Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique is a form of movement re-education that can be helpful for people with Parkinson's disease. It can improve posture, coordination, and balance, and may also help to reduce pain and stiffness.

We believe the Alexander Technique is very helpful for increasing mobility for those with Parkinson's, which is why we partner with local Alexander Technique tutor Andrea Walsh to offer heavily subsidised courses to our members.

We've now finished our 2024 Alexander Technique classes (details as below) but we may run a further course later in 2024, subject to demand.

Refresher Sessions

2024 Alexander Technique Courses

For those who did the course last year and feel they could benefit from a reminder

Date: Tuesday 13 February 2024

Morning or afternoon session available.

The intention this year is not to have a group refresher class but for our tutor, Andrea Walsh, (same as 2023) to instead provide a 45 minute personalised one-to-one refresher session to each person.

£20 per person for fourty five minutes' one-to-one tuition on 13 February 2024.

Six-Week Course

For those new to AT, or wishing to repeat the whole 2023 course again

Dates: Tuesday 20th and 27th February and Tuesday 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th March

Morning and afternoon sessions will be available, but as a group and not one-to-one. Each session should last about one hour, with morning sessions starting at 11am and afternoon sessions at 1pm.

If you later find you need to swap morning(s) for afternoon(s), or vice versa, then that should be possible. Please tell John (contact details below) whether you prefer the morning or the afternoon sessions.

£50 per person for six sessions, representing a cost of a little over £8 per one hour session.

Additional Information

We appreciate that some people may prefer that their partner/carer is there with them also doing the course. Where this happens we're not asking you both to pay. The cost will still be £50, so the partner/carer therefore takes part for free!

The cost of both of the above is being heavily subsidised by group funds and represents excellent value for money when compared with Andrea's usual prices. You can pay John in cash on the first day you attend, or discuss with him beforehand if you'd prefer an alternative method of payment.

Class Location

Due to room availability at the Stevenson Centre this year, we will instead be holding all sessions at The Old School building (junction of Wells Hall Road and Head Lane/Canhams Road).

The Old School has plenty of parking, a kitchen area, near level access plus a disabled loo.

The postcode for your Sat Nav is CO10 0NH.

Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to register for a full course or a refresher session.

Please email: info@parkinsonsudbury.org.uk or telephone 07941 391 107 to register your interest.

How can the Alexander Technique help people with Parkisons?

Every person diagnosed with Parkinson’s will want to know what help and support is available and what they can do to help themselves with their symptoms.

The common symptoms are:

Lack of, or slowness of movement
Rigidity/stiffness
Balance and stability issues
Tremor when at rest
Stooped posture
Cognitive issues, such as difficulty changing from one activity to another
Low mood (anxiety, depression)

Learning the Alexander Technique can help address and cope with these issues. It’s a gentle hands-on method of postural re-education. It’s safe and is recommended by Parkinsons UK.

In 2002, a randomised clinical trial of people with Parkinson’s showed that Alexander Technique helped long term, alongside their medical treatment:

It is fair to say that not everything works for everybody. This is a self-care method. It really helps if people are able to practise what they learn at the sessions. Those that put a little time in, in between the sessions, tend to benefit the most.

Andrea's Teaching Experience

I have worked with a number of Parkinson’s sufferers on a 1 to 1 basis. They all benefited greatly from the lessons. We looked at day to day movements, walking, bending, getting in and out of a chair. The great thing for anyone who learns the Alexander Technique, is it puts you back in the driving seat, in that you learn how to do things for yourself, and you can put it into practice from the word go.

I worked / am working with 2 groups of 6 people in each group for the Bury St. Edmunds Parkinson's Support Group, over a 6-week period.

The feedback from the course was good and I could see myself that some of the tasks which people had had difficulty with, they were able to perform with greater ease, as the course went on.

It’s important that I make clear that I do not have any medical training. My training is how the mind and body works and how we can, as individuals, control the success of our efforts in going about our daily lives.

It’s vital that scientific research continues to try to find out what causes Parkinson’s and how to cure/treat it. I see my role as an educator: giving people the tools and experience to cope better with the difficulties which PD sufferers have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

The people who help care for Parkinson’s sufferers, also benefit greatly from the improvement in the ability of the person to look after themselves. They may want to learn it for themselves together with the person with Parkinson’s. In that way, they can support each other.

About Andrea Walsh MSTAT

Andrea is a fully qualified Alexander Technique Teacher and a member of the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT). She undertook an intensive full time 3-year training course in order to qualify. She has always been fit and active and a keen walker.

However in her late 20’s she began to be troubled with lower back pain. She tried everything to alleviate it. She received excellent treatments and manual therapies, but the benefits and improvement she got, didn’t last, and the back pain inevitably returned. She took up Alexander Technique lessons. After her first lesson, she was hooked.

She left the lesson feeling light and free and felt completely different.

The constant fidgeting and discomfort her back pain normally caused had gone (it did return a few days later!). She carried on with regular lessons and began to see that the back pain was largely caused by how she was using myself in everyday activities. After a number of lessons and seeing the improvement and changes in herself, she decided to train as a teacher.

Telephone: 01284 736807 / 07949 083629

Website: www.alexandertechniqueworks.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/alexandertechniqueworks