I’ve found Janet’s online lessons to be a very positive experience. Her guidance on how to be more aware of your body and her directions come over well virtually. Lying in the semi-supine position with Janet placing her hands on me to gather and convey information was always my favourite part of physical lessons. Despite the absence of hands-on work, I was very happy to find the semi-supine can still be effective and rewarding during an online session.
The traditional way of teaching and learning Alexander Technique is through the skilled use of the teacher's hands, which is the most effective way of communicating the Technique.
During the 2020 Covid pandemic, as a result of social distancing laws, most close contact therapies were banned, including Alexander Technique. So, a few teachers tried what most of us assumed would be impossible: to teach the Technique without hands-on, over the internet!
What surprised us was that some of these teachers reported not only that the lessons seem to work, but they even had certain advantages over normal lessons.
The gold standard experience in learning Alexander Technique will always be the personal, hands-on lesson, and some teachers will only ever offer this. In my own case, while certainly I prefer the traditional lesson, I have started to venture into this 'virtual' world through Zoom and other online platforms and, like some of my colleagues, have been surprised how effective this can be - although it may not work for everyone.
Writing this in March 2021, it isn't yet known whether national lockdowns are to remain a feature of our lives for a while. But, even when life returns to normal, I suspect there may still be a place for remote lessons – particularly if people are able to have some 'real' lessons, then continue with remote ones if time or distance ever makes travelling to lessons difficult.
Booking a Remote Lesson
This is a substantial discount, especially as we'll schedule an hour - for the early lessons at least - to allow time to get to know each other and establish a working rapport that's a little different from the way we would communicate normally.
This format and fee may change as my teaching evolves. So, if you want to try some virtual lessons, please take advantage of this now!
To book or enquire about remote lessons, email janet@alexanderinambleside.co.uk