A workshop on "Thinking in Activity – Group Work" with Lucia Walker

Thinking in Activity – Group Work

A workshop with Lucia Walker

Notes by Deena Newman

On January 17^th, 2015 Lucia Walker presented a workshop called “Thinking in Activity – Group Work.” The day was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with Lucia and in the process, get an insight into the way in which she works with students individually as well as with a group. Below are some of my memories of the day and Lucia’s remarks in quotations, as accurately as I could reconstruct them from my notes. My notes are followed by Lucia’s flyer for the workshop and her biography.

Introduction

The day began with a circle, each student identifying either an activity of interest, or something that was on her or his mind. Afterwards, Lucia selected a few students with whom to work on their chosen activities, while the rest of the group either participated or observed. However, even before launching into any of the activities, Lucia’s responses to students’ comments were insightful.

One student confessed that she found it difficult to stay focused and in the present. To stay present, Lucia recommended letting her eyes be drawn to shapes and colours that are a reminder that she’s awake (“because when you’re not moving, your system can start to go to sleep.”) Lucia also suggested noticing the moments in which we feel bored or interested during the workshop. “Notice what happens when your heart beat races with anxiety at a thought or when it’s time to talk or someone says something and you have an idea. What do you do to bring yourself back?”

For the student who observed that she often delayed giving herself directions until a moment of convenience (i.e, at the end of reading a paragraph), Lucia shared that she had often done the same while watching television, only to realize that the thought of putting off doing Alexander took just as long as giving an Alexander direction.

When one student expressed concern about having prejudices, Lucia commented that “ of course we all have likes and dislikes. The question is what gets in the way and what supports us?”

Another student talked about her occasional nervousness when teaching. Lucia pointed out that our nervousness may stem from our own experience of the Alexander technique having helped us to be happier and freer. Yet, if our unconscious objective is to make our students happier, we may be setting ourselves up to be anxious because of the unrealistic goal.

One student spoke of the challenge of helping her father with an activity she knew nothing about (clay pigeon shooting) that was causing him shoulder pain. Lucia talked about setting up a similarly quick activity, and then slowing it down. She also suggested having him teach her how to shoot, `’because it gives insights into what he thinks he needs to do.”

 Activities

As we listened and took notes early on in the workshop, Lucia suddenly asked us to stop where we were. We remained in this position and observed ourselves. To take oneself by surprise in this way was instructive, and a good activity to do with beginners. Lucia sometimes uses this method with her dance classes, when she finds students hunched on the floor, cross-legged. She asks them to close their eyes and just breathe. “The breath is a good place to start. They become like flowers. They just open up.”

Among the activities that followed: One student led the group in yoga exercises, seeking a balance between doing the Alexander technique and providing enough challenge in the form of dynamic movements; another demonstrated how she warms up her students’ fingers before playing the violin by having them tap and slap out different musical rhythms with each hand while vocalizing (we all really enjoyed this activity and noticed that the rhythm making had a relaxing and energizing effect); we experimented with dropping a pen to the floor and picking it up (one student discussed her feelings of having cheated by turning it into a dance movement which led to an interesting discussion);  we explored rolling down and up from a seated position in the Dart way (of letting the eyes lead) contrasting it with a dance class approach of stacking each vertebrae one upon the other; one participant demonstrated an exercise that her physiotherapist had given to her that had previously been uncomfortable; another student wrote in a notebook and explored the feelings evoked by being observed; and one participant who had newly taken up playing the violin performed a piece and was invited to explore what it was like to receive appreciative observations from the rest of the participants.

Lucia’s comments throughout the day:

The very first step in teaching groups is to re-energize the quality of curiosity. We have to inhibit the impulse to correct ourselves.

When teaching, we may be in an adrenalized state -  even a little faster than the person we’re working on. Give yourself permission to slow down and not go so far.

As we teach, we’re allowed to read the air and see the atmosphere change.

Don’t inhibit the wish. We don’t want to kill the wish but we don’t want to endgain in a habitual way. The same with emotions. Don’t inhibit your emotions. Inhibit your habitual reaction to your emotions.

