Wake Up & Notice With Interest · an Exploration of the Alexander Technique

I have been talking about writing a book on The Alexander Technique for years. I have occasionally begun writing it but each time I have abandoned the attempt. It seems as though the very process of starting to write has the effect of throwing into stark relief the areas that are not yet clear, and those areas which are already clearly muddled. As a result, I have felt the need repeatedly to put the book aside and go back to the process of working it out, of acquiring understanding.

In this process of getting clearer about The Alexander Technique, it is my pupils who have been the strongest influence on me. They ask me the questions which I could not have formulated on my own; they question the assumptions which until that moment had seemed so obvious and unassailable to me; or I will hear myself opening up a subject for a pupil and I will listen as I say things that I didn’t know that I knew.

However, I am getting ahead of myself. There are many things which need to be explained first.

People come to me for lessons in The Alexander Technique for many different reasons. Many have very physical complaints: a bad back, stiff joints, breathing problems, headaches, poor digestion and so on. Some have issues that are more mental and emotional: for example, anxiety, mood swings, depression, anger, sadness. Others are there to gain skills which will allow them to go further with their chosen profession or hobby: perhaps in a sport, or in music, drama or dance. Some may be troubled by difficulties in their existing relationships, or in making new ones. Others may want to find direction in their lives; they may be fine generally but feel that there must be more to life than just this. Most are a mix of all of these.

Many will have tried all sorts of other approaches before they finally get around to the Alexander Technique. It is not the first or most obvious choice for the majority of people. The attitude very often is “Well, I’ve tried everything else.” This is not surprising. The Alexander Technique does not have a high profile amongst the general public. If people have heard of it, it will be in a certain context: “It’s good for people with bad backs”, or “Actors and musicians use it to help them perform better.” The most commonly held belief about the Technique seems to be that: “It’s about posture.”

When a new pupil comes for a first lesson with me, I start by explaining the pattern of the lesson. I say that this lesson will last an hour though future lessons will only last forty minutes. I tell them that I will start by asking them two questions; I will then talk about the Technique and after that I will start to work with them: putting my hands on them while still talking about the Technique. Finally I let them know that there will be time at the end to discuss their next steps....

Contents: Foreword Chapter 1 - What is the Alexander Technique? Chapter 2 - Introduction and a First Lesson Chapter 3 - Beginnings Chapter 4 - Underlying Ideas Chapter 5 - What is the Alexander Technique for? Chapter 6 - 9 Steps, 4 Corners and 3 Tools Chapter 7 - The First Corner Chapter 8 - The Second Corner Chapter 9 - The Third Corner Chapter 10 - The Fourth Corner Chapter 11 - The Tool Kit Chapter 12 - The Process Chapter 13 - Three Applications Chapter 14 - Useful Additional Skills Chapter 15 - Self and Other Chapter 16 - Consciousness and Unconsciousness Chapter 17 - An Insight into Habits Chapter 18 - Learning the Alexander Technique Chapter 19 - Teaching the Alexander Technique Chapter 20 - Training Teachers of the Alexander Technique