Testimonials From My Students

Hilary is a very clear, patient and supportive teacher. Helpful strategies for addressing issues with my back, in terms of both avoidance and remedy.May 2023  

This is not a query for your wonderful services but a memory trip. I learned AT from you for a year and a half around 1991. I have recently resumed Alexander lessons with a former student of yours, Kate Ellingham Hunt and it has been wonderful to rediscover all the things I learned from you and I am enjoying having Kate as a teacher. I have never entirely forgotten what you taught me and the muscle memory and other memories keep coming. Anyway, I would like to thank you for being such a great teacher and I know that Kate thinks the world of you. It was a random few words with Kate that reminded me of your name which had receded to the back of my mind after 30 years. I find the synchronicity of the connections to be fascinating.April 2023

I’ve decided to move back up North. I'm going to miss coming to visit you (when Covid-19 protocols allowed) - it’s been such a transformative process. It’s amazing how slowly but surely the changes seep in and embed themselves, and then when I look back and remember how I used to be, the progress is incredible. I feel like I’ve built a lovely connection with you too, and I’m going to miss you. You’ve really been a rock for me - supporting me through all sorts of troubling things.  September 2021

I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your (online) Alexander lessons and your kindness in giving them free of charge (to NHS staff during the Covid-19 pandemic). Having someone remind me how to connect with myself again and to be aware of how I use all aspects of my being was exactly what I needed. It really has enabled me to regain a sense of perspective and calm and I am very motivated to continue. Thank you for all of your helpful and relevant observations - it has meant a lot for someone to take time in my own wellbeing.

The Alexander Technique and your support (with online lessons) has been fantastic over the past few months. My tension headaches have reduced to a point of almost gone, which is fantastic, so thank you.  I feel like Alexander is a tool I can use through my pregnancy and I am implementing it into my daily life and my movements as much as I can. February 2021

Hilary’s Alexander Technique lessons have been instrumental for pain management related to a severe neck strain injury. Further to this, they have helped with techniques to really reduce the cause of injury in the future. Overall the learning has been useful and wonderful in pain management. Hilary is friendly and approachable. In her lessons she likes to focus on what the body itself is saying and she teaches how to listen to it. She also draws awareness to the form of the body and how to reorient specific everyday actions tailored to the individual. These techniques are useful over time to really retrain the body. I initially started with Zoom lessons due to the COVID-19 lockdown and then moved to in-person lessons. The Zoom lessons were a good primer, but the in-person lessons really helped to solidify the learning.  August 2020

'I very much enjoyed my introduction to the Alexander technique via zoom with Hilary. As someone with mild scoliosis and intermittent upper back pain, I was grateful for the opportunity to learn the basics and start to think about how to incorporate the technique into my daily life. Hilary is a kind and considerate teacher, personalising her lessons to identify and meet my individual needs.’  August 2020

I’ve been having weekly lessons with Hilary since April-18, which I love, and which have improved my health considerably. I originally went after a bike accident left me with bad neck pain, and over the course of the sessions, we’ve resolved the pain completely - rather impressive. I really was in quite a mess when I started. Along the way, we’ve also identified several other areas where I hold tension in my body, which I’m slowly starting to undo / not do. Hilary’s guidance, tips, touch, and attention to my movement and patterns have been excellent. As a bonus, the sessions are very relaxing, and I leave feeling very calm. And I’ve grown an inch!    2019

Rarely a day goes by that I am not thankful for having learned the Alexander Technique. Thank you Hilary. If we hadn’t moved away, I’d still be coming to you once a month for a tune-up.  I first came to Hilary with shoulder and neck pain in 2014, and continued seeing her every few weeks for about two years (till 2016)  30-35 sessions in total. I'm still thinking regularly about AT and using what I learned with her now (June 2019, three years after her last lesson). "Constructive Rest" is very much a part of my daily life, it gives me energy at the end of a long day.

