Since the epidemic all but closed down traditional hands on lessons, I have adapted by teaching virtual lessons. I initially thought that this would be a poor if necessary substitute. Surprisingly, as I developed these lessons, I realized that they fostered a great deal of mental clarity about the process. Virtual learning requires paying close attention to changing the thinking process in order to bring about over all psychological and physical improvement. The focus on changing the thinking is always the goal in traditional lessons but virtual lessons demand greater attention to this. In the traditional lesson, my hands help the student to gain an experience of the changes that go along with the thinking process. This is invaluable, yet students may take longer to acquire skill in their own experiments and experiences of “thinking in action”.

Your virtual course will start out with discussion of the origin of the work and the basic ideas that emerged from F.M. Alexander’s discoveries. From there we will look at pictures of how babies move and do experiments to replicate the pristine way they move. As we move through the lessons, we will do more experiments with our thinking and assess whether our directions make us more heavy or more buoyant and expansive. I will provide visual aids throughout. The major themes include but not limited to:

the nature of habits and their power; the basic types of habits and how they represent adaptations that are necessary and therefore are not “bad” even though they may be harmful

techniques for calming the nervous system to help it operate more smoothly

habits can mean putting the breaks on when we mean to put on the accelerator

debunking myths about “posture”

how basic physics of “tensegrity” and “gravity” and “every action has an opposite and equal reaction” provide a framework for our natural buoyancy

the head/body relationship and moving as a whole

how to improve balance and application to walking, standing/sitting,lifting, and any activity

application to artistic performance

breathing and movement with the whole self

As you progress, we can form new explorations based upon your particular needs and interests. If you have more questions about virtual learning, please feel free to contact me about this new and beneficial way of working!