A workshop on Opposition with Avi Granit

Opposition: 'the small difference that makes all the difference'

Presented by Avi Granit at The Alexander Technique Studio, 6 Ravenslea Road, London, SW12 8SB

Sunday, 29^th June 2014

By Jacek Kaleta

In this write-up I would like to share some of my impressions and what I learned from attending the workshop on Opposition with Avi Granit. The workshop was attended by 17 trainees and 1^st year students and one visiting teacher, it was fully booked.

Here’s the blurb, Avi’s bio can be found at the bottom of this write-up.

Opposition is the vitally important direction that makes all the difference to the quality of our teaching.  It is essential that it is clear both in the pupil's mind and the teacher's. In this workshop we will explore and clarify the meaning of the term “opposition”, and how to use it in practice to improve the dynamic relationship between you, the teacher, and your pupils. We will see how it helps to create the “up” quality in the pupil to powerful effect. In this workshop I will provide practical tools, knowledge and ideas for teachers to use in their work. As my teacher, Patrick MacDonald, used to say, opposition is 'the small difference that makes all the difference'."

This wasn’t my first encounter with Avi and his way of working. We met for the first time about a year ago when he visited my previous training school. I must admit that that first meeting was quite challenging for me, in a good way. This is not a place and time for dwelling on details of that encounter, but I will just say: what a difference one year can make!

I very much enjoyed working with Avi again. This time his way of work resonated with me very clearly - I suppose receiving Madconald lineage transmission over the past year in my new training school prepared me for this.

Avi started his workshop with recalling the 5 principles of the AT as taught by Patrick Macdonald. I think it’s worthwhile to recall them here: Recognition of the Force of Habit, Inhibition and Non-Doing, Recognition of the Faulty Sensory Awareness, Sending Directions and Primary Control.

Photo by Jill Payne

He then asked for a volunteer to demonstrate working with a chair. One brave student came forward and Avi asked him to sit down and stand up – it’s not easy to be put on the spot like this, especially when other participants are invited to make comments! I noticed how much we also reveal something about ourselves when we give feedback about others.

UP

Avi used what arose during that experience as an opportunity to explain some important points in his way of teaching. One thing that stuck to my mind was the distinction between 3 different ‘Ups’.

1.     The first ‘up’ corresponds to the up in the head, as in the direction head going forward and up.

2.     The second ‘up’ corresponds to the lengthening direction of the back.

3.     And finally, the third ‘up’ corresponds to the vertical direction up towards the ceiling, the opposite direction of the force of gravity.

‘The Up’ is that special quality we’re after. Avi used the image of bubbles in a glass of water. No matter in what direction we move the glass,or change its angle, the bubbles are always going up. In the same way ‘the up should be in every cell of your body’. (Please note that all quotes in italics are Avi’s, unless otherwise stated)

There were some quotes attributed to Mr. Macdonald that related to that:

‘We have to learn the Art of Falling Up.’

‘Thrust your back up.’

‘Aim up, stay back under all conditions’

The next volunteer had the task of going up on their toes. In that particular case the challenge was: can I go on my toes straight up, without going forward first? I personally wasn’t clear why Avi made this request, so I asked for clarification: there’s nothing inherently wrong in going forward first, but is it really necessary? It’s possible to go straight up. It’s good to have an alternative (my paraphrase).
 

Photo by Jill Payne

Back and Opposition

We then moved to another core aspect of our Use: Back. Avi began with explaining that for him the back contains the pelvis and the neck. An image of a pentagon is helpful here. Two bottom vertices are hip joints, two middle vertices are shoulder joints, and the atlanto-occipital joint being the top vertex.

Continue to strengthen the ability to go back and up in front of the stimulus.

Avi shared with us how he works on himself everyday using the hands on the back of the chair procedure. This was also an opportunity for showing us how to work with opposition and where the most important oppositions can be found.

Here are some examples. Opposition between:

·         Me and the chair

·         Head and back

·         Knees and back

·         Hands and back

·         Elbows

·         Hands

·         Shoulders

·         Right upper arm and left lower arm

·         Left upper arm and right upper arm

There’s of course more…

Avi used the image of the hexagon (shoulders, elbows and hands being the vertices) All those dynamic oppositions within create ‘the power out’, or ‘centrafugalic’ force and are very important when putting hands on. I found this way of looking at it very useful and very much in tune with how I am taught the skill of hands on at my school.

Avi then showed us a possible extension of this procedure, always bearing in mind 3 important things:

Up – Opposition - Centrafugality

Or to put it in preventive terms: ‘we don’t want to fall heavy on pupil, loose the opposition and just work with the hands.’

Photo by Iren Laidma

The next step was to take it into putting hands on. There was a clear link between how we put hands on the back of the chair and how we put them on the person.

Photo by Jill Payne

Something interesting came up during this work that Avi felt strongly about commenting about. He saw something in one student that I can also recognize in myself: certain anxiety, fear and hesitation about putting hands on. He was very sincere and open about making it clear that it’s better to do a bit too much, and not be afraid of overdoing it. I valued his openness about it. He was clearly concerned and shared his advice from his heart.

I found it very beneficial to learn from Avi on that day. There’s something comforting in learning things outside your training school that are so much in tune with what I am learning from my HoT.

Avi’s style of teaching is very clear and direct. He’s quite clear about what Alexander Technique is for him and what is important in teaching it and he speaks about it with confidence and conviction. Also, he points out things in a direct way. My impression is that some of us get so used to receiving ‘nice’ feedback all the time, that when someone from a different, more ‘straightforward’ culture comes in with some straightforward comments it can be a bit of a shocker.

I’d like to finish this write-up with a quote from Patrick Macdonald:

“Opposition – it’s all what it is about”

Photo by Iren Laidma

 

Avi Granit’s Bio
Avi Granit studied the Alexander Technique with Patrick Macdonald in London; remaining an extra year after his graduation in 1983 and making regular return visits over many years to enrich his learning experience, understanding and powers of direction. 

Avi lectures and gives post-graduate AT workshops in Europe and all over Israel. He instructed Israeli Air Force pilots in the Technique for over a decade and has been involved in training teachers for many years. He currently runs his own training course in Tel Aviv, which he opened in 2006. 
© Jacek Kaleta 2014