I was originally inspired to study Alexander Technique because I realised that the principles of human reaction and movement that F.M. Alexander articulated had a fundamental influence on my--and everyone’s--ability to move.

Continuing to teach and practise the Alexander Technique, I am constantly impressed with the fundamental simplicity of Alexander's principles. They offer us the opportunity to respond differently and affect the quality of our experience. Alexander's principles also support us to access our creativity from a state of energetic ease--rather than an attitude of striving and pushing.

One of the aspects of Alexander Technique that I especially value is that it is based on the concept of the unity of the whole person; including what we often divide into physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects. I also like that it is about observing what is happening now, in the present . This awareness opens up new opportunities for choice in the way we react to life and in the means we use to achieve our intentions.

Some of the issues which for me connect closely with Alexander Technique are:

Contact

Direct meeting--without resistance/armour--is about bringing your whole self to a moment/action/movement in a way that does not interfere with the other person being able to do the same. I see this ability as being about:

- thinking, being awake, and recognizing;

- rather than thinking about, trying or judging.

Attention

Practicing a unified and expanded field of attention, where we don't separate ourselves into parts, or separate ourselves from the environment. This involves tuning in to sensation and developing the tactile and peripheral/visual senses in particular. Becoming aware of our responses in playful situations, or in reaction to unfamiliar stimuli, can help us recognise that habitually contracting reactions, remembered in association with another time, are not necessary. We can learn to engage willingly with the unknown.

Support

Recognising the real sources of support in our surroundings in order to undo the effort we make trying to hold ourselves together. This can lead to our understanding of the real capacity and limits of strength and lightness, uncovering unforeseen abilities…

Presence

Playing in a group or moving with another person gives a very direct measure of the times we strain ahead or hold back, straining for something that has already happened. We can also learn that being present means being flexible and mobile, that we can find pleasure in the unknown, and new possibilities in the familiar.

Movement

Finding out more about our individual capacity for movement in a situation where there is nothing to achieve. This seems invaluable for Alexander learning. Seeing how different intentions affect the quality of our movement can help us bring pleasure and curiosity into functional tasks as well as intention and clarity into dance or movement forms.

Improvisation

This develops our ability to be spontaneous and creative. If we let go of what restrains us from being present we can be willing to respond to each situation as it arises. In dance, we refer to this as "Instant Composition". This practice in dance has helped me to be less fearful about teaching, and to feel confident that in an Alexander lesson I and the student will negotiate learning in a way that is interesting and engaging to both of us.

WORKSHOPS

Choosing what to do in a workshop becomes my improvisation within a particular range of possibilities which I use, develop or sequence according to the space and time available and to the needs of those of you who come.

These will include:

• Games, exercises and interactions designed to 'wake' us up; to change state.
• Development of attention and awareness. Can we allow ourselves to be affected without having to respond? Can we pay attention to what we are doing as we relate, affect another?
• Experiments with a choice of responses to different stimuli;
• And how to organise ourselves to make new choices.

I like to emphasise the idea of discovery and willingness to bring your whole self to every moment and every movement. This is what you are doing now--heart, sensation, muscles-- and it only takes effort to resist. Becoming conscious of layers and levels of awareness allows us to experience a sense of simplicity rather than trying to control complexity. Inhibiting a reaction, or non-doing, can feel like an action, and doing less can allow much more to happen.

I think it is important to realise that we can learn directly from experience and sensation as well as by relating our discoveries to models we already understand. Movement, play and interaction seem to stimulate our vitality and interest in a way that is very valuable in our work, play and learning.