What happens in a lesson?

 

Lessons are taught one to one, and last for about forty minutes (first lesson fifty minutes).  After an initial trial lesson, I would suggest a course of ten (which are charged at a discounted price) to experience the basics of the technique. It usually takes between 20-30 lessons to integrate the ideas of the Technique into one's daily life.   Loose, comfortable clothing should be worn to allow unrestricted movement and lying down, and students will be asked to remove outdoor shoes.

 

Content

The Alexander Technique is not a series of treatments or exercises, but rather a process of re-learning the natural ease and freedom we had as children in movement. During a lesson the teacher gives both verbal and gentle hands-on guidance, so that the student can experience for themselves how to perform such simple activities as standing, sitting, bending and walking with greater ease, balance and poise. The student will often be asked to stop and ‘do less’ in order to create an opportunity for change – this is not always easy, and some parts of the lesson may be conducted lying down on a table to practise this skill. The student is an active participant in the process, and the teacher will ask him to attend to what is happening, to begin to notice his own habitual ways of doing things, and learn to direct his body to move in the best possible way.  Some explanation of basic ‘anatomy of movement’ and of the principles of the Technique will also be given. 

 

Application

With each lesson the student’s awareness grows, along with the ability to undo existing habits of tension and prevent the formation of new ones. There are no specific exercises to be done between lessons, but it is helpful for students to take their new awareness and ways of thinking into their daily activities, and to include when possible a short daily session of ‘constructive rest’ as taught in the lessons.  Gradually students learn to integrate what they have learned into their daily life, so that more complex activities such as driving, using a computer, playing a musical instrument or lifting and carrying can also be performed more effectively and with less strain.