The Un/Safe Body: Exploring Conscious Walking with Alexander Technique Facilitator, Elizabeth Castagna
10/09/24 • 52 min
This episode features a rich discussion between Ali Mezey and guest Elizabeth Castagna, a certified Alexander Technique instructor. They dive into themes of being conscious as a mover – specifically while walking. Do we feel supported by the Earth as we walk? How safe do we feel as bodies – and how could we feel safer? They also talk about the impact of injury on movement awareness. Ali and Elizabeth discuss how conscious movement can lead to enhanced sensation, and sense of wholeness – not just with yourself but with the world. The conversation touches upon topics such as kinetic chains, compensatory movement patterns, and the psycho-emotional aspects of body awareness. Elizabeth shares personal insights, including her experience with Lyme disease and its effect on her vision. With a focus on cultivating sensitivity and supporting others in their embodiment journeys, the conversation underscores the transformative potential of body-based practices.
To be an angel to the podcast, click here
To read more about the podcast, click here
MORE ALI MEZEY:
Website: www.alimezey.com
Personal Geometry® and the Magic of Mat Work Course information:
www.alimezey.com/personal-geometry-foundations
Transgenerational Healing Films: www.constellationarts.com
MORE ELIZABETH CASTAGNA:
The Beacon Walking Lab Workshops
Instagram: @feellikeyourselfagain
Photo of Elizabeth: David McIntyre
The Alexander Technique is a method of movement education that focuses on improving posture, coordination, and body awareness. Developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander in the late 19th century, it teaches people to recognize and release habitual patterns of tension that interfere with natural movement and breathing. By emphasizing ease and balance, the technique promotes a more effortless way of moving, sitting, and standing, which can reduce pain, improve overall physical functioning, and support mental clarity. It is widely used by performers, athletes, and individuals seeking to reduce stress and enhance body mechanics.
BIO:
Elizabeth Castagna is certified to teach The Alexander Technique by Alexander Technique
International and received her training with master teacher Chloe Wing in New York City. She
became Chloe’s Teacher Training Assistant from 2006-2013.
In 2019 Elizabeth was certified by The Developing Self of the UK for teaching the Alexander
Technique to children, teens, and young adults. From this training grew The Developing Self US
group of AT teachers working to bring AT to schools in the US and to support each other in that
process. Elizabeth co-facilitates this group with AT colleague Gabrielle Czaja.
She has taught AT Lab for children ages 5 – 11 at The Randolph School for 8 years. And has
offered AT inspired better balance chair classes to seniors in retirement communities
and local libraries. Elizabeth has also led AT workshops for actors in NYC.
Elizabeth has had the opportunity to work with a range of students including folks with
repetitive stress injuries, back pain, grief, anxiety, Lyme disease, recovery from surgery and
folks who want to feel better in their body. She works with actors, musicians, visual artists,
schoolteachers, seniors, teens, children, and prenatal/postpartum care. She offers private
lessons and workshops in The Hudson Valley, New York City and online.
Elizabeth is a visual artist with a movement-based art practice rooted in her study/work with
somatics and is a Craniosacral Balancing practioner offering private sessions for 11 years. She’s a
native New Yorker, grew up selling hot dogs at Yankee Stadium, and currently lives in Beacon NY.
Her Process
Elizabeth dedicates her teaching to seeing and hearing her students clearly, supporting the
unfolding of change in their body while respecting the natural pace of this movement which is
unique to each individual. She provides a safe, creat...
This episode features a rich discussion between Ali Mezey and guest Elizabeth Castagna, a certified Alexander Technique instructor. They dive into themes of being conscious as a mover – specifically while walking. Do we feel supported by the Earth as we walk? How safe do we feel as bodies – and how could we feel safer? They also talk about the impact of injury on movement awareness. Ali and Elizabeth discuss how conscious movement can lead to enhanced sensation, and sense of wholeness – not just with yourself but with the world. The conversation touches upon topics such as kinetic chains, compensatory movement patterns, and the psycho-emotional aspects of body awareness. Elizabeth shares personal insights, including her experience with Lyme disease and its effect on her vision. With a focus on cultivating sensitivity and supporting others in their embodiment journeys, the conversation underscores the transformative potential of body-based practices.
