Exploring the Wisdom of Senior Teachers: Ruth Rootberg on 'Living the Alexander Technique’
The ASO Newsletter - 46th Edition
Enabling greater understanding of the Alexander Technique.
Introduction
This month we have an interview with Alexander Technique teacher Ruth Rootberg, author of Living the Alexander Technique and Living the Alexander Technique Volume II, Aging with Poise which are the focus of our discussion. These two books present interviews with senior Alexander Technique teachers and provide an insight into their understanding of the Alexander Technique, living the Alexander Technique and particularly the role Alexander Technique plays for them in older age. In the discussion Ruth talks about how she approached the project, the process of working with the interview material and what we can learn from these individuals with many years of living the Alexander Technique.
Additional Resources
The two published volumes of Living the Alexander Technique are available in print and as ebooks. Information about where to buy them can be found at https://ruthrootberg.com/books/. Ruth is working on a third volume which will continue the theme of working on yourself through a series of interviews.
About
Ruth Rootberg trained with Missy Vineyard and was certified by AmSAT in 2003. She is also a World Teacher in STAT. Ruth has published two volumes of Living the Alexander Technique, (2015, 2018), and has published several articles in AmSAT Journal and the Alexander Journal including her article, “Handing the Experience to the Pupil: The Role of the Hands in Teaching.” In 2017, Ruth received the AmSAT Distinguished Service Award. In August 2024, she was awarded the Mouritz Award, first prize, for writing about the Alexander Technique. Her article, “Working on Yourself,” can be read in Poise. Ruth teaches in Amherst, Massachusetts and also spends time in Devon, England, where she enjoys visiting Alexander Technique Training South West.
Lesley Glover is a clinical psychologist and retired from a Senior Lectureship at the University of Hull in 2021 after over 20 years of teaching, research and supervision of doctoral students. She qualified as a teacher of the Alexander Technique in 2014 from the York Alexander Technique School and has a practice in Howden, East Yorkshire. She is a member of the STAT Research Group and part of the ASO team.
Thank You
Thank you to Ruth Rootberg for her generous contribution to this post; and to Lesley Glover for all her work. To our community, your participation is important. You can help ASO by subscribing for free, sharing this post, commenting below, or emailing us; your input is valued!