Chiropractic Services

Alexander Technique

  • Would you like more ease and comfort as you go about your day?
  • Would you like more energy for your work, performance or other activities?
  • Or simply, would you like to get better and continue to improve?

    • The Alexander Technique (AT) helps you achieve more flexibility, ease and comfort.  This has an impact on you generally as students often report having more enthusiasm, optimism and energy when they have less tension, strain and discomfort.

    What is Alexander Technique?
    “The Alexander Technique is a method that works to change (movement) habits in our everyday activities.  It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination.”

    What does it do?
    Alexander Technique tackles with how we use ourselves as we carry out different activities in our lives.  As we grow we pick up a range of habits that interfere with the good use which we started with.  Some of these come from the imitation of the posture and movement of those around us and most of us develop some habitual responses to daily stimuli which can involve unnecessary tension (the classic one is tensing the neck and back when under pressure and tightening arms and shoulders while working at the computer).  Poor posture and pain in the neck, back and shoulders often result from the cumulative effect of these poor habitual patterns.

    AT gives us the means to restore the good use with which we were born.

    What is it good for?
    Whatever you do or whatever you’re interested in, The Alexander Technique can help you. 

  • Improvements can be achieved in everyday tasks such as walking, washing up, gardening, bathing your baby, typing, sitting or whatever you do on a daily basis.
  • If you are a performer involved in dance, music, theatre or any other performing arts, like Helena, you too can benefit and enjoy improvements from this work.

    • Types of problems:
    Here is a summary of problems that AT can help you with…whatever you do, can you identify with any of these?

    How is AT taught?
    AT is taught through in a series of individual lessons.  During the lesson you practice standing, sitting and moving.  You will find yourself doing this with increasingly less effort and tension as the body's mechanisms that cope with gravity are reactivated.  This is accomplished through a mixture of verbal instruction and gentle hands-on guidance from Helena.  With each lesson you will learn how to recognize and ‘unlearn’ tension forming habits that interfere with good posture and effortless movement.  You will also learn how to prevent such habits from forming in the future.

    How often are the lessons?
    Lessons are usually on a weekly basis except during the first month when slightly greater frequency is recommended.

    What happens in the lesson?
    The lessons are not painful.  There is nothing physically challenging about the work as it is a process of allowing you to release tension, and the harmful habits that were responsible for it, at the pace that suits you.  And there’s no need to remove your clothes - your work clothes will be fine but you can bring some more comfortable clothes if you wish and change at the C1 Chiropractic Health Centre.

    During an AT lesson Helena will teach you, verbally and with gentle hands-on guidance, how to perform daily activities such as standing, sitting, bending and walking with greater and greater ease, balance and control.

    During the lesson Helena will observe your posture and movement.  She will also add to the visual information she gets by using her hands.  She will place them on your neck, shoulders, back in order to get more detailed information how you are breathing and moving.

    To help her with this, she will probably ask you to carry out simple movements, such as walking, standing up or sitting down, whilst her hands are kept in easy contact with you.  At the same time her hands are gathering information, they will also be conveying information to you.  Helena’s hands will gently guide your body to encourage a release of any restrictive muscular tension.

    Group Lessons
    Group lessons are a fantastic way to learn.  They are a fun, open and safe environment where sharing and supporting is encouraged.  A group dynamic is rewarding as you can commonly relate to other peoples’ issues.  Observing others improve provides a mirror for your own progress. 

    Individual Lessons
    Individual lessons allow you to make the improvements you seek in a private environment.

    These can be tailored to your requirements

    How Long Are Lessons - And How Many Will I Need?
    The lessons are between thirty and forty-five minutes long.

    It will probably take a few lessons for you and Helena to get an idea how quickly you will progress.  At the start, pupils are usually urged to come for lessons fairly frequently, perhaps two or three times a week if that's at all possible.  This is because the new approach to movement, and how to think about movement, is unfamiliar and so may take a little extra time to become normal.  Later on in the process, pupils often find they can continue to progress quite well with lessons spaced a week or more apart.  Similar to learning other new skills, a lot depends on how far you want to take it.  Most students come for a few months, taking between twenty and forty lessons during that period and then, perhaps, come back for refresher lessons, or groups of lessons, from time to time.

    Helena offers:

    Evening times can be arranged, depending on demand.