Category Archives: Alexander Technique

High Heels are Damaging Women

‘A Modern Torture’ is how Polly Vernon describes the wearing and ‘Invasion of the Killer Heels’ in The Times Magazine on 22.10.11. It’s a excellent article to read, with graphic illustrations of famous women falling off their high heels in public.

You can see an X Ray photo of a foot coping with being in a stiletto here.

As an Alexander Teacher, I have worked with several women who have back pain and problematic feet because of distortions in their posture which have mainly been created by wearing high heels continually.

The good news is, it is possible to undo a great deal of the damage, if women are willing to give up wearing high heels all the time and learn to use their bodies differently, by having Alexander Technique lessons.

You can read more in my article on Back Pain and High Heels

More Research Into the Alexander Technique

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Fascinating Research Trial into Standing

Recently, I was delighted to be a research subject at the prestigious UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square London.

The research study, which is run by Prof. Brian Day’s Whole Body Sensorimotor Lab is investigating whole-body actions and the neural processes that control them. Dr Tim Cacciatore is looking at the way Alexander Technique Teachers use our bodies when we move, compared with the way matched members of the public, who have never had any Alexander lessons.

For the research, I was all wired up with infrared body markers on my arms, legs, spine and skull and signals from these were picked up by sensors as I moved. I also sat and stood on some force plates, that measured my force levels as I moved.

Gradually an outline of my skeleton appeared on the computer and I could observe the way I had been moving. Dr Cacciatore has already published some findings related to this type of research and it was fascinating to be involved. I shall be very interested to find out the results of this study when it is published. Watch this space for further info about this research trial.

This type of research not only increases our understanding of the Alexander Technique but its findings may eventually be used to help people who suffer from disorders resulting from damage to the central nervous system.

Information about a previous study by this research team may be found here.

Alexander Technique Research to Help Neck Pain

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Research to Help Chronic Neck Pain

Another major research trial into the Alexander Technique has just started at York University, funded by Arthritis Research UK.

The 3 year randomised controlled trial will compare the Alexander Technique, Acupuncture and regular GP care in the treatment of 450 people with chronic neck pain. Once the results of the trial are available, it is hoped that this will enable recommendations to be made about the most suitable treatment/s for neck pain to be used within the NHS.

It is already known that both lessons in the Alexander Technique, or having some Acupuncture treatments can be effective in reducing problems such as neck pain but this has not been backed up by clinical research, so this is a very welcome study.

Further info here.

Degas and Movement

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Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement

For anyone who is interested in movement, the use of the body and in dance, there is a fascinating Degas exhibition on at the Royal Academy of Arts.

This exploration of Degas’ work looks deeper than the merely chocolate box images of ballet dancers with which he has tended to be associated in recent years. Early film and photographs such as the movement studies by Edweard Muybridge, which Degas may well have known, are also included in the exhibition.

On until 11 December

Venue: Royal Academy of Arts

Alexander Technique Student Graduates as a Teacher

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Tim Giles, award-winning Composer and Jazz Drummer – and now Alexander Teacher.

Tim Giles has just graduated (July 2011) from LCATT, the local Alexander Technique Teacher Training School where I am a visiting teacher. He is seen here playing at LCATT’s end of term party.Tim was one of my Alexander pupils before he joined the STAT recognised Training Course and it is great to see him qualify as an AT teacher.

I am pleased to say that Tim will be assisting me with the upcoming Short Intro Course in September – which means that participants will be able to have hands-on work both from myself and from Tim.

This introductory course is for a small group, so if you are interested in attending, please note that it is essential to enrol in advance.

Earlybird Reduced Fee is available if you pay before 30th August

Further info about AT Teacher Training can be found here.

Long Work Hours Increase Heart Attack Risk

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Research shows that long working hours increases the risk of having a heart attack by a staggering 67%!

Now this is something that seems obvious to me as an Alexander Technique teacher but it is good to have some formal research published on the topic. There have been many occasions, unfortunately, when I have seen people overworking for long periods of time until they get really ill – in a variety of different ways it has to be said. At this point, they often have to stop work altogether for a while. But the good news is that they usually find that the Alexander Technique can be a very helpful tool to use to aid their recovery.

The lead researcher in this study of using information about working hours as a method of predicting heart attacks, Professor Kivimäki of UCL Epidemiology & Public Health, reports that people who worked more than 7-8 hours a day were 5% more likely to have a heart attack than people with a similar health background and heart risk level. Those that regularly worked 11 hours or more, increased that risk to a dramatic 67%.

