COMPANION

Hands on the Back of the Chair

Hands on the back of the chair (HOBC) consists of standing or sitting and with both hands taking hold of the top rail of the back of a chair, frequently involving a ‘pulling’ of the top of the back of the chair.

HOBC is the only procedure Alexander described in detail in his writings. Alexander is quoted for saying HOBC provides all the experience necessary for teaching.[1]

History

The origin is not known but is said to be Alexander witnessing a physical exercise in Australia.[2] It was first described as a chair exercise in 1910 by Alexander in which the pupil is standing. In CCC in 1923, it is described in great detail in chapter IV, ‘Illustration’.[3]

The 1919 article, ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’, by a pupil of Alexander, Robertson, makes a reference to HOBC:

 – to grasp a chair without implicating the muscles of the upper arm or shoulder, to manage your legs without using the abdominal muscles or contracting the neck.[4]

The 1947 diary by Eva Webb makes the following reference in a lesson with Irene Stewart:

My hands were planted on a chair back while I was in the ‘monkey’ position, and the lifting process went on.[5]

Descriptions

  • HOBC is described in detail by Marjory Barlow in The Ground Rules,[6] and in Think More, Do Less.[7] A shorter description provided in her workshop at the 1999 Freiburg International Congress.[8]
  • John Gray’s description would be very close to that of Marjory Barlow’s approach, in his Your Guide to the Alexander Technique.[9]
  • Walter Carrington discusses the purpose and practice of HOBC in some detail in Explaining the Technique.[10]
  • Patrick Macdonald describes the directions to be given for HOBC, as an example of giving directions in a certain sequence.[11]
  • Elisabeth Walker talks about HOBC in 1999 Congress workshop.[12]
  • Dilys Carrington’s notes for HOBC for her students at the Constructive Teaching Centre is published in An Evolution of the Alexander Technique.[13]

Video

  • Among other procedures Walter Carrington demonstrates HOBC in the DVD, Walter & Dilys Carrington Demonstrate the Alexander Technique.[14]

Other

  • ‘The emancipation of the upper limbs: “Hands on the back of a chair” revisited’ by Malcolm Williamson considers the evolution of the arms (with reference to F. Wood Jones’ Arboreal Man, 1926) and its implication for the practice of HOBC.[15]
  • ‘What’s hands on the back of a chair good for?’ by Malcolm Williamson argues that HOBC is ‘a sophisticated and higly effective way to restore whole-body coordination and integrated functioning.’[16]

While HOBC is still taught on some teachers training courses, especially STAT and STAT-affiliated courses, it is rarely used in individual lessons.

References
[1] Explaining the Alexander Technique by Walter Carrington, Seán Carey, (Mouritz, 2004), p. 106.
[2] Explaining the Alexander Technique by Walter Carrington, Seán Carey, (Mouritz, 2004), p. 104.
[3] Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual by F. Matthias Alexander, (Mouritz, 2004), pp. 112-25.
[4] ‘The Philosopher's Stone’ by Professor James Harvey Robinson in The Philosopher's Stone edited by Jean M. O. Fischer (Mouritz, 1998), p. 10.
[5] ‘Diary of My Lessons in the Alexander Technique’ by Eva Webb in The Philosopher's Stone edited by Jean M. O. Fischer (Mouritz, 1998), p. 31.
[6] Alexander Technique: The Ground Rules by Marjory Barlow, Seán Carey (HITE, 2011), pp. 121-26.
[7] Think More, Do Less by Seán Carey (HITE, 2017), pp. 117-131.
[8] ‘Marjory Barlow Masterclass’ transcribed and edited by Jean M. O. Fischer from three workshops; in The Congress Papers 1999, An Ongoing Discovery edited by Jean M. O. Fischer (STATBooks, 2001), pp. 142–52.
[9] Your guide to the Alexander Technique by John Gray (Gollancz, 1990), pp. 127-130.
[10] Explaining the Alexander Technique by Walter Carrington, Seán Carey, (Mouritz, 2004), pp. 104-109.
[11] The Alexander Technique As I See It by Patrick Macdonald (Mouritz, 2015), pp. 70-71.
[12] ‘Notes from a workshop’ by Elisabeth Walker in The Congress Papers 1999, An Ongoing Discovery edited by Jean M. O. Fischer (STATBooks, 2001), pp. 153–60.
[13] An Evolution of the Alexander Technique by Walter Carrington, Dilys Carrington (Sheildrake Press, 2017), pp. 272-77.
[14] Walter & Dilys Carrington Demonstrate the Alexander Technique DVD filmed by Jørgen Haahr (Constructive Teaching Centre, 2016).
[15] ‘The emancipation of the upper limbs: “Hands on the back of a chair” revisited’ by Malcolm Williamson in The Alexander Journal no. 27 edited by Paul Marsh and Jamie McDowell (STAT, 2019), pp. 48–59.
[16] ‘What’s hands on the back of a chair good for?’ by Malcolm Williamson in STATNews vol. 10, no. 5 edited by Jamie McDowell (STAT, May 2020), pp. 25–26.
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Teaching Procedures

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