Category: News

March 2^nd

Alexander technique is revolutionary.  It’s anarchic. It asks us to think for ourselves. It changes our thinking. And it turns us into quite nice people.

March 1^st

Sing a little, dance a little, have a laugh….can’t be such a bad thing. Once a day. It’s very human. And we can do this privately for ourselves . Might change the life.

Only 3 places left on my workshop 13th – 20th July on the Greek Island of Alonnisos.

All the  other places for July and September have been taken.  Click on

http://www.alexanderingreece.com

for more details.

Feb 28^th

Always expect the unexpected. Even if nothing unexpected obviously happens. There is the potential for it.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382017302354

Click on this for the fall article about a pilot scheme to help older people with a fear of falling.

My own husband has balance issues and he has learnt from me how to roll over onto all fours to get up. Last time on slippy leaves, he managed fine – no broken bones or bruises… just the slight shock we all have when the pavement comes up to meet us unexpectedly!

   I know from my own experience with Guida, a client  in Sevenoaks, how Alexander helps with neck pain. Guida was unable to turn her head at all when she first came to me. Her neck was rigid and causing her such pain she was crying sometimes. Within three months the pain had gone, and a year later, most of her movement has returned. Hurray!     

A paper was recently published on self efficacy:

‘A further publication from the ATLAS neck pain trial concludes that Alexander lessons lead to long-term improvements in the way people live their daily lives and manage their pain.

It reports a positive outcome from learning the AT on people’’s self-efficacy and ability for self-care, and highlights the correlation between these improvements and the long-term improvements in chronic neck pain.

One of the authors, Professor Hugh MacPherson from the University of York, describes it as a ‘landmark study for many years to come’ and has said that it ‘really does set out the role of self-care and self-efficacy as key components related to the benefits of the AT’.

The paper is published in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine and is free for everyone to view.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382017302330

New research suggests that the learning the Alexander Technique can help older people who worry about falling.

“I never thought I could do that…”: Findings from an Alexander Technique pilot group for older people with a fear of falling.

A new pilot study co-authored by Lesley Glover & Jane Clappison both MSTAT teachers, along with colleagues from the University of Hull, has been published. The research supports the fact that participating in Alexander Technique (AT) group classes can be helpful for older people with a fear of falling. The study is small but the findings from participant focus group discussions show that the AT can help this group to do things they did not think they could do. It also suggests that taking part in AT group classes empowered them to make different choices about what they do and don’t do, and how they do it. Participants developed a new understanding of how they could move and they reported that they enjoyed learning the AT.

This study provides further information about the ways in which learning the AT helps individuals and is consistent with the recently published findings from the ATLAS trial that learning the AT helps with self-care and self-efficacy.

The paper is published in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine and you can access it free via this link until 26^th January 2018

https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1WA-26geyxcgzI

Here’s a gift voucher I have designed for Christmas. You are welcome to print this off, stick it onto a Christmas card and send it to as many friends as you like. However I will expect payment! So anytime one of your friends contacts me for a lesson I will contact you to reimburse me by bank transfer BEFORE the lesson is taken. The lesson costs £65 and lasts an hour.

Talk and tea this Friday 8th December 6.30 – 7.30 at my teaching room in Old Street.

Come for tea and Christmas biccies with spectacular night time views over Central London for talk and laughter on: ‘What are the main teachings of Alexander Technique?’ including festive readings of poems that for me describe the essence of Alexander. Clearly the last session had a lot of ‘up’ in it! And the other picture? One of my own teachers, Tommy Thompson, which describes the work wonderfully. Only £5! Let me know you want to come on penny@alexanderpen.co.uk and I will send you address