https://www.alexanderconvention.com/
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Tommy will be one of the presenters at Richard Brennan’s convention in Slovenia in August 2024. Tommy will be teaching August 28, 29, 30 and 31st.
4th INTERNATIONAL ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE TEACHER’S CONVENTION, KAMNIK SLOVENIA - 25TH T0 31ST AUGUST 2024
‘DISCOVERING FOR YOURSELF’
“Anyone can do what I do, if they do what I did”
The Convention is designed to deepen your understanding and advance your teaching and communication skills to empower you in taking Alexander’s principles forward into the future without losing the essence of the Work. The structure of this week-long convention includes daily workshops, open-minded discussions, work exchanges and networking opportunities which will foster a sense of community, sharing, laughter and integration of learning.
The theme of this week will be ‘Discovering for yourself’ which is very different than learning how to do something. When you have discovered for yourself something, it is your own and you know from a place of certainty that that what you discovered is true. In this week you will discover very new ways of teaching which afterwards will leave your pupils empowered and inspired to go deeper into this work.
At the next Convention in Slovenia this August we will build on the wave of excitement (http://www.alexanderconvention.com/reviews.html) that was created at the very successful event last year where people attended from 17 countries. It was a real privilege to share an amazing week with such an open minded group of Alexander technique teachers. This year we aim to have up to 100 Alexander teachers, trainees and their families from all over the world to continue to find new ways of learning, unlearning and understanding the Technique in a fresh light. At any Alexander event it is always the individual connections with other teachers that inspires me the most and it is why the first convention in Dublin in was created in 2013.
The Aims
The original aim was to establish an informal setting where Alexander teachers and trainees could feel safe to share their questions, concerns and struggles. It was also to create an atmosphere where there was time; time to connect with others, time to reconnect with themselves as well as explore the local area with new and old friends. Some of the most experienced, respected and friendly workshop leaders were invited because most of all we wanted to make the participants, no matter what training they had attended feel very welcome…very welcome indeed! And looking at all the comments from the last three conventions in Ireland and Slovenia this has been achieved.
The theme for this year’s International Convention is ‘Discovering for Yourself’ and that is exactly what the main aim of the week will be about. In my 35 years as an Alexander teacher I have often wondered what Alexander meant when he said “Anyone can do what I do, if they do what I did”. What exactly did Alexander do? I always thought it was something he had to stop doing. Then I realized what it was that he did; he made discoveries.
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”
In the traditional role of teaching, the teacher explains to the student or pupil how things are and usually the students believes and agrees and as a result ‘learning’ takes place: or at least that was how I was trained in 1986. However, when I qualified to be totally honest I did not understand some of the key principles and procedures. This led me to be fearful of exchanges with other teachers in case they found out that my knowledge of the Technique was inadequate and saw me as an incompetent teacher.
Hands-on-the-back-of-the-chair was a good example of this; during my training in 1986 I practiced this procedure for at least an hour every day without really understanding what it was for. I asked many very experienced teachers about what were the aims or the reasons for doing it; everyone had a different answer and none of them made much sense to me. I remembering that I often felt confused and inadequate, but not feeling safe enough to express these feelings. So, in the end, I gave up asking, but never taught it or wrote about this procedure in any of my books, simply because I didn’t understand it myself. One day after 25 years of teaching the technique full time, one of the guest teachers on my training program in Galway showed me a passage in one of Alexander’s books and from that I discovered for myself what the primary reason for performing hands-on-the-back-of-the-chair was for – it effectively helped me to counter the ‘pulling down’ in the front muscles and allowed me to lengthen in the front effortlessly. It really was a revelation to me and so simple to achieve and because of this experience I now use it in my teaching frequently.
Another similar experience I had was in Budapest in 2004 at an Alexander teacher’s conference where Elisabeth Walker, who trained with Alexander himself, was the guest presenter. There was an interesting debate with other teachers about what Alexander meant when he said ‘Allow the neck be free’. Some people were convinced he meant the neck joint where others were adamant is was the neck muscles. Due to the certainty that some very experienced teachers had I started to doubt what I had previously believed, so I invited Elisabeth for coffee to ask her about what Alexander had said about this topic during her own training. To my astonishment she replied “F.M. never told us!” I was astounded….three years in a room with Alexander himself and he never told the students about one of the most fundamental pieces of information of the work? I honestly could not understand the reason for this lack of explanation at the time. Now the only reason I can think of was that Alexander wanted his students to find out for themselves through personal experience – he wanted them to ‘discover for themselves’ what the work was really about and that is why the theme for the convention in August this year was chosen. Once you discover something personally it is yours and you know it is true and how you learn many other practical abilities like standing, walking, riding a bike or driving a car.
