Recently in General Category
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.......
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 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 will be holding it's AGM at the Hellenic Centre on 21st June '08.
The Annual Memorial Lecture, 'The First Step', will be given by Anne Battye, followed by a celebratory champagne reception for members of STAT.
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 will be holding it's AGM at the Hellenic Centre on 21st June '08.
The Annual Memorial Lecture, 'The First Step', will be given by Anne Battye, followed by a celebratory champagne reception for members of STAT.
'Skeletons - London's Buried Bones'
If you are interested in how your body works and how your posture, the way you use yourself and live your life, can leave it's mark on the structure of your bones, you may want to visit the 'Skeletons: London's Buried Bones' Exhibition that the Wellcome Collection will be putting on in the summer.
The skeletons on display will be taken from the Museum of London's collection of 17,000 skeletons that have come from people who lived and worked in the London area over the last 16 centuries.
This exhibition will look at the times and health hazards of the day, that affected people's lives and their skeletons. There will also be a day of activities for all ages and a public debate about why the dead are useful to study.
Perhaps seeing the wear and tear on all those bones, may encourage us to be more aware of our own body use, right now, so that we change some of our unhelpful and even damaging habits and learn to do as much as possible to look after our own skeletons!
Venue: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road
Date: 23 July - 28 September
Info: www.wellcomecollection.org/events
If you are interested in how your body works and how your posture, the way you use yourself and live your life, can leave it's mark on the structure of your bones, you may want to visit the 'Skeletons: London's Buried Bones' Exhibition that the Wellcome Collection will be putting on in the summer.
The skeletons on display will be taken from the Museum of London's collection of 17,000 skeletons that have come from people who lived and worked in the London area over the last 16 centuries.
This exhibition will look at the times and health hazards of the day, that affected people's lives and their skeletons. There will also be a day of activities for all ages and a public debate about why the dead are useful to study.
Perhaps seeing the wear and tear on all those bones, may encourage us to be more aware of our own body use, right now, so that we change some of our unhelpful and even damaging habits and learn to do as much as possible to look after our own skeletons!
Venue: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road
Date: 23 July - 28 September
Info: www.wellcomecollection.org/events
Would you like to find out how you can learn to be more free and easy in your body, reduce back pain, improve your posture, manage RSI or generally increase your sense of wellbeing? With the Alexander Technique you can begin to do all this and more, if you learn the Technique and use it in daily life.
Find out more about the Alexander Technique, with my next Beginner's Workshop.
This Workshop is for a Small Group, which means you will be able to have more individual attention. It also means that places are limited, so you will need to book in advance - and if you book by 11th June you can save £5 on the fee.
This Introductory Workshop includes one private lesson in the fee, so that you can be sure to experience some 1:1 hands-on work and thus get a real sense of what Alexander Technique lessons are really like.
Parking is restricted in the Newington Green area, so it is best to walk, bike or use public transport to come to the Workshop - you will also help the environment.
When: Saturday 28th June
Time: 10.30 - 13.00
Where: Near Newington Green N16 - full details are on the Application Form
Info: http://www.hilaryking.net/alexander-technique/workshops/28-06-2008.html
Or phone Hilary on 020 7254 9206
Find out more about the Alexander Technique, with my next Beginner's Workshop.
This Workshop is for a Small Group, which means you will be able to have more individual attention. It also means that places are limited, so you will need to book in advance - and if you book by 11th June you can save £5 on the fee.
This Introductory Workshop includes one private lesson in the fee, so that you can be sure to experience some 1:1 hands-on work and thus get a real sense of what Alexander Technique lessons are really like.
Parking is restricted in the Newington Green area, so it is best to walk, bike or use public transport to come to the Workshop - you will also help the environment.
When: Saturday 28th June
Time: 10.30 - 13.00
Where: Near Newington Green N16 - full details are on the Application Form
Info: http://www.hilaryking.net/alexander-technique/workshops/28-06-2008.html
Or phone Hilary on 020 7254 9206
Ellen Graubart a local artist who, incidentally, is familiar with the Alexander Technique, held a solo exhibition which was well worth going to see. You can read about Graubart and see some of her work if you visit the URL below. I'll let the photos of the paintings speak for themselves but will add that they are even better in reality. It was an exciting and vibrant exhibition.
Art exhibitions are a time when many people end up with back ache, because they are standing for long periods without being aware of the way they are using their bodies. Looking up above eye level to see a painting, without awareness, can contribute to the problem if we contract our neck and the muscles in our lower back. This can create problems such as a hollow back, putting pressure onto the lumbar vertebrae and discs, which causes discomfort and even back pain.
So take yourself to art exhibitions and remember all you have learned in Alexander lessons; be aware of your use, look after your neck and back so that you remain freely poised and pain-free.
Sailing 2 - Ellen Graubart
http://www.millineryworks.co.uk/
Art exhibitions are a time when many people end up with back ache, because they are standing for long periods without being aware of the way they are using their bodies. Looking up above eye level to see a painting, without awareness, can contribute to the problem if we contract our neck and the muscles in our lower back. This can create problems such as a hollow back, putting pressure onto the lumbar vertebrae and discs, which causes discomfort and even back pain.So take yourself to art exhibitions and remember all you have learned in Alexander lessons; be aware of your use, look after your neck and back so that you remain freely poised and pain-free.
