The Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique unlocks our natural potential for equilibrium and poise. In a competitive, fast paced world we can use it to gain more control of our own life, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Learn For Yourself

The Alexander Technique is a practical skill that you learn for yourself. It is quite different in this respect from treatments and therapies, but can often complement these.

Anyone Can Benefit

Anyone can benefit from using the Technique. The real power of the Technique lies in applying it to everything we do. The changes that come about as a result of this new 'use' of ourselves mean that we let go of the strains that often seem to be an integral part of our life, allowing us to be more centred and more comfortable in ourselves. We then lose that frantic edge to life, and instead there is a sense of time and space to deal with life as it happens in the present moment. In this way, the Alexander Technique promotes health and well being in the broadest sense, and gives us a tool for continuing self development.

The Technique and you...

The Alexander Technique can help us all throughout our lives. We often don't consider how we go about things until we are in pain, discomfort or difficulty. Over time, this can lead to a state of dis-ease, eventually degenerating into chronic problems or illness in the long term. The use of the Technique, by its very nature, improves this state of affairs.

Some of the areas in which you may find the Alexander Technique particularly beneficial are the following:

Postural problems, whether from injury or accident or from more long-term causes, can dampen our general vitality and health. In learning the Technique, you learn to allow your inbuilt co-ordinative and postural reflexes to work more freely and effectively, thus restoring a natural balance and poise.
Back, neck and shoulder pain is often caused or exacerbated by ongoing, tensional imbalances in our musculoskeletal system, of which we are often unaware. Over time, we become vulnerable to damage from sudden or extra demanding movements, and we may develop chronic aches and pains. Through applying the Alexander Technique, you learn to recognise and resolve these imbalances. This alleviates the pain, allows you to move more easily and lessens the chance of injury.
Working at a desk, perhaps with a VDU, can often be uncomfortable or worse. Perhaps you get pains in your wrists, or shooting pains in your arms. Perhaps you have even been diagnosed as having "tennis elbow" or RSI. Or you may simply feel stiff and tense at the end of a day, or after a few hours at your desk. The Alexander Technique helps you to be more comfortable in the work environment, with a naturally good posture and minimal risk of injury.
As a tool for stress management, the Alexander Technique enables you to have a more conscious, intelligent input to your responses in stressful situations. It helps you to recognise and inhibit inappropriate or unhelpful aspects of your response, such as tension or anxiety, so that you can stay centred and calm, rather than getting overloaded and 'uptight'.
As a musician, actor or dancer you may have specific problems related to the technical demands of what you do, or to the emotional pressure of performing for others. Or you may simply want to maximise your potential. Using the Alexander Technique, you can reduce excessive tension and anxiety and develop better balance and poise so that you can use your abilities to the full and enjoy your art even more.
With long term conditions such as M.E. (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), Parkinson's Disease, even Cancer, using the Alexander Technique can help you be more at ease in yourself at a time when you feel that illness or treatment have taken away control. It can also help you to cope better with physical changes such as chronic fatigue, breathlessness, loss of coordination or the results of surgery. You learn to carry out every day activities with less effort, increasing your stamina, whether you are ill yourself or caring for someone else.
In pregnancy and childbirth, the Alexander Technique provides a gentle yet powerful way to help yourself at this physically and emotionally demanding time. It can be beneficial for specific pregnancy related problems such as shoulder & neck tension, pelvic pain (including Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction), back pain and postural problems, anxiety and general tiredness. The Alexander Technique can also help you to breathe more fully, and to find ways of moving and resting more comfortably in labour as well as during pregnancy. It is very helpful in the postnatal period as you adjust to breast feeding and lifting and carrying your baby.
Yoga is a wonderful way to health, wellbeing and self development. The Alexander Technique can make it more accessible and fulfilling, and is particularly helpful for those who are pregnant and those with particular issues such as back trouble. It will enable you to release into the poses, breathing exercises and meditation, letting go of excessive strain, so that you end up feeling energised and centred in a calm way.

Learning the Alexander Technique

Learning the Alexander Technique involves learning about yourself in a very practical way. In a lesson, we explore the underlying patterns of your use of yourself as you go about your day to day activities. We work with you to enable you to replace the unconscious, unhelpful aspects of your use with a more truly natural balance and poise.

As with other practical skills, the most effective way to learn the Alexander Technique is in one-to-one lessons. This enables us, as teachers, to focus on your individual requirements and to help you, partly through the direct use of hands-on guidance where appropriate, to develop a more effective use of yourself. It is largely this direct experiential learning which enables you to change unnecessary holding patterns & strain, and leads to lighter freer movement, greater ease, and general wellbeing and comfort in ourselves.

Acquiring this skill is a gradual process. So, whilst 2 or 3 lessons can be of therapeutic benefit, a series of lessons is usually needed to allow you to learn the technique for yourself. Lessons usually last for 45 minutes each, and normal comfortable clothing (preferably trousers rather than a skirt) should be worn.

Prices

Please enquire for our current lesson prices. Concessionary rates may be available, depending on your circumstances.

Block bookings (10 lessons) are available at a discounted rate - please enquire for details.