"After working for a lifetime in this new field
I am conscious that the knowledge gained is but a beginning...."
|
|
What fascinates me most about the Alexander Technique is
how a little knowledge about how we work can have such a profound impact
on people, and how a simple change in thinking can lead to such profound
effects in being.
At the same the time I began teaching the
Alexander Technique, I also taught American Sign Language. Teaching a
foreign language as I did, without any translation, is similar in many
ways to teaching the Technique: pupils come to class with ideas about how
to learn and what they are learning, and I as the teacher need to kindly
and clearly guide them to discover how to change their thinking about the
world, so they can act in a different way.
Although many people
come to study the Technique for the enormous "physical" benefits it
provides, for me the power of the work is the skill of being able to
honestly observe what I am doing, and choose to change-to act in a
different way. That is true freedom of thinking and acting, for only with
that honesty and skill can we hope to effect real change in our lives and
in the world.
As a teacher my goal is to set a pupil on a path of
self-directed and independent learning, to help them discover where they
want to go, and help them in the process. For me, the most exciting part
of teaching the Technique is watching people realize how free they can be
in their thinking and acting, and what profound effects that can have on
all aspects of their lives. I feel privileged to witness people discover
the power, clarity and potential of well-coordinated thinking.
Workshops and Classes
I teach both group and
private classes in the Alexander Technique, and a variety of workshops.
Some workshops are briefly described below. I am happy to travel to
present this work, and can design workshops to meet your needs. Please
contact me for more information.
Guerilla Ergonomics--or how to
help yourself on the job when no one else will
Practical
information about how we are structured, and simple ideas you can
immediately use to bring the most comfort and ease to any work situation.
On site consultation available.
Voice and Presentation
Skills
Learn how to clearly and easily present yourself and your
ideas to any size group.
Meeting Needs
Learn decision
making skills and techniques that make meetings shorter, more productive
and fun
Arpeggios for Actors (and other
performers)
Deepen and enrich your creative process through
expanding your own natural coordination and flexibility.
Seasons
of Action A program of sustainable personal and professional
development
Biographical Information
I began
studying the Alexander Technique in 1973 with Marjorie Barstow of Lincoln,
Nebraska, USA, and trained with her to be a teacher, beginning to teach in
1976. I have taught classes and workshops, and in Alexander Technique
teacher training programs both in the United States and Europe. I assisted
Marj at her Summer Intensives in Lincoln, Nebraska, for many years, and
also on two of her trips to teach in Europe. I was a presenter at the 1991
International Congress of the Alexander Technique in Engleberg,
Switzerland, a guest teacher at the 1994 Sydney Congress and presented the
workshop "Teaching Without Touching" at the recent 7th International
Congress in Oxford. I am also an American Sign Language/English
interpreter. I have taught ASL and interpreting, studied Linguistics and
received a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1985. I helped found
Alexander Technique International, and am still an active member. Being in
ATI led to learning about Formal Consensus, with C.T. Butler
(www.concensus.net), and that is now
leading me to explore how the principles of the Alexander Technique can be
used by people in the fields of conflict resolution, dialogue and decision
making processes.
Yes, I still enjoy horseback riding, as well
as Aikido (1st kyu, hoping to get to black belt eventually), tap dancing,
bike riding, travelling, learning languages, and watching my daughter do
Irish dancing.
|