To be an angel to the podcast, click here
To read more about the podcast, click here
MORE ALI MEZEY:
Website: www.alimezey.com
Personal Geometry® and the Magic of Mat Work Course information:
www.alimezey.com/personal-geometry-foundations
Transgenerational Healing Films: www.constellationarts.com
MORE ELIZABETH CASTAGNA:
The Beacon Walking Lab Workshops
Instagram: @feellikeyourselfagain
Photo of Elizabeth: David McIntyre
The Alexander Technique is a method of movement education that focuses on improving posture, coordination, and body awareness. Developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander in the late 19th century, it teaches people to recognize and release habitual patterns of tension that interfere with natural movement and breathing. By emphasizing ease and balance, the technique promotes a more effortless way of moving, sitting, and standing, which can reduce pain, improve overall physical functioning, and support mental clarity. It is widely used by performers, athletes, and individuals seeking to reduce stress and enhance body mechanics.
BIO:
Elizabeth Castagna is certified to teach The Alexander Technique by Alexander Technique
International and received her training with master teacher Chloe Wing in New York City. She
became Chloe’s Teacher Training Assistant from 2006-2013.
In 2019 Elizabeth was certified by The Developing Self of the UK for teaching the Alexander
Technique to children, teens, and young adults. From this training grew The Developing Self US
group of AT teachers working to bring AT to schools in the US and to support each other in that
process. Elizabeth co-facilitates this group with AT colleague Gabrielle Czaja.
She has taught AT Lab for children ages 5 – 11 at The Randolph School for 8 years. And has
offered AT inspired better balance chair classes to seniors in retirement communities
and local libraries. Elizabeth has also led AT workshops for actors in NYC.
Elizabeth has had the opportunity to work with a range of students including folks with
repetitive stress injuries, back pain, grief, anxiety, Lyme disease, recovery from surgery and
folks who want to feel better in their body. She works with actors, musicians, visual artists,
schoolteachers, seniors, teens, children, and prenatal/postpartum care. She offers private
lessons and workshops in The Hudson Valley, New York City and online.
Elizabeth is a visual artist with a movement-based art practice rooted in her study/work with
somatics and is a Craniosacral Balancing practioner offering private sessions for 11 years. She’s a
native New Yorker, grew up selling hot dogs at Yankee Stadium, and currently lives in Beacon NY.
Her Process
Elizabeth dedicates her teaching to seeing and hearing her students clearly, supporting the
unfolding of change in their body while respecting the natural pace of this movement which is
unique to each individual. She provides a safe, creat...
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To be an angel to the podcast, click here
To read more about the podcast, click here
MORE ALI MEZEY:
Website: www.alimezey.com
Personal Geometry® and the Magic of Mat Work Course information:
www.alimezey.com/personal-geometry-foundations
Transgenerational Healing Films: www.constellationarts.com
Constellation Work is a highly effective method to delve into healing transgenerational trauma, unburdening consequent generations from the influences of traumas which can be transmitted epigenetically.
MORE MATTHEW BEAUMONT:
Instagram: @matthewhbeaumont
UCL Website
Publisher Website
BOOKS:
How We Walk: Frantz Fanon and the Politics of the Body (London: Verso, 2024)
The Walker: On Losing and Finding Oneself in the Modern City (Verso, 2020)
Lev Shestov: Philosopher of the Sleepless Night (Bloomsbury, 2020)
Nightwalking: A Nocturnal History of London, Chaucer to Dickens (Verso, 2015)
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Matthew's research interests centre on various aspects of the metropolitan city, especially London. He is currently writing a history of literature about London for Cambridge University Press. He is also working on a book-length project about the role of insomnia in nineteenth and twentieth-century literature, painting and philosophy.
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Wilhelm Reich
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To be an angel to the podcast, click here
To read more about the podcast, click here
MORE ALI MEZEY:
Website: www.alimezey.com
Personal Geometry® and the Magic of Mat Work Course information:
www.alimezey.com/personal-geometry-foundations
Transgenerational Healing Films: www.constellationarts.com
MORE KIRSTIE SIMSON:
www.kirstiesimson.com
Kirstie's YouTube
Kirstie's Photos and Videos
KIRSTIE'S BIO:
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LINKS, RESOURCES & INSPIRATION:
Findhorn Foundation
Emilie Conrad
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Image work refers to the process of using mental imagery, visualization, or physical exercises to explore, transform, or integrate personal experiences, emotions, or identities. It’s often used in therapeutic, artistic, or spiritual practices to help individuals gain deeper insight into themselves or shift their internal experiences.
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