Is working overtime really worth that level of risk?

The research suggests that Doctors need to include questions about work hours and lifestyle when assessing heart risk factors. It also encourages workers to look after themselves and to keep their working hours to around 7-8 hours a day.

Alexander Technique lessons can help people become more aware so they can modify the impact of overwork on their general health and wellbeing. Importantly, the Technique can help people avoid their own habits of overuse and misuse of their bodies, which can help the nervous and cardiovascular systems to calm down. As one consultant cardiologist put it:

‘The Alexander Technique is a realistic alternative to beta blockers in the control of stress-induced high blood pressure’.
Dr Bent Ostergaard – Consultant Cardiologist

Do You Slouch?

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Slouching and poor posture is the topic of an article in today’s Mail Online (24 Jan 2011) in which Bella Blissett urges women not to copy the stars on the catwalk, who can be seen in various distorted postures wearing a series of excruciatingly high heels (which in themselves can cause back problems – see my article on wearing high heels).

Research linking poor posture to depression and the fact that 1 in 5 people in the UK see their GPs for back pain is sited in the article. Various cures are suggested – but unfortunately the Alexander Technique is not mentioned, despite the fact that Blissett states that ‘many of them could be cured if they learned to improve their dynamic posture so that they ‘ stand and sit properly’, which is a big part of what people learn when they come for AT lessons.

As the ATEAM Research Trial showed, the Alexander Technique really can help people to reduce chronic back pain and to improve the quality of their life.

Introductory Lessons and a Workshop just for Women

Of course, back pain and slouching are not only found in women, for many men have similar problems. If you would like to try out the Technique, introductory lessons of one hour are available at the same price as regular 3/4 hour lessons -at the moment.

You might prefer to try out the Technique in a workshop just for women. If so, ask for an Application Form online for the upcoming Introductory Workshop for Women on 6 March at 2.30pm. This is linked to International Women’s Day.

Please book in advance, as the workshop is for a small group.

You may also phone Hilary for more information: 020 7254 9206

Graduation of an Alexander Technique Student

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James Allsopp’s Graduation

In July 2010, the composer and multi-instrumentalist James Allsopp, James Allsopp's Graduation July 2010.jpg seen here at the end of term party, graduated as an Alexander Technique teacher from the London Centre for Alexander Teaching and Training, LCATT, where I am one of the visiting teachers.

James was one of my Alexander pupils before he joined LCATT on the STAT recognised 3 year Teacher Training Course. It has been a great pleasure to follow him right through to his graduation and I wish him well in the future.

GPs asked to refer patients to CNHC Practitioners

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The Department of Health has requested all GPs and Chief Nursing Officers to refer patients who are seeking to use a complementary therapy such as the Alexander Technique, to practitioners who are Registered with the CNHC, The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.

The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique, STAT, has worked hard with the CNHC in order to bring about the voluntary regulation of AT teachers. The CNHC Register has been set up so that GPs and the public can see which practitioners, including myself, ‘have been assessed as meeting national standards of competence and practice’.

Hopefully, this will benefit everyone and prospective pupils can be reassured, if they need to be, that an external professional body, plus STAT, are monitoring our standards as AT teachers.

When you sit, sit; When you stand, stand

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I believe this is a Zen saying and it is very pertinent to what we think about in Alexander lessons.

Many people come to me for lessons, for whom these words can bring about quite a profound realisation, as they notice the way they exist in their bodies a lot of the time.

This is particularly true for people who are very hard workers or are perhaps very stressed. They often seem to sit on the edge of the chair, ready to leap out of it at a moment’s notice, or stand with their weight mostly on the balls of their feet, as if they are about to rush away somewhere. There’s a sense that they don’t really think they should be ‘here, right now’ but ought to be doing the next thing, whatever that is.

This over-active way of being pulls us off balance, both literally and metaphorically and can contribute to aches, pains, exhaustion and a sense of being ungrounded.

However, when a pupil allows herself to ‘sit when sitting’ and to ‘stand when standing’ her weight spreads through her sitting bones or her feet in a way that allows her to feel grounded and more balanced with an easy poise, even if she is only in this position for a few seconds.

See if you can notice how you stand, try it for yourself and see if you allow yourself to be balanced easily on your feet, or do you find that there is an urgency in you that makes you want to move on all the time? This exploration would probably be easier to do in an Alexander Technique lesson, where you can have some help with becoming aware of the way you use your body. If you want to explore more, you can contact me here to set up an intro lesson.