Direction

Before we can evaluate if the Alexander Technique is the Yoga of Zen, I want to talk about one more word.  It is an AT technical term: Direction.  Durring my first lesson with Rebecca Robbins, Director of the Oregon Center for the Alexander Technique I was given a slip of paper with a few lines written on it.  I was told that when I get the impulse to get out of a chair, that I was to stop (or in technical terms "inhibit the end-gaining") and recite these few lines silently.  Later I was encouraged to follow this procedure any time I felt that I was "end-gaining".  Those lines were similar to:

• Let my neck be free
• Let my head go forward and up
• Let my back lengthen and widen
• Let my knees go out and away
• To let my ankles drop

Alexander wrote in the Use of the Self that "direction" indicates "the process involved in projecting messages from the brain to the mechanisms and in conducting the energy necessary to the use of these mechanisms."  
  

Direction has certain features.  

-It is generated by the cognitive mind.  It is the conscious direction of energy.

-Direction is aimed at the mechanism that controls the body.

-it has a geographic feature ("up" "wide" "forward" etc)

-it is positive, as opposed to the inhibition of end-gaining which is negative

-the amount of conducted energy can be quite loud or can be quite soft.  The direction can, in the experienced student, run in the background - analogous to many programs running on your computer that are not readily apparent.   Direction should always have some energy, determination, and commitment.

-Direction should have some consistency to be effective.

The most important point is that this "direction" is NOT "doing".  Direction is intention plus energy.  It is not "doing" - one must leave oneself alone.  "Doing" is effort based, there is an action.  The third option is "not doing".   "Not doing" has no energy.    I propose that "direction" is non-doing.  "Direction" has energy and intention, but no effort.  When we use "direction" not one bit of dust is lifted.
  

Zen students are familiar with "Think of not thinking. How do you think of not thinking? Non-thinking. "

"Direction" is the physical, body based, corollary to this non-thinking.   

Giving yourself directions - energetic, consistent and focused direction without a trace of "doing" is quite difficult - perhaps because it is so simple.  You really need lessons from a qualified, experienced Alexander Technique teacher.   They can help show you how to use direction while leaving yourself alone.  

Training yourself in inhibition and direction will help anchor you in the present, inform how to physically sit zazen, and will provide you with the ability to do whatever you want with ease, grace and efficiency.

Thank you for reading.  I am interested in any thoughts you might have.

Three terms we really need.

To talk about the Yoga of Zen I think it's important to have three terms to use.
They are technical Alexander Technique terms, but Zen student should feel quite at home with them.  With the use of these terms we can see how the AT and Zen relate.


The first term is "inhibition".  That is, hesitating to do an activity.  Stopping.  Creating 'space' between an impulse to do something and it's doing.  It is saying 'no' but not as a negative but to allow other possibilities, not to negate the present but to take another look at it.  It is impulse control.  There is quite a bit to say about inhibition: I'll leave much of it till later.  I'll says now that it is quit a bit more subtle, complex, vexing and more powerful and interesting than Alexander ever imagined.  Alexander was quite clear in his beliefs that if one inhibits the wrong then the right will manifest itself.  But I don't know if he knew just how right he was.

Coupled with inhibition is the second term: "end gaining". End gaining is being preoccupied with the end result of an activity durring an activity.  End gaining is discounting the means by which one gets to a goal.  If one is not end gaining one might be said to be 'present' - or have the sense of 'being in the moment'.  

On brief caution.  Inhibition of end gaining does not result in inactivity.  It is natural to have desires and aversions, and as long as we are alive we might as well act on them.  But I'm saying that with inhibition of end-gaining we can create a choice in how we act.  Instead of acting on our instincts, habits, personality or conditioning, we can inhibit our end-gaining and react from a more considered - or conscious - place.

   Zen practitioners have a word for the practice of the inhibition of end-gaining while sitting.  It's called Zazen, 'just sitting' or shikantaza.  Shikantaza is just sitting: everything that comes up is regarded as end-gaining, because, really we're already sitting so everything else is extra.  Everything.  Yeah, that to.

