Spring 2024 – Explore the Alexander Technique through our national website

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My name is Heather Walker and I am a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. I currently live and teach the technique in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, B.C., as well as teaching workshops throughout the province and beyond. In addition to being a teacher, I am a professional musician, and use the technique to help myself in all areas of my music career. I am always inspired to teach others how they can become more aware of their posture and movement habits and how they can learn to live and move with more ease and efficiency.

Did you know that we have a national website called “Alexander Technique Canada”? I am part of this national non-profit organization that supports the growth and education of Alexander Technique in Canada. Through this website you can access so much more information about the technique: what it is, including the benefits, science, and research supporting it. You can also access a national directory of Alexander Technique teachers and more information about other programs. The website includes many other topics, including information about our professional standards, teacher training programs, and international community. Please feel free to check it out…. https://alexandertechniquecanada.ca/

For more information about Alexander Technique lessons in Nanaimo and workshops throughout B.C., please contact me at 250-716-3464.

November & December 2023 – Alexander Technique studio closed for 2 months

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To all those interested in the Alexander Technique…the Sound Being Studio will be closed for 2 months, from November 8th 2023 until January 8th 2024. I am taking an incredible opportunity to travel and study at the same time, as I will be going to Europe for professional development in the Alexander Technique and also for my French horn playing. I am excited to re-immerse myself into the Alexander Technique in a certified training course, much like the one I trained in 15 years ago. I will be spending 4 weeks in the Tècnica Alexander Terrassa (Barcelona), a training course dedicated to the study of the Alexander Technique in Spain. For more information about the course and teachers: https://tatbcn.eu/eng/home-en/

From there I have the opportunity to travel for a few weeks with my husband, and then participate at an international conference for French horn, just outside of Valencia. I look forward to coming back to Nanaimo full of new ideas and re-inspired for both my Alexander Technique teaching and my professional music work. For information about the Alexander Technique, and lessons and workshops on Vancouver Island, please contact me after January 8th 2024.

May 2023 – Alexander Technique for chronic back pain, neck pain, and health-related conditions

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From Alexander Technique Canada, The Canadian Society of Teachers of The Alexander Technique (CANSTAT)

alexandertechniquecanada.ca

Health And Well-Being

The Alexander Technique is practical, educational approach used by people of all ages and abilities to enhance health and well-being.  Students of the Alexander Technique learn to enhance their natural coordination and improve how they engage in everyday life.

In Alexander Technique lessons you learn to recognize, understand, and avoid harmful patterns of movement, posture, and ways of going about your activities that may be contributing to pain and inefficient function.

As you increase your ability to recognize how persistent aches, pains, and stresses relate to the ways in which you perform, move, and posture yourself in daily life, you learn to move with greater ease and efficiency, and build your independent ability to positively influence your health.

There is considerable research available regarding the Alexander Technique and Health-related outcomes: Please go to https://alexandertechniquecanada.ca/research for more information.

Here is a sample of some of the research you will find on the above link:

AT for Medical and Health‐Related Conditions
Overview: Evidence for the effectiveness of Alexander Technique lessons in medical and health-related conditions: a systematic review (2012)

AT for Chronic and Recurrent Back Pain
Overview: Randomized controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain (2007)

AT for Chronic Neck Pain
Overview: Alexander Technique Lessons or Acupuncture Sessions for Persons With Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Trial (2015). Alexander Technique lessons led to significant reductions in neck pain and associated disability compared with usual care at 12 months in persons with chronic non-specific neck pain.

Heather Walker is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique.  She works with individuals who want to be free of tension, pain, bad posture, and injuries.  Each Alexander Technique session involves practical experiments to learn how to notice tightening, release muscle tension, re-establish better balance and move more efficiently.  Anyone can learn to recuperate from stress, prevent undue wear and tear, relieve back pain, improve posture, and use less effort in daily activities.  Heather is based in Nanaimo, B.C. and can be contacted at 250-716-3464, or heather@soundbeingstudio.com.

January 2023 – Alexander Technique for UVic “Business of Music” Class

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Heather Walker will be presenting an introductory talk on the Alexander Technique to the University of Victoria “Business of Music” classes. Theses talks will take place on Tuesday January 17th, 2023 for two different groups of students that are a mix of music and business students. The Alexander Technique can be used for anyone – from postural awareness at a computer to avoiding strain & injury while practicing an instrument. Careers in music are well known to be highly stressful with many people developing repetitive strain injuries, so the Alexander Technique is particularly well known throughout the music performance world, especially in Europe. Many high level schools like the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (U.K.), Juilliard School (New York), Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh), Royal Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (U.K.), and Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia) both recognize the importance of the Alexander Technique and have teachers on staff. Heather will discuss some basic principles of the technique, and some ways students can start to bring awareness and change to their daily movement habits.