When a student has a lot of facility with the body, as a dancer does, she can have a tendency to put herself into the right shape. But good use is for a purpose. Ask yourself what you want? As a mover, you don’t always want flow. You want to be free to experience the full range of quality.

An indirect way to get someone to free the neck may be to ask “how’s the view?” Otherwise, the risk in giving an instruction to free the neck or in saying  ‘I wish to allow my neck to be free’ is that we quickly do an internal action rather than keep it a wish.

The eyes are a visible and sensitive part of the primary control. I often come to the eyes.

I do challenge people on the subject of fitness. Is extreme ability of muscle tone good? Fit for what?

[After breaktime, Lucia shared her process in evaluating the workshop thus far. While she questioned if she had done enough activities, she also observed that everyone had remained alert and present]. So it didn’t go as I expected.   Sometimes what we think about our performance takes precedence over what we experience or observe, but we can reverse that and let our experience and observations inform us. We can trust that. Once you judge something as good or bad, there’s nothing more to see.

If you feel anxious, include peripheral vision.

If you feel sleepy, allow yourself to be visually interested in your surroundings.

 

The danger is that we can get caught up in wanting to do things better and better.

One student observed that Lucia asks a lot of questions. Lucia responded that some students hate that. “They’ll say, ‘You’re the teacher. Don’t ask me!’ So I tend to ask, “is there anything you want to articulate, but it’s not compulsory?” How can we invite a dialogue? In a group, I’ll ask if anyone wants to say anything. Or I’ll make my questions more specific. I learned this from Barbara Conable. I’ll ask questions like “does it feel more comfortable or less? Is it easier or harder to breathe? Is there anything different in your seeing?”

What I like about working with an activity is that it makes an imprint and the student can take something with them.

People often ask, will I be able to do inhibition and direction unconsciously, because the idea of needing to think this much all the time is unbearable. I usually answer no, you will need to stay conscious, but the process will be quicker.

You can explore your own quality of attention. I shift to a more neutral, more curious space. I also shift to encouragement. If I get into judgement… I can miss things. As soon as you label something good or bad, you aren’t finding out what’s happening anymore.

We have to remember that what is so profound and exceptional about the technique is that it’s in here (pointing to the solar plexus) and it doesn’t have a form.

The closest thing we have to a form are the procedures. Some people respond to them really well. They can make a leap from a procedure to their real life. One conductor, for example, discovered that he could put a lunge into his repertoire.

An Interaction in Detail

One of the most interesting aspects of the workshop was observing Lucia working individually with participants. I’ll give just one example:

Lucia invited someone to volunteer who had the habit of standing with a forward pelvis. One student offered herself, even though it was her old habit. She demonstrated how she used to stand.

Lucia: Is there anything you’re aware of?

Student: Tension in my lower back.

Lucia: [To the group] So you can see the back has no support. I’ll often ask people to exaggerate the posture. [To the student, while doing ‘hands on’] Now, let the head lead and let the upper body come above the feet, rather than behind the feet.

[To the group] Then I’ll show them in the mirror what they look like, because many people feel they’re falling over, but when they look in the mirror, they’re upright. Or, they’ll say “it’s weird.”

So that’s an opportunity to introduce them to faulty sensory awareness. It’s weird because it’s unfamiliar. This is when I ask questions:

Do you feel heavier or lighter?

Does it feel easier or harder to move from here?

Is it easier or harder to breathe?

If they say easier, I”ll say, “easier to breathe sounds like a good exchange for weird.” Then I’ll invite them back to the old habit.

Remember, I’m there to offer a choice, not to tell people how to be.

Closing Circle

In the last moments of the workshop, each person was invited to share, in one word or sentence, what they had learned or been reminded of, or appreciated in the workshop:

Accentuate the positive

Be inquisitive

Curiosity

Balance, remedy, strength

Take enough time to observe

Observe oneself and the other

The usefulness of asking questions

Observing without judgment

“No buts”

Find out what’s happening before you try to change anything

Positivity

Possibility of stopping at any moment

Reenergize

Reading the air

Observation without rushing

Being kind to oneself

Integration, asking questions, encouraging explorations.

