Human Design

Human Design A Center for the Study of The Alexander Technique / Offering a variety of programs in neuromuscular re-education

A Center for the Study of The Alexander Technique

Offering a variety of programs in neuromuscular re-education



The beauty and complexity of the human design is astounding. For each of us there is a natural rhythm that exists in every movement of our body. However, time, age, stress, injury, repetitive motion, and illness change the way our bodies function and move. Over time, our primary cont

rol over coordination and balance begins to break down. And, eventually the constant misuse of the muscles can make the entire body system go wrong. As part of this process, we may experience anxiety, stress and chronic pain. Injury, poor posture, or stiffness of movement can develop. We may also experience a lack or loss of self esteem. Students of The Alexander Technique are taught to examine the way they perform everyday activities, like sitting, standing, bending, and reaching, as well as other motions. When students come to understand the actions of their own bodies, they learn to recognize, manage, and release tension through techniques such as constructive rest and body mapping. Lifelong misuse of the basic muscle groups along with age, stress, injury and illness can change the way our bodies move and function. At Human Design, Toni Poll–Sorensen, PhD, can guide you through individual or group lessons that will enable you to:

•Recognize and release stress, anxiety and chronic pain.

•Improve your posture, range of motion and movement potential.

•Improve your self–image and confidence.

•Develop clearer thinking and more energy.

06/24/2022

On a recent beach walk, I realized that my arms were not swinging and my steps were labored. I focused on lengthening my arms by leading with my 4th and 5th fingers. My shoulders relaxed away from my ears. My shoulder blades relaxed down and away. And, my walking gaite improved.
I let go of the thought and simply walked…repeating the thought of lengthening, walking and letting go many more times. Don’t be afraid to experiment while you walk. Bring an awareness to your walking.

06/14/2022

Yesterday was an afternoon of practicing Alexander Technique. I went to the pool to swim laps for an hour. 1/2 hour in a family of four and a baby chose to hang in the pool space between the wall and the lap swim lane. When I asked them if they knew there was a lap lane. Yes, they said. I responded “okay” I was just worried about the baby. A few minutes later a lone swimmer decide to deep water swim across the lap swim lane. 15 minutes later a family came and decide to play with a ball across the lap swim lane.

I was engaged in a closed loop activity where my concentration could be very singularly focused. Then, conditions changed and altered my solitary practice. I began to think about theatre and dance performance where we rehearse in a closed loop and are eventually placed in an open environment where anything can happen.

The lesson here was to remain focused on my task at hand…trying to accept intervening forces and not give extraneous actions of others my attention. Really isn’t this what the actual participation in the performing arts is all about.
Stay focused, stay centered, stay engaged while also being disengaged.

03/23/2021

There are times that I find myself “doing the Alexander Technique”...if you are doing it, you are not doing it! The freedom and ease of the technique is about recognizing your holding patterns and relaxing out of them and not doing anything else. Acknowledgment, think into ease and forget it!

02/03/2021

As an aging dancer and mover I am more and more struck by the importance of awareness. When I am standing, I might recognize that my core is not engaged. I begin to engage my core by engaging my thighs. Then I notice my abdominal muscles engage. I check in to be sure my breathing is steady and that my ribs haven’t lifted or blown outward. Finally, I check in with my glutes to be sure that they haven’t tightened which would, thereby, restrict my ability to move. It is all such an intriguing balance of doing and non doing.

11/23/2020

One of the first directions in AT is to allow your neck to be free. This does not mean neck rolls. Instead, think of where your head and neck meet. This is not at the occipital ridge (the bumpy ridge at the back of your head). Instead, it is behind your nose and eyes. You can approximate this space by rolling your tongue back and up as far as you can reach. Visualize a space a little higher up and a little farther back. Imagine yawning into that space.
Simply put this experience into your day as often as you can remember and then see what happens.

11/19/2020

I have some chronic sinus issues and I have noticed recently that my pattern is to tighten the facial muscles around my mouth, nose and space between my eyes. That in turn causes tension at the back of my neck. If I think about flattening and widening my face and smiling just the tiniest bit, I can release the muscles at the back of my neck. Maybe this tip will help others catch themselves in the act of holding the muscles of their face that will escalate into challenging whole body patterns.

10/04/2020

My body is aging and I have some structural issues around my spine, but I always learn something when I walk, practice yoga or piano or paint.
These past few weeks the lessons have all been around catching myself in the act of unnecessarily squeezing my gluteus muscles.
Maybe you could simply notice if you are restricting the freedom of movement in your pelvis, by tightening your glutes.

11/10/2019

A few days ago I was reminded, by a chance post from a former student living 1/2 way across the globe that we should tread gently open the earth. My skills as an actor, singer and dancer have clearly deteriorated, but I do know this. If I change my way of walking, I change my character. So as an experiment perhaps you could tread quietly on the earth. Stepping on the front edge of your heel pad and pausing only momentarily until you roll through the ball of your foot, pushing ever so gently with your back foot! What do you notice? Are you more or less grounded? Is your footfall lighter or heavier? And, what is the greater consequence?

07/29/2019

Worked remotely with some lovely singer, dancers and actors today. The long and short of using Alexander Technique while doing those complex tasks is to first recognize your habitual holding patterns in daily life and slowly but deliberately release out of them.
1. If you hang out in one hip, catch yourself in the act of doing that and stand on both feet.
2. If your tongue is pressed into the top of your mouth, just notice and allow the tongue to relax onto the floor of your mouth.
3. If you have been taught to pull your belly button in to your spine, think in and up toward the 12 thoracic where the diaphragm meets the spine.
4. If you hold tension in your chest or between your shoulder blades, go deeper into that holding pattern until it is troubling and then slowly release out of the hold with a long exhale.
Hopefully, you see/feel a change. Remember this is a life time of work like pirouettes, musical scales and actor warm ups. Check in with your habits often!

03/08/2019

Looking for a lesson? Notice others first, then look at yourself. When do you breathe when you are speaking??? Do you think you view breathing as a pregnant pause, a necessary evil, or a way to define your speech? Do you notice a pattern to breath in your speech? Would changing your breathing change your speech?

03/02/2019

Watching people speak is an interesting lesson in the extra effort used for the simplest of tasks. Observe all the extraneous movement used unconsciously and attempt to eliminate just one of those movements in your own speaking. Notice how attention to that detail changes the way you feel. Repeat the experiment many times. What did you discover about the way you move about when speaking. Have fun!

07/21/2018

My experience with “letting go and allowing”, as key concepts in The Alexander Technique, is that when habitual body postures release and when I try to exert only a third of the effort I think I need in daily life tasks that kind thinking spills over into every aspect of my life. I am more open to new ideas, I don’t need to talk as much, and I can travel with one very small bag!

12/28/2017

I spent the last 2 days in yoga playing with my tongue. Christmas and life stress got to my neck and shoulders! So in yin and gentle yoga where it is all about breathing, I used cranial sacral breathing. It is simple! The tongue actively moves from lightly touching the back of the top teeth to resting behind the bottom teeth. The tongue goes up on the inhale and down on the exhale. My jaw, neck, and trapezius muscles are extremely grateful. Word of caution, do not do this while driving!! It does, however, make boring meetings much more interesting!

12/04/2017

As my body was spiraling into a protection pattern from a shoulder injury, I was reminded that my “design” is perfect, even though I am currently having difficulty using my uniquely imperfect form.
I could stop focusing on my shoulder and check in with the weight on my feet or the alignment of my hips, or the ease of my head balancing on my perfectly imperfect spine!
Observing is always better than obsessing❤️

11/30/2017

So today I was walking and walking was hard. Duh, the body is designed for feet to push you through space, not pull you along! Lesson well learned💕

11/08/2017

So on your short walk today what might you notice? Do your arms swing or not! Are your palms facing in or out? What if you bring your finger tips to your shoulders then unfold you arms toward the sky. Try walking with your arms over head for just a moment. What do you notice? Release your arms and the recognize if anything new has happened.

09/28/2017

Thinking about taking a walk? Check your heel strike! If it is on the back edge of your heel, try moving the strike forward into the middle of the heel pad. What did you discover?

09/27/2017

Try thinking about standing. In the grocery line or at a street corner. Are your feet too wide, too narrow, or just hip width. Where is your weight! Heels, toes, outside or inside border, how about none of the above!

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