What type of training have you been through?
Training to become an Alexander Technique teacher is a rigorous process. All STAT trained teachers (including me) complete a 3 year full time training.
How much do lessons cost?
For the first introductory (longer) session, I ask for £50.
Thereafter, I ask £35 per individual lesson (35-45 minutes long).
I also offer a 10% discount when paying for ten lessons in advance.
These block-booked sessions need to be used within four months of purchase.
I can offer a few concessionary places. If you are motivated to have lessons and are unable to afford my requested rates please phone or email me to discuss what might be possible. The greater the motivation you have to learn, the higher my desire is to support you by accepting a lower rate!
What do you recommend I wear in a lesson?
Whilst normal, everyday clothing can be worn in a lesson, for ease of movement, it is preferable to wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing
Because some work may be done whilst lying on a table, I suggest wearing trousers or shorts rather than a skirt for modesty reasons.
Why the term 'lessons' rather than 'treatments'?
With this technique you are an active part of the equation.
Improvement comes about as you learn how to stop doing all the things you thought you had to do to have 'good posture' and to learn through experience, how to move with less effort. The effects are acumulative (like any learning experience) and long-lasting in that, once learnt, like riding a bike, the knowledge is always available to you.
That said, most people experience therapeutic benefits to having lessons.
Why are lessons done individually rather than in a group?
I teach using a combination of gentle hands-on guidance and verbal instruction.
In this way, you gain a first hand experience of being and moving differently.
Each person has subtle differences in their patterns of movement and ways of thinking that need individual attention.
Groups can be valuable for introducing the concepts and ideas of the Technique and for inspiring a hope that change is possible but the deeper work is done one-to one.
What happens in a lesson?
In a lesson I will gently guide you through simple every day movements such as standing, sitting, bending and walking so that you can learn by experience (the only way!) to trust that 'less is more' when it comes to moving.
Sometimes we chat, sometimes we focus on what is happening in the moment - eventually you learn to do both at once!
Usually, I will spend some time working with you whilst you lie on a firm table with your knees bent and your head supported.
Learning the Technique is likely to be quite different to any experience of learning you have had before (unless you have been taught an Eastern technique such as Tai Chi or meditation). The focus is on developing your ability to choose to stop your habitual reaction, to be 'non-doing' (a very different thing to 'doing nothing') and your ability to hold new intentions.
As you develop this ability, it becomes possible to take this integrated knowledge into your day to day living and, to have greater body-awareness and to move with greater lightness and poise.
It is 'mindfulness in action'.
Some people worry that all this will get in the way of getting on with life. On the contrary, it helps one get more out of life by learning to be less rushed and more present.
How long is a lesson?
Over the years Alexander teachers have discovered that teaching for too long is usually not beneficial.
People learn best when new information is 'little and often' Therefore my lessons are relatively short (35-45 mins) in order to avoid over-stretch and to integrate the learning into your being. Thus this movement work is interspersed with 'release work' lying in a semi-supine position on my teaching table. Here, you continue to learn how to let go of unnecessary tension whilst lying in a firmly supported position on your back.
This helps you to discover any harmful patterns you may have and to experience a lighter and less effortful way of doing things, while teaching you how to apply the principles of the technique for yourself in your daily life.
With regular experience of this new way of working, along with a willingness to change, you will begin to be more aware of unnecessary tensions and have the tools to let them go.
The First Lesson
The only exception to this is the first introductory session.
During this time (usually one to one and a half hours) I will take time to get to know you a little, hear about your challenges and goals and tell you about the technique. I will also give you your first experience of the gentle hands-on teaching that I do - and teach you how to continue with daily semi-supine work between lessons when at home.
If you have already had lessons with another teacher when you first come to me
Please feel free to discuss with me your individual needs by phone, Skype, email or in person during the first session.
How many lessons will I need?
The short, most likely answer is 25-30 lessons.
However, like learning to play a musical instrument, learning the Alexander Technique is a process.
A few lessons will give you an idea of what the Technique is about and hopefully some new insights and improvement.
A course of about 25-30 lessons gives you a good grounding in the basic principles, hopefully enabling you to shed old habits and apply the Technique for yourself whilst enjoying the benefits that brings.
Some people have deeper-seated problems and need longer before the new learning can be fully integrated into their body.
Some people choose to have less and yet still find they get what they were looking for.
Some people choose to continue on having occasional yet regular refresher lessons for years as they love how supportive this is to them in their busy lives.
My aim is to get you to a point where you have the ability to chose something other than your habitual pattern of reaction and movement so that you can continue learning on your own.
What happens after my basic course of lessons?
After the basic course we will, together, review what happens next.
Some people decide to draw a line under the learning and continue by themselves.
Some people choose to deepen their knowledge of the Technique by continuing their lessons beyond a basic course.
Many people find today's modern day-to-day 'demands' too strong a stimulus to keep their A.T. awareness alive and growing without the occasional refresher lesson - but this could be a kind of monthly, quarterly or half yearly 'top up' reminder - or simply when you sense that you are forgetting a bit too often to bring this awareness into your life.
