September 2016 – Sit up straight: improve posture, reduce stress, relieve back pain

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Sit up straight like your mother told you and ease your tension

The recession was bad news for some people, but it allowed one Tyrone man, Peter Barker, to address the neck and back pain he had suffered at work. Now a practitioner of the Alexander technique, he gives insights into improving posture and reducing stress through this online article.

Irish News

Improve Posture, Improve healthSit up straight like your mother told you

By Jenny Lee
Peter Barker (MSTAT – Co. Tyrone) talks about the AT and his personal journey to becoming a teacher. To read the article in full, click here.

Heather Walker teaches the Alexander Technique in Nanaimo, British Columbia and also on demand in many other communities.  The technique can be used by any individual who wants to be free of tension, pain, bad posture, and injuries.  Explore the possibility of lightness and freedom of movement using the Alexander Technique to expand your awareness.  Use 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.  For more information, phone 250-716-3464 or email heather@soundbeingstudio.com.

August 2016 – Improve Posture and Alleviate Back Pain – proven methods for changing your patterns

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From the UK’s Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique:  alexandertechnique.co.uk

Learn the Alexander Technique for optimum balance, posture and co-ordination in everything you do. Organise yourself with maximum efficiency to optimise performance in your work and everyday life, and in coping with stress and physical problems.

For Learning It 4_0Give yourself a powerful tool for personal development, self-awareness, mindfulness and learning new skills. Change the habits that contribute towards functional problems such as back pain, muscle tension and stiffness, poor posture and breathing problems. Discover the freedom to change conditions that stop you reaching your potential and enjoying a happy, healthy life.

Would you like to know more?  Check out this online article:  www.weheartliving.com

5 April 2016: 5 treatments you probably haven’t tried yet
By Louise Pyne
The article includes the AT, “touted as one of the best ways to improve posture and alleviate back pain”. To read the full article click here.

Heather Walker teaches the Alexander Technique to individuals who want to be free of tension, pain, bad posture, and injuries.  Explore the possibility of lightness and freedom of movement using the Alexander Technique to expand your awareness.  Use 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.

Alexander Technique for Running – online article with tips. July 2016

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yhl_keep-on-running_feb16Summer is here, and so is the beautiful weather here on the west coast of Canada.  Many of us get a bit more active with the good weather, and running is one of the most popular way of getting outdoors and getting fit. But consider that if you run (or do any other types of sports), understanding how your body is designed for efficient and easy, natural movement can both increase your pleasure, reduce injuries, and make the whole process more effortless and fun.  The Alexander Technique has been proven as a powerful tool for building awareness of your movement patterns, reducing tension (and the resulting musculoskeletal pain or discomfort), and making movement easy and enjoyable.

Malcolm Balk is a running and Alexander Technique teacher from Montreal. He teaches running workshops in Montreal and around the world, and I’ve found his workshops to be enlightening, fun, and incredibly useful.  For more information about his running coaching, please visit www.theartofrunning.com.

Here is a link to an article written by Malcolm Balk about running and the Alexander Technique:

Your Healthy Living

February 2016
Top tips to improve your running. You can read the full article here.

Heather Walker teaches the Alexander Technique in Nanaimo, B.C.  The Alexander Technique is an extraordinary method used by anyone who wants to learn to move with ease, efficiency and fluidity, thereby reducing pain, injury, and postural problems.  For more information, phone 250-716-3464, or email heather@soundbeingstudio.com.

 

How to keep your back healthy: Alexander Technique, October 2016

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How to keep you back healthy:

December-2015-Expert-Wellbeing-Back-painSays Dr Adam Al-Kashi, head of research and education at BackCare: “Chronic back pain is linked to many negative health and life outcomes. Insomnia is a common co-morbidity affecting around 70 per cent of chronic back pain sufferers, and 22 per cent develop depression.” But incredibly, only around one in five sufferers – approximately 2.6 million people – will seek advice from their GP.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendation for lower back pain is manual treatment, such as osteopathy or chiropractic manipulation – although for more severe, longer-term problems go for the Alexander Technique (lessons in how to improve posture and movement for long-term benefit): “It’s very well evidenced as effective for persistent, intractable back and neck pain,” says Al-Kashi.

