Ted Dimon - Alexander Technique

School Curriculum

All course content is built into the daily class schedule. Most topics are not addressed in blocks, rather the information is spread out and revisited over the three year program, with the exception of the anatomy and neuroscience subjects. Ted Dimon has written down his curriculum into several separate books, which have become important supporting texts to the classwork.

EXPERIENTIAL SUBJECTS

Although the course curriculum covers a wide range of scientific subjects, the knowledge embodied in it can be understood only through applied work and experience. Accordingly, a large portion of the curriculum is focused on attention to the self, and on a new philosophical approach based on attention to the self as the foundation for all activity. These experiential activities include one-on-one instruction from the faculty, group work, guided activities, and working on one’s own. Activities also include vocal and breathing work and the study of developmental movement. Experiential coursework at the school includes the following areas of study:

Required Reading for all experiential subjects:

Neurodynamics: The Art of Mindfulness in Action, by Ted Dimon
The Use of the Self, by F. Matthias Alexander
The Use of the Hands in Teaching, by Ted Dimon
Developmental Movement, by Ted Dimon
Breathing and the Voice: A Practical Guide to the Whispered “Ah,” by Ted Dimon

One-on-one teacher supervision
The postural neuromuscular reflex system (PNR system) refers to the automatic working of the musculoskeletal system, based on elastic muscle length, reflex activity of the nervous system, and the head/trunk relationship as the basic organizing principle of vertebrate movement in space. First articulated by F. Matthias Alexander, and dubbed by him "the primary control," it is a unique and mostly unrecognized discovery in human function. When working properly, this system ensures effortless muscular support against gravity as the background against which all action takes place. In most people, this system has been compromised by harmful habits and cannot work properly without guidance and help from a skilled teacher. In the first year of the course, and indeed throughout the course, a great deal of personal attention will be aimed at restoring the working of this system, leading to improved muscle tone, balance, and postural support. The changes that occur during this process can often be quite dramatic and are the single most important part of the process of learning. The Alexander Technique was developed specifically as a way to address distortions in the postural mechanism and to restore its full function.

Physical awareness and “direction”
Each of us possesses a personal biofeedback system that makes it possible to influence muscle tone, to release chronic tension, and to bring about an improved working of the PNR system. In the first year, a great deal of attention will be devoted toward learning how to use this personal biofeedback system to notice harmful tension and to restore this system, first with the teacher’s guidance and eventually without help from the teacher. This makes it possible to bring about beneficial changes in oneself, to maintain an improved working of the PNR system, and to become increasingly aware of what we are doing during daily activity.

The study of “positions of mechanical advantage”
Although it is possible to influence muscle tone simply by “thinking” kinesthetically, an essential component of restoring the PNR system is to provide the support for the musculoskeletal system, beginning with a semi-supine position and progressing to more active positions. Like learning a karate kata or form, mastering these positions greatly benefits the student in learning the principles of kinesthetic awareness and control. Some time each week will be devoted to utilizing this and other positions as a way of learning to “direct” in action.

Guided activities - the beginning of the study of action
Every week, time will be devoted toward observation and exploration of particular movements such as walking, using the arms, and vocalizing. Paying attention to a simple activity such as walking is much more than body mechanics or kinesthetic awareness but is based on an understanding of the ability to perform actions effortlessly based on the natural working of the PNR system. Time will be spent analyzing these actions in order to understand the body’s function and design, and in order to learn to prevent the unwanted actions and tensions that interfere with this design.

Developmental movement
Human upright posture is the most complex movement system in the animal kingdom and evolved sequentially from earlier and more primitive forms of movement. Studying these developmental movements makes it possible to effect improvements in the working of the muscular system, to gain insight into how to move more efficiently, and to progress from more basic to more advanced forms of balance and support. Various stages of movement will be explored, from the earliest total body patterns, crawling and creeping, to anthropoid and human movement.