Actually, here is one exception.  The "posture".  The Zen student is immediately recognized by her posture. The Zen posture is unique among all the Buddhist and non-buddhist schools of meditation.   But lets be honest here.  Why is it important?  Isn't sitting in some idea of a "good posture" just more end-gaining?  Why not just sit more "relaxed"?

Oh, it is so exciting to write about this!

The third term is 'the self'.  Now this is not the "big self" and "small self" we sometimes here in Zen.  The 'self' that I am talking about is the sum of our body sensations, thinking, emotions and personality.  It is the sum total of what we bring to any activity.    The 'self' is a central Alexander term.  In the first paragraph of The Use of the Self Alexander could not have been more clear: "... it is impossible to separate 'mental' and 'physical' processes in any form of human activity. "  For the zen student I'll ask, has there ever been any significant thought or emotion what was not accompanied by a physical sensation?

So this inhibition of end-gaining must have a physical manifestation.  As our proficiency in sitting shikantaza evolves there must also be changes to how we use our body.  Is it reasonable to think that by improving our posture we might get better at just sitting?

But how, honored followers of Zen, could we improve our posture while at the same time staying true to our unshakable conviction that this present moment is perfect the way it it?  Read yet again first paragraph of the Fukanzazengi or here.    By what means could we begin to brush it clean?

There is no basis for 'doing': it's end-gaining.   We must get along without doing.  Fortunately, we have 'not doing': that's the inhibition of end-gaining.  But is there a non-doing?    Hmmm?  That's what I'll write about next!
  

What is the Alexander Technique?

I am entering an addendum to this blog post, just over a year after I initially wrote it.
In re-reading it I am struck by two things:
First, my thinking about the AT has changed a quite a bit and second I now disagree with a majority of what I have written in this post.  I think a majority of the definitions given below are wrong and misleading.  This is very hard to say publicly.   The statements below were made by those with far greater experience, so logically I should conclude that I'm very wrong.  But I will stick to my guns: I disagree with most of the following definitions. 

The AT is a learning experience, taught by teachers to student.  It contains two concrete tools and a set of interconnected principals.  To effectively teach them takes somewhere between six and 30 lessons - thought I have had much more than 30 and no doubt have much still to learn.
The AT is about bringing conscious reasoning to bear on one's responses to stimuli.  Our responses are generally habitual but the AT involves acquiring the ability to respond instead with ones fundamental intentions: to respond in a new way to a stimulus that always used to put us wrong.  It involves replacing subconscious habit with conscious reasoned responses.
I mean to be quite clear here, that I am not making any distinction between the mental and the physical.  The AT, I believe, is just as helpful in someone who suffers from an eating disorder as it would be to someone with low back pain.
Why do these experienced AT teachers define the AT in terms of it's physical benefits?    I will not offer an opinion.   
The idea that the AT is defined in physical terms and that the benefits are limited to the physical body is contrary to FM Alexanders teachings, and based on a fragmentation of the unified self, which, although deeply ingrained in our culture, has been repeatedly proven to be non-existant.
Here is my current favorite definition:
The AT teaches two tools and recommends that students use them.  The AT also offers a few principals that aid in the use of the tools.  That's it.  That is a complete definition.  
Do AT teaches claim that practicing these tools will result in any changes?  Yes.  The use of these tools with bring conscious reasoning to bear on one's responses to stimuli.  It will improve the use of the self.  Does the AT claim to make any more specific benefits?  No it does not.  It is reasonable to expect a wide range of benefits.  There have been scientific studies which show a wide range of benefits.  We do not yet know the limits of the benefits and there are many realms of human activity (creativity, psychology, sports, etc) that have not yet been studied.
   This definition is the most accurate and honest.  But it may be difficult for some to fully understand.   The best teachers define the AT in ways that is both honest and easily grasped.  

When I want to learn something I often start by going to Wikipedia - but I don't think it's a great description - it does not capture the richness of the technique.  Also, surprisingly, it does not mention the scientific evidence that shows the techniques efficacy or the studies that illuminate how the technique works.
A better way to start might be the main professional organization in the US of AT teachers.

Or go right to the source and read F M Alexanders books.  There is no doubt that his writing exactly represented his thinking.

For those interested in the Yoga of Zen, I think it would be useful to talk about how the AT relates to each of the guidelines proposed in my earlier post.  I'll give that a try in subsequent posts.

Another definition was written by the author of the largest study into the AT, proffesor Paul Little.    He writes:

"Lessons in the Alexander technique offer an individualised approach designed to develop lifelong skills for self care that help people recognise, understand, and avoid poor habits affecting postural tone and neuromuscular coordination. Lessons involve continuous personalised assessment of the individual patterns of habitual musculoskeletal use when stationary and in movement; paying particular attention to release of unwanted head, neck, and spinal muscle tension, guided by verbal instruction and hand contact, allowing decompression of the spine; help and feedback from hand contact and verbal instruction to improve musculoskeletal use when stationary and in movement; and spending time between lessons practising and applying the technique"

Those interested in podcasts can listen to a collection of interviews that Robert Richover, a AT teacher, has given with dozens of teacher, students and researchers.

He starts each interview by asking his guest "What is the Alexander Technique?"  The responses are quite varied, and I disagree with many.  I hope Robert does not mind, but I have a few edited some.
The Alexander technique:

will help you do what you want to do.

is a method of unlearning bad habits of movement and posture and relearning a more easefull way of doing whatever you are doing.

It's not a specific set of exercises.  It is a set of principals, an educational system that teaches people to become aware of  harmful movement paterns and gives them the tools to consiously choose a better and more efficient way of moving or doing any task.

is a set of skills and information that can be brought into movement, exercise or daily activity: can go anywhere and help you to do anything.

shows people how to interrupt bad habits and insert instead a more thoughtful way of doing whatever you do.

is the long standing foremost method for mindfulness in the east.

It's a way of dealing with habits: recognizing and then interupting them

is a method to become aware of unnecessary tension.

is a method to become aware of and change movement and postural habits that cause or exacebate pain, or get in the way of any activity.

is the conscious interface between rational mind and the movements you make.  The relationship between the head and the neck is important because it is the first movement you make and the body follows.

is an educational process: To build awareness of yourself and your actions and habits, then learn ways of thinking to help move more efficiently and easily.

it is a 100 year old educational technique that uses observation, verbal suggestions, and gentle hands on guidance to improve balance, movement and the overall coordination of the body.

a method to be more centered and connected that give people more choice to respond to any over-excitement or stressful event.

is learning to be aware of, and change, unconscious habits that distort posture and impairs coordination in the form of muscle tension - Learning how to not to do something - learn how to make better choices about how you move and use yourself.

is a method to help people do things with less unnecessary tension and encourages more freedom of movement.

AT results in a diminished need for reactive response patters.

unlearn old habits so that people can perform any activity with more awareness, freedom and enjoyment.

is a study of human coordination.  Liberating our most efficient and graceful coordination by reducing straining patterns of interference that we do habitually.

is an educational approach that help us to identify and free ourself from habitual interference allowing our natural ease and well being.

to help pt's find balance and the flow of their lives.

will help musicians understand how their thinking effect their function.

What would the Yoga of Zen look like?

What are some of the requirements when adopting guidelines on how to sit?  What do we want it to help with?  What would the Yoga of Zen look like?  I'm sure all of us have our own wish list.  Here is mine:

1.  I would want it to help me with the Buddha Way:  To help me more completely understand who I am.
2.  I would want it to be faithful to the opening lines of the Zazenkai.  The way is basically pure, who could imagine a way to brush it clean?
3.  I would want it to help me sit without pain.
4,  I would also like it to help me express fundamental understanding and motivation in my day to day activities.
5.  I would require it to be non dual: to embrace the unity of mind/body/emotionals.
6.  It would recognize that interpretation of our senses are unreliable.
7.  I would like it to recognize the lack of separation between self and others.
8.  It would be safe and could be used by anyone without regard to disability.

