Nili Bassan

From cognition to the tip of your fingers:
an integration of Alexander Technique and Qi Gong 

In spite of the fact that Qi Gong was created in the east and the Alexander Technique in the west and the fact that Qi Gong is an ancient discipline and the Alexander technique is relatively new one, there are many commonalities between them. They also reflect on each other and we as Alexander technique teachers can benefit from this inter-relationship mutuality in our practical work.
We will practice exercises in both Qi Gong and Alexander Technique showing the benefits and the advantages to Alexander Technique teachers by using Qi Gong as a scaffold.
Each one is a technique in its own right, and the combination is even better, using the mind with intermediate feedback from teacher’s fingertip to the student – from the fingertips we deliver our message to the student’s body and mind.


New Horizons: The combination of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)  

We are all aware of the mind-body-spirit connection. This can be manifested through learning the Alexander technique and appealing at the same time to the principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).
This is seen in many areas such as fear reflexes, uncontrolled emotions, complexity and complications in relation to stress and strain, memory and feeling, cognitive distortions, and sensory appreciation in its relation to happiness.
Our emotions are determined by what we tell ourselves, and this determines our behavior.
We can be masters of our bodies and our fates, by choosing the options that are healthy, and directing us to positive actions.
There is no doubt that unity of the mental and physical.
The mental, body, emotion and behavior are all interwoven, and as Alexander professionals we cannot afford to forget this while teaching behavior and conscious control over our bodies.