Finding Flow
A Natural Flow
There is a natural flow to all of life. This ‘flow’ also runs through your entire body in a clear fluid way. The stress of living in the modern world can impede this flow and therefore living peacefully is interrupted. Once you know what to do and what not to do, you can find the ease you seek simply because it is part of the human design. Doing less is a road to achieving more.
Alexander Technique
The Alexander Technique is a tool for transformation, a ‘way’ for growing in consciousness and making changes to better your life. Some people come for lessons in the Alexander Technique because they hurt and are looking for relief. Others come because they want to become more proficient in an activity. Either way, the Alexander Technique provides a way to access a deep inner flow that simply makes life easier!
Tao Practices
Learning Meditation, Qigong, (chi kung), and Tai Chi is one of the best things I've kept doing over the last few decades. I've experienced fluid changes in my state of mind, movement, activities and perspective. Life has become easier and full of choice. It is my great joy and honor to pass on these teachings to my students. Why? Because they work!
Weekly Tai Chi Classes
Currently Classes are being taught online.
Details for the online classes can be found on this link.
Below are regular weekly classes held on site when they begin again:
Tuesdays
8am Brighton tai chi class
10am Mt Auburn Club tai chi class
4pm Beth Israel (BDIMC) Hospital tai chi class
Thursdays
8am Brighton tai chi class
10am Beth Israel (BDIMC) Hospital tai chi class
6pm Beth Israel (BDIMC) Hospital tai chi class
Saturdays
Marie Favorito teaches at the Universal Tao Boston School for Taoist Practices.
9:30am Qigong
10:30am Tai Chi
11:30am Meditation
Classes are held iat 11 Bow Street in Somerville
Specialized Courses
100 Day Practice
3 times a year we meet for 100 days to practice something we want to get better at. You choose what you want to practice and we'll hold that space with you for accountability and guidance. For more information click here.
Posture of Consciousness
This workshop combines principles of the Alexander Technique with 'Iron Shirt' Chi Kung Postures helping one to 'take a stand' in your life with relaxed confidence. "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it" (Vicki and Lisa, students).
Tai Chi Coordinates, 13 Points of Power
In this class we'll also explore our innate connection to the Universe while practicing methods of consciously accessing this universal connection. The meaning of 'power' in this context means the ability to move. Learn 13 points in and around the body that generate life force energy. This can be understood as part of our 'energetic anatomy'. This 13 point matrix improves clarity, coordination and deepens present moment awareness.
teaching the Alexander TEchnique On-line and Hands-off
written by AT Teacher/trainer Jamee Culbertson
I am really enjoying teaching the Alexander Technique through the online Zoom class format. After 28 years of teaching lessons, classes and training others to become teachers of the Alexander Technique it’s new for me to not use my hands ie. touch to aid in my communication with a student. Yet, to my great delight wonderful things are happening for people who attend the online class.
Most people taking my online class are people who have never had an Alexander lesson at all. Some are students who used to come for lessons with me regularly for months or years prior to this pandemic experience. It’s so interesting. Fact is, F.M. Alexander himself didn’t learn the ‘Alexander Technique’ by someone putting hands on him! He discovered what was possible himself by trying to resolve an on-going issue he had of losing his voice when speaking on stage.
The first time I received a non-hands-on lesson was during my training when Barbara Conable was visiting Tommy’s training. I stood in front of a mirror while she spoke to me making suggestions and speaking truths my ’system’ understood even though I was only beginning to comprehend these truths cognitively and yet remarkable things happened for me.
The first time I gave a hands-off lesson was with a student who had been coming 2x a week for about a month. This time when he arrived he went straight for the chair in the corner of the room. i knew he wanted space so I sat away from him and gave him my full attention.
He wanted to know if this Alexander stuff was as I had had told him…”you are learning to access the inherent support within your design as a human to enable co-ordination, fluidity and spontanaity.” He asked, “is this true or am I feeling such a good and connected sense of well-being after a lesson….. ‘because of you’. He went on to express his concern that if it was because of being with me and my ‘magic hands’ that he felt so good then he was in big trouble because it meant he was becoming addicted to me. He went on to tell me how he had just entered a recovery program for drugs and alcohol only recently and he didn’t need something else to have to recover from.
Got it. Right away I said to myself - there is no way I am going to put my hands on this guy. Instead we began a conversation based solely on Alexander principles. I observed him as we spoke and watched him change. I waited quite a while until I was absolutely sure he might also notice that he had changed. When I finally asked him if he felt different now compared to when he first sat down he said, 'well, I feel as though I have had a lesson.’ (To myself I replied…phew!). Then to make it really obvious I said, ‘notice how I did not come over to touch you did I?
I went on to reiterate, as we engaged in a conversation about fundamental truths around human design, function, consciousness and interaction we evoked an operational experience of change away from habitual patterns that was causing much of his suffering. He left feeling empowered and I was relieved that he was not attaching his addictive tendencies on me.
And now, here I am out of necessity teaching the Alexander Technique through the non-touch, non-physical student-teacher experience via Zoom live video. I can see how the same/similar conversation is evocative of change for people, engaged in a conversation, even people new to the AT. It’s very exciting and very satisfying.
Registration for Saturdays is listed above here.
Perhaps I will see you soon,
Jamee
The joy of hand washing
written by AT Teacher/trainer Jamee Culbertson
These days washing your hands can happen multiple times a day and certainly much more often than only one month ago.
I’m using my hand washing time to come back to myself. What does that mean? If my focus is predominantly on worldly matters or, if my attention is on my thoughts or worries about a future I cannot predict anyway, I am not fully available to present moment information to base my reality and decisions on. That would be better.
I began my journey with the Alexander Technique nearly 30 years ago. Alexander principles play a large part in my awareness. Where am I in space? What choices do I have in this moment? Am I aware of the ground underneath me? My Alexander Technique training has taught me how gravity does not have to be oppressive. In fact gravity is my #1 support system!
When I’m washing my hands I get a chance to slow down and step away from the agenda of ‘doing things’ throughout my day, whatever my task list is.
Because I’m instructed to wash them with hot soapy water for at least 20 seconds it gives me a break to explore sensory awareness. All of a sudden I feel like I have more time! The water feels really good while I’m getting a good lather going with the soap. The contact I feel with my two hands helps me realize where my feet are. I pause and take a breath.
During these days of covid19 washing my hands is a way to offer service to humanity. It’s never been so clear that taking care of myself is taking care of others.
As a teacher of the Alexander Technique I have an opportunity to support others by helping them find the depth of their own support. That’s my job. And nothing about it works if I am not enabling access to the innate depth of support for myself first.
The support I speak of is built into our natural design as humans, within the human body that enables us to be in an engaged relationship to gravity. In doing so we can all feel light on our feet no matter how much you weigh.
The relationship we have with our self and the natural world around us is a unified field, it's designed to be one that is innately supportive while we experience continuous changes in balance, a multitude of stimuli to respond to moment by moment-- including world events. It’s a design made for developing consciousness. Imagine, I get to choose my response to world events and not only be at the effect of them.
Ok, 20 seconds are up. Washing my hands is like hitting a reset button! I’m refreshed and ready for what’s next.
Extended Outreach
Rosie's Place
I participate in the 'Loving Yourself' day at the first women's shelter in the United States. Their mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment that helps poor and homeless women.
Harvard University
I participate as an instructor for Tai Chi studies with Harvard University in association with Dr. Peter Wayne. I am First Aid CPR AED Certified with the American Heart Association.
Home Base
I taught tai chi in the Home Base program associated with Mass General Hospital for wounded Veterans suffering with PTSD.