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Recent Posts
- New Website Under Construction
- There’s Magic in the Tissue
- Allowing Hands
- Breaking Free
- Chicken or Egg?
- The Flintstones Meets The Alexander Technique
- Hurry Up as a Marketing Tool!
- Conscious Slobbing
- On Taking Space – Creativity and the Alexander Technique
- Working on Your Self!
- Embracing the Hermit
- And Breathe
- I Let My Neck be Free! Notes from a Tree Trunk…
- Inhibition and a Cup of Tea
- Anatomy of a Dandelion Seed
- The Magic Stop
- Heave Awa’ Chaps I’m No Dead Yet!’
- I let my neck be free
- Art, Heart, Earth – Horizontal and Vertical Directions
- Procrastination
- 6 Words that Changed my Life
- The Power of No!
- Don’t Throw the Baby Out With the Bath Water!
- The Problem with Posture
- Injury, The Pentagram and The Alexander Technique
- Be Calmed
- Retirement and the Alexander Technique
- Injury and The Alexander Technique
- The Encyclopaedia of Ease – W – Z
- The Encyclopaedia of Ease T-V
- The Encyclopaedia of Ease – S
- The Encyclopaedia of Ease – R
- The Encyclopaedia of Ease P-Q
- The Encyclopaedia of Ease – N-O
- The Encylopaedia of Ease – M
- The Encyclopaedia of Ease – L
- The Encylopaedia of Ease I – K
- The Encyclopaedia of Ease E – H
- The Encyclopaedia of Ease A – E
- I Like Myself!
- The Magic is Now!
- The Happiness of Grass
- No Room For Doubt!
- BALLS!
- Prayer to my Horse
- The Perfect Circle – A Lesson from Art History to Apply to Riding
- Disillusionment and Creativity
- Spaced Out!
- In Our Hands
- A Flicker of Light – Playing Horse and Rider
- Enjoy A Breather
- To Earth We Return
- Messages from Trees
- Is Your Head Screwed On Right?
- Once Upon a Time …
- You’ve Got It Already!
- How to get a sore neck!
- Enthusiasm
- Trust! A Door to Ease and Creativity…
- How to Be a Flop!
- Where’s Your Birdie?
- Please Your Self!
- Happy Hibernating
- Good Morning Here I Am …
- The Daily Ease
- Enough is Enough!
- The Opposite of Creativity is not Destruction, it’s Stagnation!
- Drinking Water with a Fork
- Stuff and Nonsense!
- Finding my Inner FUP IT!
- The Weird Wonderful World of Alexander Technique
- From Gratitude to Grrr-Attitude!
- Rampage of Appreciation – Training to be an Alexander Technique Teacher
- On Being Wiggly – part 2
- On Being Wiggly
- How do you make decisions?
- What is the Alexander Technique? 12 – 14 Year Olds Answer
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Horse
- ‘Planet Long Neck’ – A Visual Blog
- Why the Alexander Technique can be Likened to Farting!
- If You Want to Set a Goal Don’t Tell The Devil!
- Alexander’s Story (a truly terrible verse)
- Lean on Me
- Is it useful learning Alexander Technique at School and if so, why?
- Alexander Technique Drawings
- Hard Cheese!
- It’s all about the words …
- The Giraffe
- Why an Alexander Technique Colouring Book?
- The Daily Ease – A Walk in the Woods
- The Really Random Magic Show
- Ki – How I Discovered Alexander Technique
- Mind the Gap!
- Tongues!
- Humphrey!
- Alexander Technique Is Like Harry Potter World!
- ‘Doing Alexander Technique at School is Legendary!’
- 101 Life Lessons from my Dog
- 101 Life Lessons from My Dog – Part 2 (66 – 101)
- A Stitch In Time Saves Nine
- ‘It’s the Jeremy Kyle Show Miss!’
- Horse Ease – Geeks, Gals and Gee Gee’s
- The Naughty Step!
- STOPPING – The Most Magical Gift of All!
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Tag Archives: alexander technique
Chicken or Egg?
