It Always Comes Back to This
What I'm learning from taking Alexander Technique lessons with a great teacher
Just a note that on Tuesday, October 12 at 7 PM, I’ll be giving a talk and offering meditation instruction with the New York Shambhala Center (via Zoom).
Pain in Practice: What to Do?
“In both small and large ways, pain becomes a feature of everyone’s meditation practice. So what do we do about this? Should we move, stay still, take time off, or practice more? In this talk and experiential practice, we will explore different ways of relating with pain and discomfort, and what the path to healing may look like.”
Register here.
(da newsletter)
It Always Comes Back to This.
When I trained to be an Alexander Technique teacher, I learned a zillion anatomical details about the eight carpal bones in the wrist (which look like pebbles on a river bottom), the basin-like structure of the pelvis, and the comings and goings of the diaphragm.
Recently, I started taking Alexander Technique lessons with a mentor and though anatomy certainly clarifies our lessons, I’m struck by how basic the whole enterprise is. No matter how long you’ve been doing this work, you never skip the starting point. Be present. Let go of efforting for a moment. (Repeat for 50 years).
Not being present is the original “endgaining.” EG is the term coined by F.M. Alexander for when we focus so much on a result or outcome that we contort ourselves, in one way or another, in the process.
Our inveterate endgaining shows up in our posture. By hunching to type another email, our habit of activity becomes our shape. These aren’t sins, just a byproduct of endgaining, which we all do.
This is still what is at the heart of my lessons and my personal AT practice. I’m trying to cultivate a curious attitude toward my experience, rather than crowding everything out with constant commands and pressure to change.
One of the joys of being a student again is that I am unburdened by having to be “good” at the Alexander Technique. I don’t always have to know what to do next. I’m not in charge. After all, the AT isn’t a way to dominate your body. What works is to develop a willingness to stop leaning so far forward into the next moment. We are all addicts for the next moment, for certainty, to get to the next thing. By addressing this mentally, our body can come back into balance.
A short practice:
1) Notice if your mind is busy, body is tense, or you feel remote from your senses.
1a) No big whoop. This happens very frequently to fine people such as me and you.
2) Come back to seeing what’s in front of you and include your peripheral vision. Even imagine the space behind and above your head.
3) Feel your body without having to immediately change anything or having to focus on any particular part.
Practice this gentle ‘landing’ over and over, knowing that when you do, you are making the most of this precious time we have to be alive. You are receiving the sustenance that’s available to people everywhere, regardless of your status or income. The old Catholic in me feels this is akin to receiving my daily bread.
A swim in Lake Michigan last weekend with lifelong friends
