Not convinced Alexander Technique lessons are necessary?
Try a short cut!
Why take the scenic route if you can get there quicker with a shortcut?
Why indeed? You can always come back to the Alexander Technique.
Does any one of these seem right to you?
- If you just try hard enough, you can do whatever you choose. All this talk of debauched kinaesthesia is only for wimps.
- Health problems never have anything to do with quality of movement and what you need is the right medication.
- Your problem is incurable and you need to concentrate on learning to cope with it.
- Movement and posture problems are simply matters of alignment, balance and/or muscle strength, so that the right choice of physiotherapy, osteopathy, massage or other body therapy will provide a lasting cure.
- Although Alexander work is necessary you can learn what you need in a group class.
In each case, you probably need to do what you believe is right. The sooner you do, the sooner you'll get it out of your system. The sooner you do that the sooner you can start doing something more useful.
Doing what you believe is right
If you find you were right, great.
If your shortcut turns out to be a scenic route to nowhere in particular (and you don't like the scenery), you will at least know something you didn't know before.
Knowing it, you will be in a much better position to benefit from the Alexander Technique than you were before, when you couldn't really see the need for it (but see my cautionary note).
A Cautionary Note
Many people try group classes, thinking this a cheaper alternative. Why pay more if you don't need to?
The trouble is, many don't receive much benefit this way. Such a reduced experience leaves participants thinking the Alexander Technique is “ok” but nothing really special.
They then believe they know what the Alexander Technique is all about. If you know someone like that, ask them whether they had individual lessons or just went to a group class.
The Alexander Technique is much more than this. Don't short-change yourself.
A class can only be as good as the amount of individual, undivided, attention you get. In most classes, this is nowhere near adequate. How could it be?
If I'm asked to give a group class, I always make sure everyone understands this: what you get is only an introduction — even if that introduction is spread out over a whole term it's still just an introduction.
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