Director (Business Magasine)    December 2015

How to keep your back healthy
By Marina Gask
Dr Adam Al-Kashi, head of research and education at BackCare, says that to deal with more severe, longer-term problems go for the AT. “It is very well evidenced as effective for persistent, intractable back and neck pain.” To read the article in full, click here.

Heather Walker teaches the Alexander Technique to individuals who want to be free of tension, pain, bad posture, and injuries.  Explore the possibility of lightness and freedom of movement using the Alexander Technique to expand your awareness.  Use 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 teaches out of her studio in Nanaimo B.C. and gives workshops for many different groups on demand. Please phone 250-716-3464 or email heather@soundbeingstudio.com for more information.

Take a deep breath and get ready for better running, October 2016

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Interested in running?  You might want to consider taking a few lessons in the Alexander Technique to help you move with more ease.  We can all learn to move with less tension and more fluidity – using the body according to it’s natural, efficient design.  Here’s an online article that discusses breathing and running, and how they can both be improved with the use of the Alexander Technique.

Women’s Running

October 2015

Take a deep breath and get bready for better running

By Tina Chantrey
Sean Carey (MSTAT – Hertfordshire) talks about how ones breathing can be affected by posture when running. You can read the full article here.

Heather Walker is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique in Nanaimo, B.C.  The Alexander Technique is an extraordinary method for learning to move with ease, efficiency and fluidity, thereby reducing pain, injury, and postural problems. For more information, phone 250-716-3464 or email heather@soundbeingstudio.com.

 

Alexander Technique at International Music Academy, June 2-19th, 2016

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pub-defilante-16-mai-festivalI am pleased to announce that I will be teaching Alexander Technique once again at an international music academy in Quebec during the month of June.  As such, Sound Being Studio, the Nanaimo centre for Alexander Technique, will be closed from June 2nd to June 19th, 2016.  I am happy to answer any correspondence or questions by email during my absence.  Private Alexander Technique sessions re-commence June 20th and continue throughout the summer of 2016 on a variable schedule.  Please contact me for more information!

Domaine Forget is a world class music academy situated on the edge of the St. Lawrence river, east of Quebec City.  The Brass & Percussion Session at Domaine Forget is designed for intermediate, advanced level students or semi-professionals, aged 15 years and over. Advocating access to different points of view by serving as a bridge between American and European approaches, le Domaine Forget offers young musicians the opportunity of benefiting  from the enriching experiences of internationally renowned professors from both continents. For imformation about the international music academy where I will be teaching Alexander Technique: www.domainforget.com

Sincerely, Heather Walker

Ease of movement in the workplace – private workshop on demand, May 2016

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Standing Effortlessly

Standing Effortlessly

This month I have the pleasure of teaching an introductory Alexander Technique workshop for the Islands Trust northern office on Gabriola Island. A workplace focus on good movement, awareness, and ease can be beneficial to individuals and also the companies that employ them.  This class is a perfect opportunity to introduce basic concepts of the Alexander Technique: ideas about fluidity of movement, efficiency of design, natural support, and how we can move without tension or strain.  The class is experiential; highlighting each person’s kinaesthetic awareness, having them explore movement, and using visual and tactile learning to understand basic anatomy.  It is always a lot of fun as we explore how each person can take these ideas not just into everyday work moments but also into their hobbies and other activities as well.

I am always happy to plan and deliver specialty workshops for any group, in Nanaimo, farther on Vancouver Island, or on the mainland.  Please contact me for more information.

Move with poise and grace, let go of tension! April 2016

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Explore the possibility of lightness and freedom of movement using the Alexander Technique. You jumping_runningcan 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.

Private Alexander Technique lessons available in Nanaimo (ongoing, spring 2016)
Ongoing bookings for specialized group workshops – please contact me for more information!