Sailing 2 - Ellen Graubart
http://www.millineryworks.co.uk/
Do you want to know more about the process of climate change, written in easy to understand language? The BBC have created some graphics, based on scientific research, that do just that.
Compare the levels of climate change it's predicted we'll create through our present greedy consumption of fossil fuels, with the lower levels we could bring about with more sustainable lifestyles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_change/html/climate.stm
In the Alexander Technique we aim to improve our individual use and the means-whereby we gain our own immediate, personal ends, so that we look after our health and wellbeing. This attitude of mind can be expanded, to develop awareness of our use in relation to the world's shrinking resources and of our impact on the environment.
In order to gain the end that most of us agree that we want, ie a world in which we do not contribute to global warming, we need to address our increasing mis-use of these natural resources. The means-whereby most of us are living now, seems to be having a negative impact on the environment. We can all make conscious choices to live more sustainably, inhibit our unthinking and wasteful habits and bring about changes to improve the situation.
For ideas about how you can make positive changes and live more sustainably, visit: http://www.everyactioncounts.org.uk/
Compare the levels of climate change it's predicted we'll create through our present greedy consumption of fossil fuels, with the lower levels we could bring about with more sustainable lifestyles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_change/html/climate.stm
In the Alexander Technique we aim to improve our individual use and the means-whereby we gain our own immediate, personal ends, so that we look after our health and wellbeing. This attitude of mind can be expanded, to develop awareness of our use in relation to the world's shrinking resources and of our impact on the environment.
In order to gain the end that most of us agree that we want, ie a world in which we do not contribute to global warming, we need to address our increasing mis-use of these natural resources. The means-whereby most of us are living now, seems to be having a negative impact on the environment. We can all make conscious choices to live more sustainably, inhibit our unthinking and wasteful habits and bring about changes to improve the situation.
For ideas about how you can make positive changes and live more sustainably, visit: http://www.everyactioncounts.org.uk/
This year, Newington Green has won the Green Flag Award for the second year running, plus the prestigious Green Heritage Site Award.
The photo shows Hilary King collecting both awards, on behalf of the Newington Green Action Group, a registered charity, along with Mark Rowe from Islington's Greenspace Team.
The Green Flag Award is given to sites that fulfil a set of criteria - they must have public access, be welcoming, safe and well maintained, must promote sustainability and the conservation of heritage, plus involve the local community. Anyone who knows how the Green has been regenerated over the last few years will know how much it has changed so that it can once again be used and enjoyed by the community. This is all thanks to the efforts of the Greenspace Team and Islington Council, plus those of the Newington Green Action Group (NGAG) and is a good example of fruitful interaction and co-operation between a community group and a local authority.
The Green Heritage Award, which is sponsored by English Heritage, was awarded to just 31sites in England and Newington Green is the only site in Islington to be given the award. Selected sites must be of historical interest, either nationally or locally and to have already achieved Green Flag Award status. The award is given where the heritage value of the site is understood and shared, the heritage value conserved and where efforts are being made to help the local community appreciate and be aware of their heritage.
Islington Council have promised that the Heritage Award plaque, above, will be framed and hung on the Green so that the public may enjoy seeing it.
The Green Flag was raised on Newington Green by the Mayor of Islington, who is seen here with Nicky Southin, the chair of the Newington Green Action Group, at a ceremony on Newington Green on 6th October '07.
The photo shows Hilary King collecting both awards, on behalf of the Newington Green Action Group, a registered charity, along with Mark Rowe from Islington's Greenspace Team.
The Green Flag Award is given to sites that fulfil a set of criteria - they must have public access, be welcoming, safe and well maintained, must promote sustainability and the conservation of heritage, plus involve the local community. Anyone who knows how the Green has been regenerated over the last few years will know how much it has changed so that it can once again be used and enjoyed by the community. This is all thanks to the efforts of the Greenspace Team and Islington Council, plus those of the Newington Green Action Group (NGAG) and is a good example of fruitful interaction and co-operation between a community group and a local authority.The Green Heritage Award, which is sponsored by English Heritage, was awarded to just 31sites in England and Newington Green is the only site in Islington to be given the award. Selected sites must be of historical interest, either nationally or locally and to have already achieved Green Flag Award status. The award is given where the heritage value of the site is understood and shared, the heritage value conserved and where efforts are being made to help the local community appreciate and be aware of their heritage.
Islington Council have promised that the Heritage Award plaque, above, will be framed and hung on the Green so that the public may enjoy seeing it.
The Green Flag was raised on Newington Green by the Mayor of Islington, who is seen here with Nicky Southin, the chair of the Newington Green Action Group, at a ceremony on Newington Green on 6th October '07.
The Blog
This is a new departure for me and for my Website. I hope that this Blog will enable me to keep pupils informed about term dates etc plus offer news and ideas from the world of the Alexander Technique. Sometimes pupils express the desire to connect with others who are learning the Technique and this Blog offers one way this can happen.
