Recently in Alexander ~ Notices Category

Here are some dates for your diary.

Please note that I will be not be teaching in Stoke Newington from

11th - 16th August

&

22nd August - 8th September

I will be available for lessons between these dates, from 18th - 21st August

My next Introductory Alexander Technique Course will commence on Saturday 13th September


This Course is for people who have little or no experience of the Alexander Technique and runs over 3 Saturday mornings:

13th; 20th; 27th September.

Participants will be able to have a half price individual follow-up lesson. This format allows you to gain a sense of what Alexander Technique lessons are like and be more able to decide whether or not you would like to continue with further lessons.

This Small Group Course, with a maximum of 6 participants, offers beginners the chance to find out about the Alexander Technique in a friendly environment in which you can experience some individual hands-on work with Hilary King, an experienced teacher.

The revised date for introducing the new Match Day Parking Scheme is August 2008

Please note there will be new parking regulations for Zone M. Saturday afternoons will be free parking whilst on weekdays, permits are only required until 5.30 each evening.


CPZ times for Zone M:

Monday - Friday ~ 8.30 am - 5.30 pm
Saturdays          ~  8.30 am - 1.30 pm


Arsenal Match Days:

Weekdays          ~ 5.30 pm - 8.30 pm
Saturdays          ~ 1.30 pm - 4.30 pm
Sun/Bank Hols.  ~ 12 noon - 4.30 pm


Please check out Arsenal Home Match dates, before you park, particularly if you are attending an Alexander Technique Course or Workshop at the weekend.

Look out for Boundary Signs as you enter the area, as these will show the next match dates, a couple of days in advance.  You can also visit www.arsenal.com for fixture dates.

Of course, you can always help the environment and leave your car at home.......

STAT has just announced the launch of the STAT YouTube Channel. 

This interesting new resource is designed to let people find out more about the Alexander Technique in an easily accessible manner. So far, 28 film clips have been posted, which illustrate different teaching styles and approaches to the Technique. These have been produced and edited by David Reed, MSTAT.

You can even see an extract from a film of F M Alexander himself as he taught Margaret Goldie, who in her turn taught the Alexander Technique for over 60 years. There are also films showing some 'first generation' and senior Alexander Teachers, who demonstrate aspects of the Technique plus their own styles of teaching and running workshops.

It is hoped that there will be an increasing number of videos on the site, from a wide variety of sources and STAT would welcome films that show A/T teachers in action.

This is a great way to extend your understanding of the Alexander Technique and it brings the work into a lively focus. Try it!

http://uk.youtube.com/user/TheSTATChannel

Dates for your Diary

Please note that I will not be teaching the Alexander Technique in Stoke Newington from 9th - 16th August, as I will be attending the 8th International Congress of the F M Alexander Technique in Lugano, Switzerland.

This should be an enriching experience, as the Congress offers all teachers of the Alexander Technique a chance to exchange work and ideas with other Alexander teachers from around the world. We may have different styles of teaching but we have all developed our work within the framework of   F M Alexander's theories and teaching practice.

STAT was formed in 1958 by a group of Alexander Technique teachers, all of whom had been trained by F M Alexander himself. It is the oldest and largest professional organisation devoted to the Alexander Technique. Currently, there are over 2,500 teaching members within STAT and its Affiliated Societies worldwide.

The Alexander Technique itself has been taught for over 100 years and STAT aims to ensure that a high level of Teacher Training and teaching practice are maintained throughout the profession.

STAT is the professional body to which I belong and all teaching members have trained at a STAT recognised 3 year Training Course. We are also required to adhere to the Society's published Code of Professional Conduct and Competence, and to be covered by professional indemnity insurance.

STAT held the AGM at the Hellenic Centre on 21st June '08.

The Annual Memorial Lecture, 'The First Step',  was given by Anne Battye, followed by a celebratory champagne reception for members of STAT.

Would you like to go on some walks and meet other people, socially, from the Alexander community? Would you like to talk about your experience and application of the Alexander Technique, with people other than your teacher?

This will also be a chance to think about your use and how you walk in 'real life'. Do you, for instance, tend to pull down towards your feet and just 'push on', particularly if the path is muddy? Or are you mindful of your use and allow your head to lead you into movement with freedom and ease as you look around and see how spring is progressing along the way.

These walks have been arranged for the Friends of the Alexander Technique and anyone who has had Alexander Technique lessons .

If you would like to join in, please contact Kevin:

atwalk@kevinsaunders.co.uk or phone 07815 797 645.

In the event of bad weather the walk might be shortened.

You can find details here:

http://www.atfriends.org/ATFriends10.htm#Alexander_Technique_London_Walks_

http://atlondonwalk.blogspot.com/

Evelyn Rothwell, internationally respected oboist, widow of the famous conductor Sir John Barbirolli and also a patron of the Alexander Trust, died on January 25th 2008 at the age of 97.

Through much of her long and impressive musical career, Evelyn Rothwell used her maiden name but after her husband's death, she began to be known as Lady Barbirolli, or 'Lady B' at the Royal Academy of Music where she taught for a number of years.

Her Obituary can be found in the Telegraph and other papers.

Formed in 1991, the Alexander Trust is a registered charity with an impressive list of patrons:
Lady Barbirolli, Ursula, Lady Benn, Rev. Dr Martin Israel, Sir Ben Kingsley and Sir Charles Mackerras.

The Trust was set up to promote research and study into the Alexander Technique and to help make Alexander's work more available to the general public.

So far, it has supported book publications and some recordings, plus important research projects into the effects of the Alexander Technique when learnt by people with such conditions as cancer, Parkinson's Disease and repetitive strain injury (RSI).

Being a charity, it welcomes any financial help that people can offer, so that it may continue to support such projects in the future. If you have been helped by learning the Technique and would like to contribute to the Trust's work, you can visit the Trust's Website to find out more:
www.alexandertrust.org.uk

F M Alexander was born on 20th January 1869 in Tasmania. He was a premature baby and had a struggle to survive. He later attributed his frequent bouts of illness as a child and young man to his poor use and once he taught himself to improve this, his health also began to improve.

His family had originally lived for many generations in the ancient village of Ramsbury in Wiltshire. Whilst exploring some of my own family history I have discovered that my mother's family also came from Ramsbury and one of them married a Mary Alexander in 1764, quite possibly part of F M's family, although I have not been able to verify this yet.

F M's paternal grandfather, Matthias Alexander was a hurdle maker and other family members were craftsmen. However they supported the impoverished agricultural labourers during the swing riots, in which they protested against the new threshing machines which were costing them their livelihoods. As a result of this support, Alexander's family was sent to Tasmania as convicts in 1831, something that F M never admitted to in public. If you are interested in discovering more about Alexander's background, his biography by Michael Bloch makes for interesting reading.

From these difficult beginnings, F M developed an interest in horses and in the theatre and in 1889 he moved to Melbourne, Australia and began to train for a career as a reciter. A few years later, after many bouts of illness which threatened his new career, F M began to develop his now famous Technique. This process is described in some detail his book 'The Use of the Self' and it is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in learning more about the Alexander Technique.

After his death, a group of teachers that Alexander had trained, formed the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique, STAT, in order to maintain and develop high standard of Alexander Technique Teacher Training and Professional practice.