How Do We Use Our Hands to Help Students?

Alexander developed a teaching process that involves both verbal instructions and hands on work. In putting my hands on a student, i'm also looking at, or sensing, reliably, hopefully sensing what it is that is going on with me as i'm putting hands on a students. And in doing so, i can better sense what is happening with that student. Again, is that student creating something that i would call a compression, some kind of compression or constriction?