Mark Josefsberg

I had bad posture for decades. I slumped over my musical instrument, and then slumped everywhere else. On a job in the late 1990’s, I began experiencing pain and numbness in my right hand. The pain continued to worsen over the following days, weeks, and months. An MRI of my spine showed bone spurs in my neck, pinching a nerve leading down to my hand. After seeing several hand surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, acupressurists, a Rolfer, massage therapists, etc., I took an Alexander Technique lesson. By the time, I walked (slumped) into my first Alexander Technique lesson, my neck pain was debilitating. My neurosurgeon wanted to give it six more weeks before scheduling a cervical spine operation. During that time someone mentioned the Alexander Technique, and I thought I’d give it a shot. After studying the Alexander Technique for a relatively short time, the pain began to diminish, because I was no longer causing it. My body began to heal. Week by week, and month by month, I was feeling better and better. Twenty years after I was Certified as an AT teacher, I wrote “Lighten UP”.