Putting more attention on how we use our body while working with computers, online and in video conferencing can solve a lot of our problems with stress.

I hope this little story inspires you to keep studying the Alexander Technique in this time of the pandemic.

Seven years ago the Alexander Technique came in very handy when I worked with a vice president of a bank who was in great pain due to her job. After watching her at her computer I pointed out that her body disappeared from her consciousness and that was the source of her pain. The same thing happened with her smart phone. She became rigid and tense, contracting her shoulders inward and tightening her eyes. She held her breath and sometime almost attacked the keyboard to correct a ledger entry.

As she took time to increase her physical consciousness she was able to lengthen and release throughout her body. She sat back and calmed her reading and editing activity. It also helped her to drop her arms and turn her chair to look out the window for a moment then return to the computer using Alexander Technique directions. Her pain began to release.

As we worked on the physical dynamics of working at the computer a more important change occurred: She began to notice her attitude toward her work. The computer and the spreadsheets held her attention in unrelenting focus. She was driven to get the work done. This attitude affected her interactions with her staff and colleagues. Everyone was tense and irritable. Becoming more physically aware and consciously embodied led her to more thoughtful interactions with all aspects of her job. She turned her attention to finding ways she could be with her staff so everyone enjoyed being together.

She and I discussed the possibility of getting out of the office and moving her body more during the day. She came up with a great way to keep working but still get those physical breaks too. She would invite her co-workers to take a walk with her if they had a one-on-one meeting. These meetings made the tone of the work more positive and expansive.