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This week a number of ergonomic solutions have come up - some suggested by me, others discovered by clients. There was the woman who hurt her back trying to dig out manure from a tight, awkward corner with a spade - the potential solution will be to use a couple of scoopy things so she can keep the weight close as opposed to at arms length. There was the client who has figured out how to adapt the 'semi-flexed' exercise for emptying the wheelbarrow and avoid hurting her back

So I was reminded today of just how much we end up 'approximating' movements when we have even the tiniest bit of obstruction to our peripheral vision. It seems to me as an AT teacher that often the muscular, or postural changes we need to make have to be approached sorta with 'peripheral vision' in a sensory way - if we directly concentrate on them they can tense up more. When you consider that ALL of our muscles support one-another, the slightest changes effecting the whole

The relative state of the head & neck is of primary importance in all vertebrates, including horses and humans - it effects the functioning of the whole rest of the musculo-skeletal system. When the muscles at the back of the neck are over-contracted, the head is pulled into the spine which compresses, causing a chain of adaptive contractions throughout the body. When the muscles at the back of the neck lengthen, the head tends away from the spine, which in turn lengthens, al

'Comparison is the thief of joy' - not sure who said that but I made a mental note of it. I do try to set myself achievable goals and reeeeeeeeally enjoy the process. I had a client this week who felt mislead and disgruntled because, in her mid 70s, she'd hoped to straighten out her very hunched back. She responded well to the work and had the option of finding increased comfort, coordination and poise within herself but she wanted a nice posture. I wish I had the complexion

A lot of the everyday things we do involve gripping with our hands. This, combined with haste, the busy pace of life and simply being unaware of ourselves, usually results in massive over-contraction through the flexor muscles of the hands and arms. I teach people to use their muscles in a balanced way for everything - the big tasks and the small. But it takes time to re-educate the neuro-muscular system, so I always like to give tips for the short-term. Top tip: if you remem

Classical dressage purist Daniel Pevsner was a fellow of the British Horse Society and a former pupil of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. He also studied the Alexander Technique extensively and observed many parallels. When a horse is broken in, then ridden awkwardly or forced, it develops patterns of muslcular tension, much in the same way as humans do from years of sitting at school desks etc. Mr Pevsner's approach to dressage was sympathetic - horses weren't forced -

I was just looking at an advert for a back brace on FB which forces the rider into good posture and I can understand the appeal. So many riders suffer from poor posture, why wouldn't you want to wear something that corrects it - a quick fix? Well, because anything that forces a 'correct' appearance is superficial, short-term and potentially harmful. I work with people all the time who are striving for what they think is good posture but are really just adding masses of tensio

So it's fair to say that I'm no expert on horses, though I reeeally enjoy learning about them and sharing the 'horsey world' with my clients! I am, however, an expert in neuro-muscular re-education in humans, having studied myself for 37 years and taught others for 27 years. I'll teach anyone who wants to learn but I love to work with performers - musicians, actors, athletes - of all abilities. I especially like teaching horse riders because the Alexander Technique complement

A position of mechanical advantage... Did you realise that the way you use your legs in most kinds of sport is mechanically advantageous? I bet you've never really thought about it but the fact is, whether you're skiing, horse-racing, playing tennis, golf or rugby, you will stick your bum out and bend your knees. And you do this automatically, without embarrassment because IT WORKS. But what about the whole rest of the time? Even if you're a professional athlete, there's a lo