There
are over 1,000 American Society for theAlexander Technique certified teachers nationwide. How can you find a good
teacher? I will give you some suggestions by telling the story of how I found
my first Alexander Technique teacher.
It
was late May 2003 in Rio, Brazil, where I am from. A friend of mine mentioned
this incredible experience he had with an Alexander Technique lesson. He was
excited and insisted that I should experience it.
At
that time, this friend and I were part of an experimental theater study group
that had a vision of creating a theater school. We were responsible for the
‘mind-body-movement’ field, because of our background. I had been dancing since
I was 4 years old, teaching different alternative movement techniques since
1992, studying physical therapy and also had completed a contemporary dance
degree.
Five of my colleagues and I
walked up a steep slope until we got to the Alexander Technique studio. I had
no physical pain yet I did have some emotional distress in my life.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t the reason for taking the lessons. The only motive I
had was my longing for new experiences that would enhance my personal and
professional quest. I wanted to better understand
the relationship between thought, emotion and action in everyday life.
I
had no more specific idea what I was going for. I didn’t even follow the
typical protocols when one is beginning a new activity such as:
·
Reading about the subject
·
Calling the teacher
·
Reading the website
·
Getting information about the teacher’s
background
Nonetheless,
my first lesson was remarkable and life-changing! I have never felt such
integration of my mind and body working together while performing activities
before in that way. I was lucky to find one of the best teachers I have ever
met so far!
After
that powerful first meeting, I felt I had to learn more, so I continued to
study for the next 3 years with this extraordinary teacher. During the first
year, having lessons twice a week, I decided that I wanted to become an
Alexander Technique teacher.
I
learned from the lessons that my life-experience was based on how I carried
myself. In other words, my daily personal and professional relationships were
influenced by my own body-mind tendencies such as holding my breath, tensing my
legs and contracting my shoulders. The Alexander Technique lessons also taught
me about the importance of giving time for myself to become aware of all my
body, mind and emotional habits.
I
learned very quickly that the lessons weren’t about corrections, but about
discoveries. It was about finding new ways to change old patterns.
Today,
after 13 years, I am still benefiting from Alexander Technique’s physical,
mental and emotional improvements. I continue to distill the depth and meanings
of its concepts. These discoveries and benefits to living is what move me
forward to share this technique with others!
As
for my first teacher, Roberto, I owe a debt of gratitude and I always reconnect
with him to advance my skills when I go to Brazil.
Before
experiencing an Alexander Technique lesson, I would suggest getting as much
information as possible. In my opinion, finding out which ‘lineage’ or ‘school’
the teacher is coming from is crucial. Frederick Mathias Alexander, the founder
of this technique, trained Walter Carrington, Marjory Barlow, Marjorie Barstow
and Patrick Macdonald, among others, in
the 1930s. This first generation of
students later had their own training courses. Each one has his/her own style
of teaching and perhaps own understanding about the Alexander Technique.
I
currently teach the Alexander Technique and have a strong influence from Walter
Carrington’s ‘school’. Not only because my Brazilian teacher graduated with him
in 1992, but also because Walter was an inspiration at my 3-year teacher training
course at Oregon Center for the AlexanderTechnique in Portland, Oregon. Because I believe that expanded
understanding of other schools is useful to the work, I learn from and embrace
other styles of teaching the Alexander Technique as my career evolves.
It
is helpful to get as informed as possible. However, you should have your own direct
experience, and let that be your truest guide about how to proceed. It is also
important to begin Alexander Technique lessons with an open-minded attitude.
This will help you and the teacher to reach your goals. Useful goals for the
lessons and benefits you can expect from them are very good questions which I
will discuss in future posts.
Good
luck with your search!
