Bridget Malcolm BA Hons, MSTAT - Teacher in the Alexander Technique

I first became interested in the Alexander Technique when I began to suffer from chronic fatigue. I wanted to discover how I could use a lot less energy in my daily life and become a lot more aware of how I respond to things so that I could live my life in a healthier way. The Alexander Technique proved to be a successful tool in this and ultimately led to my training full-time to become a fully-qualified Alexander Technique teacher.

 

Besides teaching at complementary health practices in Tetbury and Malmesbury, I also spend time working with elderly people exploring with them how the Technique can be used at any age to help people reach their full potential and to work with the limitations physical ageing may incur. The Alexander Technique works with people in a very integrated way - physical, mental, emotional - and I also use it in my spiritual life as an aid to meditation and self-awareness.

 

I am interested in working with people on a one to one basis, in pairs and in groups. Group sessions may take the form of working with people applying general principles of the Technique or in working with people who have a specific interest eg in music, sport, pregnancy and childbirth. The emphasis is on experiential learning in an informal and enjoyable way, giving the pupil the toolkit he or she needs to apply the principles of the Alexander Technique in everyday life.

 

I come to Euphoria Health Clinic on Wednesday Mornings for Classes, some Weekday Evenings and Saturday mornings for one to one sessions. Please call 01666 503599  or  07966 274812  to know my availability

 

The Alexander Technique? 

The Alexander Technique is a unique self-help tool which helps us to identify how we use ourselves - mentally, physically and emotionally - in our responses to daily life. By becoming more aware of response patterns and behaviours which are unhelpful to us we can re-learn how to undertake our daily activities and in general to live our lives in a freer, healthier, more co-ordinated and balanced way.

 

It was discovered by an Australian actor, Frederick Matthias Alexander, who found that the relationship between the head, neck and the back was integral to whether or not we use ourselves in a natural and co-ordinated way. Alexander teachers help pupils to overcome problems such as back and neck ache, muscle and joint pain and stiffness, breathing and circulation problems, anxiety, tension and poor posture. Many people also use the Alexander Technique to aid recovery following an operation, injury or illness. It is widely used by musicians, actors and others in the performing arts as well as by sportsmen and women wanting to improve their performance.

 

 

The Technique works by helping us to become aware of and thus able to prevent harmful postural and behavioural habits which affect our daily activities. It is a powerful enabling tool helping people to realise their creative potential and to take more control of their lives.

 

Teachers may work with pupils on a one-to-one basis or in groups. No special equipment or exercises are involved. Teachers use verbal and gentle hands-on guidance to help the pupil become aware of how they respond in everyday activities such as walking, sitting, standing and bending. Pupils wear loose comfortable clothing during a lesson. 

 

The best way to find out how the Alexander Technique works is to have a lesson! Introductory lessons are available at the Euphoria Health Clinic at a discounted cost of £15. Contact us on 01666 - 503599 to book a lesson, to find out more about up-coming classes or if you would like any further information. Day and evening classes are run on a regular basis.

 

If you would like any further information, then do please phone the Euphoria Health Clinic on 01666 503599  or  07966 274812  and leave your contact details for me to get back to you. You might also like to have a look at the website for the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique, of which I am a member, which contains lots of useful background information about the history of the Alexander Technique and how it is practised - go to www.stat.org.uk

 

Reference of interest

 

In August 2008 the British Medical Journal published the results of a clinical trial demonstrating the benefits of the Alexander Technique for sufferers of low and chronic back pain (see www.bmj.com/channels/research.dtl for details).