There’s something really beautiful that happens over time when people study the Alexander Technique where they allow more of themselves to be seen. It really is remarkable to watch.

We live in a world where people are playing at being seen all the time. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat – we post photos of ourselves to say “Here I Am”, and our existence gets validated every time someone likes our posts. But if our posts don’t get liked, we might subconsciously ask “Am I really here? Do I really exist?” Rather than allowing people to see us as we are, we use these mediums to try and take control of what they see, and when and how.

But underneath that control, when we stop “trying” to be seen in a certain way -- when we stop trying and start being and becoming –- when we cultivate a more seamless awareness and connection to what’s inside and outside, something more authentic starts to emerge.

Tension masks our true self. It masks our ability to be present because it has accumulated in response to the ways we have needed to protect ourselves in the past. So we’re therefore anticipating the future by being “ready” in our bodies for what we think will inevitably happen again, much of the time just rehashing the same cycle over and over.

But when we start to feel safe in our bones, when we start to trust the constant support of the ground, we begin to have a safe container to un-knit our brows, unbind our necks, soften our stuck shoulders and ribs and free our breathing. We become more comfortable with being less defensive. This vulnerability allows us to experience the present moment more for what it is and for all its ripe potential. And in this space we have cleared away our cobwebs, cleaned ourselves out, knocked down the walls we have built around ourselves to say "Here I Am, I Am Here." I see you and you see me with less pretense, fewer assumptions, and bearing witness to all the gorgeous anomalies that make us simultaneously individuals and collectively human and alive.