Integrating the mind-body wisdom of the Alexander Technique with the energetic and spiritual dimensions of the Universal Healing Tao system creates a powerful approach to awakening our full human potential on multiple levels. Students are fortunate to have guidance grounded in such far-reaching teachings. As a senior instructor in the Universal Healing Tao system I have extensive training in the teachings and practices stemming from the Taoist spiritual tradition for many decades now.

Founded by Master Mantak Chia,  the Universal Healing Tao is a system of cultivating health, vitality, and spiritual development by working with the body's inner energy or "chi." Some of the key practices likely covered in your teachings include:

• Meditation practices to still the mind and cultivate inner peace
• Breath work and qigong exercises to circulate and harmonize chi
• Sexual cultivation practices like energy cultivation and circulation
• Inner alchemy and spiritual guidance on the Tao principles
• Using sound, colors, and visualization for energetic resonance

As a senior instructor, I have immersed myself deeply in this profound system of self-cultivation originating from ancient Taoist masters. My ability to teach ways of directing consciousness are aimed at heightening awareness. Over three decades my ability to do so stems from a blend of these Taoist meditation techniques and inner energy practices along with extensive experience with Alexander Technique principles. 

AT has a strong focus on developing heightened self-awareness and conscious control over habitual patterns of perception, tension and patterns of movement. As an Alexander Technique teacher, I also guide students in ways to direct their consciousness. Some of the ways I teach students to direct their consciousness could include:

• Learning to pause and prevent unconscious, habitual reactions before they occur by choosing not to react in the typical way. This allows us to return to a deeper coordination and cultivates more conscious control of our lives.
• Giving yourself conscious directives with mind and soul to allow the body to respond with more optimal coordination and ease. 
• Constructive Rest, lying semi-supine to quiet the mind and release muscular tension, while giving directives to allow for and encourage a more settled and supported state.
• Body Mapping helps us develop an accurate conception of your body's design to move in an integrated way.
• Focusing on the process or "means" (re-directing awareness) rather than just the outward goal or "end" in order to achieve easier functioning.

In this way I can help students go beyond just physical habits to examine their underlying thinking that contributes to excess tension to free up suppressed movement and emotional constraints. This mindful presence ties into the mind-body unity at the core of the Technique. This is a rich exploration of human consciousness and well-being.

This perfect blend creates a powerful synergy for cultivating heightened mind-body awareness and tapping into our innate human potentials.

From the Alexander Technique side, the core principles of mindfulness change conditions that simply makes carrying excessive tension unnecessary. Undoing harmful habits of contraction restores a natural, conscious way of being that aligns beautifully with the Taoist emphasis on achieving relaxed balance, inner stillness, and flow of vital energy.

The attentiveness required in the Alexander Technique in addressing subtle patterns of interference complements the Taoist practices of detecting and removing energetic blockages through methods like qigong, breathwork, sound healing, etc. Though I must say I do not focus on the interference, I acknowledge and hold space for the whole person in body, mind, emotional expression and spirit. The exercise of ‘Constructive Rest’ can provide a fertile space for students to release into a more receptive state for the Tao's revitalizing energy practices.

Applying Alexander Technique principles creates an openness and malleability that may enhance a student's ability to visualize and guide the circulation of chi or fundamental energies within the body according to Taoist teachings. The unified mind-body state cultivated could offer greater sensitivity in working with their innate energetic potentials.

From the Tao side, the array of meditations, qigong, and sexual cultivation methods offer incredibly rich dimensions for self-discovery and empowerment beyond just the physical realm that the Technique typically focuses on. The philosophical underpinnings of the Tao provide a metaphysical framework for working with universal energies.

In essence, my expertise melds two immensely profound and ancient wisdom traditions in a beautiful way using the specificity and somatic intelligence of the Alexander Technique as a precise entry point for then exploring and awakening the vast energetic landscapes opened up by the Universal Healing Tao system. Students receive an integrated education of the whole self on many levels.

The recent pandemic years showed us how profound personal contact is. During the lockdown we explored connecting with each other at a distance through online platforms like Zoom. I found it quite remarkable. The time I spent teaching people online resulted in profound experiences with each student.

And so I continue connecting with people online and in person again now and sometimes a combination of both.