September 2022 – Alexander Technique presentation for VIU Jazz Studies program

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Heather Walker is a professional musician and a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. On September 27th, 2022, she will be presenting an introduction to Alexander Technique for the Music Pedagogy class at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo. This introduction will be for 3rd and 4th year students of the Jazz Studies program.

Musicians under strain

Musicians have an incredibly high injury rates, due to poor use of ourselves while practicing technically demanding and repetitive movements. Whether suffering from back pain, poor posture, stress-related symptoms, or repetitive strain injuries, the Alexander Technique can help. Students learn to notice and change these habits of imbalance, tension, and inefficient use of co-ordination and energy.

In this presentation we will cover basic ideas about the Alexander Technique including ideas around balance, fluidity, support, and co-ordination, kinaesthetic awareness, natural & efficient body design, and lying-down exercises. Students will have specific ideas to take home and work with to integrate into their life and music-making.

Heather primarily teaches the Alexander Technique through private lessons, where she will use explanation and a guiding touch to help each student rediscover poise and ease within themselves. We start by working with simple movements and positions such as sitting, walking or bending the knees, which are basic to all activity. Through experience and observation we learn how coordination works — how we each create tension and how we can prevent or release it. With this awareness we can change long-standing habits and function more efficiently. More than a simple remedy for tension and poor posture, the Alexander Technique also changes ingrained thinking patterns and clears the way for a better quality of life. It can be used by anyone.

For more information, go to www.soundbeingstudio.com

September 2022 – Alexander Technique workshop for BCRMTA, Parksville

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Heather will be a presenting an introductory session on Alexander Technique for the B.C. Registered Music Teacher’s Association 2022 conference. This conference takes place September 16th and 17th at the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort in Parksville on beautiful Vancouver Island. The presentation is from 9 -10:30 AM and is open to any member of the public who wishes to sign up and pay for a single session.

Heather will be introducing basic ideas about the Alexander Technique, and taking participants through movements and experiments to highlight some of the principles of the technique and how to incorporate it. She will also be relating it to piano playing and teaching, as well as other demanding activities.

More information can be found here: https://soundvision2022.square.site/

May/June 2022 – Alexander Technique small group class, Mill Bay, Vancouver Island

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Heather is pleased to be teaching Alexander Technique through a small group introductory class in the Cowichan Valley & Mill Bay area on Vancouver Island. The class comprises 3 sessions of 2 hours each, held on May 26th, 28th and June 2nd, 2022. This class is organized by a local professional singer and teacher of voice & piano, Eve Daniell. Eve was introduced to the Alexander Technique during her earlier voices studies in the United Kingdom, and found the technique pivotal to her musical career.

Heather Walker teaching the Alexander Technique

These small group classes will be taught to a maximum of 8 people, who are mostly piano, voice, and drama teachers. The group will be introduced to basic principles of the Alexander Technique, and taught tools, tricks and tips for exploring these ideas through movement, kinaesthetic awareness, imagery, visual clues, and verbal reminders. We will explore ideas around support, gravity, balance, body design, efficient use, awareness, stopping of habits, letting go of tension, and finding your place of most ease…among others! We will practice “constructive rest” and move through standing, walking, sitting, bending & folding, and ideas around our music making. Classes are participation and exploration based, and are a lot of fun!

If you would like to book a small group Alexander Technique class for any focus group, please be in touch with Heather Walker at 250-716-3464, or through her website, www.soundbeingstudio.com

March 2022 – Alexander Technique Group Class at Nanaimo Conservatory of Music

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Stress? Tension? Bad Posture? Pain & Discomfort? Direct Yourself to Wellness!

Exploring the Alexander Technique – a four week group class

Nanaimo Conservatory of Music

Explore the possibility of lightness and freedom of movement using the Alexander Technique. We will use practical experiments to learn how to notice tightening, release muscle tension, re-establish better balance and move more efficiently. Learn tools for recuperation from injury and pain, and prevention of unnecessary tension. Understanding the principles of the Alexander Technique helps you to expand your awareness and make better choices about how you use your body & self. Anyone can learn to recuperate from stress and prevent undue wear & tear by using less effort in daily activities.

Wear comfortable clothes for movement and lying-down work. Some visual posters and handouts will be supplied by the teacher.

Wednesdays from 3:30 – 5:00 PM, March 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd, 2022. ****POSTPONED until MAY 2022

Nanaimo Conservatory of Music, 375 Selby St, Nanaimo, B.C., 250-754-4611

Small group class, 6-8 students, by reservation only

$110 total for the four week course

For more information:

Nanaimo Conservatory of Music

Heather Walker, Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique

250-716-3464