About the Lesson
The first lesson is typically longer, between 45 minutes to an hour for you to be able to share what brings you to the Technique. The following lessons last 45 minutes and is usually taught on a one-to-one basis.
Overall, there are two parts to the lesson:
Part 1: Chair work
The first is what we call ‘chair work’. These are simply daily movements such as sitting, standing, and walking that will help teacher and pupil to understand and facilitate the proper relationship of the head, neck, and back whilst in activity. The teacher will guide the pupil through the use of his hands and through verbal instructions into a series of movements. The intention is to provide an experience of non-reaction – in other words, to provide an experience of how to use ourselves without rushing ahead of the movement. In that way, the pupil will have an opportunity to move without effort – physically and mentally.
Part 2: Table work
The second part is what we call ‘table work’. The student lies on his back on a table and with the help of the teacher, he learns how to release long-held tensions by lengthening and widening. The teacher will guide the pupil gently with his hands and verbal instructions to not react and allow natural equilibrium of the self to take place without the pupil´s interference.
The Balance Resting State
The Balance Resting State is one of the procedures used by the Alexander Technique to restore well-being and allow a person to come back to a neutral state of non-reaction or a chosen reaction. For that, the pupil will allow her/himself to stay for 15 to 20 minutes in the semi-supine position without attempting to move or achieve anything in particular.
You can lie down on a table, a carpet, or even on the grass!! Use a book underneath your head. To determine the height needed, use the length of your thumb or better, ask your Alexander Technique teacher what the ideal book thickness is to use. That varies according to the person and even the time of the day.
The whole idea of being in this position is to bring yourself into a state of lower stress, anxiety, and pain. The way to achieve it is not through forcing or aiming but just allowing yourself to be there and notice what you notice.
Clothing
Please wear loose clothes (no skirts). If possible, I would ask you to take your shoes off.
Initial Contact:
We will arrange a 15 minutes free conversation over the phone to talk about you and what you expect help with, and I can tell you about my approach and take it from there.
Cancellation
I will not charge if you need to cancel at short notice due to COVID-19 issues, but for non-COVID-19 reasons I reserve the right to charge the full rate if you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice.