The Alexander Technique of Syracuse
Kathryn Miranda
Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique
The Art of Breathing and Breathing Coordination
“As the wise man [Mark Twain] remarked, ‘It isn’t what people know that hurts them. It’s what they think they know that isn’t so.’ What most people think they know about breathing simply is not so.”
Carl Stough, Dr. Breath
Founder of Breathing Coordination
Breath and movement are synonymous with life itself. F. Matthias Alexander made careful observations of his breathing and speaking and changed his life forever. Careful attention to the breath and the movements of breathing will transform effort to ease and restore the gifts of life. Alexander lessons include all aspects of being human. When particular attention is given to breathing and the voice in her Alexander teaching, Kathy draws on the basic foundations of the Alexander Technique as well as the work of Carl Stough. A graduate of Jessica Wolf's "Art of Breathing" course, Kathy teaches that a restorative, reconditioning breath:
- Begins with the exhale,
- Maintains easeful internal thoracic pressure through the coordination of all the parts,
- Allows the inhale to happen as all passages dilate to allow air to come in quickly and quietly,
- Reconditions all parts: diaphragm, rib muscles, abdominal muscles, throat, mouth and nose,
- Increases oxygenation of whole body,
- Eliminates CO2 efficiently, and
- Brings emotional and mental balance.
It is so valuable to take a direct and specific approach to address breathing or speaking faults in an Alexander lesson. The Alexander principles facilitate a visual, kinesthetic and conceptual experience. The Alexander principles of wholeness and conscious control are paramount in addressing breath and voice so that the dangers of over-correcting and creating new fautlty habits are minimized.
“Now set the teeth and stretch the nostrils wide”
Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fifth
“His nostrils drink the air”
Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis
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