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Identity Confusion - Overcoming An Alexscovery Complex

Jun 04, 2018

Today I ran an assessment of a 2nd Stage trainees.

In BodyChance Pro - our training school for teachers - to "graduate" to your 3rd Stage of training, you must deliver an individual lesson to a beginner - that you find on your own - while one of your teachers observes the lesson. Today, I was the observing teacher!

There I was, sitting with my translator, watching her start her lesson in Japanese.

She said to her student:

"What would you like to do?"

WAIT

(I blurted out)

Now usually - understand - I almost NEVER interrupt the lesson. However, I was incredulous at this beginning. I thought - I must have misunderstood the situation…

"Pardon me," I interjected, and turned to the beginner coming for her (supposedly) first lesson:

"You have had Alexander lessons before?"

"No. Never!" she answered confidently.

Oh dear - I thought inside - this is NOT a good start. Rather than influence things any further, I just told my trainee to continue. I was thinking - maybe she is experimenting with some novel way of introducing the work that I have never seen before.

Alas! no. Things went downhill from there.

But why it went haywire is fascinating.

Her student was a Yogini, who wanted to accomplish getting her elbows to touch together behind her back but couldn't do it. So THAT is what she wanted to do in her lesson.

Now, we have quite a few Yoginis at BodyChance. And it is very easy for them to have Identity Confusion about what a BodyChance teacher can do, and what a BodyChance teacher CANNOT do.

We are not teachers of Yoga.

Until only a year ago, I didn't know the difference between a down dog and sun salute. And yet, I'd get Yogini's asking me all the time how they could do this Asana.

"I don't know," I'd answer, "I am not a Yoga teacher."

It's easy for the public to be confused about what an Alexscovery teacher does. Are they a teacher, therapist, counsellor or Yoga teacher?

Because sometimes, we appear to be all of these.

And watching my trainee, I understood she was having her bout of Identity Confusion. It happens when you start asking your students to do whatever they want to do. Because you can help with one thing, they think you can help with all things.

To sort this out, you need a clear job definition. That's what I told my trainee today - she didn't pass her assessment - and it's why I developed the concepts I have in BodyThinking.

Alexscovery teachers are experts in Co-ordination plans, not Activity (read Asana) plans.

It's a core concept in BodyThinking Online. It also defines why BodyThinking is not an Anatomy course - it is a course about Alexander's discovery and the implications that has on the reality of our biomechanical design.

It's a step towards a clear teaching style. Check it out:

https://bodychance.mykajabi.com/p/bodythinking-online-en

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