Thinking Aloud - Talks on Teaching the Alexander Technique
by Walter Carrington

Published 1994                        160 pages

Everyday Walter Carrington would give a short talk to his students, and it became the custom to record these talks.  The twenty-five short texts in this book have been selected and edited by Jerry Sontag from transcriptions of Walter Carrington’s talks on the Alexander Technique between 1966 and 1990. The talks are not arranged chronologically, but they have a thematic coherence and may be read consecutively, although one can also dip into the book, or select a topic of particular relevance to oneself.

The talks were given by Carrington to his students on his training course for the purpose of clarifying particular aspects of the practice and teaching of the Technique.  Some of the titles are: “The Importance of a Teacher’s Use,” “Lengthening in Stature,” “Teaching Directions to Beginners,” “Lengthening and Widening,” “Knees Going Forward and Away,” “Hands on the Back of the Chair,” “Directing the Neck and Head,” “Whispered Ahs,” “Teaching the First Lesson,” “Breathing,” “Generating the Energy to Go Up” and “The Demand of the Constant.”

Accessible, concentrated, distilled knowledge of 50 years’ teaching experience, these observations are essential reading for students of the Technique.

About the Author
Walter Carrington (1915 - 2005) was one of the world's foremost exponents of the Alexander Technique who inspired generations of teachers.  Carrington worked alongside F M Alexander himself until he died in 1955 and developed own school - now the Constructive Teaching Centre in London after his death.  Instead of adopting a pre-existing teaching approach Walter and his wife Dylis evolved a way of teaching and training in accord with the principles of the Alexander technique itself. Their methods have been taken up by training courses throughout the world.  Carrington was an inspirational teacher because he embodied the principles of the technique in his own life and his observations in printed form are essential reading for any serious student of the Alexander Technique.