I was reading an article in the Sunday Times at the weekend ‘How we all got so anxious’ by Tom Culver. A quarter of the population have high levels of anxiety. Prescriptions for anxiety medications are at record levels. Anxiety is a major cause of lost working days. And all this has increased recently and especially among the young. Anxiety is fear. People who are anxious are afraid. The young are afraid of being humiliated on social media. People were/are afraid of covid. Now people are afraid they can’t pay their bills. There is plenty to be afraid of. Fear makes us tense; it raises some hor ..read more

New Video There is a new youtube video about the Alexander Technique and the science behind it, and it is only 2 minutes long! The video explains the science paper, ”Potential Mechanisms of the Alexander Technique: Toward a Comprehensive Neurophysiological Model’ by Timothy Cacciatore, Patrick M. Johnson, and Rajal G. Cohen published in Kinesiology Review 9 (2020). When you are there in youtube, you will see other videos on the Alexander Technique which you may find interesting ..read more

There is a new TRE group shake series starting Aug. 15, a Monday at 5 pm. The other dates are Sept. 5, Sept. 26, Oct. 10, and the make up session is Oct. 17.  This group is more spread out because of a Bank Holiday and a Jane holiday.  All sessions are on zoom and last one hour.  The cost is £48 for the four and the make up session is free for anyone who missed a session.  You can always come for just one session for £14. Be in touch if you are interested.  I would love to hear from you ..read more

If designers and manufacturers won’t make sensible chairs, desks, etc, then we have to take things into our own hands.  Guerrilla ergonomics.  Adapt and improvise.  There are some gadgets and items that make life easier and more comfortable, especially if you have a back or neck problem, or your legs are longer than the average chair legs.  Or you like to read in bed, or read or write in a chair.  Go to www.grannygetsagrip.com  where you will find no end of useful stuff, and stuff that doesn’t immediately say ‘ancient and past it’.  There are chair and desk r ..read more

  I love Dr Michael Mosley, his television programs and now his Radio 4 Just One Thing.  I have been catching up on some of the ones I’ve missed and came across Think Yourself Stronger, 17/10/21. You can actually make muscles stronger by simply imagining doing an exercise.  There is science to prove it.  The discussion around this made the point that elite athletes imagine themselves performing difficult skills, like taking a penalty shoot out in football.  We have probably all heard about this, but musicians do it also.  Something physiological and measurable hap ..read more

  The Times had an article on Oct. 2, 2021 with the above title by Dr. Hannah Scott, a doctor and mother.  She made many excellent points.  Poor posture in children is on the increase; back conditions are being diagnosed in younger children.  Poor posture in children leads to back problems in adults such as osteoarthritis, reflux, poor balance and falls as well as pain. The reasons for poor posture in children are the same as poor posture in adults.  More time is spent on laptops and tablets as well as mobile phones. Laptops and tablets were never meant to be used all ..read more

When I first discovered the Alexander Technique way back in the 1970’s, I was, like many people, not in touch with my body.  It was not quite a ‘road to Damascus’ moment, but almost.  I had found my life’s work!  The AT is a tool for helping people be more in touch with themselves, body, mind and emotions.  It is a tool that gives us freedom from our unrecognised and unhelpful habitual behaviours. During a long teaching career, I noticed that some pupils needed to move more.  In fact, I needed to move more!  If we have parts of our bodies that don’t move accuratel ..read more

We have become a non-touching society.  During these pandemic times, we have been forbidden to touch anyone outside our bubble. Touch is dangerous; it makes us ill; we are afraid of touching or being touched.  For people living alone, or without a bubble, this has been difficult.  The first time I had a hug I burst into tears.  But long before the pandemic we had become a non-touching society.  The revelations of the sexual abuse of children and women led to this. The #Me Too movement showed how much unwanted touching of women has occurred.  Of course, sexual abus ..read more

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is much in the news lately. The Sunday Times had an article May 30, 2021 ‘How do you know if you’re suffering from PTSD?, A serious condition risks being over diagnosed’. The article makes many good points but mainly that stress is not PTSD.  Few people have PTSD, but everyone has stress, tension, anxiety.  Perhaps especially now since covid entered our lives. Stress can be horrible to experience and it can seriously damage health.  When one is in the grip of extreme fear, like a panic attack, the heart is racing, breathing is fast and shallow, blo ..read more

Over this last year, I have been working towards becoming a Certified TRE Provider. As of last week, I am! This has given me something positive to do over lock downs and I have experienced many beneficial changes myself from the shaking. The shaking? Trauma or Tension Release Exercises are seven basic exercises which fatigue some big muscles. The fatigue helps trigger the tremor reflex. The tremoring or shaking releases tension in muscles; stimulates lazy muscles to work; relaxes, soothes and calms the nervous system; puts us more in touch with our bodies, helping us to be more grounded. TRE w ..read more