With lockdown I chose to allow myself to embrace the opportunity to switch off rather than zoom in. A conscious decision to see if allowing space and stopping really does allow balance and something extraordinary to happen, as we teach … Continue reading
Posted in Ache - ease, Awareness - ease, Cartoons, Daily Ease, Letting Go, Sketch Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Chicken Wisdom, Incubation, Isolation
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Conscious Slobbing
I love a good turn of phrase and a friend came out with this one last week, slightly regretfully, in that he felt he hadn’t done enough during lockdown. ‘Thats brilliant! Conscious slobbing, I love it! That is enough. Thats … Continue reading
Posted in Ache - ease, Anatom-ease, Body Magic, Cartoons, Daily Ease, Letting Go, Semi Supine
Tagged alexander technique, constructive rest, letting go, semi supine
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Embracing the Hermit
Do we ever know where we are going? The world on the computer connecting for work or play, to teach or to learn, to party or to support, to fill time and stay busy, to fulfil roles and meet deadlines … Continue reading
I Let My Neck be Free! Notes from a Tree Trunk…
Walking my dog Maisie yesterday I sat exhaustedly on the trunk of a fallen beech tree and put my hands on my head and prayed ‘what would you have me say, think or do next?’ To my amazement the breakdown … Continue reading
Posted in Ache - ease, Anatom-ease, Awareness - ease, Body Magic, Breathe, Daily Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Freedom, inspiration, Sore Neck
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The Magic Stop
The Magic Stop by Kirsten Harris Continue reading
Posted in Body Magic, Breathe, Daily Ease, Habits, Horse Ease, Poise
Tagged alexander technique, Pausing, stopping
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Heave Awa’ Chaps I’m No Dead Yet!’
There’s a stone carved onto the entry of an ancient close in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile that says ‘Heave Awa Chaps I’m No Dead Yet.’ I used to see the stone every day. It made an impression. A 300 year old … Continue reading
Posted in Ache - ease, Anatom-ease, Daily Ease
Tagged alexander technique, fearlessness
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I let my neck be free
‘I let my neck be free!’ It is a powerful thought, A very powerful thought! If you don’t know what to think right now try this one thought, over and over again. ‘I let my neck be free!’ You … Continue reading
Posted in Ache - ease, Anatom-ease, Awareness - ease, Body Magic
Tagged alexander technique
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6 Words that Changed my Life
I was standing at the sink this morning thinking that a happy life is found by converting perceived negatives into positives. Simple as that sounds it can sometimes be a big challenge to change one’s mind. It then struck me … Continue reading
Posted in Ache - ease, Cartoons, Children and Teenagers, Daily Ease, Dis-Ease, Habits
Tagged alexander technique
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The Problem with Posture
The word posture roots in the word post. A fixed place. A post in the ground! It also means to ‘take up an artificial mental position.’ Words are obviously useful to help us understand our living condition but can also get … Continue reading
Posted in Awareness - ease, Dis-Ease, Horse Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Posture
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The Encyclopaedia of Ease – R
The Encyclopaedia of Ease – finding ease in everyday words. Ease that you probably didn’t know was there. And now r… Roll your Rrrrrr’s in speech and movement. R R – or ah, or argh! Variations of Alexander Technique ‘whispered … Continue reading
The Encyclopaedia of Ease – N-O
The Encyclopaedia of Ease – finding ease in existing words ‘psoas’ not to get bored! So now these two letters – N and O, very useful when used together for creating claritiease and boundarease. No is a small word, easy … Continue reading
The Encyclopaedia of Ease – L
The Encyclopaedia of Ease by Kirsten Harris – making up easy meanings for old words, because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Hope you enjoy my romp through the English language looking for ease….. Part 4 Welcome … Continue reading
Posted in Daily Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Alexander Technique cartoons, Ease, Kirsten Harris Art, semi supine
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The Encylopaedia of Ease I – K
I Idiocease – ‘Aha’ moments, when you realise you’ve been making things hard for yourself. Often accompanied by insights which cause the hand to be held to the forehead and the making of strange noises such as ‘Doh!’ Ignoramusease – … Continue reading
The Encyclopaedia of Ease E – H
Part 2 of the Encyclopaedia of Ease. My easy peasy lemon squeasy encyclopaedia for an easier life! Written for anyone who likes messing about with words, Alexander Technique, meditation, law of attraction, mindfulness, the power of the mind and all … Continue reading
Posted in Ache - ease, Anatom-ease, Awareness - ease, Cartoons, Daily Ease, Dis-Ease, Dog Ease, Horse Ease, Kid Ease, Love-Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Ease, Law of Attraction, Meditation, Mindfulness
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The Encyclopaedia of Ease A – E
Do you know your a, b, c’ease? Welcome to the Encyclopaedia of Ease… A Anatomease – An easier way to live in your body by knowing the bones and joints and having a clear understanding of how you co-ordinate and … Continue reading
I Like Myself!
