Musicians will be familiar with the way the musical theme is introduced in a fugue (non-musicians, bear with me). One voice alone starts, then another one is added, and then another, creating a polyphony of melodies that are complete on their own, but are also interacting with each other. Much like a conductor, the performer needs to be able to highlight the voice that has the theme, while being aware of what the rest of the voices are doing. It is almost impossible if you focus hard on one of the voices, but if you manage to take in everything, it feels like you are surrounded by an orchestra controlled by the tips of your fingers.
Our everyday lives (sadly) don’t involve routinely practicing fugues, but, whether we are multitasking or simply chopping vegetables (but not fingers), everyday tasks are rarely simple. In almost all activities we are constantly coordinating a series of small things happening all at once. How well equipped, though, are we for these challenges?
Modern life is full of things seeking our constant, undivided attention. Without much practice or even acknowledgment of any other kind of attention, it’s very easy to end up thinking that narrow, “zoomed in” focus is our only option. If a task involves intense problem solving, or very detailed precision, that can be useful. However, driving, performing, dancing, teaching, parenting, interacting with friends, can be exhausting if we constantly switch our focus from one thing to another.
“All together and one after the other” is, in my opinion, one of the most important chapters in Alexander Technique learning. It opens up a window to keeping awareness to ourselves while we interact with our environment. Much like the fugue example, it’s a lot more enjoyable to focus our sight on something without losing our peripheral vision, enjoy a melody without losing its harmony. Or, to stay truer to Alexander’s original directions, to keep our core coordination and balance, while engaging in secondary movements. Practicing our quality of attention during a lesson creates the space for more choices, and the possibility to look after ourselves a bit better.
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