Meet Jen
Finding some ease and comfort
After more than a decade of debilitating back pain and sciatica, the Alexander Technique gave me my life back. Today, as a certified teacher and member of STAT, I help others find the same ease, comfort and control.
My Story
How I discovered the Alexander Technique
I discovered the Technique after over a decade of debilitating back pain, four ruptures of the same disc, and recurring episodes of sciatica. I had tried everything - physiotherapy, core strengthening, Pilates, to name just a few. However I found myself in recurring and lengthy cycles of pain and desperation which began to take over my life. Even when I was not going through an acute episode, I could not be active, socialise or work comfortably and I lived in fear that another acute and lengthy episode of sciatica was just around the corner.
I was informed that I was likely to need a spinal fusion.
The Alexander Technique found me quite by chance. A friend told me that it had resolved his neck pain and migraines and that he’d heard that it might also be good for backs. I was somewhat sceptical but so desperate that I decided to try it.
The Turning Point
Why I believe in it
“It had never occurred to me that I could be causing, unknowingly, the problems I had experienced for so long.”
During my first few sessions, I found that the muscle tension that I had felt so unrelentingly in my lower back reduced significantly and my whole body felt so much more at ease.
Over subsequent sessions, I began to feel like I actually had a body and that I had some control over my levels of muscle tension. I began to see that it was my unconscious patterns of muscular holding that were at the root of my pain and the damage to my spine.
It had never occurred to me that I could be causing, unknowingly, the problems I had experienced for so long. This was a great liberation because the seed was sown that, over time, I could learn to be more conscious of what I was doing, and take some control back over my body.
The Technique is not a quick fix. It’s a skill that needs practice, persistence and patience. But the rewards have been very significant for me. My musculature has gradually re-balanced so that the muscles that were so chronically over-working are doing less and the deeper muscles that were not doing enough have engaged. I can now sit upright without having to hold myself upright with excessive muscular effort and then collapsing which I never could do before. My back is not perfect and probably will never be so. But it feels stronger and stronger as time goes by; and I have not experienced sciatica since I started, which has been several years now. Previously I had recurring episodes lasting three months.
I have also experienced unexpected psychological benefits and a positive change in my well being. I feel a lot happier and I have got my life back.
Qualifications
My training & credentials
Certified teacher & STAT member
I am a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and member of the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique. After over 20 years in the civil service and legal roles in the NHS, I was so impressed and inspired by the Technique that I decided to re-train as a Practitioner so that I could share it with others.
Three-year teacher training
I completed the three-year training at the Constructive Teaching Centre in London.
Specialist training
I have also completed specialised training for people living with chronic pain and for people living with Parkinson’s Disease.
Today
My practice today
Inspired by my own progress, my goal is to help others break free from pain, find more ease and comfort, and feel a lot better within themselves.
Private practice
One-to-one sessions in West Hampstead, North West London.
NHS chronic pain team
Worked as an Alexander Technique practitioner in a multidisciplinary team alongside physiotherapists, nurses and psychologists.
Free sessions for NHS staff
Currently offered at a large London teaching hospital, helping staff work with more ease, comfort and less pain.
Book a session
Take the first step towards moving with ease.
Get in touch to book your first session.