As we were talking about the course ahead, he asked how many lessons are needed to achieve the same level of ease that all the Alexander Technique teachers he knew seem to have in their movements and being. To become an AT teacher, one needs to complete a three-year long full-time training. When can a layman expect some results? A reasonable question, and a kind of a question that many think but seldom have the courage to ask.
Progressing in the AT is like learning a language, sport or playing an instrument. On a first lesson you may learn to say ‘Hello, my name is Maria’, ‘thank you’ and some other useful first words. With an instrument you could learn to play a few chords or take the first steps towards a perfect breaststroke in swimming. On a first AT lesson it is the same, you learn the very basics about the use of yourself. That experience may already make a difference, just like being able to say ‘thank you’ in a foreign language. Even just one lesson is beneficial, but of course, with limitations.
There is a story about a concert pianist who was approached by a person from the audience after a concert. The person thanked the soloist and told him ‘I would love to be able to play as well as you do’, thinking, if he just had the same talent, he could do the same. To this the soloist replied, ‘No you don’t. If you really wanted to play as well as I do, you would practice as much as I do.”
Waking up an interest in the AT awareness can be quite easy and fast. Keeping it up and developing it is a lifelong process that never stops, just like in any skill. It is advised to start with many enough lessons to be able to start applying the AT principles independently. This often takes about 8 to 20 regular lessons. Many people find it beneficial to keep on taking regular lessons or a course now and then. Like learning a language or a skill, use it or lose it. Nobody is out of reach of stress and habits. Even an Alexander Technique teacher needs to keep practicing and get help from a colleague in a form of an lesson to be reminded of those habits that are too close to notice ourselves.
It is possible to learn to play an instrument, play a sport or master a level of ease and balance applying the AT on a professional level without going through a specific professional training course. Some might be able to reach such a level even without any lessons, but for the most of us some guidance is needed. How far does one want keep developing the AT skills and awareness is your choice. I have the professional skills of an Alexander Technique teacher and a double bass player, but unfortunately, I’m still far from a professional kayaker, skier, historian, or linguist. Time and persistence play a role. However, I am enjoying being able to perform my favorite activities with the ease and balance that I have learned from the Alexander Technique. Just a few lessons will give you some of that ease too!
Maria Vahervuo, April 2024
