Pregnancy

By Joan Arnold and Hope Gillerman with Terry Zimmerer

The Alexander Technique is useful during each phase of becoming a parent. Study of the Technique gets body and mind working together to unlearn old postural habits, solve movement problems and improve balance and coordination. It helps women understand and compensate for the many bodily changes that happen. And it can help both parents, as they are suddenly called on to lift at awkward angles and carry small, precious bundles, bouncing and cooing for sustained periods.

By Ilana Machover

This article is adapted from a presentation to the Fifth International Congress of the F M Alexander Technique, Jerusalem, 1996.

Childbirth is a very finely-tuned involuntary process. It is regulated by a series of signals exchanged between the mother’s brain and the rest of her body. The contractions of the uterus are controlled by the secretion of appropriate hormones during each of the three phases of labour: dilation of the cervix, birth, and birth of the placenta. This physiological-chemical process (which also has important psychological aspects) can easily be disrupted by any outside interference. It is frequently observed and well documented that labour may halt altogether when a woman gets emotionally disturbed.