A Prison Called Alexander Technique

FM was against forming a Society - he would not permit it. STAT formed AFTER his death, even though he was involved in its gestation.

I don't know the true story - maybe a reader can enlighten us? - but I do know he had severe reservations, and at one time said "yes" then changed his mind to "no." The truth is probably lost forever, within multiple cries of righteousness, of which I've added my own voice.

I participate because I understand why the old man was reluctant. As he said in one of his only "lectures" at the Bedford Physical Training College:

"You will understand from what I am going to tell you what a terrible thing it is to have fixed institutions and constitutions. They cannot take truth.”

Once, I wrote the original constitution for AUSTAT in Australia. Today – I belong to no Alexander Society, and I do not attend meetings of Congresses and their like. Why?

I used to get a thrill up my spine whenever I saw the words "Alexander Technique". I'd see them as so profound, so new, so exciting.

Now, I am almost averse to the words - because for me, they signal imprisonment.

Alexander Technique is a prison.

Not a prison in the real sense, a metaphorical prison with boundaries created by language, concepts and tradition. A world where people argue about tiny details, and where a great many practitioners feel anxious about their colleagues’ reactions, whenever they stretch their Alexander Technique boundaries a little.

That's why these days I am on a mission to redefine our profession. To empower those feeling entrapped by it intellectually. Some readers tell me they are disempowered by my criticism of our profession, and I am sorry to hear that.

However, I am in good company. What did FM mean when he stated that “fixed institutions and constitutions … cannot take the truth.” ?

What is the truth that they cannot take?

Here's my list:

1. There is no form to Alexander's discovery.

To survive, a Society must give it form, and in so doing denies it’s essential formlessness. Macdonald loved to stress that point, especially in a famous article which he opens with the quote:

“The way that can be told is not the real way,
The name that can be spoken – is not the real name.”

2. There is never going to be a definitive language.

The Alexander Technique world still seems enamoured by a jargon conjured up by an Edwardian gentleman more than a century ago. The reality is that there cannot be a definitive language with a discovery, that can only be understood through the particular form by which it is seen. Instead, we need to embrace multiple vocabularies.

3. It cannot be taught [fill the gap].

Once it was: "It cannot be taught in groups." Today it is: "It cannot be taught online." When you're addicted to a particular form, these consequences naturally arise. You're imprisoned by a premise, which proves baseless when subjected to any analytical rigor.

Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely believe you must understand FM’s writings, ideas and use of language to adapt and evolve the interpretation of his discovery.

That’s why – in ThinkingBody Online – I take every paragraph he wrote in “Evolution of A Technique” and expand upon its meaning, relate it to modern day concepts, and show how it can be transported as a concept into unexpected and novel situations.

Getting free of a prison means knowing its layout – and finding the exits!

Several teachers have already started – come join them and me over the next 2 years.

Special offer ends August 15th. Use coupon TB-TESTIMONIAL to save $100.

ThinkingBody Online

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