In a bit more detail:
    1.  What good is a Yoga of Zen if it does not help me with my practice?
    2.  I've heard that Buddhas first words, after becoming enlightened, expressed that he was now enlightened with all beings.  My understanding is that the fundamental nature of all of us, right now, is that we are enlightened.  Hense, there is nothing to gain or add onto our present situation.  And this is the fundamental premise of shikantaza: just sitting without expectations, grasping or aversions is the expression of enlightenment.  It is often said that this sitting is "non-doing", but in my mind that trivializes this practice.  It's seems like a lot of work for me to sit like that!  I won't say much more because it would be hard to stop.  What I want to emphasize is that the Yoga of Zen should not try improve us or our sitting.  How could it improve on our fundamental nature?  It would help us be who we truely are right now but not change or improve anything.  In my estimation, suggestions such as "Don't Move!" or "Sit up straight!" or "tuck in the chin" have no place in how to physically Sit.  These phrases are in stark opposition to our fundamental edict that the present moment is OK just the way it is.    Hence, Yoga, as commonly taught in the US is NOT  Zen.  Sure, it can be very helpful - just like eating right and getting the right amount of rest is helpful.  But it DOES NOT inform how to use our bodies as we sit zazen.
    3.  How many of us have sat in pain?  I would guess that it is extremely common.  For a persuit who's goal is liberation from suffering I am often surprised by how little attention is paid to decreasing the physical pain endured while sitting.  I am aware that there is quite a bit that can be said about pain while sitting.  But I completely reject the notion that pain while sitting is helpful in practicing the Buddha Way.  I believe all leaders in the sangha (Buddhist community) should be aware of, and offer, any available tools to help those who sit in pain.  It seems to me a very basic level of compassion we should have for ourself and others.  And, the Yoga of Zen should help people with their sitting pain.  
  4.  Practitioners of Buddhism have always been socially engaged as a major expression of their practice.  Modern Buddhists and Zen practitioners continue to express their practice and understanding outside the meditation hall from the personal to the global arenas.  We hear daily about the suffering in all the corners of the world. And I am not alone in believing that life on this planet may not continue for much longer without the benefits of all of our efforts.  How can a Zen practitioner help?  Zen is all about the present moment.  The question then is "How can I bring my understanding of practice to the present moment?"  or more practically "Is what I am doing right in this very moment a reflection of my deepest intention?"
It seems to me, as a Zen practitioner, that if we act moment after moment based on our fundamental intention, then we will be doing our part to heal the ills of the world.  What prevents us?  Well clearly, if we do not fully embody our true self and have not refined our fundamental intention then we will not be doing our part.  So we do need to sit.  But even very advanced teachers with deep understanding can find themselves acting in ways that are not helpful, just like the rest of us.  Beyond doing even more sitting and trying to be mindful, the Zen student has very few tools to help them in the midst of daily living.  To help life on the planet is to continue, the Yoga of Zen should bring our practice and understanding to our activities in the present moment.
5.  Even though the approach to sitting that I'm trying to talk about is physical, it should not explicitly try to divide the body, mind, emotions.  This is not about 'Joe taking his body and making it sit better'.  It's about how to fully engage the whole mind/body/emotional self - which I call Joe - to just fully sit.  It should not exclude anything.
6.  Feeling our body, relying on our senses has got to form the basis of the Yoga of Zen, right?  My body does not feel right, not upright, too twisted or bent.  Based on my interpretations of pain and proprioception I'll change my posture.  Or my teacher if telling me to sit up straight, so I'll try to change my posture to till it feels more upright.  Or reading Dogen, I'll try to align my nose with my navel by how it feels.  Or I'll look at a senior student and try to sit in a way that is as relaxed as I think she is.    The big problem here is that although we are constantly fed information based on our senses our interpretations, opinions, judgments can not be trusted.    Uh oh!  I'm like a ship in the ocean and I just found out my compass is unreliable!!  You don't have to believe me, but it's true.  Maybe later I'll try to prove this point.  I very much wish I had adopted this guideline years ago...
7.  Honoring both the difference and lack of difference between self and other sounds like it should be here, but I don't know why.
8.  No one should get hurt.  Sitting is not nearly fun enough to risk getting hurt.  And the Yoga of Zen should be helpful for those in all abilities.  It's only right.
Whew!  That was way too long: sorry!  Will try to be more brief in the future.

