THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE
Your long-term solution for pain and tension  

Live in harmony with your body’s elegant design

Through a series of Alexander Technique sessions with a certified practitioner/teacher, you learn to let go your stress patterns and change habits of body misuse. You organically restore your perfect alignment and coordination. As you experience a feeling of lightness without pain or restrictions - regardless of your flexibility - your body can heal faster. The results are noticeable and permanent, leaving you beautifully poised for action.

For back pain

Research suggests the use of the Alexander Technique for back and neck pain, repetitive strain injuries, performance anxiety and Parkinsons. A study on self-care for chronic pain sufferers pointed to the Alexander Technique as the preferred method for on-going relief.

A relaxation & movement specialist 

Hope Gillerman's expertise as an Alexander Technique teacher and aromatherapist, also draws on her dance and theater background. She can analyze any movement challenge you are dealing with. She has successfully synthesized 35 years of experience to address the issues of your concern.

Is the Alexander Technique for you?  

1. Are you mystified by your back pain or chronic tension?

Physicians refer thier patients to the Alexander Technique as one of the best long-term solutions for back pain. If you are experiencing only fleeting relief from a treatment or you find you keep re-injuring yourself, the Alexander Technique looks at how you are using your body in your daily life - this could be the key to unlock even years of discomfort.

2. Do you suspect your symptoms are related to posture and coordination, but can’t figure out how to change them yourself?

The Alexander Technique specializes in realigning the head, neck and spine through release and relearning; never with an invasive treatment. When this organic coordination of the head/neck/spine is revived, your overall coordination will instantly improve. 

3. Are you concerned about your lifestyle? Does you body problem keep you from moving?

The Alexander Technique is your way out of a sedentary lifestyle. Many give up a sport or exercise routine due to injury. If you are working with a PT, Hope can coordinate with your therapist. Movement finally becomes accessible as you learn to use your full range, comfortably. If you had to give up an activity, the Alexander Technique can help you get back to what you love. 

4. Do you have a chronic physical problem that you would like to solve? 

The Alexander Technique looks at the underlying cause of the chronic issue and addresses it directly. To help you break the cycle of tension, pain, and loss of motivation, Hope supports you every step of the way.

5. Do you see your problem as structural, unchangeable or the normal results of aging?

You would be surprised how much years of misusing our joints and muscles throughout our daily activities creates or compounds a physical problem. With the guidance and support you receive in your sessions you will learn how to move comfortably, in harmony with your body’s design.  

FAQ

What do you wear in asession?

You wll be clothed for the entire session. Wear street clothes or fitness attire. Comfortable pants and a shirt with sleeves are suggested. 

 What happens in a session?

Hope helps you understand where repeated body misuse relates to your symptoms and offers you better options. In-person sessions include neuromuscular adjustments with a subtle, but deeply relaxing touch. She will often start with an aromatherapy application using her H. Gillerman Organics® remedies to wake up the senses and prepare the body for deeper release and fuller breath.  Finally, she leaves you with an experience of your best coordination and ways to easily integrate your learning into your daily life.

Why do clients love the Alexander Technique?

It is never too late to discover an intelligent way to be in your body. A young child doesn’t have to think about being aligned, flexible and resilient because habit hasn’t set in. As our bodies change, pain, tension and dis-coordination can be so distracting.The beauty of this method is that you learn how to get comfortable in your body any time you are bothered by discomfort, injury or stress. Using the Alexander Technique self-directions, can become a moving mediation that calms and focuses us. FM Alexander, discovered over 100 years ago, that instead of our bodies getting in our way, we can become a complete and integrated whole. This translates into our best life.

 How long and how many sessions does it take?

I will evaluate this for you in your initial consultation. Children and young adults learn quickly but they need reminders. Most of my clients take a course of 10 weekly sessions over 3 months to give time for habits to change. You always have the learning and experience of your sessions to draw on, throughout your life.

Who is it for?

I work with age 8 and up whether you are in great physical shape, injured, have a movement challenge, caring for small children or pregnant. It is particularly effective in fitness & sports, the arts (music, dance, theater, visual) and the workplace where stress and repetitive strain injuries are more likely to occur and interfere with your performance. Since using a cell phone with your tension patterns could be adding 60 pounds of pressure on your neck, it is safe to say that the Alexander Technique is for anyone who wishes to take an active role in their health & well being.

why does the ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE work?

First, you don't learn it on your own. The teacher/practitioner uses manual guidance so you can feel what's right. Your teacher is your touchstone for your progress while they empower you will newfound skills and awareness. Your learning continues even after you are no longer taking lessons. And best of all...you don't need to take time time out of your day to stop and do exercises or a series of poses. You will be using what you have internalized automatically and anytime you think of it.

In your sessions, you learn a unique and reliable form of self-directed relaxation and functional adjustments to use any time, any where. The Alexander Technique works while you are getting ready for sleep, at the computer, on a hike, at the gym, onstage, or while doing your specific skill. The method is extremely useful when your body tells you something is wrong because you have a way to respond instead of waiting for pain to lock in. As you progress, your body will automatically switch out uncomfortable patterns for healthy ones. And your newly restored elegance gives you access to lightness and ease for the rest of your life.