Southfields Alexander Technique

17/09/2022

What is the Alexander Technique…

The Alexander Technique is an educational method for changing long-standing habits of tension. Research suggests it results in improved movement, balance and...

09/01/2020

John Cleese started using the Alexander Technique in the 1970s. He is still using it as can be seen in the picture posted by his daughter.

31/07/2019

Are you constantly getting ahead of yourself? Constantly in a hurry? Constantly thinking of the next “task” and rushing in your thoughts? Are you too invested in the end result of everything you do? Are you always doing something and when you stop for a bit, you feel vulnerable, guilty and disoriented? Yup, you’re body is telling all of that. Sounds like it’s time to fall back a bit and allow yourself to slow down and reconnect with your true nature which is balance, poise, breath and freedom of movement. The paradox here is the more you undo and slow down the more you get to do and rush when you choose to. Be kind to your spine. Be mindful of your choices.

31/05/2019

Muscle spirals

05/04/2019

by Laura Tuthall Life as a hypermobile person can be painful, exhausting, and unpredictable. Many aspects of our health are out of our control, but we do make choices that cumulatively affect our functioning. Most of us know this at some level; from one careless motion to years of repetitive activit...

26/02/2019

“Change involves carrying out an activity against the habit of life” F.M. Alexander
We do our habits mostly without knowing we’re doing them. And that’s why they’re hard to tackle. When it comes to the good use of ourselves ( body + mind ) , we Alexander Technique teachers, are “habits specialists” and we were trained to identity poor habits in ourselves first ( both in the mind and in the body ) so we can help our students do the same for themselves. It is a truly revolutionary practice. Learn how to bend, turn and move the way Nature intended. Stay healthy and strong. Study the

19/02/2019

Taking time to be in my back.
Taking time to notice my breath.
Taking time to come back to myself.
Taking time to allow mental and muscular tension to undo.
Taking time to calm down my nervous system.
Taking time to integrate body + mind + breath.
Taking time to feel the support of the ground.
Taking time to get healthier and stronger.
Taking time to age gracefully.
Taking time because if I don’t do that for myself, no one else will do it for me.
Taking time because it’s free, easy and there is no expectations.
Taking time because I believe in the unknown.
Taking time to remain sane.

Taking time is a precious gift. When I combine that with a simple awareness of my body in space in a simple position of mechanical advantage ... wonderful things begin to happen.

23/12/2018

Tanith Carey found out at a routine doctor's appointment that she had shrunk an inch. After years of bad posture, she tries Alexander Technique sessions to see if she can regain her lost height.

15/12/2018

Habits are hard to break! Mainly because we don’t recognize their power and how present they are in our thoughts and actions. To revert an unwanted postural habit one needs to engage in a PROCESS where they:
A. First and foremost identify the habit AND what causes it ( stimulus )
B. Then practice refusing to react to the given stimulus ( don’t give in to the habit )
C. Then encourage thoughts of release and expansion instead of contraction, after all the habit originates in the brain before it is translated into muscle tension.
Or you can just find an awesome teacher and they’ll be more than happy to go thru all those steps with you! Essentially that’s what a lesson consists of! ♥️
Love yourself, study
The drawings are from Helen Leshinsky and were taken from the article “The Organization do Movement” by Dr. Ted Dimon
The graffiti I found in the West Village in NYC.

23/11/2018

18/09/2018

Are you pulling down or are you lengthening? Going to the gym and “strengthening your core” or working on those 6-pack won’t necessarily make you stronger. A lot of the times those exercises end up encouraging you to pull down thru the front body. Don’t be fooled. Strength is length. 😜😘🕺🏽 beautiful drawing by Helen Leshinsky - extracted from the article “The Organization of Movement” by Dr. Ted Dimon

26/08/2018

If you've ever felt like a deer in the headlights before taking a math test or speaking before a large group of people, you could benefit from a simple change in posture. As part of a new study by researchers at San Francisco State University, 125 college students were tested to see how well they co...

21/07/2018

For more balance and less struggle, for more grace and less compression, for more breath and less pain, study The

14/07/2018

Well posture is a complex thing and it has a lot more to do with our mental attitude than we can imagine. The rule of thumb for good posture is: if it’s compressing my spine or if it’s making breathing harder chances are it’s not good. Did you know that the head and spine follow the eyes, nose and mouth? If I’m interested in seeing/ smelling/ eating something low in space, my head and spine will make sure I get there at pretty much any cost. The way I lower myself in space becomes a habit and I will keep repeating that indefinitely. So if the habit is good I’m fine but if it’s a compressing habit something will eventually hurt. Roughly speaking that’s how things work. I learn a habit of mind and body and that habit dictates everything I do or think. To change our posture we must change not only our bodily habits but our mental habits as well. And that’s essentially what we do during a course of lessons. Change your improve your

06/07/2018

Think how much your head weighs. (5Kg/ 10 lbs ish) If you are poking it forwards towards the screen it’ll drag you down. Think of the back of your head going up with the crown of your head, pointing your forhead towards the screen rather than your chin.

05/07/2018

02/07/2018

Importance of head balance

The balance of the head, and its relationship to the neck muscles, play a global role in upright posture.