The Confounding Magic of Tommy Thompson’s Lessons
Mar 23, 2024I love Tommy – he’s a great man.
But man, was it hard to sit through his recent workshops!
I attended 9 x 3-hour workshops spread out over 5 days, and for most of that time, I sat in the corner quietly listening to Tommy's stories. I’m a performer and believer in movement, so in my workshops I usually have people jumping up and down, playing games, and often relocating themselves to different parts of the room.
Not Tommy. Mainly - you listen.
I looked around the room – sometimes people were captivated, sometimes restless. But it’s what happened at the end of the workshops that was amazing...
They all wanted to hug him, thank him, buy his book, get a photo with him.
“What’s that about?!” I wondered, “Never happens to me…”
And I slowly realized what was going on—Tommy has a huge heart. He loves people, he cares for them - he’ll give up his lunch hour in a 10-hour teaching day if you need his help. I would never do that; forget it.
His work is about people—not ‘use of the self’ in a physical/cognitive way¬—as I think myself and most teachers do. His work has a deep compassion that is hard to see. Often, what Tommy says is less impressive than who Tommy is. In his own words, his work is about being, not doing.
https://www.alexandertechnique.co.jp/tommy-thompson-2024
I will be posting a few videos of his recent classes in Tokyo (above) but they do him no justice. The vibration in the room does not get recorded. At one point – as my bottom was sore and my inner state restless – I was taken back to my days of listening to Buddhist teachers in Nepal.
“Oh,” it occurred to me “Tommy is a bit like that. This isn’t a workshop, this is a transmission.”
We both have an almost identical level of teaching experience, but I don’t often earn the same spontaneous love and gratitude. I have something else, I know that, so I say this as part of knowing me and knowing him. I’m not beating up on my Self, not at all.
As Lama Zopa Rinpoche always taught:
Cherishing others brings happiness.
Cherishing only yourself brings suffering.
Alexander’s work builds on that by helping us to understand:
Cherishing others is impossible if you don’t cherish yourself.
Without self-love, how can you show others what love is?
Gotta work on that!
Stay tuned.
1st of Tommy’s Videos: https://www.alexandertechnique.co.jp/tommy-thompson-2024
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras sed sapien quam. Sed dapibus est id enim facilisis, at posuere turpis adipiscing. Quisque sit amet dui dui.
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.