Hi everyone,
This evening the fellow who runs the Directions Journal had a conference call interview with John Nichols. I found it very interesting and took a few notes that I hope you might also find interesting.
The whole discussion was based around this question: What are the main challenges to Alexander teachers today? Nichols responded with three main points:
1) Very few teachers have enough work to make a living teaching the Alexander Technique. Some very experienced teachers have enough work and say word-of-mouth is the best way to get students, but Nichols pointed out that word-of-mouth requires a certain critical mass.
2) Unlike other psycho-somatic-healing-mindfulness-type practices, such as some Eastern traditions like yoga and t’ai chi, the Alexander work is relatively new and so doesn’t have the cultural and philosophical background that comes from thousands of years of practice. Because of this, some people find placing the work in context of their own lives challenging. In addition, practices like yoga and t’ai chi have something you can actually do – people like having exercises, forms, and routines, whereas the Alexander has none.
3) Talking about the Alexander Technique is not easy, not only because it is so subtle, but also because the lexicon seems stiff and outdated. He related an anecdote about a presentation he gave to an audience about the Alexander Technique during which he used as little of the traditional wording as he could. Afterwords, an experienced teaching exclaimed that he hadn’t talked about “primary control” – one of the terms Nichols thinks sounds so outdated and opaque. His point was simply that if we are to reach out to people, we must change the way we talk about the work. Another example of this is that he said teachers must willing to use words that are more familiar to laypeople, such as “posture.”
Here are a few more points he made:
- Nichols also said that we musn’t be afraid to say that the work feels good!
- He mentioned some of the history of the work and its relation to other psycho-somatic-healing-mindfulness-type practices. He mentioned Alice Bailey, an author who spawned the “psycho-synthesis” movement – work that he said has some common ground with the Alexander work. He also cited Tristam Roberts, among others, a scientist who currently studies human movement, balance, and the mind-body connection. Nichols cited David Bohm’s book “Wholeness and the Implicate Order,” a book I’ve read and would highly recommend – fascinating stuff, though a lot of the math went right over my head.
- He talked about how people like group activities and communities. For example, some people who practice t’ai chi go to group classes regularly and feel they are a part of a larger t’ai chi community. He spoke of his efforts to start residential programs and group classes. Group introductory classes are also a good way to go
- Nichols spoke of our target market: people with musculoskeletal issues (back pain, etc.); the medical field including the offices of doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, and so on; professional performing artists, in school or out; growth-in-consciousness people; and baby-boomers looking to stay in goos health through a long retirement.
- He also mentioned the need for good, clear materials to give laypeople, such as handouts with great graphics, or videos such as those found on Roy Palmer’s website (http://www.artofperformance.co.uk/AOP_Method.htm).
- In the midst of all this creative marketing and presentations, Nichols reminds us not to lose our connection with the power of hands-on work. This is a very powerful part of the work, he said, and if we are to get students, they must want to have more hands-on work.
- Lastly, he fielded a question from another listener about when a student can be self-sufficient. In sum, Nichols stated that yes, there can be a point where a student can do the work on his or her own, but it mostly depends on how far the student wants to go. He equated it with singing lessons – does the student want to sing in the shower or at karaoke night without embarassment? Or does the student want to be a professional opera singer?
I hope you found this interesting. If you want to hear the interview, I believe you can go to the Directions Journal website and download it.
Joseph
