Poised For Life

Phone: 01559 362510
Mobile: 07901 783673

penny@poisedforlife.co.uk

Whilst normal, everyday clothing can be worn in a lesson, for ease of movement, it is preferable to wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing - and trousers rather than a skirt.

The first introductory (longer) session is £40.
Thereafter, I ask for £25 per individual lesson.
I also offer a 10% discount when paying for ten lessons in advance.

Yes. I can offer a few concessionary places. If you are unable to afford my requested rates please phone or email me to discuss what might be possible.

All STAT qualified teachers, including myself, have completed a three year, full time training. My training was at the esteemed Constructive Teaching Centre in Holland Park with Walter and Dilys Carrington from 1987-1990. I also spent 2 years having private lessons with Margaret Goldie - a renowned teacher of 60 years experience who had trained with Alexander on his first training course in the 1930s as well as lessons with my father (who trained with Alexander on his last training course) through my childhood.

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 so that you can learn by experience (the only way!) to trust that 'less is more'.
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 chose 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.

What should I wear in a lesson?
Generally speaking you can wear your normal day to day clothing. However, for ease of movement I ask that you wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing and to wear trousers or shorts rather than a skirt.

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 (40 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.

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.
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.