The Emotions Toolbox

It is crucial for all therapists to be emotionally clear, but particularly for Alexander technique teachers. To make the real changes in the brain that Alexander technique can achieve for ourselves or pupils, requires being fully present, quiet and clear. Emotion gets in the way of this, because it clouds our thinking, stops us being present, boundaried or grounded, and creates physical tension. While training courses address a certain amount of this, it is not their job to address our full emotional baggage; that is our own ongoing job. This is also true for all other therapies; continuing self-work to stay emotionally clear is crucial to being a good practitioner. Hence this workshop: a set of 10 simple yet powerful techniques for all aspects of our emotional life. Once learned, they are also easily used with pupils, where emotional blocks or distress states are getting in the way or blocking progress.

There are three main areas to these techniques: grounding & personal space; nurturing yourself; and clearing emotional states. The methods are visuals & guided meditations, and always centred on the body, because emotional states are also always in the body. They are designed to complement the Alexander work, to be an extension of the work into the emotional sphere.