Walter Carrington took over the teaching training college from FM Alexander after his death in 1955 and continued pretty much until his own death in 2005. The remarkable thing about this is that he was working FULL TIME when he was nearly 90 years old AND riding well into extreme old-age. The remarkable thing about this is he had had both hips replaced AND had been shot down in the war when serving as a pilot. I remember having lessons with him in the 1990s - his energy and h

Did you know that your head weighs about a stone, or 6k? That it balances on top of your spine on 2 little areas no bigger than your finger tips? Excessive tension at the back of the neck pulls that weight into the spine, causing it to compress and shorten - the same as in a horse. As a rider, you will strive to get your horse to be free at the poll so that its back can lengthen. As a teacher of riders, I get my pupils to be free in the atlanto-occipital joint so their back c

Top tip: what can you do differently? This is a difficult subject to get into and I'm no therapist. Yet, when there's an obvious postural element contributing to a person's pain, chances are I can point it out. Recently, I was observing a horse-riding friend wince in pain every time she bent her knees to sit down. To me it was clear that she needed to just let her knees fall apart a little for the pain to stop. Very often we're in too much of a hurry - we carry on regardless

Top tip: it's all about muscle memory! Can you remember exactly how you felt when you achieved your best? I expect you felt really elated, but what do you recall about how you felt physically? Chances are, your postural support was organised for maximum efficiency - and you need to access those memories to create the habits which reproduce success. I show people how to do this in great detail but you can have a go yourself - like Jonny Wilkinson preparing to score! Prior to

Top tip for horse riders: if you lie down for 10mins prior to riding, your back will settle and recover its best state for postural support. Some riders have dreadful posture - you can see it! Some riders strive for good posture but, though they may look good, they're invariably holding a huge amount of residual tension in their muscles. I show people how to rid themselves of tension so that good posture emerges EFFORTLESSLY

Just a little tip on breathing...Transitions work best when your breathing is integrated - in conversation, sport, work, chores - in everything you do. When you hold your breath to concentrate, you essentially brace your whole upper body and this tension spoils things. Practice letting your breath flow naturally with some simple things like cleaning your teeth or washing the dishes - put a sticker by the sink to remind yourself - then see if you can transfer the habit to othe

We may all be spending more time at home at the moment — whether that is because we are working remotely, winding down for the end of the year, or reacting to new circumstances. Changes in routine can feel disruptive, whereas a monotonous schedule can also feel dull and discouraging — so getting the balance right is crucial. Keeping positive is one of the most important ways to stay balanced and resilient - not merely surviving changes, but thriving in them. If you are spendi

The position itself is a useful one and practiced in conjunction with lessons it encourages the changes the Alexander Technique aims to promote. The Position Lie on your back on a firm surface – a carpeted floor is good – with your knees bent upwards so that your feet are as close to your body as is comfortable. Your feet should be far enough apart – about shoulder width – for the legs to balance with minimum effort, your knees neither falling apart nor pulling together. S

'Tech Neck', is becoming a global epidemic thanks to modern technology. I'm referring to the pain you get in the back of your neck from spending too long looking at a screen - be it on your laptop, computer, gaming device, mobile phone etc. The neck, indeed the whole spine, is highly flexible - it's easy to bend the head forward from the shoulders when you want to look down. However, the problems start when you do this repeatedly, or fixedly, over a long period of time. It

Three years ago now, wow, I went away for an intensive bit of CPD with my old Alexander teacher John Nicholls. John was one of the principals at the college where I did my three-year teacher training about 25 years ago. He hasn't changed all that much to look at, which in itself is pretty amazing, but his use of himself and his coaching have continued to develop over the intervening years and are really, really awesome. Needless to say, I learned a lot in my four lessons. Ho