Our habits permeate our daily lives, from the way we squeeze a lemon and carry a child in our arms to sitting in front of our computers, pouring tea, and climbing stairs. In this group Alexander Technique classes, we will examine these everyday movements through the lens of the Alexander Technique. We will explore ways to interrupt habitual patterns and introduce a newfound ease into our actions.
How does the course work?
We begin by delving into the Alexander Technique directions while in a semi-supine position. We familiarize ourselves with the five fundamental principles of the Alexander Technique. With each session, we select a specific action and look at the ways how we shape our bodies to perform it. Our focus is on maintaining our primary control and adapting our actions to serve us, rather than contorting ourselves to complete the task.
The teachings are delivered in an engaging manner through interactive games, observation, partner work, and self-awareness exercises.
For whom?
This class is open to all, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced student. While having prior experience with private Alexander Technique classes can be helpful, it’s not a requirement for participation.
In my experience, individuals who benefit the most from the Alexander Technique combine private and group classes. Private sessions allow us to address your unique habits and guide you towards a more effortless way of being. In group classes, students can explore new ways of incorporating these principles into their lives while honing their self-awareness skills.
When?
Class Schedule:
Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at English Yoga Berlin
This course begins on January 10th, 2024.
Price
This group Alexander Technique classes are available in two formats:
6-week modules: €65 for the six classes
Drop-in class: €15
If you have any further questions or wish to register, please feel free to reach out:
Pinelopi embarked on her yoga journey in 1999, completing a 600-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher and Vedantic Philosophy Training course in Valencia, Spain. She founded English Yoga Berlin in 2010, and now has over 15 years of experience as a full-time yoga teacher.
She deepened her knowledge by studying Yoga Anatomy with Leslie Kaminoff. Additionally, she trained with David Moore and attended his “Injury-free yoga” workshops, integrating the Alexander Technique into yoga poses. This comprehensive training enriched her expertise in both fields.
In January of 2023, Pinelopi achieved a significant milestone by becoming a certified Alexander Technique teacher. This was an intensive training for 3.3 years, totaling 1600 hours of dedicated study with Jorg Aßhoff.
Pinelopi’s ergonomic consultations integrate anatomy, Alexander Technique, and yoga’s mind-body understanding. Her holistic approach optimizes well-being in the workplace through comprehensive guidance.
She has completed a 3 day training on “Understanding Trauma for Safer Spaces” with Legacy Motion, and is now studying “Somatic Embodiment and Regulation Strategies” with Linda Thai. Her meditation philosophy is deeply inspired by Tara Brach, especially the RAIN meditation.
This Alexander Technique audio guide on stretching the leg from the semi-supine is part three of a longer series which you can access here. If you like using these guides, please consider contributing with a small donation through paypal.
Today we explore how to stretch the leg without hollowing the back. The idea is that we observe the lower back as we stretch the leg and stop before it hollows. Then we give Alexander Technique directions and wait for the body to adapt. Often, when you wait, thinking your directions, and resisting the urge to interfere and wanting to change… a sort of melting occurs on its own. Your body “let´s go” in a different way to the way you use yourself usually. You are welcomed to write me an email and let me know how you experienced this!
Hello! I am Pinelopi and I am an Alexander Technique Teacher in Berlin. I completed my training with Jörg Aßhoff over a period of three years and three months (1600 hours). I love giving Alexander Technique classes and uncovering deep habits. My favorite moments are when a student discovers new ways to use themselves and an “A-ha” expression lights up their face! If you want to book a class, contact me. To find out more about my background click here.
For me, the Alexander Technique is a way of life, and as such can be combined with any activity of life. I love to combine it together with the practice of Hatha Yoga. If you would like to see how that works, I invite you to join the “Yoga and Alexander Technique” class starting on March 9th, 2023. The yoga poses do not change, the experience of them does though!
Thinking the Basic Alexander Technique Directions through the semi-supine audio
In this free semi-supine audio guide, we explore thinking the basic Alexander Technique directions and observe what kind of effect they have on our selves. These directions are:
Let the neck be free.
Let the head go forward and up (explained in the guide).
Let the back be long and wide.
Let the arms and legs be long.
Would you like to listen to more semi supine audio guides? Then you can click here.
About the Author:
I am Pinelopi and I am an Alexander Technique Teacher in Berlin. My training was 1600 hours long with Jörg Aßhoff over a period of three years and three months. I love giving Alexander Technique classes and uncovering deep habits. My favorite moments are when a student discovers new ways to use themselves and an “A-ha” expression lights up their face! If you want to book a class contact me.
We carry our habits everywhere. If we tend to stress our neck before we lift our arm, we will do that regardless whether we are reaching for a box or bringing our arms up into the Warrior pose. The Alexander Technique looks into these deep habits and gives you small impulses that make a big difference in how to access a better coordination with your body as a whole. In this Yoga and the Alexander Technique course we will look at ways we enter yoga poses through the lens of the Alexander Technique, with the intention of uncovering deep habits.
