On Love and the Alexander Technique

In honor of Valentine's Day (yesterday), and by request of one of my students, I've decided to write about Love and the Alexander Technique.

Artwork by Paula Ziegman

To my understanding of life, there truly is nothing but Love.  It sounds so cliche, but the more I live and experience, and the more I think about it, investigate, meditate on it, and wonder, the more often I find myself choosing to believe this.  I firmly believe it is true that Love is all there is.

SO....I asked my class yesterday, "What is Love?  What does it mean to you?"  We discussed the meaning of Love, and many wonderful ideas came up:  selflessness, acceptance, mutual understanding, connection, loving thy neighbor as thyself, comfort, safety, happiness, motivation, freedom........

What does this have to do with Alexander Technique?  Everything.

To me, the Alexander Technique is all about making connections and joining things together that seem separate, and giving things that seem stuck and frozen space to move.  Yes, it's about the dynamic relationships between head, neck, torso...limbs, bones, muscles, fluids.....everything that can be thought of as parts of the physical body.  But, even more than that, it's about realizing that the mind is making those connections, and therefore connecting the mind and body....and the Consciousness that is realizing those connections.  What is that Consciousness that connects and joins and realizes?  Nothing other than Love, I believe.

I sometimes ask myself, "What am I teaching?"  I believe that, through the use of the Alexander Technique, I am teaching people to realize, to know, to be, to LOVE....themselves....in relation to everything within and around them.

We are making these connections all the time without being aware of it.  We are loving, joining, becoming one with everything that comes into our awareness, without being aware of it.  To wake up and realize that is what we are doing is the purpose of the Alexander Technique, for me.  To realize that we are already loving, already whole, already free.

Once we realize this and stop trying to DO all these things (trying to love, trying to be yourself, trying to be free, etc.), the obstacles that seem to be in the way of the specific things we want to achieve start to fall away.  The arm starts to move, the legs start to release, the music starts to flow, the work starts to become easy.  We start to enjoy life, right now.  Because we begin to be aware that we LOVE it.

One student yesterday said that he was at a loss for words when asked what Love is.  This is how I feel right now, as I do my best to write about my experience and vision...and as I find myself starting to try to do the integrating of my experience with my use of words....I realize that it would be best for me to stop and bring this post to a close.

I love you, dear Reader, whoever you are.
You and I are different, yet we are the same.
We are connected parts of One Infinite Whole.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for being, and thank you for the Love that you Are.

Your comments are very welcome.

*heart artwork by Paula Ziegman

Teaching about Infinitude and Humility, using the Alexander Technique

This morning, I've been thinking a bit about what I'm teaching my AT class these days.  I must say, the more I think about the topic of direction, the more in awe I am of the topic and the fact that I have the opportunity to teach people about this.

Sometimes, it feels incredibly silly to be teaching people about where up, down, left, and right are!


But that's only for a split second when I lose sight of the incredible meaning beyond those words.


Life is lived at the center.  Each one of us exists right Here, at the perfect Center of Everything.  There is Infinitude extending from us in all directions, equally.


Yes, this is a belief.  I believe (with as strong a certitude as I can imagine at this moment) that this is true.

We cannot live without beliefs.  The problem comes in not recognizing that a belief is a belief, and that it is always possible that we might be wrong.....about anything.  Yes, anything.  (And I might be wrong about that!)

What an incredible relief to find the inner humility to recognize that I might be wrong!  You might be wrong.  Everyone in this universe might also be wrong.

This way of thinking is incredibly disconcerting to some, and not everyone is willing to make the stretch to allow doubt to enter into the mind.

But to me, Infinitude would not be Infinitude if it did not also include doubt.  And I would not be fully human if I did not have the humility to see that I may not know, and I might be wrong...about anything!

Yes, I am incredibly, awe-fully grateful to be able to think in this way, because I find it liberating.  I am free to believe what I wish to believe.  I am free to be humble and admit that I may be wrong.  I am free to see that my beliefs might be limited.  And I am free to teach this way of thinking because I teach the Alexander Technique, which - to me - is all about finding a way to be free in all circumstances, in mind, body, and soul.  The Spirit of the Technique is Freedom itself.  And this Spirit is found everywhere, in everything, in everyone.  It cannot be limited, because it is Infinite.  It is the Center that is found Here, everywhere.

When I think and teach about where 'up' and 'down' are, I am simply reminding people of what they already know.  Who doesn't know that they are Here?  Who doesn't know that there is always more?

I am very grateful to be able to help people remember these simple truths and to put them into practical application in their daily lives.  To me, there is nothing more important to do in this world.