The importance of a wish
Photo by Lathika Vithanage
“Seek not the path of the ancients, seek that which the ancients sought.” - Matsuo Basho
As a newly graduated AT teacher there are many people who came before me whose paths I might like to emulate. My colleagues, my AT teachers, my last violin teacher, famous AT teachers and even FM Alexander himself.
And before discovering the Alexander technique I thought that's what I needed to do. Be like people who came before me or who were around me. At some point I just couldn't keep up and lost all ambition whatsoever, which left me floating and adrift.
The valuable thing I learnt in the AT classroom is that having a goal or wish for myself is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a necessary thing as it's how I activate my life force. But I learnt to include myself in my wish making. So I went from wishing to make a 'good' sound on my violin, that reflected ideas I had of 'good' from famous musicians and colleagues, to wishing to make and experience my own sound. A motivation from within.
When I think of this quote today, rather than following the exact steps of the 'ancients', I believe they were following their own paths, and I see the qualities that they cultivated as they pursued their own paths as guiding lights for my own.
So my wish for myself as a newly graduated AT teacher is to continue to deepen my own understanding of this work in my mind and body and incorporate my own unique talents and gifts when sharing it with others. All the while inspired by the courage of my colleagues, the curiosity of my AT teacher, the generosity of my last violin teacher and the perseverance of FM Alexander.
As I learnt time and time again in the classroom, if my wish is clear and includes myself, there are many paths I could take and my own, unique path will reveal itself in time.
Journaling prompts: Who are your inspirations in life? What qualities did/do these people have that you aspire to? What is your wish for yourself, regarding your profession, today?
