why in-person, hands-on lessons are better

AT lessons that bring us together in real time and a shared, three-dimensional space enable us to use ourselves well as we go about our daily lives—the way swimming lessons, conducted in a pool, stream or ocean, teach us to move easily and safely through water. Virtual swimming lessons wouldn't make sense, and I don't believe virtual AT lessons do either.

I want my students to be able to use their AT skills well in their real, everyday activities. To achieve this, in-person, hands-on teaching is necessary. And that is the only kind of teaching I do at betterATbeing.

Learning Alexander Technique is like a conversation directly between two nervous systems. In addition to verbal instructions, much of the experiential knowledge I convey to students reaches them via the primary language of Alexander Technique: touch. Without touch, crucial information would be missing in our communications, reducing the teaching and learning process to a kind of pantomime or guessing game.

In my work as your AT teacher, I rely on my hands, not just my eyes, to help me carefully monitor your use of your Self (your dynamic circuit of mind-body functions, which are inseparable). If I were to teach virtually, relying on a visual assessment alone, I could not find out if you are really learning. I can check your understanding best by observing extraordinarily subtle changes in your muscle tension and release, which happen instantaneously in response to changes in your thinking. Changes in muscle tension are not always visible in a virtual teaching setting.

If you want to learn AT skills, and to be confident that you're getting the knowledge needed to change the way you use yourself—and change how you go about your life—study in person, hands on.  I hope you'll choose  betterATbeing as your learning environment.