I Don’t Know What a Jet Lag Looks Like

The first time I met Marjorie Barstow (1899~1995) was in January, 1986.

Marj had flown from Lincoln, Nebraska to Sydney and we were having lunch the day after she landed. Suddenly she said:

“When am I going to teach? I thought you people brought me out here to work!?”

“Well Marj,” I innocently replied, “you need a little rest after your long flight.”

“Why? All I did was sit in a seat and sleep for 20 hours.”

“But what about Jet Lag? It can tire you out…” I countered.

Marj looked at me disgustedly:

“I don’t know what a Jet Lag looks like.”

Stupidly, I still tried to win the argument. Later I was to learn – you never won a fight with Marj. She was already 5 or 6 steps ahead of your thinking.

“But Marj – you can’t deny Jet Lag. There’s been scientific studies; it exists.”

And that was the first time I got those steely blue eyes boring through my soul:

“I don’t get tired because I decide not to.”

We had clearly finished this conversation!

***

WOW! 

That was a level of using Alexander’s Discovery that I had not considered. Do you decide on your condition? It sounded dangerous. Wasn’t that taking Conscious, constructive control too far?

But Marj lived like that.

She taught all day, every day, and still wanted to party when it was over. What she demonstrated for me the potentiality of human life. Marj had been using Alexander’s Discovery since 1929 when she first went to study with FM in London with her sister.

Tied in with Alexander’s Discovery was his realization of how we manage our postural movement. It is widely misunderstood, and this misunderstanding causes new problems. 

Most people believe they can directly influence their postural movement.

You can’t. 

Posture originates within the same primitive brain areas that control your temperature, heartbeat and metabolic rate.

Instead of direct control, you exert indirect control.

But that requires you fully understand the system you want to influence. It means developing an active intelligence: gathering information, experimenting and deepening your understanding.

Marj did more than deepen my understanding – she changed the trajectory of my life.

My life changes conform to a pattern of change, growth and development, which is universal. This developmental model is part of the Compass – a learning tool I developed from my study of Alexander’s work together with the Enneagram. You can learn more about that in a series of videos where I explore Alexander’s story, then my own. The model works for anyone in the area of personal development.

You can read more and gain access to my videos at the link below:

https://bodychance.mykajabi.com/store/TGFBWut4

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