Rita Rivera
Empowered Health through Body Mind Integration
Frederick Matthias Alexander 1869-1955 was an Australian actor suffering from periodic vocal problems that threatened to ruin his career. Frustrated by medical treatments that provided only temporary relief, Alexander took it upon himself to discover the contributing factors that lead to the loss of his voice.
Careful self-observation with the aid of mirrors, patience and meticulous analysis of kinesthetic response to stimulus allowed Alexander to transform his own vocal condition. His remarkable achievements during the course of a decade formulated the foundational principles of what is now known as the Alexander Technique.
The Alexander Technique
is a gentle approach to
re-patterning and
addresses chronic
discomforts and
imbalances as you
discover more grace
and ease in your
posture, your breathing
and daily activities.
Lessons in the Alexander Technique
Lessons in the Alexander Technique re-educate the muscular skeletal system and builds kinesthetic awareness around postural dynamics in simple to more complex daily activities. Lessons assist in creating a heightened awareness of how our movements coordinate and integrate, resulting in balanced, graceful and stress free movement.
For dancers, musicians, actors, singers and professional athletes, our bodies are an essential component to our craft. The Alexander Technique fine tunes our awareness which supports the demands of technical training, frees expression in performance and provides longevity by caring for the body.
For people who sit and or stand for long periods, or use repetitive actions, the Alexander Technique is an excellent resource in identifying unconscious stress patterns that create pain and discomfort.
A Typical Session
Sessions are a gentle-hands on approach.
Half of the session is seated and the second half is on a massage table. Because we stand and sit all day, the chair work is invaluable to understanding the dynamics of posture. Work at the table provides an opportunity for the body to fully relax into gravity, integrating the work at the chair.
Specific attention can be addressed to your needs. ie: playing an instrument, repetitive actions etc. Sessions are effective for chronic pain, stress and recuperating from injury.
Studying the Alexander Technique keeps the body in balance, pain free and prevents injury.
You are fully clothed, no oils are used.
Experiences
The Alexander skills you taught me have been helpful in an unexpected way. About six months ago I developed swelling and pain in my ankles and feet. I'm less uncomfortable now, thanks to anti-inflammatory drugs, though the cause of the problem is undiagnosed.The pain and swelling made me walk awkwardly, and it occurred to me that I was at risk of getting habituated to walking more and more awkwardly and so causing myself more and more harm.
I used the Alexander skills you taught me to minimize the awkwardness to what was necessary to accommodate the pain and swelling and to keep more awkwardness from building on it. Another benefit: the medical problem weakened me generally, and using Alexander skills conserved my remaining strength. Two important helps I didn't anticipate when I was taking lessons.
Thanks again for your excellent instruction.
Bill Rife
Experiences
I rarely suffer anything like the discomfort or pain I had when I first came to see you.
I am still playing baseball, pitching, and still reasonably effective, even though the league has lowered the minimum age to 25 and I am not getting any younger.
I think about my posture many, many times a day, and try to practice what you have taught me. I am glad to hear that you are back teaching, because I really think you do a terrific job!
Thanks so much for what you have given/taught me.
H. Levin
Experiences
Rita is more than an Alexander Technique practitioner. She is an artist, a gifted dancer and dance teacher, someone with a lifelong dedication to learning about the wisdom of the body and helping others to benefit from what she has learned.
Recently, in preparation for presenting an original performance piece at a national conference, I attended a four-week series taught by Rita. Each week we learned about freeing a different area of the body. The awareness I received from these classes has stayed with me, initiating a ripple effect of expansion and release that enhances every aspect of my life, from playing music to typing at the computer, teaching, conducting, performing, sleeping, running, visiting my family, working in my garden.
L. Kohler