A member of my study group walked out in the middle of the class. When she got back, we celebrated what she had done. What would happen if you did that at school, at work, or during a meeting? Do you think it would be celebrated? Probably not. In fact, you’d more than likely be met with disapproval, or even be reprimanded in some way. In my class, however, we celebrated. We celebrated because she was looking after herself, and doing what she needed in that moment. We were doing an exploration that, while usually perfectly ok for everyone (it’s actually quite fun!), was too much for her that d ..read more

Anxiety is a feeling we all know, and one we would rather not experience. Anxiety, however, is an important human function; it helps us protect ourselves, take action, and even connect with others. It alerts us to potential problems in the future so we can take measures to prevent them if at all possible. Anxiety is a signal that something is wrong – and that’s worth paying attention to! Of course, anxiety can take over and disrupt our quality of life. The following tips are to help you work with your anxiety in a healthy way, which includes acknowledging it, rather than pretending all is wel ..read more

Some years ago, I was doing some contractual work for a small company and found myself in an extremely stressful situation that went on for several months. I experienced weekly excruciatingly harsh feedback sessions from my employer. There’d be a nod to something I was doing well for a minute at the beginning, followed by an hour or more of exhaustive feedback on anything and everything I was doing “wrong” along with detailed instructions on what I should do differently. None of it was in and of itself untrue or unhelpful. However, the way in which the feedback was delivered, as well as the s ..read more

The idea of being conscious of your own breathing and just letting it happen seems like a paradox. This is the conundrum one of the participants in my recent Guided Constructive Rest session presented me with. And she wanted to know what to do about it. I know what she means. When I first tried to simply “observe” my breath I always felt that I started to interfere with it in some way – that I was controlling it, not just watching. I have a distinct memory of reading Mind and Muscle by Elizabeth Langford around the time I started training to be a teacher of the Alexander Technique. Throughout ..read more

Use Your Triggers to Do Something Beneficial for You AND Your Nervous System I am excited to resume my conversations with Trauma Awareness activist, Shay Seaborne in which we talk about many and varied aspects of stress, trauma and neuroscience, and how the Alexander Technique has enabled her to put key concepts into practice in her own ongoing healing from severe complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). In this video we talk about how an idea from my BodyIntelligence work and the Alexander Technique has helped her “turn around” one of her most stressful triggers – hyperacusis and ..read more

On January 4, 2021 my article, 12 Easy Ways to Relieve Stress in 2021, appeared in the Medium publication, Body Wisdom. Last year was probably one of the most stressful in modern history for the majority of people on this planet. So, instead of the 12 days of Christmas (which is behind us now anyway), or a 12-step program, here’s my list of 12 easy, no-cost ways to relieve stress to see you into the new year and beyond. #1 Move Your Body In whatever way appeals and is accessible to you, MOVE! In their book, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, Amelia Nagoski and Emily ..read more

Don’t sit up straight! This may seem like an odd statement for me to make as a teacher of the Alexander Technique – a method known to help people with their posture. However, if you have read anything I’ve written about posture before it should not come as a surprise. In a previous blog post I explained it like this: To be clear, the kind of posture I am interested in is not stiff or held, the way so many people unfortunately think of “good posture.” It’s not about “standing up straight.” That can cause as many problems as it solves. It is this idea that I want to revisit today. Many studies ..read more

Using Interoception, Proprioception, and Exteroception to Foster Resilience Awareness of our inner self and bodily sensations (interoception), of our position and movement in space (proprioception), and of the stimuli coming from outside ourselves (exteroception) are key gateways to being present – something we are in great need of when we are stressed. In my sixth conversation with trauma awareness activist Shay Seaborne, we discuss these three concepts AND give tips on how to cultivate each one. All three are important to our wellbeing, giving us key resources that help us build resilience i ..read more

If you’ve heard of the Alexander Technique, you may associate it with “good posture.” In my fifth conversation with trauma survivor and trauma awareness activist Shay Seaborne, we discuss the implications and impact of posture and body language on people dealing with stress and trauma, and what neuroscience is telling us about this. I dispel some common myths (and potentially harmful advice) we so often hear about improving our posture and give a quick tip with a different approach that is both more physically comfortable and more sustainable. Watch our conversation here: This conversation is ..read more

Would you like to learn a simple but profound practice to help you down-regulate and calm your nervous system when you’re feeling stressed? Here, in this blog about my fourth conversation with Trauma Awareness Activist Shay Seaborne about stress, trauma and the Alexander Technique, I share a practice that does exactly that. In this conversation, we discuss TheCyCle – a practice Shay has learned from me which helps her calm her own nervous system. It has become her go-to down-regulation tool. TheCyCle takes only a couple of minutes to do, and, importantly, you will get the opportunity ..read more