Flow Breathing and a Path to Peak Mastery – Part 2: Learn the Basic Skills of Awareness Required to Overcome Impatience Using Alexander Technique Terminology

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You may be interested to know that David has written an accompanying article inspired by this wonderfully evocative photo which you can read if you click this link: “Nature, Music, Metaphor and Message”.

You may or not be familiar with the Alexander Technique, but there are three skills included in the teaching which specifically address the issue of self-mastery. Within the definition of “self-mastery”, I include such matters as overcoming impatience.

In order to accommodate those who are not students of Alexander, I suggest simpler tools of a similar nature in this article to allow you to more easily grasp the basic concepts.

In layman’s terms, the method works as follows:

• Identify the behavioural difficulty – to “become aware”
• Analyse and understand the reasons why the habit arose in the first place
• Learn new skills to replace the destructive pattern
• Apply  the knowledge step by step

The Problem – Being “Driven” Alone Is Not a Healthy Practice

As a player, ask yourself whether you follow this process:

• Once a goal is identified, I assess my current position in relation to that goal
• I determine the best route for me in order to arrive at my destination
• I assess the terrain en route
• I set off on my journey along a sensible path

“Quickly heading in the right direction” is not an effective or smart method. You could never do that climbing a mountain!

Our most effective habits are subtle states of quality from moment to moment. Unfortunately it is much easier to stray in the health of your practice than to consider straying up a mountain where the dangers are much more apparent and tangible.

If your goal is a mountain, perspective is your GPS. Perspective is the continual refreshing and refining of self-perception along any path. Maintaining perspective moderates the drive of goal oriented motivation.

The Culprit – “End Gaining”

“End-Gaining” can be roughly defined as “end over means” in behaviour and thinking. It encompasses all the common problems which can occur from lack of proper awareness and ensuing “blind” motivation.

As the examples from my own life in Part I of this series highlighted, good intentions do not always choose good methods.

Even if we think we are patient, our body may be habitually impatient – unaware. The Self then becomes divided into patient mind/ impatient body.

Think of end-gaining as spotting a shortcut on a long trip. It appears to lead more quickly to the right place but it may lead you down a dead-end.

The longer end-gaining habits continue the more protracted the retraining/rebuilding period.

A journey cannot be successfully completed without having the appropriate skills and a proper awareness to use them.

The Solution – “Means Whereby”

“Means-Whereby” describes the best method to accomplish your goals in an efficient and sustainable -patient – way.

Means-Whereby is not an optional luxury. Here’s a playful example:

Someone asks you to fetch something in another room. Instead of walking, you drag yourself on the floor by your arms. Unless you don’t have use of your legs, that wouldn’t be very smart, would it? Or perhaps you might attempt to jump across the room in one leap, probably falling or knocking things over!

Using Means-Whereby you walk across the room balanced in your bones, head leading, alert, muscularly efficient, present, fluid and with no unnecessary tension.

The phrases End Gaining and Means Whereby were coined by F. M. Alexander to describe deeply embedded behavioural misuses caused either by lack of awareness, impatience or fear/stress and the corresponding deeply functional patience which allows agility and resilience in all situations

The Key to Finding “Direction” or “Healthy Impatience” is “Use of the Self”

At this point I’m sure you must be thinking, “But David – anyone who excels at something must have some drive!”

A desire to move ahead is essential to reach peak mastery but only if motivation arises as an extension of good use,

both physically and mentally.  Remember the phrase I used earlier – you have to have both the right tools and the

ability to properly use them.

Alexander uses the word “Direction” to describe the concept of healthy impatience. Direction is the physically/mentally focused “Use of the Self“.

Using your Self well, you:

• Have awareness of your end-gaining

Knowledge of, or at least a willing alertness to, habits of misuse tendency to shortcut

• Know your means-whereby

Continual alert awareness of your present Self, physically and mentally; and

• Are directed in your use

Direction of means-whereby in your Self (mostly neck/head/back) as you move efficiently and sustainably toward goals.

