Five years ago I was pretty much resigned to managing my bad back with painkillers and the occasional trip to the physiotherapist for a quick fix.  Anything to relieve the chronic lower back pain was welcome but nothing was being done to identify the root cause of the problem. This followed a relatively minor accident which left my back in a permanent state of tension and which translated into an unnatural posture and back pain.

In 2009 I heard about Anne’s practice and decided to give the Alexander Technique a try. Over the weeks and months Anne was able to help me unlearn the unhelpful adjustments which I had made to my structure and which had, in fact, aggravated my situation. Anne taught me a new awareness of my body and posture and soon the tensions and pain decreased and began to slip away completely. This new awareness has replaced my bad habits of old and allowed my back to become free of tension, without pain and as flexible as ever.

Anne is a very personable practitioner and lessons are fun with lots of interaction and conversation. Anne has given me a pain free life and I would recommend her as the number one Alexander teacher! So if, like me, you are looking for permanent pain relief rather than a quick fix, go and see Anne you won’t regret it, I guarantee.

I’ve found studying the Alexander Technique very enlightening. For a couple of years I’ve suffered with back and knee pain after surgery, since doing Alexander there has been a dramatic reduction in my pain, I now look at my body as one machine with all the cogs working together.

I am learning about myself more and more and I am trusting and understanding myself more. Our body and mind are inseparable and in this same time our thoughts and emotions are affected by how we move. It is about thinking rather than doing. That is why it is so important in performing. Everything goes from the inside to outside.

Since taking Alexander Technique lessons I have noticed more things about my surroundings and about the people around me.  I sometimes feel as if I am only now paying proper attention to my journey when walking to places. I can’t really describe what I see is different, I just know that I am more alert and I don’t daydream as much as I used to. I use my walking time to ‘people watch’ as I can see their habits and tensions now. This is most useful to me because I can now start to see characters coming out of particular tensions and where a person carries their tension says a lot about that person’s life.

Anne has been teaching me the Alexander Technique for over a year following a recommendation from my wife who has also had lessons with Anne.

Although I thought I had no specific physical ailments, Anne has helped me learn to apply the Technique to everything I do; and now I feel more relaxed about my body and movement and this will help me as I get older, having recently retired from full-time work.

Anne is a great teacher, skilled not only in the Alexander Technique, but also in helping learn the new skills and the improved understanding of the body and how it is meant to work, as opposed to how we think it should work.

Far from being a quick fix, Anne’s encouragement has shown me there is a better way to sit, stand and move that causes less tension, less stress and a greater feeling of well-being than anything I have been shown in the past.

The headaches have gone now and so has the pain I had around my ribcage. I feel so much better. I have even started to lose weight, albeit very slowly, and I have joined a gym. I am swimming twice a week as well. It was the best thing I ever did coming to see you, and I would like to thank you for all your help.