|
|
Located just off St Martin's Lane in London WC2, with easy access from Leicester Square, Charing Cross and Embankment Stations, the Centre was opened by John Hunter in 1993.
We are within walking distance of Soho, Whitehall and Bloomsbury. We offer different options for learning the Alexander Technique - one-to-one lessons and ongoing study groups - in our quiet and friendly Central London location. You can contact us by email or phone 020 3239 1212. |
Be In Your Body: discovering your "somatic self"
Certain pathways between mind and body are innate but underdeveloped. A whole-self kind of awareness can be awoken and developed - leading to a new experience of presence and a deeper sense of being.
It is practically a cliché of dualistic Western ideas that a person's sense of self resides in their mental processes.
We educate our children to primarily develop their minds; some token exercise is meant to fulfill the notion of mens sana in corpore sano.
Even the new Western version of Mindfulness focuses on mental awareness without the traditional link to the body found in Eastern practices such as the Japanese Tea Ceremony, Calligraphy, Martial Arts, Qigong or Yoga.
F M Alexander realised that mind and body cannot be separated; they are both aspects of the self which are constantly interacting; the way you think strongly influences how you move and hold yourself, which in turn colour your mental outlook. A rigid body, for example, invariably indicates rigid thinking.
It is practically a cliché of dualistic Western ideas that a person's sense of self resides in their mental processes.
We educate our children to primarily develop their minds; some token exercise is meant to fulfill the notion of mens sana in corpore sano.
Even the new Western version of Mindfulness focuses on mental awareness without the traditional link to the body found in Eastern practices such as the Japanese Tea Ceremony, Calligraphy, Martial Arts, Qigong or Yoga.
F M Alexander realised that mind and body cannot be separated; they are both aspects of the self which are constantly interacting; the way you think strongly influences how you move and hold yourself, which in turn colour your mental outlook. A rigid body, for example, invariably indicates rigid thinking.
John writes:
"I can still recall the intensity of my first experience of the Alexander Technique in March 1978.
Although nothing dramatic seemed to happen during the lesson – and from the outside the untrained eye might think that nothing was happening – the changes in my nervous system were profound.
After the session, which lasted no more than 25 minutes, I went and sat in a nearby café to drink a cup of coffee and try to process the new sensations, which I can best describe as an awareness of myself as a living organism rather than a continually changing procession of thoughts."
Find out more
Follow the links to find out about lessons with our teachers and group classes at our centre or contact us directly now by email or phone 020 3239 1212.