Some Reflections

I really enjoyed observing Lucia interacting with participants and how their dialogues organically led to further explorations. There was a great spaciousness to these dialogues and it was lovely to be able to observe their process.  Having observed Lucia’s thoughtful back and forth with participants, I came away with a strong sense of the value of dialoguing with our students, and the necessity of being very attuned and present while doing so.

I also found it interesting when Lucia reflected on changes in the Alexander technique over the years. By virtue of having grown up in a household of Alexander teachers, Lucia has a unique longitudinal perspective, and several times alluded to shifts in practice and thinking in the Alexander world. For example, she noted that it was once thought that group work was primarily a means of selling the technique, while real teaching could only be done one to one. This has changed and workshops are now seen as contexts in which students can learn. ”I believe I can share something in the group setting that can help people make changes…  by teaching observation, inhibition and direction.” The performance aspect in a group is important as well. “Some people will see change they can’t experience. But others can be changed by others’ experiences.”

She also suggested that in the past, there was an emphasis on “imparting one’s experience” to students, sometimes at the expense of other aspects.  “It was thought that it’s not our job just to be nice to people.  But as time goes on, I see it is our job to be nice to our students so that they learn how to be nice to themselves. It sounds trite. “ She went on to talk about the importance of practicing inhibition at the moment that we notice something in our students that we want to change. “You see a pattern and you want to show the pupil it’s not necessary. But for whose benefit? Instead, provide students with more opportunities to make discoveries and choose for themselves.” As one of her previous workshop participants aptly put it, “When I teach, I can now leave people alone to learn rather than push onto them my need and wish for them to learn.” Lucia summed up this philosophy succinctly and though it’s included above, it’s worth repeating: “As a teacher, I’m there to offer people a choice, not to tell them how to be.” 

Below is Lucia’s description of the workshop and her biography:

Workshop Info

Life activities are a strong stimulus to our psycho-physical selves and a rich source of learning and teaching the Alexander Technique. Through them it is possible to observe, inhibit and direct and influence the quality of the activity. I think it is important to stay clear with this learning and teaching objective. As learners we can notice the different responses arising from different stimuli. I enjoy creating an experimental situation with the pupil that allows for new possibilities of use to arise and illustrates Alexander principles in relevant ways.

We will look at the components of working with a group with activities and how to constructively support someone’s learning.  As AT teachers we do not have to ‘teach the person what to do” though we can help people discover more choice, ease and quality in their performance. Often they are already experts; musicians, parents, gardeners, therapists etc.

Please bring your curiosity and anything you need to explore a chosen activity; instruments, technology, materials. Last time we had activities from rock-climbing to chopping carrots, from martial art sword practice to using your mobile phone. Anything is possible! Lucia will design the workshop to suit the participants. Any stage of trainee is welcome. Participants will be asked to observe in new ways and maybe to observe through touch as well as seeing and listening. Everyone has a choice about how to participate in a way that supports their current stage of learning.

About Lucia

Lucia trained as a teacher of Alexander Technique in Oxford with her parents Dick and Elisabeth Walker. Since 1988 she has been teaching individuals, groups and on training courses. She came to Alexander Technique from a lifelong interest in movement, presence and learning and continues to work as a movement teacher and performer.

Enjoyment of the sense of vitality and well-being that arose from learning Alexander Technique, and a desire to support people to be more fully themselves and to express themselves more easily in their chosen life activities, stimulated Lucia to train as a teacher.

Lucia teaches the technique to individuals, groups and on teacher training programs and holiday workshops in England, France, Germany, US and Japan. After qualification she also assisted at her training school in Oxford for many years.  Study and practice of the principles of nonviolent communication (NVC) has been a great support to teaching and to deepening understanding of ‘psycho-physical unity’ Fascination with the relationship of vision and movement led to ongoing study and teaching with ALTEVI (Alexander Technique and Vision) with whom she led holiday study retreats and workshops. She is now running a training program for AT teachers in Johannesburg with Sharyn West and continues to be a STAT moderator.

In teaching Lucia likes to use games, discussion, touch, stillness and activity to explore Alexander's principles in ways that are relevant and enjoyable. She is fascinated by how to use the technique to become more conscious and more integrated in feeling, thought, action and purpose.