Once these elements are established, your journey can begin in healthy earnest.

What Does “Good Use” Mean Pragmatically?”

Good Use manifests as an alertness and poise of both mind and body. Direction is both physically indicated in a fluid “up” feeling in the head, neck and spine and a conscious “being in the room” awareness.

To be clear, Direction in this sense is not separable from use of your Self – with a capital S, meaning the whole dynamic body/mind/alertness unit, not merely the direction of head and neck.

When long term goals with their ancillary schedules and stresses are solidly grounded in physical poise and processed

by continuous high quality awareness and alertness – Use – a player will clearly see the best paths to attaining and sustaining his own unique goals.

In the case of somebody recovering from injuries caused by impatience and misuse, the skills of Good Use will indicate the path away from deeply embedded weaknesses and back towards healthy and directed use.

Whether you are a recently graduated student, a young professional who has a job, or a seasoned performer needing a “tune up”, the skills needed to achieve your goals begin with Good Use of the Self.

“Use of the Self “can be defined and categorised in terms of its inseparable parts including physical use, mental use and direction in use. Each part requires steady and directed Healthy Patience or Means-Whereby.

As these skills are embodied and employed, the player will notice an increasing ability to discern the most sustainable and efficient path toward his own unique peak of mastery.

How to Develop Self-Awareness

Outside guidance certainly helps. The best way to learn Good Use of the Self is to find an Alexander teacher and take some private lessons.

In Alexander Technique sessions, the instructor uses hands on guidance to help the student “feel” their incorrect habits and begin to learn the correct ones. Most people need this sort of teaching in order to learn Good Use.

However, the adult player may not have such luxury. What then?

I propose that a few minutes of regular awareness practice based on the breath. But before I introduce this new technique, let me clarify the crucial elements required before any progress can be made.

More on the Good Use of Self – Sustainability and Efficiency

With good Use of your Self, “Sustainability and Efficiency” are improved. These are not goals but symptoms of Good Use. Doing something efficiently automatically results in it being more sustainable and vice-versa.

Sustainability and efficiency moderate or temper the prime qualities we seek in every breath, every phrase and every gesture we use to express our Selves musically

A true master is not only good at something, but sustainably and efficiently good.

3 Skills You Can Implement Right Now…

• Be willing to let go of expectations of being immediately “fixed” or miraculously cured of problem
• Accept that problems are like onions, with many layers covering the core issues
• Practice being “in the room”.  Look around the room and feel the chair you sit on and the ground beneath your feet.

Remember that your eyes see from inside your head. Eyeballs are just the lens and it is your brain that is the film. Imagine the whole earth beneath your feet, the whole sky above and be aware that there is as much “world” behind you as in front!

Summary

Skills of Good Use enable any musician to find the best and most effective methods for them in order to achieve their peak mastery. This includes playing difficult passages effortlessly, subtly controlling the breath and phrasing with full bodied conviction.

Whilst the Alexander Technique will teach you about all the best methods, I would like to add that I personally believe a deep awareness of the natural cycles of breathing will also promote Good Use. By monitoring the quality of the breath while playing, you can better understand:

• Where you are,
• Where you need to go and
• How to get there

Revisiting the Gremlin of Impatience

Impatience ultimately leads to misuse and blindness to that misuse.

The incomplete awareness of End- Gaining ignores the signals of the body in favour of results. End-gaining chips away at the stability and health of your whole Self. It muddles the view of the best path to your peak. Trust me, it doesn’t work!

Next week, in the final part of “Flow Breathing and a Path to Peak Mastery”, I will be explaining Flow Breathing – an innovative way to use good breathing as your GPS as a means of locating and directing your Use, propelling you along your own  Path to Peak Mastery.

Would you like to share practice ideas with other musicians? You might like to consider joining the Musician Practice Café on The Buzzing Reed