I have been visiting Hilary for several months. As an amateur musician with problems of tension getting in the way of performance, I was delighted to discover that she had experience with helping musicians, but I can thoroughly recommend her to musicians and non-musicians alike. She is a very committed and experienced teacher. I have found it fascinating to explore with Hilary the more general applications of the Alexander technique. This has led me to some important insights about the relationship between my mind and my body. Hilary’s approach is very flexible, and every lesson is different. An excellent listener, she is able to focus on whatever problem I bring with kindness, encouragement and gentle hands-on expertise. She always strives to find the root of issues of bad use of the body with suggestions on how to work on them. Hilary’s room is dedicated to the Alexander technique, with an inspiring library on many different aspects of the subject, and a surprising number of gadgets such as balls and toys to help specific problems. When it is time to leave, I always feel revitalised both in mind and body.  Dec 2018.

I’ve suffered from occasional and at times quite severe lower back pain for over twenty years and after trying several pain management strategies involving years of yoga and Pilates classes, as well as regular osteopathy, decided to have a go at the Alexander Technique. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Hilary and her invaluable insights and advice have led to my longest pain-free period ever (it’s now been six months and counting). Unexpected benefits include a much calmer approach to work and family challenges and a general sense of physical ease and relaxation. I would wholeheartedly recommend trying AT with Hilary whose intelligence and talent for physical analysis makes for a very rich experience.   June 2018

Not sure if you remember me. I'm a Polish woman with lower back issues and I'd previously had two surgeries (for prolapsed disc) and have ankylosing spondylitis. You were teaching me for a few months at your house (3 years ago). I was also trying to get pregnant at the time and working as a social worker. I haven't had any more AT lessons but since we stopped working together I didn't have even one fall! (previously Ania had frequent falls). Also I have great news! We did manage to get pregnant and I am due to have a baby boy next week! So we will have three boys as I also have two step sons. We are all very excited. The pregnancy was/is feeling very special and I've enjoyed every bit of it. My back felt even better than before the pregnancy and I cycled most of the time to work on my Tokyo bike recommended by you. I imagine the first two years will be more challenging as will have to pick up and carry baby boy a lot but I am sure I will adjust. Just wanted to say thank you again. You are one of the people on my journey that helped me to stay well and become a mama. March 2018 

I’ve found Alexander Technique very useful in my art practice. Since starting lessons with Hilary, I have found it easier to pinpoint when I am about to overwork something or when I am slipping into habitual ways of thinking and making that may not be appropriate to the piece at hand. There are an increasing number of works that have a lightness and focus in their production that I’m really pleased with. This has also been accompanied by physical benefits, particularly in the areas of stress management and pain relief. I pick up on stress at an earlier point and am better equipped to deal with it when it does arise by applying what I've learnt in lessons. Because of the increased co-ordination that comes with learning AT, I’ve also found that aches and pains are reduced and I’m moving much more efficiently around the studio, even during periods of heavy production. Learning to stop and take a semi-supine break has also played a key part in these improvements; my performance is noticeably increased by allowing space for the mind and body to breathe and come back refreshed. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Technique to anyone and I think Hilary is a fantastic teacher, her lessons are always thoughtfully tailored to your needs and her hands-on guidance is excellent. March 2018

I came across Hilary's website through doing some research on Alexander Technique teachers in London. I had been in physiotherapy for 9 months for a problem in my foot that seems similar to plantar fasciitis / trapped nerve type of problem. In addition to the exercises from the physiotherapist I began taking Alexander lessons with Hilary. Hilary's home is a very relaxing setting for the lessons. She is highly knowledgeable and makes you feel at ease straight away. Hilary taught me how to be more aware of my body and the little things I could change such as the positioning of my head and neck and how that has an effect all the way down to my feet. I have much less pain in my foot since beginning to take the Alexander lessons and have been able to walk for much longer before my foot would start to hurt. Learning to think about freeing my body and being more aware of how I move it has helped me to feel more control over my injury. I would recommend Alexander Technique lessons to everyone!September 2017

