Use Case: Walking the Dog
Yogi, king of the hill.
Integrative Alexander Technique is useful all day long.
While it's an amazing tool for those seeking excellence in their field, it's also extremely helpful for daily living, such as walking an opinionated dog.
Yogi is our wonderful, totally not laid-back little dog. He has very strong, loud feelings about certain things, including the vet, cats, and squirrels. In the early days, more than once I yelled, “What is your deal?!” His response? Confusion. Because, as I know with humans, offering a constructive plan always brings about better results. A negative interaction only causes confusion.
We've worked with very kind dog trainers -- shout out to Jennifer at Pawsitive Transformation and Caitlin at Great Dog -- to get to understand Yogi a little better. In addition to the wisdom of these dog experts, I am so happy to have IAT to help me navigate my life with this highly spirited fluffball. Yogi can't really learn Integrative Alexander Technique (though I'm working on it), but I can use IAT as I move, think, and communicate in his presence, and it makes my life, and his mood, a lot more manageable.
Here are some principles that I am reminded of, morning and night.
Vertebrates move with desire, head first. A dog with a leash and an agenda provides a geometrically vivid example. Every day, Yogi lets us know which direction he wants to walk, or whether it’s time to get in the car and go to the park. We're pretty sure he keeps a log book where he tracks what routes we have recently covered. I usually let Yogi lead the way; I’m sure he has his reasons, and who am I to argue? When we do have a difference of opinion, negotiations ensue.
Choice matters. I can't make Yogi not want to go a certain way, but I can make another way seem really appealing, a viable choice. I can use IAT to coordinate myself with a positive message that says “Hey, buddy, look at that shady street, let's go there.”
Positive messaging matters. “Don’t go that way” means nothing to him. Negative messaging -- from the world, from you to yourself, from me to my dog -- will cause interference in our systems, which may cause interference in communication. Signals may get crossed. Cleaning out as many “no’s” as possible makes communication much more efficient, and it can be a nice thing to practice. It definitely makes my dog happier.
IAT supports communication. When I am “in good use,” my communication with Yogi through movement, language, tone, and the leash are clearer, so after negotiation, going my way seems like a good idea to both of us.
Using IAT while I walk the dog is a great example of how the small choices I make affect how others will respond. When I cooperate with my design and my intentions, I get more of what I want. And my relationships are better, with all the adorable vertebrates in my life.
A version of this post appeared in my quarterly-ish newsletter. You can sign up to get that newsletter here!
