GIRL IN A BLANKET - a winter observation

I hate feeling cold and always struggle during the winter months. My urge to curl up into a little ball and retreat is strong, but clearly impractical! That’s why I love this photo of the girl defying the weather.

Everyone else is pulled down, closed in, isolated in their chilliness. But the girl with the colourful blanket (no doubt she is also wearing sensible thermals) is engaged with the world around her. She is calm, alert, and waiting for the train.

Why does this girl stand out? Unlike her fellow travellers, she’s aware of what’s happening around her. If I needed to know something, I’d ask her, not simply because the colours of the blanket mark her out, but because she appears receptive and happy to engage with another person.

We can’t change what comes towards us, but we CAN change our response to it. Alexander Technique lessons teach you to be calm, alert, and ready to meet the challenges of your day, whether they involve driving, public speaking, dealing with a busy family life, or simply getting through your inbox.

And other people will (perhaps subconsciously) notice these qualities within you. Tensing up rarely helps nowadays, although if you were to meet a bear on a lonely hiking trail, muscular contraction would form an appropriate part of your fight or flight response!

We can’t change the weather, but if we dress appropriately we can then move through the day with ease and suitable responsiveness, making those around us, as well as ourselves, feel better. And when we have a sunny day, we need to seize the opportunity to go outside and make the most of the beautiful sights and scents of the season.

Kate Minogue teaches Alexander Technique at The Open Door.