I taught Alexander Technique to university students on a drama degree course for about ten years. One day I was teaching how our thinking affects the way we feel and therefore move and act and how this happens instantly. I … Continue reading
Posted in Awareness - ease, Cartoons, Habits, Letting Go, Love Ease (Actors etc)
Tagged alexander technique, I lIke myself, Self Image, Self Talk
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No Room For Doubt!
No Room for Doubt! ‘There is no room for doubt in art!’ Sean Scully The opposite of the word doubt is confidence. Other words to describe the opposite of doubt include belief, conviction, trust, definiteness, faith, ease, truthfulness, solution, calm, … Continue reading
Posted in Awareness - ease, Habits
Tagged alexander technique, Doubt and Creativity, Goethe, Lao Tzu, Sean Scully
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BALLS!
Balls! I am feeling frustrated! I recently broke my toe. I don’t know for sure as the NHS don’t X-ray toes (Fair enough!?) Since the injury I have been getting intermittent pins and needles in my arm. I KNOW this … Continue reading
The Perfect Circle – A Lesson from Art History to Apply to Riding
Four Winds Medicine Wheel. Print available at www.kirstenharrisart.co.uk In his book Lives of the Artists, Georgio Vasari (1511 – 1574) recounts a story about the artist Giotto (1267 – 1337). He tells how the Pope was commissioning art and sent messengers … Continue reading
Spaced Out!
A few years ago a visitor to an open studio at my home said to me ‘ You are a successful artist!’ I was really startled. ‘How do you work that out?’ I asked. ‘You have space around you’ he … Continue reading
Enjoy A Breather
I am interested in how language changes things. I have been thinking about this in relationship to resistance and time. I noticed recently a feeling of resistance to appointments. Instead of feeling flaky and dragging my heels, I have been wondering … Continue reading
Posted in Body Magic, Breathe, Breathe Easy, Breathing, Constructive Rest, Daily Ease, Habits, Semi Supine
Tagged alexander technique, Body Magic, Breathe, Breathing
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To Earth We Return
To Earth We Return by Kirsten Harris It takes a long time for a tree to grow, but only a short time to chop one down! A friend from India told me that in her culture when a tree … Continue reading
Posted in Audio Downloads, Body Magic, Breathe, Breathe Easy, Breathing, Cartoons, Daily Ease, Horse Ease, Horses
Tagged alexander technique, Horses, tree planting
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Messages from Trees
In Nature We find Ourselves, drawing by Kirsten Harris Messages from Trees Breathe deeply of me I am the lungs of the world, my health and yours are one Let your spine flow upwards and your limbs flow freely … Continue reading
Is Your Head Screwed On Right?
Anatomy and Art, Cartoon by Kirsten Harris Is your head screwed on right? I love the way our language and the phases we use reveal so much on closer inspection! We might say ‘so and so hasn’t got their … Continue reading
Posted in Ache - ease, Anatom-ease, Back Ache - Ease, Body Magic, Cartoons, CD Downloads, Constructive Rest, Dis-Ease, Habits, Pain - Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Anxiety, Habits
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Once Upon a Time …
The Old Horse Chestnut Tree by Kirsten Harris, Pen on paper Once upon a time, a long time ago, in the frozen lands of Scotland, a young woman found herself trapped in a dark and terrifyingly lonely forest. Sharp, … Continue reading
Posted in Ache - ease, Cartoons, Letting Go
Tagged alexander technique, Back Ache, self help
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How to Be a Flop!
How To Be A Flop, Cartoon by Kirsten Harris Instead of a ‘how to be a success’ blog I thought I would write one about how to be a flop! Let’s take some pressure off and hopefully make life … Continue reading
Where’s Your Birdie?
Where’s your Birdie? This is the question I am going into the New Year with! No, I haven’t suddenly landed in an episode of Wacky Races with Dastardly and Muttley trying to ‘catch the pigeon’ nor have I … Continue reading
Happy Hibernating
Polar Bears, Watercolour by Kirsten Harris ‘Winter, a time for hibernation.’ The familiar warm tones of David Attenborough’s voice over … an idea begins to form. Teaching Alexander Technique at school, as we approach the shortest day of the … Continue reading
The Daily Ease
I gave my blog the title The Daily Ease as a reminder to make time for a daily ease. What does a daily ease mean to you? lying down in consecutive rest aka semi supine going for a … Continue reading
Enough is Enough!
