I'm Thinking About inhibition
I know, most of you are thinking, ‘Inhibition? You mean, that awful feeling of self-consciousness that prevents you from acting in a relaxed, natural way? I spent two years at Portola Junior High living in that word every day. Can we talk about something else? Feeling triggered.’

I get it. The word “inhibition” has gotten a bad rap. And, the very fact that the thought of middle school misery is causing you to feel uncomfortable in your body (again) is at the heart of the matter. Because as you may have just experienced, your thoughts can trigger uncomfortable physical feelings. But your thoughts can also stop them. I think, therefore I am. And how I am is affected by my thinking.

In chemistry, an ‘inhibitor’ is defined as something that delays, slows or prevents a chemical reaction. In humans, the ability to consciously stop, delay or prevent ourselves from reacting to a stimulus is something we do many times a day. Whenever we stop ourselves from taking another cookie or realize we shouldn’t tell someone what we’re really thinking - this is also inhibition. It’s a good thing. It’s one of the many areas of consciousness that help keep us alive. And it can help us enormously in feeling greater ease with our physical self.

Let’s try an experiment. Right now you’re reading these words. But you might also be doing something else - walking, listening to music, watching another screen, etc.

Stop whatever else you’re doing and simply stand. Notice if you are holding any tension - in your legs, back, shoulders, neck, etc. Don’t try to fix it, just take note.

Now, think about your heels releasing to the ground, the balls of your feet spreading onto the floor, toes lengthening. Think about standing on your skeleton, letting go of any tension in your legs, glutes, belly, back, hips, shoulders. Tell your neck it can release any tightening or holding. Spend a few minutes with these thoughts, reminding yourself to think them, not try to do them.

Did anything change?

Next, without actually doing it, just think about starting to walk. Does your system gear up with muscular effort at the mere thought of walking? Is it possible that the amount of tension or effort you’re now feeling is more than is necessary to simply shift your weight slightly onto one leg to release the other leg into movement? Is it possible you could tell yourself to stop tightening all those muscles unnecessarily?

This is conscious inhibition. When you allow yourself to stop, to let go, to not continue reacting to a stimulus, you are, oddly enough, gaining greater control of your whole self.

It all begins with a thought.

Christine Stevens

Nov 11, 20221 min read

THE MOMENT

I remember the moment I fell into the Alexander Technique. By this I mean I realized that there was more to this obscure, hard-to-explain method than I had previously understood and I had to know more about it. The physical sensation of the realization was like surrendering to gravity with no fear of a bad outcome (like crashing to the ground).

I was a recently arrived, aspiring young actress in New York City in 1984. Through mutual friends, I was introduced to an Alexander Technique teacher. I had heard of the Technique in my college theater program and since I knew it was something actors did, and since here I was in NYC to be an actor, I decided to try some lessons. My vague understanding was that it helped with posture and movement and, uh, maybe voice?

I don’t remember much about those first few lessons, but I do remember my ‘moment.’ I was on the table and Amadea, my teacher, had just finished working on my right leg, untwisting years of habit, giving me an entirely new experience of my own leg. I felt both foreign to and exactly as myself at the same time. The image of an onion appeared in my brain as I thought “Oh there is so much more to this work - this is just the first layer.” The physical ease and mental calm I maintained throughout my ride home on a crowded subway convinced me that I wanted to know all about this method that was somehow making me more, well, me.

THE MOMENT

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