How does the “Yoga and Alexander Technique Berlin” Course work?
Each class will consist of:
this course consists of four classes
beginning with ten minutes of the semi-supine with hands-on impulses
yoga poses
looking at how to do the poses with an Alexander Technique lens
10 minute guided relaxation
space for questions and comments (optional)
this is a studio only class, it will not be streamed online
For Whom?
This course is for anybody who is interested in yoga or who is interested in the Alexander Technique. It is designed in a way that you can participate, regardless of your level of experience.
What to bring?
Mats, blankets and chairs are provided at the studio. For hygiene, it is best if you bring your own equipment, but you are welcome to use ours too!
When?
Every Thursday 8pm starting on March 9th to March 30th, 2023.
Duration: 1hour and 15 minutes.
Price: 40 euro if you sign up for the 4 classes, 14 euro if you want a drop in class.
Beginning her yoga journey in 1999, Pinelopi completed a 600 hour Hatha Yoga Teacher and Vedantic Philosophy Training course over a period of two years in Valencia, Spain. For the last decade, she has worked as a full-time yoga teacher in Spain and in 2010 she founded English Yoga Berlin. She studied Yoga Anatomy with Leslie Kaminoff, and “Injury-free yoga” applying the Alexander Technique postural alignment to all yoga poses with David Moore. She is an Alexander Technique teacher and has graduated from Jörg Aßhoff‘s school in Berlin.
As a person born with a club foot and having received corrective surgery as a baby, my feet have always been a sensitive spot for me. The way I learned to use my body as a child was a way to protect myself from pain and from movements that felt impossible to do. As a result, these habits of use developed into a very particular way of movement that brought me into decades of chronic pain. It has not been all bad. The pain brought me into yoga and stretching of very tight muscles. That in turn, brought me into the Alexander Technique and a deeper understanding of what it is I do that increases the tightness of those muscles.
The Alexander Technique does not deal directly with a single part of the body. A teacher will always work with the body as a whole, and that will have an effect on a specific part in an indirect manner. In short, one could say that for an Alexander Technique teacher, “Feet are never just feet. Feet are a reflection of the whole body.”
So these past three years of intense Alexander Technique have changed my whole body and the way I use it. As a result of these changes, three indirect changes have also occurred at my feet.
My foot grew a size.
Well, I guess it didn’t grow like kids’ feet grow .. but it must have released to fill its true size, because I no longer shop for size 41! I am assuming that I have had a lot of tension in my feet and that has been scrunching them up to a shorter size. At the beginning I thought that this was only me, but then one day when we were talking in class I realized that this has happened to half of the trainees in my course!
Fortunately I am the kind of person who only owns two pair of shoes, and this change did not mean a massive investment into my wardrobe!
Good bye insoles.
As you might imagine, being someone with my kind of history has made me always dependent on medical custom made insoles. Furthermore, after my club foot leg was lengthened it never reached the full length of the other leg. Doctors have told me different kinds of measurements from 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters difference…. apparently enough to create back pain.
I remember talking about insoles during one of our breaks in my first months of training. My teacher was being very cautious about staying completely neutral on the subject of insoles. Other trainees were saying negative comments about insoles… comments I have heard before, such as “Insoles make the feet lazy”. I felt the need to be protective over my insoles and responded loudly how my insoles have reduced my pain (something I still do believe). Inside me, there was turmoil. And somewhere, a little bit of hope. Could it be that I could get rid of them one day? Could it be that the way I walk changes so much that I do not need custom made insoles and shoes?
And then corona happened. Waiting at the doctor’s office for a new prescription of insoles felt reckless. Going to shops to buy new shoes and bringing them to another shop to change their height really did not feel like a high priority when we were isolating and living through a lock down. And so slowly, remembering the conversation I had at the beginning of my course… they left my life. At the beginning, there was pain and confusion in my body. But within two months, I was so surprised to find there was no more pain and that I could do without them. I have now been over a year without insoles. Something I never thought would be possible. And yet!
The way my shoes wear out is different.
In the past, the soles of the shoes I had would wear out quickly. The wear out was uneven. The outer edge of the sole was more worn out than the inner edge, causing a diagonal slant. This would happen within the first four months of having a new pair of shoes. What this means is that I would put more pressure on the outer edge of my feet when I walked, wearing the sole out unevenly.
But this too has changed! I bought new shoes and have been wearing them now for nearly a year. It makes me so happy to look at the soles and still see that they are evenly worn out. No more diagonal slants. My walking has changed. Where I put the pressure is different. And my shoes are proof.