Recommended Reading:

Skill and Poise, by Ramond Dart
The Evolution of Movement, by Robin Simmons

The “means-whereby” principle
Learning to think “kinesthetically” as the basis for an improved use of the self is a fundamental principle of neurodynamics. To change harmful habits of use, the student must learn to prevent his or her habitual way of performing actions by stopping, by learning to break actions down into steps, and by paying attention to how an act is performed rather than focusing on the goal. This form of “thinking-in-activity,” as John Dewey called it, makes it possible to bring about fundamental changes in the use of the self, and to become increasingly aware of harmful habits that interfere with the system in specific activities.

Required reading:

Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual, by F. Matthias Alexander

Mindfulness in action
Learning to be mindful during activity is one of the most difficult--as well as one of the most advanced--elements of neurodynamics. In the early stages of learning, the student focuses mainly on physical actions, learning to perform them more carefully and efficiently. As the student progresses, however, he or she realizes that the process of using the musculoskeletal system more efficiently is not just a matter of being kinesthetically aware but of learning the art of mindfulness. This art includes an awareness of what is going on around us but is based on an inward attention to the balanced working of mind and body. During the training, we will periodically examine what attention is, explore how to maintain attention, and gain insight into the process of learning to be attentive as a fundamental discipline in living.

THEORETICAL COURSEWORK

The Science of Neurodynamics
In this course we will look at the basic neuroscience underlying neurodynamics: how the human neuromuscular system can be brought under greater conscious control by describing, first, how the muscular system works in action; second, how it becomes misdirected and imbalanced and can be brought into greater balance; and third, how this system can be brought under control by understanding the question of muscle function, proprioception, and increased consciousness.

Beyond covering relevant aspects of current neuroscience, the seminar will present a new scientific and theoretical view of the use of the self—the culmination of Ted Dimon’s many years of study in anatomy, neuroscience, psychology, and education—including the design and working of the “PNR” system, new and critical elements of muscle physiology that are central to neurodynamics, and what is meant by mind/body unity and conscious control. Other topics covered will include inhibition, ideomotor action, the special role of neck reflexes, antagonistic action, the autonomic nervous system, stretch reflexes, and more.

Required reading:

Neurodynamics: The Art of Mindfulness in Action, by Ted Dimon

Awareness: Articulating a New Dimension in Education
What is awareness, and why is it good to be aware? Many of us practice forms of awareness designed to help us to notice tensions and to reduce stress, to become aware of our reactions, and to promote general health and well-being. But what exactly are we doing when we practice awareness, and how is this different than being generally aware? Many philosophers have maintained that we are capable of higher levels of awareness, but what do they mean by this, why do we need to be more aware, and is it something worthy of striving for? Many religious traditions utilize mindfulness practices as a way of achieving a higher level of awareness, but
precisely because we inherit these practices as part of a tradition, we are often unclear about what mindfulness is, why we are doing it, and how it fits into educational practice as a whole.

In this course, we examine awareness in its broader context by understanding, first, what it is, how it relates to mindfulness, and what we mean by higher levels of awareness. Second, the course will examine why awareness is not a thing apart but exists on a continuum with other faculties such as thinking and deliberation. Finally, the course will also examine how, as a way of becoming more conscious of one’s thoughts and actions, awareness can function as a legitimate educational aim, how it can be developed throughout the lifespan, and how it applies to such diverse areas of education as health and child development. In this course, we will explore a variety of topics including kinesthetic awareness, attention, and behavior. We will also discuss mindfulness in its practical application to everyday conduct including speaking and thinking.

Required Reading:

The Awareness Principle, by Ted Dimon (manuscript version available)

Basic Musculoskeletal Anatomy
Basic musculoskeletal anatomy is presented as a way of introducing students to traditional anatomy—the location of particular bones, muscles and related structures. Familiarity with basic anatomy helps the student develop professional confidence; provides the student with a vocabulary that makes it possible to communicate with other professionals; and most importantly, provides the groundwork for acquiring further knowledge and skills.
Musculoskeletal anatomy includes: bones; origins and attachments of muscles and related actions; joints, major ligaments, and actions at joints; discussion of major functional structures such as the pelvis, shoulder girdle, ankle, and hand; terminology and etymology of anatomical terms; major landmarks and human topography; and structures relating to breathing and vocalization.

Required Readings:

Anatomy of the Moving Body, by Ted Dimon

School Curriculum

THE DIMON INSTITUTE

To be notified about courses, publications, and events: