I dropped my car off at the shop today for an oil change. It is an old car I bought new and I am determined to drive it until it dies. I take it to the shop for routine maintenance in order to extend its life. It’s the smart thing to do to preserve its worth.

My body and mind need routine maintenance too. I get massage, stretch, go to the doctor, talk out my thoughts with friends, and meditate in order to stay healthy. How does the Alexander Technique fit into this wellness regimen?

I am no machine. I am an adaptable, responsive organism. Sometimes my adaptations to the challenges of life include misusing myself (for example: hunching in order to not tower over my peers in high school). The Alexander Technique offers a way to unhunch myself and adopt my full stature. And by unhunching myself, I reduce the wear on my joints, improve my coordination so I move with better balance, and exercise my brain. Don’t let yourself get a rusty body and mind. Use the Alexander Technique. It’s the smart thing to do!

I recently visited my Alexander teacher. One of my struggles has been practicing when I am not in the lesson. I have a million excuses: laundry, busyness, wintertime depression, bills, etc. She said “You have to ask your brain to stop blocking you from doing what you want.”

I immediately thought of prayer. I know of many people who use prayer as a way to ask for help. Could asking God, or the Spirit of the Universe help to take away my lethargy about practice? My teacher explained that the part of me that is conscious only takes up a fraction of my brain, and I can use that part to ask the rest of me for what I want. If I ask again and again, patiently, with no particular expectations, she said I would be surprised. My brain would slowly work on my request without “me” knowing. Indeed, I asked myself to stop blocking me from writing on my way home, and here I am now, writing.

Perhaps, if I repeat this prayer again when I am in need of motivation, my brain (or higher self, or Buddha…) will allow me to choose the activity I want, instead of my habits.