Sean Carey - Alexander Technique: the Ground Rules: Marjory Barlow in Conversation with Sean Carey

Alexander T e c hnique: the G r ound R ules

Alexander

T e c hnique:

the G r ound R ules

Marjo r y Ba r l o w

in c on v ersati o n with S en Ca r e y

by S en Ca r e y

First published in 2011 by HITE

HITE Limited, Ha r ley St r e et, London W1G 9PF

Email:

W e bsite: ww w .hiteltd.c o .uk

Co p yright 2011 Sen Ca r ey

The right of Sen Ca r ey to be identified as the auth o r of this w o r k has b e en asse r ted in acc o r dance with the Co p yright, Design and P atents Act 1988.

All rights r eser v ed. No p a r t of this publication m a y

be r e p r oduced, st o r ed in a r etri ev al system o r t r ansmitted in a n y f o r m o r by a n y m e ans, elect r oni c , me c hanical, photoco p yin g , r ec o r ding o r otherwis e , without the pri o r written p e r mission of the publishe r .

A CIP catalogue f o r this book is a v ail a ble f r om the British Lib r a r y .

C ov er pict u r e co ur tesy of the Ma r j or y Ba r l o w estate

Book and c ov er design: Vi c ki T ow ers

Printe d an d boun d i n th e U K b y P olesta r W h e atons , D e v on

ISBN: 978-0-9568997-0-5

C o ntents

P a g e

Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w in co n v e r sation with Sen Ca r ey

List of pictu r es

FM s hands (c1941)

FM Al e xander a g ed (N e w Y o r k 1941)

FM on h o r se at P enhill

FM with John D ew ey (c1916)

FM, Lulie W est f eldt, Ge o r g e T re v e ly an & AR

at t r aining s c hool p a r ty (c1932)

FM s t e a c hing t a ble (2011)

FM s t e a c hing c hair (2011)

Ge o r g e Be r na r d Sh a w (1928) & Aldous Huxley (1930)

FM r e adin g , standing in Ashley Place

FM with the Ea r l of L ytton (1939)

FM and t r ain e es f r om the fi r st t r aining co u r se

at a p a r ty at P enhill (1932)

Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w demonst r ating t a ble w o r k

( F r ei b u r g Con g r ess 1999)

Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w m o ving a pupil f r om l ying to sitting

( F r ei b u r g Con g r ess 1999)

Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w (c2000)

Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w t e a c hing g oing up on to the toes

( R e g ent s Coll e g e 1998)

FM walking in a field

FM in lun g e taking D e bbie Caplan into mon k ey

(Boston 1941)

FM in a squat by a bi r dca g e

FM w o r king in lun g e (Boston 1941)

FM s e ated with p et dog at P enhill

Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w taking pupil into sitting

( R e g ent s Coll e g e 1998)

FM t e a c hing a y oung pupil while sitting

FM taking pupils f o rwa r d f r om hips

Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w t e a c hing hands ov er ba c k of c hair

( R e g ent s Coll e g e 1998)

Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w demonst r ating hands ov er the

ba c k of a c hair (1997) &

Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w demonst r ating wall w o r k

( F r ei b u r g Con g r ess 1999)

Ma r j o r y & Dr W ilf r ed Ba r l o w (c1975)

L ying d o wn with a r ms by the side (2011)

F o r e wo r d

As a t r ain e e in Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w s c lass one f elt a di r ect link to FM Al e xande r . This r ec o r d of her co n v e r sations with Sen Ca r ey sha r es that link with a wider audienc e .

Observing m y o wn c hild r en s c lose friends made me r e alise w h y Ma r j o r y couldnt wait to g et her hands on me when I sta r ted g oing out with her son D a vid a r ound the time of her Al e xander Mem o rial Lect u r e in 1965. I listened in a w e to her calm, p oised del i v e r y and kn e w that I had to l e a r n m o r e . W hen I s p o k e to her later that e v ening to ask whether I might h a v e some lessons, she r ubbed her hands with g l e e and said, W hen can w e b e gin?

After s e v e r al y e a r s of lessons with both Ma r j o r y and Bill, I tentat i v e l y as k ed a bout the p ossibility of l e a r ning to t e a c h.