One of the main ideas behind the Convention was to create a protected environment where anyone could air their questions and confusions with confidence. If you are one of those teachers who also have feelings of inadequacy or lack of confidence this Convention was designed for you.
However, this doesn’t mean we have to do this all by ourselves; in fact we need each other for inspiration and support; to question and encourage and most of all share a voyage of discovery with one another. The main obstacle that is in the way of making a discovery is a lack of confidence – we need the courage to make mistakes, because in those mistakes there is true learning. We also need to believe that there is more to discover. Lack of confidence or thinking we already know are the two things that can hold us back from really progressing in the work.
Another fundamental aim of this conference is to bring teachers together from all over the world from different schools and trainings so that we can offer the broadest spectrum of experience in sharing knowledge and insights into the community. All we ask is for you to bring your questions, ideas and concerns with an open mind to this event. The workshop leaders for the event that will be offering inspiration, humor and guidance are: Tommy Thompson (USA), Glenna Batson (USA), David Moore (Australia), Penelope Easton (Scotland), Anthony Kingsley (UK), Kecia Chin (USA/Jamaica), Niall Kelly (Ireland), Anne Dore Kist (Germany), Attila Major (Hungary), Anna Mile (Croatia), Natalia Jove (Serbia), and myself (Ireland).
The breakout and exchange rooms will be open all day for one-to-one exchanges or for small groups to meet. You will have stimulating conversations or enlightening exchanges - you can talk until the sun comes up… or arrange an exchange with another teacher before breakfast.
The learning objectives of the Convention will be to offer:
• Different yet equally inspiring styles of teaching
• Increase your confidence as a teacher.
• Directly contribute and share ideas that can benefit the future of the Technique
• Discover new ways of teaching.
Throughout the convention we will be discussing any issues that are important to you and we will also be sharing and brainstorming a wide selection of topics. During these discussions we will encourage the active involvement by all participants and we hope that many new ideas, about how to teach the Alexander Technique in the future will emerge. The overall feeling we want to create at this convention will be to re-discover the magic of technique in a new and profound way.
Daily routine
Each morning will start with some gentle yoga in the garden, or an early morning mountain walk or run followed by a leisurely breakfast. At 10.00am each day everyone will gather in the courtyard to choose their main workshop for the day. The workshops will finish just before lunch at 1.00pm. During the afternoon there will be the chance to join a smaller workshop or to have an exchange with other teachers usually in the garden under the shade of a tree. At 5pm the day will finish with a talk back in the courtyard. These will consist of on several Alexander related topics from experienced presenters. After the talk most people will stroll into town with friends or colleagues for the evening meal full of stories and laughter. From previous experience we know that you will emerge from the week with a renewed enthusiasm, a greater clarity and more confidence to teach the Technique. Our promise is that you will return with many new friends renewed confidence and loads of wonderful memories!
Location
I have been teaching in Slovenia regularly since 2019 and I have found that it is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to; the people are extremely welcoming and warm hearted! Much overlooked Slovenia is one of Europe's most unexpectedly charming destinations. It is at the intersection of the Slavic, German, and Italian worlds, Slovenia is an exciting mix of the best of each culture. It is 1/5 the size of New York State with mountains lakes and the warm Adriatic Sea to swim in.
The Convention will take place once again in the 700 year old Mekinje Monastery which overlooks the high Alps. It is on the outskirts of the medieval town of Kamnik which boasts two castles, and colorful streets lined with artisan shops. The town is only 15 minutes away by bus or car to the famous Velika Planina plateau and is where most of the group will be heading on our day excursion (see https://www.alexanderconvention.com/photos/(https://www.alexanderconvention.com/photos/) ).
The monastery has been fully renovated and has accommodation onsite. You can read more about it is here: https://monasterymekinje.eu/ (https://alexander.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=541d111a87aa7af2641fb031a&id=5024a54f72&e=46d7d49c6d).
