Summary
Robert Rickover and Imogen Ragone challenge a common assumption in Alexander Technique teaching: that you need to be aware of your harmful habits before you can change them. Robert quotes a definition stating "in order to change habitual behavior, one must know in real time what that behavior actually is" and argues this is wrong based on his own experience and teaching observations. Robert shares that after his first Alexander lesson, he noticed his hands were hanging freely instead of being tucked in his jacket pockets, but he hadn't felt any internal change during the lesson itself. It took him halfway through teacher training to first consciously notice a change during hands-on work. The hosts agree that directions can produce beneficial changes without the practitioner being aware of specific habits beforehand. They warn that requiring awareness before change can feel like "end-gaining" and may discourage students who don't easily notice internal sensations. People vary widely in their ability to notice bodily changes, and those who don't notice well can still benefit fully from Alexander directions.
Key Points
- You do not need to be aware of harmful habits beforehand for Alexander directions to release them
- The common claim that awareness of habit is required for change is described as "totally wrong"
- Robert didn't feel internal changes from his first lessons but noticed external results (hands hanging freely, clothes not fitting)
- It took Robert halfway through his three-year training to first consciously notice a change during hands-on work
- Requiring awareness before change resembles "end-gaining" — trying to fix specific things rather than allowing overall improvement
- People vary enormously in their ability to notice internal body sensations
- Noticing changes can be motivating but also a trap — it can lead to chasing sensations instead of using directions
- For those who don't notice well, external feedback from others is valuable ("you look lighter, are you doing something different?")
Key Moments
You don't need to be aware of habits to change them
Robert reads a quote claiming you must know your habitual behavior in real time to change it, and argues this is totally wrong based on his own experience and teaching.
"The essence of awareness approaches is that in order to change habitual behavior, one must know in real time what that behavior actually is."
Robert's first Alexander lesson changed his body without him feeling anything
Robert describes how after his first lesson, he noticed his hands hanging freely instead of being tucked in his pockets, and later had to buy new clothes — all without feeling any internal changes.
"I suddenly noticed that my hands weren't where they usually were, which was kind of tucked into the side pocket of my jacket. They were hanging. And I thought, why are they doing that? Let's put them back."
Requiring awareness before change is a form of end-gaining
Imogen points out that requiring awareness of habits before they can change resembles end-gaining — a fixing mindset rather than the Alexander approach of using directions and seeing what happens.
"end gaining if you don't mind me saying so oh i don't mind at all but you need to notice something in order to change it yeah it's kind of like a fix yeah like a fixing whereas we're all about"
