Concentration: Powerful Skill or Harmful Habit? – Introduction
Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska talks with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware in which we introduce our four conversations about the two types of concentration, why it is important to distinguish one from the other, and what F. M. Alexander had to say about them in his second book, “Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual”. We discuss how this topic brings out aspects of F. M. Alexander’s thinking – sometimes very good, and sometimes problematical – that have huge implications for how the Technique is taught today. We also discuss how potential Alexander Technique students may find that their concentration improves as a sort of “side-effect” of taking lessons for the usual reasons – back pain, stress, improving skill for performers and the like.
Imogen’s website: ImogenRagone.com Robert’s website: AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com
More information about the Alexander Technique: AlexanderTechnique.com
Below are the links to all four of our video conversations:
Part 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1loMyHGPU-w
Part 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-kO3UA6s7s
Part 3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB1Ed4F3N1E
Part 4 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5kZtkvZFp0
Below are the audio podcast versions of our conversation:
Introduction: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833486-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-introduction
Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17834255-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-1
Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833661-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-2
Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833713-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-3
Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833731-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-4
Concentration: Powerful Skill or Harmful Habit? – Part 1
Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska talks with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware in which we outline F. M. Alexander’s understanding of the harm caused by one type of concentration, and the sequence of events he believes brought us to this sad situation: Poor Use of people today leads to Mind Wandering which then leads to Concentration.
Imogen’s website: ImogenRagone.com Robert’s website: AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com
More information about the Alexander Technique: AlexanderTechnique.com
Below are the links to the series Introduction and the other three video conversations:
Introduction – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdJfYYzJmg4
Part 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-kO3UA6s7s
Part 3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB1Ed4F3N1E
Part 4 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5kZtkvZFp0
Below are the audio podcast versions of our conversation:
Introduction: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833486-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-introduction
Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17834255-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-1
Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833661-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-2
Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833713-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-3
Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833731-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-4
Concentration: Powerful Skill or Harmful Habit – Part 2
Robert Rickover, an Alexander Technique teacher in Omaha, Nebraska talks with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware go into more detail F. M. Alexander’s understanding why so many of us today are caught up in the harmful, narrow focus, type of concentration, and what the “solution” is in his view. Unfortunately it was next to impossible for most of his students to implement and moreover it disregarded the core principle that our body should be viewed as unified whole, not a collection of parts. It also reveals Alexander’s misunderstanding of how our brain and nervous system work – not surprising given that he was writing a hundred years ago. Nonetheless his “solution” continues to inform some Alexander Technique teaching methods today.
Imogen’s website: ImogenRagone.com Robert’s website: AlexanderTechniqueNebraska.com
More information about the Alexander Technique: AlexanderTechnique.com
Below are the links to the Introduction and the other 3 of our video conversations:
Introduction – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdJfYYzJmg4
Part 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1loMyHGPU-w
Part 3- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB1Ed4F3N1E
Part 4 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5kZtkvZFp0
Below are the audio podcast versions of our conversation:
Introduction: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833486-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-introduction
Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17834255-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-1
Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833661-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-2
Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833713-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-3
Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/382/episodes/17833731-concentration-powerful-skill-or-harmful-habit-part-4