What is ALIVE in you right now? An answer is only as good as its ability to raise the next question.

Last Sunday I took my last Alexander Technique lesson of the year with my mentor. She’ll be leaving for England once again soon, and won’t be back till late next year. So I gathered I needed to get as much out of her as possible before she leaves.

That was my mistake.

When I work from a “lack mentality” I don’t take real advantage of things. I’m just being a glutton, trying to shove in as much food as possible in the hopes that it will digest itself in due time and I’ll be able to make good use of it later. Fat chance. It is NOT assimilated.

I realized my mistake when she asked me (giving me a dose of my own medicine) “Well Vicky, what do YOU want to look at today?” A bit flustered at being caught off-guard without a real energy-driving question I said something to the effects of getting some more sensory information about my sacro-lumbar lordosis.

 

First strike.

I could immediately realize how non-specific the request was, how unrelated to a definite function or action it was… and most of all, how un-alive my voice sounded. That question just wasn’t alive in me.

You see, in my previous lesson with her we had looked at that area; but not because of a specific question about it. We’d ended up looking at it as a result of a real and lively question I’d brought about something else… looking at the mechanics of the lumbo-sacral lordosis was the result of our investigation of my original question, not the origin.

I’d left that previous lesson (more than a month ago) with a whole bevy of new information, which I’d started to work out on my own, investigating and fiddling with.

But, (as I said last week), I’m a bit tired at this time of the year. I’ve definitely left all intricate bodily-emotional-mental investigations for after my holidays, when I’m a bit more rested and ready to dive head-first into a juicy question of use. Right now… well right now I honestly couldn’t care less about my lumbo-sacral lordosis.

But my “lack-mentality” took over at the thought of not seeing my mentor for another nine months. So I insisted on dragging her and me through a lesson on a swelteringly hot day (this summer in Uruguay is going to be HOT) and ploughing through an investigation where I wasn’t collaborating with my 50%.

So she asked me, “In what activity do you want to look at the mechanics of this in? Because you know Vicky, things only make sense in function, not in abstraction”.

Second strike.

That’s when I realized I was getting a really big dose of my own medicine. I’ve been ranting and raving about the need for looking at things in context, of having a deep and burning question about something specific that you’re passionate about, in order to extract the universal lessons from a place of personal interest, and thus being able to anchor it more firmly in your experience.

And here I was, mumbling that I didn’t have a clue in what function I wanted to look at the lumbo-sacral mechanics, feeling like a complete moron, and realizing I JUST DIDN’T CARE ENOUGH about it.

My mentor said a whole bunch of interesting stuff during the lesson. I, of course, can’t recall any of it right now, because I wasn’t fully there. Eventually we called it a day and went to have a glorious lunch and a dip in the pool… and that yes I could fully appreciate and enjoy.

So, what does this all have to do with you and the AT?

It’s THAT time of the year. We’re all running like head-less chickens trying to get as much done in the few days before the holidays and the end of the year. We suddenly remember all the stuff we should have done before 2013 rolls away, and we’re frantically trying to cram it all in the few weeks before New Year’s Eve.

So stop. Breathe. The world is NOT coming to an end. All the stuff will still be there on the morning of January 1^st 2014, and it can surely wait for you to be with your head screwed on right for you to tackle them.

So stop. Breathe. Think about what questions ARE ALIVE within you right now. What are you passionate about NOW? Perhaps it’s resting, or reconnecting with loved ones, or buying the perfect Xmas presents, or enjoying the holiday atmosphere.

Chuck the lack-mentality that tenses you up, shrivels you up and tightens you up. Switch to the abundance-mentality that opens you up, frees you up, widens and lengthens you up, and generally expands your sense of well-being.

I know I would have better used my time with my mentor by just BEING with her and enjoying her company. After all, it’s HER I’ll be missing, so soaking up her presence (and her swimming pool) was the thing alive in me at the time (who cares about a lumbo-sacral lordosis anyway?)

Merry Xmas to you all and a Very Happy New Year!

No go! Love someone, take a rest and enjoy the holiday's good food!

Victoria

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"Christmas Greeting Card11"courtesy of gubgib / FreeDigitalPhotos.net