At reFORM we offer a number of modalities that compliment a Pilates or Gyrotonic practice including Alexander Technique. Alexander Technique helps people move through the world with more ease and presence and less pain and struggle. It uses touch, words, and direction to deepen awareness of existing patterns and suggest new possibilities of movement. Here Lyra Butler-Denman, reFORM’s Alexander Technique teacher, discusses how Alexander can be used for injury recovery.

The Alexander Technique addresses injury by helping you to return to the innate coordination that was yours before life situations, injury, or pain, created habits that, while they were accurate in relation to the initial situation, are no longer useful to you. Alexander Technique teachers are whole body specialists, if you have pain in your ankle you may see an ankle specialist who will look at, of course, your ankle. An Alexander Technique teacher’s job is to look at the pattern as it exists in the whole body and how it is creating or relating to the pain. We have a bias towards ease and innate design, and individual natural balance. Alexander Technique evokes your innate blueprint to allow you to access the innate organization, coordination, relationships, and ease in your body.

When working with acute or recent injuries, we help your body heal in relation to a functional whole, reducing the potential for problems down the road and supporting your recovery to a balanced, naturally organized body.

Often with old injuries, the continued pain or challenge comes not from the injury itself (your bone is no longer broken), but from the compensation patterns you adopted in response to the injury. For example, if you break a leg, learning to walk on one leg and two crutches is super useful, we wouldn’t want to throw that compensation pattern out while you’re on crutches. However, ten years down the road, that pattern of moving is likely no longer serving you and may be causing discomfort.

In both cases, we evoke the whole to resolve discrepancy, not only addressing the injured area and helping you find healing and strength there, but also bringing it back into integrity with the whole to find a unified, functional, happy body.

reFORM client Barbara Sellers on Alexander Technique experience with Lyra:

“I just wanted to send you a note thanking you for working with me while I was in Portland.  It is still amazing to me how significantly working with you completely changed how I am able to use my right shoulder and arm.  It even changed the way my arm hangs from my body (it matches the left side now!).   My Pilates instructors in Tampa all noticed the difference immediately.  I would have to say they were awestruck.  The change gave my arm and shoulder a normal range of motion, and this has allowed me to work on improving my strength.   The discomfort is now gone too.   I feel so fortunate to have crossed paths with you, and I just wanted you to know how major this change was to my life.  I still don’t fully understand how you did it, but I am thankful to you every single day!!!”

Learn more at alexandertechniqueportland.com or find Lyra in person at the studio! You can book an Alexander Technique lesson at the front desk, by calling or emailing us, or book online here.