Training to become an Alexander Technique teacher is a rigorous process. All STAT trained teachers (including me) complete a 3 year full time training.
How much do lessons cost?
For the first introductory (longer) session, I ask for £50.
Thereafter, I ask £35 per individual lesson (35-45 minutes long).
I also offer a 10% discount when paying for ten lessons in advance.
These block-booked sessions need to be used within four months of purchase.
I can offer a few concessionary places. If you are motivated to have lessons and are unable to afford my requested rates please phone or email me to discuss what might be possible. The greater the motivation you have to learn, the higher my desire is to support you by accepting a lower rate!
What do you recommend I wear in a lesson?
Whilst normal, everyday clothing can be worn in a lesson, for ease of movement, it is preferable to wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing
Because some work may be done whilst lying on a table, I suggest wearing trousers or shorts rather than a skirt for modesty reasons.
Why the term 'lessons' rather than 'treatments'?
With this technique you are an active part of the equation.
Improvement comes about as you learn how to stop doing all the things you thought you had to do to have 'good posture' and to learn through experience, how to move with less effort. The effects are acumulative (like any learning experience) and long-lasting in that, once learnt, like riding a bike, the knowledge is always available to you.
That said, most people experience therapeutic benefits to having lessons.
Why are lessons done individually rather than in a group?
I teach using a combination of gentle hands-on guidance and verbal instruction.
In this way, you gain a first hand experience of being and moving differently.
Each person has subtle differences in their patterns of movement and ways of thinking that need individual attention.
Groups can be valuable for introducing the concepts and ideas of the Technique and for inspiring a hope that change is possible but the deeper work is done one-to one.
What happens in a lesson?
In a lesson I will gently guide you through simple every day movements such as standing, sitting, bending and walking so that you can learn by experience (the only way!) to trust that 'less is more' when it comes to moving.
Sometimes we chat, sometimes we focus on what is happening in the moment - eventually you learn to do both at once!
Usually, I will spend some time working with you whilst you lie on a firm table with your knees bent and your head supported.
Learning the Technique is likely to be quite different to any experience of learning you have had before (unless you have been taught an Eastern technique such as Tai Chi or meditation). The focus is on developing your ability to choose to stop your habitual reaction, to be 'non-doing' (a very different thing to 'doing nothing') and your ability to hold new intentions.
As you develop this ability, it becomes possible to take this integrated knowledge into your day to day living and, to have greater body-awareness and to move with greater lightness and poise.
It is 'mindfulness in action'.
Some people worry that all this will get in the way of getting on with life. On the contrary, it helps one get more out of life by learning to be less rushed and more present.
How long is a lesson?
Over the years Alexander teachers have discovered that teaching for too long is usually not beneficial.
People learn best when new information is 'little and often' Therefore my lessons are relatively short (35-45 mins) in order to avoid over-stretch and to integrate the learning into your being. Thus this movement work is interspersed with 'release work' lying in a semi-supine position on my teaching table. Here, you continue to learn how to let go of unnecessary tension whilst lying in a firmly supported position on your back.
This helps you to discover any harmful patterns you may have and to experience a lighter and less effortful way of doing things, while teaching you how to apply the principles of the technique for yourself in your daily life.
With regular experience of this new way of working, along with a willingness to change, you will begin to be more aware of unnecessary tensions and have the tools to let them go.
The First Lesson
The only exception to this is the first introductory session.
During this time (usually one to one and a half hours) I will take time to get to know you a little, hear about your challenges and goals and tell you about the technique. I will also give you your first experience of the gentle hands-on teaching that I do - and teach you how to continue with daily semi-supine work between lessons when at home.
If you have already had lessons with another teacher when you first come to me
Please feel free to discuss with me your individual needs by phone, Skype, email or in person during the first session.
How many lessons will I need?
The short, most likely answer is 25-30 lessons.
However, like learning to play a musical instrument, learning the Alexander Technique is a process.
A few lessons will give you an idea of what the Technique is about and hopefully some new insights and improvement.
A course of about 25-30 lessons gives you a good grounding in the basic principles, hopefully enabling you to shed old habits and apply the Technique for yourself whilst enjoying the benefits that brings.
Some people have deeper-seated problems and need longer before the new learning can be fully integrated into their body.
Some people choose to have less and yet still find they get what they were looking for.
Some people choose to continue on having occasional yet regular refresher lessons for years as they love how supportive this is to them in their busy lives.
My aim is to get you to a point where you have the ability to chose something other than your habitual pattern of reaction and movement so that you can continue learning on your own.
What happens after my basic course of lessons?
After the basic course we will, together, review what happens next.
Some people decide to draw a line under the learning and continue by themselves.
Some people choose to deepen their knowledge of the Technique by continuing their lessons beyond a basic course.
Many people find today's modern day-to-day 'demands' too strong a stimulus to keep their A.T. awareness alive and growing without the occasional refresher lesson - but this could be a kind of monthly, quarterly or half yearly 'top up' reminder - or simply when you sense that you are forgetting a bit too often to bring this awareness into your life.