Do you read ‘enough is enough’ as a positive or a negative? An affirmation or a telling off? A plenty abundance or a never again? A good enough or a not good enough? If enough is a negative, is it … Continue reading
Posted in Back Ache - Ease, Habits, Letting Go
Tagged alexander technique, Body Magic, constructive rest, semi supine
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Drinking Water with a Fork
Am I drinking water with a fork? This is my new transformational question, a holy grail kind of question, a forking great question! Drinking water with a fork is obviously a difficult, inefficient, unsustainable, energy dripping thing to … Continue reading
Posted in Awareness - ease, Body Magic, Habits
Tagged alexander technique, awareness, Habits, Kirsten Harris
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Stuff and Nonsense!
I am sorting out my wardrobe and discovering in the process that my favourite childhood book has morphed into ‘The Try On, The Bitch and The Wardrobe!’ My closet is bursting at the seams with fantasy versions of an … Continue reading
Posted in Anatom-ease, Body Magic, Constructive Rest, Daily Ease, Habits, Letting Go
Tagged alexander technique, decluttering, Habits, letting go
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Finding my Inner FUP IT!
Sometimes life is challenging to say the least. People behave in ways that surprise and bewilder … our bodies alter and falter …. loved ones die … loneliness and anxiety can descend upon us like a cloud… to name a … Continue reading
The Weird Wonderful World of Alexander Technique
‘Trust, The Gold Thread’ by Kirsten Harris Gold, Copper and Oil on Canvas, 100 x 150 cm I thought about calling this blog ‘Why the Alexander Technique is Weird’ or ‘Are Alexander Teachers Weirdos?’ Both titles make me smile! Before you … Continue reading
From Gratitude to Grrr-Attitude!
From Gratitude to Grrr – attitude! Inhibition in the Alexander Technique sense doesn’t mean not reacting but pausing before reacting habitually to take a moment to decide how you want to react. For many of us that can be … Continue reading
How do you make decisions?
How do you make decisions? Ever since I started working with the Alexander Technique as a stressed out ex art student, I realised that this technique is an amazing tool for decision making. It is a tool that I … Continue reading
Posted in Awareness - ease, Cartoons, Daily Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Decision making, Kirsten Harris Art
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Why the Alexander Technique can be Likened to Farting!
OMG!’ Oil on Canvas, by Kirsten Harris Apologies to the easily offended, but I am likening the Alexander Technique to farting in this blog. Call it British humour or bad humour, but a girls gotta amuse herself somehow! Anyway, I … Continue reading
Posted in Awareness - ease, Breathe, Cartoons, CD Downloads
Tagged alexander technique, Kirsten Harris Art, Poise
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If You Want to Set a Goal Don’t Tell The Devil!
New Years Day, Tinto Hill, South Lanarkshire, Scotland I was listening to the philosopher Alan Watts (1915 – 1973) on You Tube and he came out with a fantastic line that resonated for the new year – ‘If you … Continue reading
Posted in Anatom-ease, Daily Ease
Tagged Alan Watts, alexander technique, goal setting
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Alexander’s Story (a truly terrible verse)
ALEXANDER’S STORY (via a truly terrible verse) This is the story of The Alexander Technique Named after the founder. It’s fabulous! Unique! Its extraordinary brilliance is worldwide recognised Even applauded in the Nobel Prize Alexander discovered a useful … Continue reading
Lean on Me
‘Lean on me …. We all need somebody to lean on’ – A lyric! A truth? What happens if someone leans on you? Can you look after yourself? Or will that leaning push you over, cause you to crumple, … Continue reading
Posted in Audio Downloads, Body Magic, Daily Ease, Habits, Pain - Ease
Tagged alexander technique, psycho-physcial unity
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Is it useful learning Alexander Technique at School and if so, why?
Every now and then I check in with the school children I teach to find out what they are learning from Alexander Technique. Here are some answers from class – ‘It is useful learning Alexander Technique at school because … Continue reading
Alexander Technique Drawings
Page from The Daily Ease – A Walk in the Wood Colouring Book I have been slowly working away creating images that hopefully express Alexander Technique in a fun way. A task that I find exceedingly challenging, but very … Continue reading
Hard Cheese!