R e ading these co n v e r sations bet w e en Ma r j o r y and Sen Ca r ey ta k es me ba c k v i vid l y to the t r aining co u r se when I sta r ted in the e a r l y 1970 s . She was a l w a ys quoting Al e xander and I r emember Ma r j o r y s a ying that e v e r ything that FM had said to her a bout the w o r k was indelib l y printed in her mind. In this w a y she s e emed to bring Al e xander into the r oom with u s .

I r e alised h o w f o r tunate I was to be p a r t of a Ba r l o w/Al e xander f ami l y e a r l y on in m y t r ainin g . Ma r j o r y had long since maste r ed the a r t of inhibition as a matter of s u rv iv al she was not blessed with an a b undance of ene r g y and as m y unde r standing of Al e xander s w o r k b eg an to d e v elo p , I s a w that its application in r e al li f e w ould ser v e me w ell at a time when I was bringing up th r e e small c hild r en.

Ma r j o r y co p ed w ell with tri c ky situation s . She w ould s a y that while w e can do nothing a bout c haotic e v ents that occ u r in the w o r ld a r ound us, w e can at l e ast inhibit and o r der o u r ne c ks to be f r e e . No matter h o w st r on gl y p r ov o k ed, she n e v er ov e r - r e acted, simp l y r et u r ning to a r esting stat e .

Hous e boa t w e e k end s o n Me r s e a Islan d whil e unde r th e sc r uti n y of Bill and Ma r j o r y w e r e an int r oduction to p r actical as p ects of Al e xande r : ma r c hing d o wn the S e ah o r se s slip p e r y g angplank with a b a by on one a r m and a toddler on the othe r ; stringing bas k ets of b e ans without pulling d o wn; l e a r ning to app l y the T e c hnique to all the little household tasks, just as Ma r j o r y had to in her e a r l y y e a r s with FM.

F ami l y skiing holid a ys p r esented di f f e r ent c hallen g es and I w ould t r y to app l y the T e c hnique while balancing on a T -bar lift with Bill (it took a b r a v e soul) b ut w e enj o y ed the d o wnhill slo p es, singing o u r o r de r s while t r ying to k e e p o u r ne c ks f r e e . I l e a r ned that the Al e xander T e c hnique was fun.

The co n v e r sations in this book a r e a distillation of Ma r j o r y s app r oa c h to the w o r k b ut they also mi r r o r Al e xander s . She was p r ob a b l y his most f aithful and acc u r ate discipl e .

An g ela Bar l o w

P r eface

I b eg an t r aining as an Al e xander t e a c her at Al e xander T ea c hing Associates ( A T A) in London in 1983. The co u r se had b e en set up by Don B u r ton and othe r s, in p a r t to bring to g ether a g ene r ation of t e a c he r s who had b e en taught by those who had b e en taught by FM Al e xande r . Although most of the t e a c he r s at A T A had b e en t r ained by W alter and Di l ys Ca r rington, the r e w e r e also a small numbe r wh o ha d qualifie d f r o m th e othe r maj o r Al e xander t r aditions in the UK name l y , the t r aining co u r ses whi c h had b e en h e aded by Ma r j o r y Ba r l o w and P atri c k Macdonald.

W hen I qualified in 1986 the h e ad of t r aining at A T A was Adam Nott wh o , on s e v e r al occasions, g ent l y sug g ested that I might useful l y h a v e some lessons f r om his t e a c he r , Ma r jo r y Ba r l o w . He thought, right l y as it t u r ned out, that this e xperience w ould e x p and m y kn o wled g e and understanding of the Al e xander T e c hniqu e .

It was some y e a r s late r , in 1996, that I made the jou r ney to Marj o r y s f lat in Prim r ose Hill and b eg an to h a v e a series of month l y lessons, whi c h lasted f o r some fo u r y e a r s . By this time, Marj o r y was no lon g er r unning a t r aining co u r s e , b ut she was still g i ving ind i vidual lessons and sometimes holding a c lass f o r a small g r oup of Al e xander t e a c hers on Mond a y , T uesd a y and W ednesd a y mo r ning s .