13. Intersections with Alexander Technique (Expanded Awareness)
Through a random (and lucky!) twitter deepdive, I recently came across Alexander Technique. Since implementing the technique, I've felt something change in me. There are so many aspects of my life that this school of thought has tied together, that I just needed to share it with you.
Upcoming posts in the series
Through this 5-part set of posts, I'll reflect on how Alexander Technique (Expanded Awareness) relates to my experiences of:
Attention and deep, technical work
Acceptance commitment therapy (ACT)
Conscientiousness as a personality trait
Antifragility
Conjectures on VR/AR Technology
But first, what is Alexander Technique (AT)?
If I'm honest, I'm not sure I can really put it into words. A quick search on Google would point you to ideas about posture and back pain, but as luck would have it, I came across a slightly different school of thought on AT.
By chance I stumbled on Michael Ashcroft's Twitter, and through reading his blogs, listening to his podcasts and doing his course, I learnt about a more "mindfulness" based description of AT. He describes how AT is more about "expanding awareness". This notion is something like being aware of and open to the possibilities of moving or thinking in different, non-habitual ways.
I really can't do justice in describing it here, so I invite you to head over to these places, where AT is described by those with more experience:
Expanding Awareness - Ashcroft's website for all things AT, including a fantastic online course.
Michael Ashcroft's podcasts (particularly his episode on “Audience of One” by Spencer Kier, which was the first thing I listened to)
Content from Peter Nobes (Michael Ashcroft's AT teacher) including his podcast appearance on “Reach Truth Podcast” by Tasshin Fogleman.
Peter Nobes’ book, Mindfulness in 3D.
My experience of AT
For this series, I start with the full disclaimer that I am not an AT teacher, nor an AT expert. I’m writing to share my experiences of playing with the ideas I have come across, and I'm continuing to explore how they intersect with my life and other ways of thinking.
Referring to AT as AT(EA).
Throughout the series, I will refer to Alexander Technique (Expanded Awareness) as AT(EA) to make it clear that what I am talking about goes beyond the common postural focus that other schools appear to have, and that I do not have experience of.
Final points to note
I don’t plan on giving too much detailed background on any of the individual topics. I am more interested in jumping straight into exploring the intersection between the topics. So, to avoid repeating what others have expertly worked on (e.g. Cal Newport for the upcoming "Deep Work" post, or Nassim Taleb for the "Antifragility" post), I will hyperlink generously to places where you can read more about the original, source work. The perspectives will be on the how these thinkers and topics intersect with my learnings of AT(EA) so far.
I am sure we will enjoy this journey together!