Among numerous meritorious benefits, the Alexander principles help us deal with the conundrums posed by habit and change. By following FM Alexander’s path of inhibition, we can successfully make non-habitual choices; we can reduce reaction and reactivity. This makes it easier to choose a more appropriate and reasoned response.

Yet do we actually have free will? Do ‘we’ make choices? Neuroscience would have us question this premise (in so far as the brain) being in charge of most of what we do. That being said, might we say then at least that we are partners in choice along with the brain? After all we are largely motivated by the story of our life and the accompanying identity associated with choices which come from allegiance to the self we profess.

Partners in choice perhaps to the degree that our expanded field of attention incorporates an acute and heightened sense of awareness given the circumstance. Then choice is more or less ‘presented’ – not made. You might say in this case there is more fluidity in choice, less personal and absolute entirely befitting the circumstances in the silent and choiceless observation of ‘what is’.

In this awareness, an issue or an eventful happening unfurls itself and therefore is more completely understood before an individual response takes place. A gentle dialogue between individual and brain perhaps behaving as one.

In this workshop we will explore choiceless awareness governed by ‘Withholding Definition’ and awareness as  the silent and choiceless observation of what is.