I have found Alexander technique lessons with Hilary King to be very helpful for my long standing back problems. Hilary is an excellent teacher and is very good at helping me to understand how to use the AT practise to address specific issues and help with daily life. I am a film maker and have to carry and use heavy equipment. Hilary has given me help with using my body better when working and with being more aware of how I am using my body in daily activities. I find Hilary’s teaching clear and easy to understand and she is very good at adapting the technique for my particular needs. June 2017

My GP is also a qualified osteopath and has been treating me for lower back pain, and other associated pain discomfort. He has suggested I try Alexander Technique to help with the issue. October 2016

Alexander Technique with Hilary has helped not only with my back pain, but to remind me to relax and listen to my body. Hilary is a great teacher who connects her teachings to real life scenarios. This makes her sessions very practical. September 2016

I had been suffering from quite crippling tension headaches on and off for several years. I am tall and also used to suffer from lower backache. Alexander Technique has shown me that aches and pains in the body are not an inevitable part of growing older. I cannot remember the last time I had a problem with my back and I have not had a single tension headache. An Alexander Technique session with Hilary will leave you feeling physically and emotionally replenished. Hilary is in touch with my individual needs and her personal touch makes me look forward to our sessions together. Oct 2015

I signed up to one of Hilary's introductory workshops ... Her emphasis in the workshop was on stress relief - and the role stress and tension play in physical pain from muscles and bodies held too taut for too long.... Hilary's observations about how we sit and stand and how our bodies behave when our minds become stressed struck a chord with me. I also found sitting on a stool for quite a long time without a back support in the way Hilary taught us - balancing on my sitting bones, finding the exact right curve in my spine that did not ache after a while - was unbelievably comfortable. I decided to interrupt my Pilates lessons and give AT a go (and in the event I have not had an Osteopathy treatment since then either). Aug 2014

I don't know if you remember me, I was your pupil in '97 - '98... I have continued to have lessons in the places I have lived and nowadays I'm based in Germany... (I want) to say I am so happy that I could get to know the AT with you 20 years ago, and how much it has helped me over the years... I would love to come and have another lesson with you... when I plan a trip to London.  I wanted to share with you that I graduated (as an AT teacher) on 30 June 2017. I am so grateful that I found you back then as a teacher. I don’t know what my life would have looked like without you.  July 2017.

I arrived at Hilary's doorstep with severe RSI, Hilary has helped my injury immensely, a skilled observer Hilary has enabled me to change my posture to a healthier one, through monitoring harmful patterns of posture and movement. Hilary is very knowledgeable, gentle and professional and she understands the stressful pressures that today's workplace can have on the body. I have found that since receiving lessons from Hilary that my RSI pain has been alleviated to a point were I can work for prolonged periods without pain. Hilary has taught me to be more mindful and although I do slip back into harmful postures I find that through Hilary's invaluable training I now recognise these, and try to realign myself. I have no hesitation in recommending Hilary. Thanks Hilary April 2012.

I wanted to thank you for all that you taught me over the 9 months of my pregnancy. My weekly Alexander Technique lessons with you were so valuable and I feel contributed hugely to my healthy pregnancy and were so helpful in preparing for the birth. Things have been pretty non-stop and topsy-turvy since baby arrived, but I have managed to lie in semi-supine a couple of times (I intend to try and find more time for that) and I whisper a lot of 'Ahs'! Sept. 2011

I've tried many different things over many years to help reduce the frequency of the headaches I've suffered from since I was a teenager. Out of all of them, acupuncture was the only thing that helped a bit until I started doing Alexander Technique lessons with Hilary. Now I rarely get headaches any more because she's helped me teach my body to relax away from the bundle of tension it had become. The main reason I took up the lessons was not because of these horrible headaches however, but because people I know had kept on noting how hunched over my posture was becoming. Although I tried to straighten myself up it was without any awareness of what I was doing with my body; I would suck my stomach in and then my head would stick out even further! And I started to feel quite uncomfortable within myself, as if my body weren't even my own any more. Working with Hilary I can now actually see my body changing over time: my back is starting to look straighter. I feel stronger and more whole in myself. Hilary has been a patient, caring and kind teacher but intuitive and clever with it. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her. Getting back the feeling of being comfortable in my own body has been a great feeling. Getting rid of so many headaches was a super bonus. June 2010

