Turning on a Dime Towards the Real Moon

My future brother-in-law accompanied Marjorie Barstow’s (1899~1996) on her first trip to Australia in 1986. I organised it with my sister, and we kicked off the visit with a teachers’ workshop in the Snowy Mountains.

The venue did not have enough space, so I hired a colossal tent to conduct the workshops. Then it rained and rained – the tent leaked – and by day two, we were in the workshop space that I had deemed too small.

However, Marj managed all 60 of us, mostly on her own. Bill was there to help, but Marj did most of the work. Her format was straightforward and simple: who has a question?

Be very careful.

Questions had a way of getting Marj on her feet to interact with you – your life might never be the same. One teacher asked Marj:

“Do you have to think delicately to move delicately?”

Marj rejoined: “Try it out and see!”

The teacher started his ‘Alexander thinking’ and changed.

“There you are!” Marj twinkled back.

The teacher looked confused. How was that an answer? 

Marj was like that – you had to do the brain work. She wasn’t going to spoon-feed you at all. And this is what I loved about her work. It was verbal as much as it was kinaesthetic. Marj rarely stopped using her hands, and she almost never stopped asking you questions.

This teaching style was revolutionary for me.

I was not used to interacting with my pupil’s thinking in such an immediate and impactful way. Marj showed how powerfully our thinking influences moving – it was transparent in her work. Obvious. It changed my whole teaching style. Later, Bill told me:

“Man, you turned on a dime. I’ve never seen anyone change their teaching methods as quickly as you.” 

And I changed so quickly because Marj helped me rediscover Alexander’s Discovery. Before, I had been looking at the moon in the lake. Then Marj tapped me on the back and pointed up…

THERE WAS THE REAL MOON !!!

Exactly the same, but incredibly different.

My teaching would never be the same again…

What those changes were - and how they influenced my teaching - is one of the many topics I cover in my two ThinkingBody courses. You can read more and gain access at this link:

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

Make sure you enter the coupon code – JEREMYSURPRISE – to get an Outlet-sized discount!