What happens in a lesson?
- Overview
- Working with the whole person
- Standing, sitting, moving
- Table work
- Other activities
- The Alexander Technique away from lessons
- Where is a lesson held?
- Workshops
- Recommended number and frequency of lessons
Overview
A one-to-one Vital Freedom Alexander Technique lesson is 45 minutes long, although the very first one will last about an hour, to allow for some introductory talking time at the start.
Lessons take place in Philippa's dedicated teaching room at her home.
It is best to wear comfortable loose-fitting clothes, and you will need to take your shoes off for the lesson.
Learning the Alexander Technique is a gentle process, so you will not be put through any procedure which induces pain. If you come to the lesson with any aches, pain, stiffness or injury, this will be taken into account when working with you.
Working with the whole person
An Alexander Technique teacher views each pupil as an integrated whole rather than the sum of separate parts. If a pupil has, say, a frozen shoulder, the teacher will not focus on it in isolation. Instead she will work with the whole person, as described below, and in doing so the frozen shoulder will be helped indirectly.
Standing, sitting, moving
In a lesson Philippa will use her hands and verbal guidance to give you the experience of what it is like to stand, sit and move while the head-neck-back relationship ('primary control') is working well. This experience will help you notice your habitual reactions and patterns of over-tension which normally stop the primary control from working optimally, and you will learn how to be aware of these habits and to prevent them by using your conscious thoughts. In the process you will discover a new way of being and moving which is pain-free, easier, lighter and uses less energy.
Table work
Often part of the lesson will involve 'table work'. This means that you will lie, comfortably supported, on a table, while Philippa uses her hands and verbal instruction as above. You will be exploring the same principles and learning how to use the Technique, but from a more restful place where you are not needing to be engaged in the activities of standing, sitting and moving.
Other activities
As you learn the Alexander Technique you will be guided as to how to apply it to other daily activities - for example walking, running, talking, lifting heavy objects, carrying shopping etc - and also to activities which you would particularly like to explore in the light of the Technique, for example playing a musical instrument, using a computer, singing, playing sport.
The Alexander Technique away from lessons
Learning the Alexander Technique means that you participate fully in the lessons, all the time discovering more about yourself and how you move - and how it is possible to affect this. You will be encouraged to bring this awareness to all aspects of your day-to-day life away from lessons and to use the Alexander Technique in all your activities. The role of the Alexander Teacher is to help you do this.
Where is a lesson held?
Philippa's main teaching practice is at her home in central Kendal, where she has a dedicated teaching room. Her house is easy to find and there is free parking on the street outside. For details, click here.
If Kendal is not handy for you, Philippa would consider coming to a therapy centre, village hall etc near you, especially if other people might be interested locally. Please ask if you would like to arrange this.
Workshops
Philippa would be delighted to run Alexander Technique workshops for small numbers of participants. If you would like to enquire about this, please contact her.
Recommended number and frequency of lessons
To learn the Alexander Technique well and derive maximum benefit from it, a series of regular lessons is recommended.
Research published in the British Medical Journal in 2009 proved that the Alexander Technique gave significant results in the treatment of back pain after just six lessons. It also found that a year's worth of lessons were very effective.
It is best to have your first lessons as close together in time as you can manage - Philippa will be able to advise you on this.
