Last week I attended a Zoom talk, Mindfulness Made Easy, presented by Shamash Alidina. You can watch it again here. Shamash characterized mindfulness as being present with certain values such as kindness, curiousity, acceptance and openness. A helpful definition, I thought.

There are a number of ways in which mindfulness intersects with the Alexander Technique. Both rely on present-mindedness and particular forms of attention. Where I would say they diverge is that the Alexander Technique develops a specific way of working with the body – it’s a kind of mindfulness in action if you like. And one of the fascinating things for me has been the growing scientific evidence for the effects of the Alexander Technique on our bodies.

Two aspects of Shamash’s talk got me thinking about connections to the Alexander Technique. I hope you find them interesting.

  1. Shamash referenced Stanford scientist BJ Fogg’s new book Tiny Habits on a number of occasions. The basic idea is that small actions are so much easier to make a start on, but can have cascading positive effects. For example, in my current state of mind, I may find the idea of a 20 minute meditation simply a burden. Well, no matter. Can I take one just mindful breath instead? Try it now, and you may find that you wish to take a few more. Many of us are perfectionists, but Shamash instead suggests progress over perfection. This reminded me of Olivia Remes’ quirky tip to do it badly. Likewise, the promise of the Alexander Technique involves taking the time to pause and look after ourselves in the present moment. We’re not being grandiose. We’re not beating ourselves up with could’ves and should’ves. We’re scattering seeds in the present, gently trusting that some of them will germinate.
  2. Shamash also referenced what he termed BJ Fogg’s breakthrough discovery, his E=MC². This was that our behaviour is based on three things: motivation, ability and a prompt. FM Alexander might easily have used the word ‘stimulus’ instead of ‘prompt’. The valuable insight here is that we can use difficulties or challenging situations as the prompt for self-kindness. When do we most need mindfulness or the Alexander Technique? It’s when the going gets tough. So, can we have the presence of mind to see the challenging ‘prompt’ for what it is, pause and look after ourselves instead of being at the mercy of it?

On that note, why not give yourself permission to take a longer pause. It could be just what you need. Here’s a wonderful (and free) 15 minute audio for just that purpose.