and practice, but the vast majority of existing interventions have a single focus. To put it somewhat crassly, they could be described as one-trick ponies. And I’ve wondered if this is perhaps related to why most approaches to back pain are so ineffectual (see data on HealthOutcome.org).

A three-trick pony
In our method, we’ve never been less than a 3-trick pony, the three “tricks” being intellectual, visual, and kinesthetic ways of guiding the body’s architecture and movement patterns to a more primal configuration. Does this partially account for why we are outliers in effectiveness and efficiency in helping back pain sufferers? That’s not to diminish the core insight of our program, that there is a healthier, better way to be in our bodies and that the modern day conception of the body is skewed and contributes to decline. But additionally, our multi-faceted, coordinated approach helps this diamond in the rough be accessible, persist, and bring delight.

Unlike many other back pain interventions, our “pony” has more than one “trick” in its repertoire. Image courtesy Tobias Nii Kwatei Quartey on Unsplash.

One approach to back pain that I’ve always admired is the Alexander Technique. The Alexander Technique is similar to our approach in that it works on posture and movement patterns. But it uses kinesthetic input almost exclusively. The Alexander Technique’s “one-trick” approach lacks robust use of the images we employ in our teaching, book, website, and communications. Many students and readers also experience the intellectual framework of Alexander Technique to be abstruse and inaccessible. People tell me they feel good while they’re in an Alexander Technique lesson, but they go home and have no idea how to replicate what happened in the session.

Passively viewing images or hearing theories alone doesn’t reduce pain, of course, but alongside the kinesthetic learning, they form part of a rich and textured weave Gokhale Method students take home with them. This allows students to approach the goal of reduced pain from multiple angles simultaneously. I regularly get emails from students containing posture-related images. These students have absorbed the Gokhale Method filter and carry it with them. The method takes on a life of its own. What’s more, the good feelings are replicable outside of active instruction as they go about their life exercises.

Indigenous cultures — along with non-industrialized populations and young children — are amongthe groups we look to for inspiration and the body-knowledge which informs our method. Image courtesy Jason Rojas on Unsplash.

More “tricks”
Over the past five years, we’ve added a technological trick and a research trick to our quite talented pony’s repertoire; this has expanded the range of people who have access to our work and increased students’ trust that what they are experiencing is real.

One of our difficult-to crack nuts has been how to attract alumni to Continuing Education offerings so they can integrate techniques that require repetition and practice to remain rooted in their bodies long after their initial course has concluded. In the past year, we’ve intuited our way to several additional tricks that are addressing this challenge. The new pieces include music, dance, and art in a central role. These cultural pieces have always existed in our ecosystem, but now they are part of our core Continuing Education offering. Dance, music, and art make the weave of learning and integrating so much richer and more enjoyable. Additionally, we’re discovering a sense of community and joy building in our 1-2-3 Move program. People are naturally interested in each other, and including Q&A after each session allows that community spirit to build.

Central Asia is home to rich equestrian traditions, among them horseback falconry with golden eagles, horseback archery, and horseback gymnastics. As in our method, multiple elements combine to form a complex, impressive whole. Image courtesy Lightscape on Unsplash.

We’re also recently included exercise in our programming. It’s been wonderful to be led by a knowledgeable guide in the company of dozens of people online. This makes it fun to return.

We are delighted by the response to our new directions. And as we are always adding new enrichments, there is always more to come.