The soles have been worn out diagonally
Even soles
About the Author:
Pinelopi is in her 3rd year of the Alexander Technique teacher training course, studying with Jorg Asshof in Berlin. She is now taking on Alexander Technique tester students. She is working at half price (25€) until she graduates in the spring of 2023.
Pinelopi completed a 600 hour Hatha Yoga Teacher and Vedantic Philosophy Training course over a period of two yearsin Valencia, Spain. For over a decade, she has worked as a full-time yoga teacher in Spain and in 2010 she founded English Yoga Berlin. She then studied Yoga Anatomy with Leslie Kaminoff; and“Injury-free yoga” applying the Alexander Technique postural alignment to all yoga poses with David Moore.Her workshops and retreats are inspired by Tara Brach‘s teachings.
During Alexander Technique lessons the student learns how to break deeply embedded habits and create new ones. This happens while working together with a teacher in different positions: sitting; standing; walking; laying down on a massage table (aka table work). While the teacher performs table work, new students often misunderstand this part of the lesson as receiving a massage. However, although there can be similarities, table work differs to massage in many ways.
Direct Versus Indirect Approach
A massage therapist works with a direct approach. What this means is that they often release tension through using a deep tissue touch. They often focus on a specific problem that there client might be feeling in their body, and are working directly to release the tension around that problem. An Alexander Technique (AT) teacher, on the other hand, uses an indirect approach while performing table work. Their touch is a very light touch and does not go into deep tissue release. The release the student experiences is through giving themselves directions while assisted by the teacher’s hands. If a student is experiencing a specific problem, say pain in the shoulder blade, an AT teacher will not work directly with the shoulder blade or nearby muscles. Instead, they will focus on the coordination of the whole body and thus affect the shoulder blade indirectly.
A massage predominantly addresses muscles which then gives a feeling of release to their client. Table work predominantly addresses the nervous system which also gives a feeling of release, through enhancing overall coordination. Both methods provide release. One approaches it directly, the other one approaches it indirectly.
Alexander technique table work versus traditional massage.
Student Versus Client
In the Alexander Technique we talk of ‘students’ and ‘teachers’. In massage there is the ‘massage therapist’ and ‘the client’. What is the difference?
The Alexander Technique is a learning method and a re-education of our nervous system. When receiving a class there is active participation from the student, even during table work. The teacher’s light touch only gives the student a stimulus inviting them to be active in their release process.
Receiving a massage, on the other hand, tends to be more uni-directional. The massage therapist gives the massage, the client receives it. The massage is something that is done to the client, and requires no active participation from the client. Massage offers an experience to the client, while table work offers a release of undue tension with the purpose to help the student experience and learn to use their body differently.
Let us take the previous example of the pain in the shoulder blade. A massage can work on releasing that pain, but it will not focus on how the student got the pain in the first place. The Alexander Technique will work on recognizing the habits that brought around the issue. It is a learning process, involving a student and a teacher.
Massage often is about relaxation, healing and therapy with a massage therapist providing the experience. An Alexander Technique teacher, is more focused on the learning process of the students and its nervous system. Although the Alexander Technique has therapeutic effects, these are more a by-product of the technique. The focus is learning.
Lying Down Versus Semi Supine
In most massages the clients are laying down on their backs or on their bellies with the legs stretched out.
In table work, the students are laying down in the semi supine pose. This pose is used in order to create the most balanced relationship between our neck, head, and back. Again, the purpose here is the coordination of the whole body.
Skin Contact Versus Clothes
Many massage methods (but definitely not all of them) require you to take your clothes off so that the massage therapist works directly with skin contact and oils. In AT table work, the student keeps their clothes on and there is no direct skin contact. It is, however, recommended that the student wears comfortable clothing that allows the teacher to move the legs and arms easily.
Eyes Open Versus Eyes Closed
From my understanding, in most massages the client can choose what they do with their eyes. It is common for people to close their eyes when they undergo a deep relaxation and a release of tension. Thus, although closing the eyes is not explicitly asked for during massage, it tends to happen on its own.
In the Alexander Technique the student is asked to keep their eyes open during table work – if not for the whole time, then at least most of the time. This was for me, personally, very challenging at the beginning. The reason for open eyes is to learn to let go while remaining present with the world around us. We often get carried away with the visual stimuli in our every day life. Part of the AT re-education includes ‘how can I be with you and stay with myself at the same time?’
So How Does massage differ to Alexander Technique Table Work?
First, let me say that I am using a very general term here when I am referring to massage. Massage comes in many different shapes and forms. There are massages with clothes on and off; massages with different degrees of therapeutic capacities; massages that when done regularly are also creating a re-learning and re-organizing of the body.
The purpose of this article is to try and create a more accurate picture of what to expect during AT table work.
So to sum it all up, here is what to expect:
The teacher uses a very light touch creating a stimulus for the student’s body to do the releasing.
The teacher will use an indirect approach and will focus on the overall coordination of the body.