I also want to add new material to my site that includes other areas of interest - topics that are local to Stoke Newington and Newington Green, plus environmental concerns in particular. Why add these topics to a Website about the Alexander Technique?. Well, in A/T we learn to be aware of how we live and act in the world and learn to take care of ourselves in a specific manner, all the time becoming aware of the immediate environment around us. For instance, sometimes we will think about how we use a computer and as part of that process we will look at how well our equipment is placed for us, so that we can give ourselves the best chance we can to use our bodies well whilst typing - or reading this Blog, of course!
I want to take this approach out into the wider world - what can we do to help make our world a better, healthier place to live in? Our quality of life is affected by our environment and this impacts on our wellbeing. Discovering about our local area can help us to connect with it and to develop the urge to actively care for it. Contact with gardens and other green spaces is known to help reduce stress levels and to improve our health but city parks are all too often uncared for, or are so highly 'manicured' that they support no wildlife. All parks and green spaces tend to be in short supply and they will be even more so, if the government builds on those they can label brownfield sites.
The refurbishment and transformation of Newington Green has resulted in the Green being given various awards. This is an example of positive change that was brought about through local action, with the lead being taken by the Newington Green Action Group, who engendered public involvement and consultation with the Council. The Green has gone from being the run-down haunt of alcoholics, to the much enjoyed community space that it is now. The Green is still somewhat barren from a wildlife standpoint, with just a flock of 100 feral pigeons, an occasional visit from a blackbird and little else. However, with plans to improve the situation in the near future, biodiversity surely has to be increased. We are almost starting with a blank canvas.
With climate change increasingly being an issue we need to engage with the problems and cherish every outdoor space, to maximise their capacity to combat CO2 and pollution levels, to mop up excess water and to create spaces that are good for both wildlife and humans.
So often we can feel powerless when faced with such daunting topics as climate change but there are many ways in which we can act, that could contribute in a positive way to both the global situation and to our own health and wellbeing, plus our enjoyment of the area we live in. We can all do things that help - remember -
Every Action Counts
Quite how far this Blog will expand I do not know. Meanwhile I've gone from thinking about looking after our backs, to thinking about caring for the environment and the world of invertebrates, creatures that have no spine at all.
If you would like regular updates from my Blog, you can subscribe to the RSS Feed above.
Watch this space!
This is a new departure for me and for my Website. I hope that this Blog will enable me to keep pupils informed about term dates etc plus offer news and ideas from the world of the Alexander Technique. Sometimes pupils express the desire to connect with others who are learning the Technique and this Blog offers one way this can happen.
I also want to add new material to my site that includes other areas of interest - topics that are local to Stoke Newington and Newington Green, plus environmental concerns in particular. Why add these topics to a Website about the Alexander Technique?. Well, in A/T we learn to be aware of how we live and act in the world and learn to take care of ourselves in a specific manner, all the time becoming aware of the immediate environment around us. For instance, sometimes we will think about how we use a computer and as part of that process we will look at how well our equipment is placed for us, so that we can give ourselves the best chance we can to use our bodies well whilst typing - or reading this Blog, of course!
I want to take this approach out into the wider world - what can we do to help make our world a better, healthier place to live in? Our quality of life is affected by our environment and this impacts on our wellbeing. Discovering about our local area can help us to connect with it and to develop the urge to actively care for it. Contact with gardens and other green spaces is known to help reduce stress levels and to improve our health but city parks are all too often uncared for, or are so highly 'manicured' that they support no wildlife. All parks and green spaces tend to be in short supply and they will be even more so, if the government builds on those they can label brownfield sites.
The refurbishment and transformation of Newington Green has resulted in the Green being given various awards. This is an example of positive change that was brought about through local action, with the lead being taken by the Newington Green Action Group, who engendered public involvement and consultation with the Council. The Green has gone from being the run-down haunt of alcoholics, to the much enjoyed community space that it is now. The Green is still somewhat barren from a wildlife standpoint, with just a flock of 100 feral pigeons, an occasional visit from a blackbird and little else. However, with plans to improve the situation in the near future, biodiversity surely has to be increased. We are almost starting with a blank canvas.
With climate change increasingly being an issue we need to engage with the problems and cherish every outdoor space, to maximise their capacity to combat CO2 and pollution levels, to mop up excess water and to create spaces that are good for both wildlife and humans.
So often we can feel powerless when faced with such daunting topics as climate change but there are many ways in which we can act, that could contribute in a positive way to both the global situation and to our own health and wellbeing, plus our enjoyment of the area we live in. We can all do things that help - remember -
Every Action Counts
Quite how far this Blog will expand I do not know. Meanwhile I've gone from thinking about looking after our backs, to thinking about caring for the environment and the world of invertebrates, creatures that have no spine at all.
If you would like regular updates from my Blog, you can subscribe to the RSS Feed above.
Watch this space!
Hilary King - BA (Hons) PGDip Psychol. Dip Couns. MSTAT - Tel: 020 7254 9206
Copyright © 2004 - 2007 Hilary King, All rights reserved.