New government Covid guidance for ‘close-contact services’ came into force this Monday 13th July. The Alexander Technique comes under this category and so, while I am still teaching online, I have also resumed some in-person lessons at my studio. There are some provisos, though. I am wearing a visor during sessions, and clients who attend …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Alexander in Education Conference
The UK’s Alexander in Education Conference has moved online this year due to Covid. It’s happening all day on Saturday 4th July. Although we’ll miss meeting up in person, the online format has one huge advantage: anyone and everyone can attend. After a live introduction, all the pre-recorded conference items will be released free of …
Alexander Technique for new mothers and fathers
I’m a first-time father and the challenge of looking after my 12-week-old tests my Alexander Technique training on a daily basis. The Technique helps me look after myself when picking him up and carrying him, and helps me maintain emotional balance too. We’ve decided not to use a pushchair at all, and so are discovering …
Continue reading “Alexander Technique for new mothers and fathers”
Alexander Technique Science
I’ve now updated my website with a short review of some of the science behind the Alexander Technique. The Alexander Technique is over a hundred years old, and over the years practitioners and others have looked to science for models that might best explain how it works. Despite these models now being out of date, …
Alexander Technique and hanging out the washing
The birth of my first child just weeks ago significantly reduced the bandwith which the Covid crisis could take up in my mind. We were self-isolating beforehand, but now we’re in a different kind of bubble – a post-birth haze, brought on by beautiful weather, disrupted routines and lack of sleep. There is sadness of …
Continue reading “Alexander Technique and hanging out the washing”
Alexander Technique: cancelled for the first time in 100 years
Yesterday, the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT) put out a statement to its members. They’ve asked us: to cease face to face teaching with immediate effect. You may find that you can continue to contact your clients online and encourage reading about the Alexander Technique. It is a difficult decision to take …
Continue reading “Alexander Technique: cancelled for the first time in 100 years”
Alexander Technique for children: the ‘Developing Self’
This weekend I had the privilege of welcoming two of the pioneers of the Alexander Technique to Bristol: Sue Merry and Judith Kleinman. They are both experts in bringing the Technique into educational settings, whether that’s primary and secondary schools or universities and colleges. Over two weekend workshops in Bristol, Sue and Judith introduced their work to …
Continue reading “Alexander Technique for children: the ‘Developing Self’”
When did you stop paying attention?
I’ve recently been reading the extraordinary book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. A passage caught my eye due to its relevance to the Alexander Technique. For around 95% of our 200,000 year existence we lived hunter-gatherer lifestyles. In Harari’s words, during this period, homo sapiens: mastered not only the surrounding world of animals, plants and …
Goals – context = misery
Over the last month, there’s been quite a bit popping up in the press about happiness. ‘Trying to be happy could make you miserable’; ‘Brits became less happy amid Brexit deadlock’; ‘The money, job, marriage myth: are you happy yet?’ And so on. My own view is that happiness can never be within our ‘grasp’: …
Embodied approaches to managing stress
I’ve recently been delving into the strategies British university are taking to cope with stress and anxiety among their student populations. The problem is rife: traditional counselling services have been unable to cope with demand, with knock-on effects on waiting times for services. Perhaps as a result, it seems that universities are keen to trial …