Even during table work the student is invited to actively participate in the release of tension.
Therapeutic effects are by-products of the Alexander Technique. The focus is on re-education, not healing.
The student lies down in the semi-supine during table work.
Table work happens with clothes on.
The student is invited to keep their eyes open.
About the Author:
Pinelopi is in her 3rd year of the Alexander Technique teacher training course, studying with Jorg Asshof in Berlin. She is now taking on Alexander Technique tester students. She is working at half price (25€) until she graduates in the spring of 2023.
Pinelopi completed a 600 hour Hatha Yoga Teacher and Vedantic Philosophy Training course over a period of two years in Valencia, Spain. For over a decade, she has worked as a full-time yoga teacher in Spain and in 2010 she founded English Yoga Berlin. Currently she is deepening her knowledge through Leslie Kaminoff’s Yoga Anatomy Course, David Moore’s “Injury-free yoga” applying the Alexander Technique postural alignment to all yoga poses. Her workshops and retreats are inspired by Tara Brach‘s teachings.
We are happy to present our second workshop on Yoga and the Alexander Technique in Kreuzberg, Berlin! Rossella Buono, who is a close collaborator with David Moore, is back in Berlin and will be bringing the Alexander Technique to our Hatha Yoga classes taught by Pinelopi.
WHEN: Saturday 2nd December 10am-1pm & Sunday 3rd December 10am -1pm
WHERE: English Yoga Berlin, Görlitzer Str 39, Kreuzberg
FOR WHO: For any one with an interest in yoga or the Alexander technique.
TAUGHT BY:Rossella Buono and Pinelopi from English Yoga Berlin
PRICE: €50
The workshop consists of two mornings in which we will develop an individualized practice and an understanding of the uniqueness of the use of yourself in movement and at rest.
The workshop will provide an active and practical investigation of:
· Coordination and posture from an Alexander Technique perspective
· Modifying yoga poses
· Kinaesthesia
· Doing and non-doing
· Directing energy through the body
· Identifying and overcoming habits
In the first half of each morning Rossella will be introducing the Alexander Technique and how to apply it, in the second part we’ll use the new knowledge as Pinelopi leads a yoga class and Rossella provides hands on guidance and feed back.
– All abilities and levels of experience.
– Absolute beginners are welcome!
– Please wear comfortable clothes.
Booking is strongly recommended to ensure a place. To book your place, please contact:
Rossella: rossella (at) rossellabuono (dot) com
Pinelopi: pinelopi (at) englishyogaberlin (dot) com
Rossella Buono relocated to Canterbury, UK in January 2013 from Melbourne where she had an established Alexander Technique practice. Working with a great range of people, Rossella has applied the Technique to improving the lives of people with issues such as back, neck or shoulder pain, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, sciatica, asthma, stuttering, anxiety and stress. She has also enjoyed attaining tangible posture and movement improvements for musicians, sportspeople, office workers, and the elderly. In her capacity as a care worker, she has developed strategies to improve the quality of life for people with physical and mental disabilities.
Rossella was first introduced to the Technique as a means of her own rehabilitation, after breaking her leg in an accident – and found herself benefitting greatly from the approach. After eliminating residual pain and regaining sustainable, coordinated mechanical function, Rossella decided to train as an Alexander Technique teacher. Since then she has worked to offer others the same opportunity for the elimination of pain and improvement of overall quality of life.
Originally from Greece, Pinelopi has grown up all over the world. Beginning her yoga practice in 1999, she went on to complete a 600 hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training course over a period of two years in Valencia, Spain. Since 2008, she has been working as a full time yoga teacher in Spain and continued to do so after her move to Berlin in 2010. Her classes are a mix of Hatha yoga asanas (yoga poses), grounding techniques, pranayama (breathing exercises), pratyahara (practice of detachment), yoga nidra and meditation. She is an injury conscious yoga teacher and a firm believer that yoga is for everybody and any body. She believes that no one should ever be in pain during class. All yoga poses can be adjusted so that one is still stretching, growing, strengthening, challenged, without experiencing pain or triggering old injuries.
Rossella will also be offering Berlin private lessons from Monday 4th to Thursday 7th of December. Cost €60 for a one- hour lesson (location Zentrum fur Alexander-Technik)
For more info about Avital's artwork click on the image.
We carry our habits everywhere. If we tend to stress our neck before we lift our arm, we will do that regardless whether we are reaching for a box or bringing our arms up into the Warrior pose. The Alexander Technique looks into these deep habits and gives you small …
Svastha Yogatherapy – Vinyasa Flow Yoga by Juli….. A gentle Vinaysa Yoga Flow class in a queer and trans* positive space where gender binaries are viewed post-structurally and heteronormativity is challenged. Allies are welcome. This Vinyasa Flow yoga is slower than most, focusing on techniques of Svastha Yogatherapy – strengthening …
