by Witold Fitz-Simon Patrick Macdonald was one of the great teachers of the Alexander Technique. Among the first group of teachers to be trained by F. M. Alexander himself in the 1930's, Macdonald had been receiving lessons from him since the age of 10. He went on to train hundreds of teachers himself.
He is the author of one of my favorite books on the Technique: "The Alexander Technique As I See It," which is sadly out of print. His book is concise and witty, and a great read if you are a teacher or a student who has been taking lessons for a while. If you are feeling particularly flush with cash, as of writing this post there is a copy on sale on Amazon for $1,057.95.
If that is beyond your budget, you are in luck! There are copies available for ACAT members to borrow from the library, one of the great resources the Center has to offer. I you aren't already a member and would like to join, find out more here.
Here is a fascinating documentary made in 1986 of Patrick Macdonald at work.
Part 1:
http://youtu.be/QPPxyHCWPu8
Part 2:
http://youtu.be/e49Rcr4O2Q4
This silent film from 1966 shows the unique power and clarity of Macdonald's hands as he works with a student:
http://youtu.be/FDuKWWo8EnU
If you would like to read more about the man, his life and his work, the Direction Journal website hosts a profile of him by Yehuda Kuperman here. And here is an interview of Patrick Macdonald with Ted Macnamara.
[author] [author_image timthumb='on']http://www.acatnyc.org/main/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/After-crop1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]WITOLD FITZ-SIMON has been a student of the Alexander Technique since 2007. He is certified to teach the Technique as a graduate of the American Center for the Alexander Technique’s 1,600-hour, three year training program. A student of yoga since 1993 and a teacher of yoga since 2000, Witold combines his extensive knowledge of the body and its use into intelligent and practical instruction designed to help his students free themselves of ineffective and damaging habits of body, mind and being. www.mindbodyandbeing.com[/author_info] [/author]