sonrisa

Alexander, worship, and kazoos

My exciting discoveries over Christmas break are as follows:

1. Alexander technique, and in general the concept that our bodies are designed to wrok well! Except that, in general, most of us--myself included--don't think too hard about how to actually use them. As a result, we have back pains, neck pains, sloppy posture, tight violin shoulders (yes, everything relates back to violin). It's all because we don't realize how to capitalize on the design God put in us so that we can function efficiently AND comfortably. this may sound like everything your parents told you when they tried to teach you good posture but seriously, I am so excited to be learning about this stuff and here's why: in the book I am reading on Alexander technique, I'm learning about my bones and my muscles. where thye exist, what they do. It's called "body mapping." Half our problems comes from having an imprecise or incorrect body map--we have an unclear idea of how our bodies are designed, so we're trying to do things with muscles that aren't there, or we're working too hard because there are joints and support systems that ARE there but we don't realize it. If that doesn't make sense ask me, or do some research but it is well worth looking into! (I have been trying for years to figure out how my singing voice is actually supposed to work and this stuff is finally making sense of it!) Also quite related to Pilates principles, I think. But here's the quote that I completely love, which Barbara Conable (the author of this book, How to Learn Alexander Technique) calls the "Creation Imperative":

(actually she calls it "rthe Creation Imperative or the Evolution Imperative, take you choice"....I took mine)

"The structure of the whole body can be explained by the necessity to arrive at a violinist."

Think twice about that if you have to. I love it!

2. I am going to shorten this one because the last one is long and because I'll probably come back to it someday, and because words can't quite communicate the life of it anyway. But, I have to say:

God is incredible
He is worthy of all worship
Worshiping Him is not boring, it is beautiful and it truly is a believer's highest pursuit
Can you really imagine, once there was nothingness and it became earth and everything in it.
God was before it. He never started, He just was, always. He came up with all that is.
and He has placed in us His image--so there is that in us which can recognize, understand, and love Him.

i love it when truth comes to life

3. Kazoos are very cool and you can use them to teach singing voice. When I told me roommate that it confirmed in her mind that I am an eccentric music nerd. Hey well, I won't argue :)

posted by kathryn @ 3:51 PM