Alexander the Skeleton tours Ireland in 8 days
Its Free & Fun. Make no bones about it.

INTERNATIONAL ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE AWARENESS WEEK

OCT 9th – 18th 2009

In October, Irish Alexander teachers, will take a friendly and adventurous skeleton around Ireland by any means possible. Alexander the skeleton will travel the provinces by foot, bike, tractor, car, horse, train, currach and ferry sharing information about how you can protect and enhance your body’s health and performance.

Alexander Technique helps the human body to work through
Recovery from PAIN
Enhancing PERFORMANCE
Improving POSTURE
Living with PRESENCE
Finding your POTENTIAL

In FREE workshops around the country different aspects of the Alexander Technique will be explored to highlight the many different cases it can help and the potential it has for everyone to employ for better living.

Go to an event near you, bring an every day object like a toothbrush or a trowel and explore the Alexander Technique. Talk to an Alexander Technique practitioner and experience the work.
Simple solutions to real problems.

“You translate everything — whether physical mental or spiritual into muscular tension.” FM Alexander (1869 -1955)

More information at www.isatt.ie or call 091 555800

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. EVERYONE is WELCOME. See below for schedule.

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We had time to help 3 or 4 with their sitting postures, finding balance through the sitting bones and getting to know where the hip joints ACTUALLY are. The group could see what the differences were as the volunteer allowed the changes happen to their body. We continued with some basic body mapping and got everyone to experience their head neck connection with some hands-on.

We finished up promptly on the hour and joined the meditation they had scheduled after. We left feeling light and lovely and headed for the big smoke.

We were invited for dinner before the workshop and had a lovely chat with our host Sinead and chefs Martin and Kathleen. The question WHY? came up again. Why bring a skeleton around the country? Why not, is what I’ve come accustomed to saying, but I must admit to a point on Friday carrying Alex around the Ailwee Caves when I had a moment where I felt that this was completely mad and I was mad for being involved. But it passed or I embraced the madness. Not half mad enough really.

Tuesday was wonderfully orchestrated by Brian. He met me at the gates of the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama all excited and got me to cover up Alex in the front seat so he could make his mysterious entrance. The foyer was set up and musicians arrived to perform as part of the presentation. Brian had the event planned and scripted down to when Alex should arrive and the music that would be played.

Brian introduced myself and Sara and explained how ISATT and DIT were coming together to bring about Awareness of Alexander Technqiue in the week that it was. Then the band of musicians played. Alex arrived to a solo Uileann Piper and a round of applause and laughter.

Sara started with her story. How she came from a background in nursing, suffering with her back from heavy lifting to experience the technique and decided to change her tack and take on the Alexander Technique as her new career. Her side effects of becoming better at catching a ball, building confidence and being more present were a nice add on to relieving her back pain.

I went through 3 points of bodymapping, starting with what we sit on. Using Alex to show everyone where their sitbones are and what it’s like to actually sit in them. Comments of ease and straighter came from the crowd and we moved swiftly through hip joints and where we move our head from.

Brian took up again and went through Alexander’s discoveries and how it has helped people around the world with how they use themselves, particularly in establishments such as the one we were standing in focused on performance. He asked for a volunteer and beautifully showed how standing can be a wonderful example of faulty sensory perception. The girl was amzed at how far back she leaned, yet how normal it felt, as she was totally unaware. We finished up with some more music and thanks all around.

Sara and her friend Daghma had a family bus ticket and headed off with Alex into town on the 15A.
They had adventures along the way and had a picnic on O’Connell St. I met them at Parnell St and took them North to Skerries where Sara lives. A lovely wee country town by the sea. The workshop she planned was in The Mills, a tiny little museum and gift shop by a park and Windmills. Very quaint.

Sara used the cafe to share with her participants about the Alexander Technique. About a dozen people attended, asked questions, allowed hands-on and enjoyed the experience and there was someone from the local press.

Next stop Athlone where I believe Alex drove a tractor. Quite an adventurous few days.

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of Alex’s travels.

Now I’m off on mine.
Talk to you in November
Adios
FIona

Then we headed out on the open road, Des Richard Alex and I. We headed to Kilfenora National School where we taught the children there about their bodies. We ttok some pictures as we drove through the Burren and then we visited the Ailwee Caves where we had a personalised tour.

Friday evening saw us in Ennis for a workshop with Stephanie and Penelope, which was oversubscribed. I had planned to bow out at this stage as it had been a long day but I ghave to say I enjoyed the workshop and learned alot from the girls who presented clearly and confidently.

This morning Richard and I got up and took him to the castle and the pier for some shots. We were sorry we didn’t take Alex to the pub last night for some action shots but we were tired. On to Killimer, with a quick stop at the Spanish Armada, to meet Sue for the ferry to Tarbert.

On the ferry to Kerry we demonstrated how to sit in cars with greater ease and aroused some interest with Alex. A pleasant crossing brought us to Kerry where we had a photo shoot with ALex climbing laddersa and praying. Then he looked for directions to Limerick where he had an appearance with Niall and Louise for a workshop in association with Mental Health Ireland.

So that’s where I am now and I want to encourage all of you to take lots of photos when you have Alex. Let your imagination flow and get him in all sorts of positions. Also if you can write a piece about your experience of your event or workshop to go on the blog and accompany the photos that would be great too, to document the voyage.

Here are some of what I took on my phone.

We took none at the workshop last night so please bring a camera to your event and record it.

All the best

Fiona