Concept Spotlight: Constructive Rest
Sometimes we get so caught up in our lives that we never really get a rest. Even on our down-time we worry about what happened today or what will happen tomorrow, and our sleep becomes plagued by anxiety dreams. It is at these moments that Constructive Rest can be the most beneficial.
The Alexander Technique does not have exercises, so when a student asks what they can work on in between lessons, there is often not much to say. Constructive Rest, however, is something beneficial that a student can do for themselves in between lessons.
In Constructive Rest, you simply lie on your back on the floor, feet planted, knees up, with your head supported by a stack of 1 to 3 paperback books. Your hands can rest on your hips or ribs or you can fold your arms over your stomach, wherever is most comfortable. This position is known as “semi-supine” and is essentially the same position you are in when lying on the table during a lesson.
Why the books under the head? Well, if you look at a skeleton in correct alignment, you’ll see that the back surface of the head is not even with the back surface of the back; it’s a bit further forward than the back. If you lie on the floor without a support for your head, you immediately throw the rest of your alignment out of whack. The books support your head and allow your spine to release into beneficial alignment. Your chin is a good indicator of whether you have an appropriate amount of books; if you feel like your chin is pressed back into your throat, you need another book. If you feel that your chin is pushing forward into space, try removing one book or finding a narrower book. You should feel released evenly at the front and back of the neck. The number of books required is different for every individual, and may even differ for the same person day to day – do this in your library so you have an assortment of books near to hand!
The idea behind Constructive Rest is that you simply rest, lying quietly and bringing your awareness to where you feel excess tension in your body. The semi-supine position is advantageous to the body, so that resting is constructive in and of itself – you don’t need to do anything; your body will slowly return to its full length and width as gravity works to your advantage. The accepted theory is that after about 12 minutes, gravity will have given you back the full space in between your vertebrae and allowed the cartilage in your body to expand back to its full state. The general recommendation is that constructive rest should last for 15-20 minutes, about once a day, though the more often you can do it, the better.
My senior year of college I did a special individual project on the Alexander Technique. As part of this project, I decided that I would do ten minutes of Constructive Rest before every single class I took all semester, whether it was a dance class or an academic. I rested in the studio before each dance class, and I rested on the floor of my dorm room before leaving for each academic. I initially chose this because it was something tangible that I could do regularly for my project, but I was surprised to realize just how much I was getting out of it as the semester went on. I began looking forward to my next resting period, the next chance to let the worries of the day filter away from me and reconnect with myself and my present state. During a show week in the dance department, my regular resting kept me sane. I wrote in my journal that “it’s kept me from getting tangled up in the past and the future, and keeps me more firmly in the present.” I began to work constructive rest into my pre-show routine. To this day, I still use constructive rest when I feel myself getting too caught up in life, as a chance to re-center and reconnect with myself and my awareness.
Forward and Up! is a Pittsburgh-based private practice offering quality instruction in the Alexander Technique in a positive and supportive environment.