The Alexander Technique has provided me with a way to deal with pain, independently of pain medication, after a neck injury. Sessions with Hilary enabled me to learn techniques which I used to dispense with large doses of painkillers and replace them with an awareness of what my body required in order to be free from pain, which was at my control. I found Hilary very professional and skilled in her teaching, enabling a good understanding of how and what was to be achieved in each lesson, as part of your overall goal. I have now adopted the Alexander Technique as a part of everyday activities to help prevent further injuries. March 2010

I visited Hilary King's class, a one day Alexander Technique workshop (for assessment). This was a graceful, fluent, assured and confidently managed class by a tutor who was both knowledgeable and an enthusiastic exponent of her art. Hilary has a calm and assured teaching persona, and her oral instruction was strikingly fluent and measured.... The style is characterised by a tutor whose presence is alert, erect and graceful, and who never ceases explaining, describing, correcting and encouraging. This was a strikingly gracious and assured performance, understood to include Hilary's physical presence, physical demonstrations and explanations of the postures and exercises. Hilary adopts a very direct and engaging manner with her students, unobtrusively maintaining eye contact whenever addressing herself to the group, and managing to give each student in the class a good deal of attention... I thought Hilary particularly eloquent, providing apt and imaginative descriptions of the postures she wished her students to assume... Her gentle, flowing articulacy was both pleasurable in itself and suitable for the class she was taking. The instructions were also always notably precise. When adjusting and correcting posture, Hilary handles her students with great delicacy and feeling - she has a real 'feel' for the human body. Hilary herself has a marvellous posture which is a splendid example for students to follow. Hilary never stopped either demonstrating an exercise, correcting a posture, or advising or instructing the students. She very clearly conveys her lively and serious interest in the subject. June 1997.

I wanted to write and thank say thank you for all your help and teaching with A/T over the last seven months. I've gained many useful tools that are now truly placed in my memory. My time learning the Technique has contributed considerably to my being able to take this next step... with confidence in my health and structure. I appreciate your part in that. Thanks... Feb 2004.

I'd heard of the benefits of the Alexander Technique but it wasn't until recovering from a serious operation that I went along to one of Hilary's workshops... I consider her one-to-one classes a huge boost to my continual well-being. A/T has proved to bring me huge benefits physically and mentally and I consider it a discipline that can provide a greater understanding of the workings of the body throughout life.

Thank you so much for introducing me to the wonderful world of A/T, it has been a true highlight of 2007... and I am excited about my future with it. I feel the Technique giving me a balance and tranquillity which feels vital and growing, and that feels great. December 2007.

Thank you so much for pointing me in the direction of the (Alexander Technique teacher training) course, it is really eye opening to study the technique in so much detail, and I feel that my lessons with you have given me a fantastic base on which to build... Once again, thank you for all your help and inspiration.

When I first visited Hilary I was in constant pain and could not even hold a cup of tea, let alone play the guitar. None of the medical professionals I visited had offered me a diagnosis, much less a cure. After my first session the pain was greatly relieved and six months later I'm playing the guitar again, albeit very carefully. I was first introduced to the Alexander Technique at music college and, to be honest, was rather sceptical about it. I now realise that, using it's techniques, I could well have avoided the RSI which has prevented me from working for almost 6 months. My lessons with Hilary have transformed the way I approach both my music and my health. Apart from enabling me to play again, it has actually improved my instrumental technique and enhanced my enjoyment of music. The Alexander Technique is a very logical, practical tool which enables one to spot potential physical problems and find solutions which can be easily incorporated into a daily routine. I would recommend both Hilary King and the Alexander Technique to anyone, but especially musicians, including those who are seemingly healthy. Quite simply, it will make you a better musician and a healthier human.