Hard Cheese! by Kirsten Harris Thirty three vertebrae Support the body through the day They’re your inner building bricks Stack them well, let’s not be thick! Disease, perhaps a lack of ease? A painful back and hips and … Continue reading
Mind the Gap!
Mind the gap! What does that mean to you? I have been thinking about the gap, that space between one phase and another. A place to fall or a place to float? Actors call it ‘resting’ or ‘taking time … Continue reading
Tongues!
Tongue Tied by Kirsten Harris Here’s a funny little question That left unchecked will cause congestion Let me ask you, ‘Where’s your tongue?’ Clamped to mouth’s roof you’ll be high strung! It’s best to let your tongue go … Continue reading
Posted in Anatom-ease, Cartoons, Children and Teenagers, Daily Ease, Habits, Poems, Verse Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Alexander Technique at High School, Alexander Technique at school, alexander technique for children, children and alexander technique, children and teenagers, Habits, Life Lessons
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Humphrey!
I see with joy that a collage I made twenty odd years ago was in STAT news this month. Thank you Jamie, I love that you kept it so long! The quirky title – ‘Because she had always been interested … Continue reading
‘Doing Alexander Technique at School is Legendary!’
‘Doing Alexander Technique at school is legendary and you’re a legend Miss!’ Or so I was informed by a seventeen year old at the high school where I teach Alexander Technique yesterday! ‘Oh, that sounds good! Is it? No-one has … Continue reading
101 Life Lessons from my Dog
101 Life Lessons from my Dog by Kirsten Harris 1. Have a good stretch and yawn first thing in the morning. It feels great. 2. If there is a human being about lie on your back and get … Continue reading
Posted in Cartoons, Daily Ease, Dog Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Dogs, Life Lessons
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101 Life Lessons from My Dog – Part 2 (66 – 101)
66. Dogs are keenly aware if something different is going to happen … Putting shoes on to go out is a very exciting life event! 67. Watching the behaviours of others is interesting and gives insight! Your dog is … Continue reading
Posted in Cartoons, Daily Ease, Dog Ease, Habits, Horse Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Dogs, Horses, Life Lessons
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The Naughty Step!
I had to share this insight from a teenager ….. Yesterday, during a constructive rest session requested by one of the teenage boys at the high school where I teach Alexander Technique, 17 year old Harry quipped- … Continue reading
Posted in Back Ache - Ease, Body Magic, Breathe, Cartoons, Children and Teenagers, Constructive Rest, Daily Ease, Letting Go, Semi Supine, The Naughty Step
Tagged alexander technique, Alexander Technique at High School, Alexander Technique audio for Semi Supine, alexander technique for children, constructive rest, letting go, the naughty step
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What’s Your Daily Ease?
The Daily Ease by Kirsten Harris What’s your daily ease? A little bit of semi supine, when you have a sore back or are feeling prickly like the little hedgehog… Spending time in the garden, contemplating how life grows … Continue reading
65 Life Lessons from My Dog
65 Life Lessons from My Dog by Kirsten Harris 1. Have a good stretch and yawn first thing in the morning. It feels great. 2. If there is a human being about lie on your back and get your … Continue reading
Posted in Cartoons, Children and Teenagers, Daily Ease, Dog Ease, Horse Ease, Kid Ease, Sketch Ease
Tagged alexander technique, Dogs, Habits, Horses, Life Lessons
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Permission to Stop
I took Maisie my crazy cockerpoo for a walk past the Stopping Permitted sign again today and couldn’t resit another lie down. Big blue skies, cold ground, whacky windmills! The weight of a surprised alert dog. A mad magic moment… … Continue reading
Posted in Daily Ease
Tagged alexander technique, letting go, relaxation, semi supine, stopping
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Don’t just slump there – Ease out!
Don’t just slump there – Ease out! Don’t just do something – Stop! If you are reading this you may well be slumping, crouched over your phone or computer Ease out a bit Lie down in semi supine for a … Continue reading
Kids quotes on Alexander Technique
When we let go we get more energy – Lola age 12 Semi supine uncrumples you – Mia age 14 If everyone did the Alexander Technique there would be no more wars because everyone would be controlled and … Continue reading