Accommodation at the monastery is not expensive and there are special rates for couples or small groups sharing. Alternatively, you can stay in a hotel or guest house within 10 minutes walking distance of the venue.
The AT Convention directors Kecia Chin, Žiga Repanšek and I are looking forward to welcoming you to an amazing week. The Convention is a non-profit event and the registration fee has been kept to a minimum to give as many teachers as possible a chance to attend. There are limited places so early booking is advised especially if you wish to stay on-site. The Early-bird rate of €495 is available until 15th May and groups of four or more can apply for an extra €50 per person discount. Anyone on a low wage can apply for one of the 50% discount scholarships. Any funds that are surplus will go towards promoting the Alexander Technique in Slovenia and Croatia. All Alexander teachers, third year trainees and anyone with a genuine interest in the work are warmly invited to join this event.
Another similar experience I had was in Budapest in 2004 at an ATI conference where Elisabeth Walker, who trained with Alexander himself, was presenting. There was an interesting debate with other teachers about what Alexander meant when he said ‘let the neck be free’. Some people thought he meant the neck joint where others were adamant is was the neck muscles. I started to doubt what I had learnt so I invited Elisabeth for coffee to ask her about what Alexander had said about this topic during her own training. To my astonishment she replied “F.M. never told us!” Three years in a room with Alexander himself and he never told the students about one of the most fundamental pieces of information of the work? I was astounded and really could not understand the reason for this lack of explanation till years later – the only reason I can think of was because Alexander wanted his students to find out for themselves through personal experience – he wanted them to discover for themselves what the work was about and that is why the theme for the convention in August this year was chosen. Once you discover something personally it is yours and it is often how any practical happens
Mekinje-Monastery
The Mekinje Monastery (https://monasterymekinje.eu/) is an intimate setting only a 20 minute taxi-ride away from Ljubljana International Airport. It rests in beautiful rural grounds, looking out on the majestic Slovenian Alps. The Centre is 10 minutes’ walk away from the historic City of Kamnik and 15 minutes by bus to the Cable car that takes you up into the high Alps.
We invite all teachers of the Alexander Technique, trainees and anyone who is enthusiastic about the work to participate in a gathering designed to frame the original principles of F.M. Alexander within the evolution of contemporary ideas and developments. In the first three conventions in 2013, 2017, and 2023 participants came from 23 countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and USA.
This meeting offers the worldwide community of Alexander teachers the opportunity to enjoy the work of different teachers of the Alexander Technique who all have engaging and unique styles of presenting. You will also have opportunities to engage and share your own knowledge with colleagues from around the globe.
How to Register
Registration is now open Register Here
Please be aware that there are a limited number of places, and registration will close when these are filled.
All the details are on the Registration page: Register
Alexander Convention: Home page
About the Convention: https://www.alexanderconvention.com/about/
Reviews: https://www.alexanderconvention.com/reviews/
Timetable: https://www.alexanderconvention.com/timetable/
Presenters: https://www.alexanderconvention.com/presenters/
Accommodation: https://www.alexanderconvention.com/accommodation/
Registration: https://www.alexanderconvention.com/registration/
Photos 2023: https://www.alexanderconvention.com/photos/
Past comments
Here are some comments from last year’s participants:
‘Wonderful…..just wonderful!’
‘I really enjoyed the convention! I found that there was a good mixture of learning in the workshops, by the afternoon exchanges and the evening. I so enjoyed the walks to dinner, and the trip to the mountains.’
‘It was a terrific experience for me; I learnt (and unlearnt) so much. This was my first experience of an A.T. convention and it offered me the opportunity to challenge myself by doing something new every day.’
‘I loved living in the old Monastery – it was so peaceful’
‘It was so wonderful to wake up to the amazing view of the mountains each morning’
‘Having a whole week was ideal; the environment (setting) was wonderful with clean soft air; being away from London air meant I breathed more deeply.’
‘It was great to have such close connection and input from such experienced teachers.’
‘I loved the supportive atmosphere and the opportunity to exchange work.’
For more details please email Richard Brennan info@alexander.ie (mailto:info@alexander.ie)
To book please visit the convention website: www.alexandercovention.com(http://www.alexandercovention.com/)