Hilary King is a wonderful Alexander Technique Teacher. I know that, because since going to her in the New Year of 2009, she has given me a much stronger back, and has greatly reduced the level of pain which was causing me so much trouble. In fact, my progress has been so good that my Consultant (mainstream medicine) told me in May, that I don't need to go and see him again! What more can I say? Well, apart from a very big 'thank you' to Hilary for all the help she has given and continues to give me, the only other thing I want to add is a recommendation to any of you out there suffering from aches and pains to get in touch with her immediately, and let her, through her wonderful lessons, help you find your own health and happiness and a new way of life.

Since taking Alexander lessons I have become far more aware of my posture and my body in general, which has helped in many aspects of my life - from sitting at my desk, to being a DJ, to running Marathons. Hilary was able to recommend specific directions and techniques for specific problems, which made it a lot easier to integrate the learning into everyday situations. The main challenge has been to remember to practice and to let the good form come naturally, but the more I practice the better I feel and I'm constantly learning new applications of the Technique, which keep me on my toes (not literally).

I started Alexander Technique lessons with Hilary during a very stressful period at work when I was experiencing low back pain and sore shoulders. Now, nine months later, I attend only once a month and have no back pain. More importantly, I feel I have learnt to use my body in a different way and one in which I have greatly decreased my chances of developing immobilising disability as I get older. I have found Hilary to be a sensitive, conscientious and effective teacher.

I've found Hilary's lessons very helpful for my general well being. As a computer programmer, I spend long hours sitting in front of a screen. I have had problems with my joints, particularly my knees and hands. Computer work doesn't really help with this, however with the Alexander Technique, I've found that my joints are more relaxed. I don't get the usual aches and pains, which come from intensive keyboard use, provided I actually apply what I've learnt in the Alexander lessons. Other welcome side effects from the lessons are that I have more energy and I generally feel more relaxed and easy with my body.

The Alexander Technique was my last resort in dealing with disabling headaches following a whiplash neck injury. It was effective and restorative. That was many years ago (with another teacher) and since then I have used the Technique to deal with lower back pain and stress related tension. In Hilary you have a sensitive and intelligent teacher who listens and responds to her pupil's needs. I recommend her work.

As time goes by, I am becoming more conscious of my posture, the way I walk and hold my head and although this comes and goes, I remind myself more frequently to keep a free neck. So my sessions are important to me and I find them extremely relaxing, as tension is one of my main problems.

I've been going to Hilary for one-to-one lessons. Hilary is a marvellous teacher and has helped me gain strength, both physically and emotionally. She is an expert Alexander teacher and also very sympathetic and sensitive to my needs and the particular problems that I bring to each session. I highly recommend her as an Alexander teacher and would never think of going to anyone else.

Hilary King's website on the Alexander Technique provides a very helpful glossary of the terms you might encounter when reading about Alexander Technique or consulting with a practitioner. The glossary demystifies terms that are specific to Alexander technique, and also includes medical and anatomical words commonly encountered in relation to musculo-skeletal disorders. There are very few glossaries for Alexander Technique available, either on the web or in print format, so this glossary provides an important and valuable service to the public. In addition, Hilary has kindly made parts of the glossary available to RMIT University in Australia for use in a course titled Introduction to Wellness and Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

I first met Hilary when I attended a one day course on the Alexander Technique, at the Mary Ward Centre. Finding that the Technique suited me, I continued to visit Hilary on a regular basis. Practising the Technique has helped me in many ways: I am generally more relaxed, aware of bad habits and conscious of making improvements. Perhaps the most impressive effect, has been that I can now manage my sciatica, once very severe, now hardly ever perceptible.

Before starting lessons with Hilary I was often feeling lethargic and was experiencing constant mood swings - I was unstable, and not coping well with a number of difficulties in my life. Practising the Alexander Technique has had a wonderfully positive influence on me: I have gained an emotional equilibrium that I have never experienced before; I am becoming consciously aware of different ways in which I use (and misuse) my body; and I feel empowered to stop indulging in many of my patterns of misuse, and to begin indulging in a life where I am able to deal with problems without being thrown off balance. Hilary is a calm and generous teacher, and has always given me complete confidence that I am in good hands!