Sitting Physically

How does one sit Zazen?

Here I am talking about shikantaza or 'just sitting' in the spirit of Zen Masters Dogen and Hongzhi.   Of course, endless books articles and lectures has been done on this for centuries.  Admittedly I have read very little about Zen, but I have not found much about how to sit physically.  What do you do with your body while sitting?  What role does it play?
Most of what is written is about the attitude of the practitioner: what is her motivation?  What should she be trying to obtain?  What does she do with her mind?  Her thoughts?  More recently much has been written about zen and the emotional life, Zen and psychology.
There are ways to approach Sitting from different perspectives.  It is like peering into a jewel from different facets. They are all important avenues of investigation, and a seasoned practitioner will be familiar with all of them.
But we all have our tendencies.  Our personalities dictate if we look at our self and our Sitting practice by way of our mind, our emotions, our intellect, our our body.
I have tended to approached sitting physical.  For may years I did wrestle with my mind.  I tried to count my breaths, and for many more years tried to follow my breathing by bringing my concentration back to it.  And, of course, I like everyone else, am a deeply emotional being.  But the changing nature of emotions and thoughts has left me with a blend of disintrest and suspicion.  But the body is always present: the sensations from the body are real.  Lots of stuff is happening.  I know there are risks in practicing with the body: we can try to make these sensations into something they are not.  And there is the possibility I might see the body as something separate from a unified self.  But being aware of the body is an accessible mode of investigation in zen sitting, along with the mind and emotions.

So lets move onto grappling with how to use our body to sit?  What do we do with it?  This is an important question.  Dogen was very passionate about sitting, and Zen has traditionally emphasized the posture in sitting.   Dogen instructions on how to sit, the Fukanzazengi, is chanted frequently at all the zen center I have been to, and a frequent topic for lectures.  However I can not recall any lectures about Dogens thoughts about how to sit.  This despite the fact that  Dogen devoted about a quarter of the Fukanzazengi on how to physically sit!  It's also quite surprising that although Dogen is held in high regard, how many actually practice what he instructed?   Very very rarely.    

 We also have instructions from our current teachers.  We were all given instructions when we began.  But how often are we given updates, reminders or corrections?  Extremely rarely.  Oh, occasionally our teachers will admonish us "Don't move!"  or "Sit up straight!"  Once durring a sesshin I attended at the San Francisco Zen Center two teachers openly argued in the middle of a sitting about whether it was correct to either "tuck the chin" or "imagine a string, tied to the crown of the head was being pulled up".
They could not agree.  And I have heard encouragements to sit in full lotus.  But in my 30+ years of sitting that it about it for instructions.  I've listened to hundreds of hours of Zen lectures and basically nothing about how to physically sit.  Is your experience different?

So how we sit is very important.  And we have ancient instructions that how we use our bodies in sitting but we don't pay it much heed.  Modern teachers have little to say on the subject.  Do we have more modern instructions?  Has science or western thought anything to add?

This blog is an update on instructions can we give ourself on how to sit.  How do we physically sit?  What is the Yoga of Zen?

It's about how physically do Zen practice

This blog is about Zen and the Alexander Technique.  Its for Zen student who may have asked "What do I do with my body durring sitting?"   It's about how to approach Zen sitting physically.  Are there any modern insights that can help understand what role the body plays in Zen sitting? Of course, it's a bit about me also, but I'll try to keep that to a minimum.   I would be honored to read your thoughts.  Thank you for reading!