Mindful Body, Peaceful Mind, Using The Alexander Technique

What is the Alexander Technique?

The AT is a simple method that helps to identify unnecessary tension in your body during movement or thought, enabling you to change your postural habits and the environment in which pain has been created.

It helps you to become more mindful of your movements and physical responses to stress and is a way to improve the use of your body in all activities. It works by helping you to identify and prevent the harmful postural and movement habits that aggravate, or may be the cause of, stress, pain and loss of confidence.

The Alexander Technique is known to help improve chronic back and neck pain, and results in postural improvements that can impact our self-esteem and quality of life. It is recommended by the NHS for a host of health issues and is included in the NICE guidelines for help with improvements in the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. It is known to improve performance in all activities and can resolve a host of health problems related to poor use of the body.

By helping you to move and breathe with less effort, it can increase your ability to cope with stress better and be calmer and more confident.

The AT involves no specific exercises, requires no special clothing or equipment, can be practised wherever you are and is suitable for all ages and levels of fitness.

More about the course

This course is suitable for:

• Anyone who has physical or emotional discomfort due to stress, postural habits, movement problems, old injuries, or poor self-esteem

• Public speakers and business professionals

• Anyone wishing to improve their appearance particularly with forward head posture 

• Anyone who wants to feel more connected between body and mind

• Home workers struggling with pain and discomfort         

It will help you to build a practical foundation in the Alexander Technique and teach you how to apply the Alexander principles to every day life.

You will become more aware of how to use your body better during everyday activities, including sitting and standing, walking, lifting, bending, sitting at desks, lying down, speaking and breathing. Your spatial awareness, balance, co-ordination, and powers of observation will be developed in addition to improved posture and a sense of calm. Everyone who comes learns how to move through life a little more easily and effectively.

The course is suitable for complete beginners in the Alexander Technique, as well as people with previous experience.

How will I be taught?

The Alexander Technique is a practical method which involves the students participation through direct hands-on work from the teacher, self-observation and interactive work in small groups and pairs involving exploratory exercises and application of everyday activities. Some anatomy and physiology may be introduced where applicable through movement work and occasionally using anatomical teaching models. 

Is there anything I need to bring?

Please wear loose comfortable clothing that you can move and lie down in with your knees up. A yoga mat or something to lie on, and a couple of paperback novels to support your head for time spent in Active Rest (see more information here).

This course is suitable for people of all ages and levels of physical fitness. The Alexander Technique involves no specific exercises or special equipment and can be practised wherever you are. Please feel free to contact Andrea if you have any further questions.

What will I achieve?

• you will learn to recognise some of your patterns of posture and movement which may be causing excessive tension, aches and pains, shallow breathing, restricted movement or stiff joints.

• an experience of how applying the Alexander Technique can help eliminate tension habits that interfere with poised natural body alignment and overall functioning and well-being.

• the ability to practice the Alexander Technique in the classic semi-supine lying-down position (Active Rest) on your own at home.

• Improvements in your Posture, Poise, Performance, Breathing and a more peaceful mind.

• The ability to apply a powerful skill to everything you do and a method to help you reduce chronic pain.

Case Study 1. "I was amazed that from the first session the pain in my shoulders disappeared. I knew I held tension in my shoulders but Andrea showed a way to release it with immediate effect. My posture has improved (though could still be better) and has been commented on. I am seen as being more upright & less hunched. After years of being told to stand up straight and going on manual handling courses, the Alexander Technique has explained how my body works and what it needs in a way I can understand and makes sense, which allows me to actually change things for the long term. I wish I had found it before. " AK

Case Study 2. "I have tried various holistic therapies and expensive physiotherapy to deal with multiple health problems and aches and pains. I have found that the Alexander Technique is the only one that works for me, and with very little physical effort on my part, quite the opposite – it’s very relaxing. The technique has taught me safer ways to carry out a multitude of tasks without causing pain and discomfort, giving me a better understanding of how my body works and how these imbalances came into being in the first place." VL

Case study 3, " This AT class has been a revelation to me and helped my physical health and also had a huge beneficial impact on my mental wellbeing too. Cannot recommend it enough. Anon