‘Was that right?’

‘I made a mess of that.’

‘This is going to be hard.’

‘I am going to make a mess of this.’

Question – Can you spot the common themes in all of these statements?

Answer – They are all judgements and they are all focused on things that have happened or are about to happen.

In Alexander Technique lessons I am often asking people to do things outside of their normal habit and so it is not too surprising that judgements often come piling in.  The problem is that judgements keep our thinking in the past (what just happened) or in the future (what is about to happen) leaving little or no time to choose what happens in the present.

The ability to formulate and sustain clear thinking related to what we are doing in the present moment is a key aspect of the Alexander Technique.  It is this that enables us to make conscious choices rather than allowing habits to drive our movements and behaviour.

I like to take the time to understand what judgements my clients are making because by bringing them into the open and making them known we can learn from them.  We can learn what effect they are having in the session and how they might affect the client in the rest of their lives.  I like to think of these as ‘life lessons’ and I think they are what makes Alexander Technique so powerful and valuable.

If you want to improve your posture or relieve pain Alexander Technique can help you do that.  You may also come away from lessons with something else that you did not expect.  That something might just be a better understanding about how you interact with the world.

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