Five Free Lessons in the Alexander Technique for People Living with Parkinson’s
The Walter Carrington Educational Trust aims to further the work of F. M. Alexander and make it more available to members of the public. This spring, the Trust is offering four individuals who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease the opportunity of having five free one-to-one Alexander lessons.
The Alexander Technique offers people living with Parkinson’s self-management strategies that can help them gain more control of movement patterns, with potential improvements in balance, posture and walking. It can enable them to participate in everyday activities with greater confidence and minimal interference from symptoms.
This opportunity is open to people with Parkinson’s who are not currently taking Alexander lessons and who are able to get to one of the specified teaching locations in London or Hove (please see details below). Care partners/helpers are very welcome to accompany the student as an observer or can be accommodated to wait during the lesson.
Unfortunately, we are not able to extend this particular offer to wheelchair users. If you are a wheelchair user and interested in the Alexander Technique, please do contact us here as we might be able to refer you to a teacher or contact you at a later point with an offer suitable for you. All five lessons offered need to be taken by the end of June 2017.
All applications have been processed and 4 sponsored places for 5 lessons each have been allocated. Everybody who has applied has been informed. Any updates and news will be shared here.
You can find a compilation of information on the Alexander Technique for Parkinson’s at the website of The Poise Project. Monika Gross, Executive Director of independent nonprofit organisation The Poise Project, keeps generously supporting our efforts in the UK with her advice and expertise.
More information on the teachers you will be working with can be found by clicking on the names below. All teachers involved are members of the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique and have undertaken special training to adapt the Alexander Technique for people living with Parkinson’s.
Regina Stratil
Liz Dodgson
Loretta Manson
Dai Richards
Details of teaching locations:
Location A (Regina Stratil)
Alexander Technique Imperial Wharf Centre (Fulham, next to Chelsea Harbour)
13 The Boulevard
SW6 2UB
A short walk from Imperial Wharf overground station or easy parking in our car park (£1.70 per hour, minimum charge of £3.50 for 2 hours).
There are lifts at Imperial Wharf station and from the car park, but a short walk is necessary either way. It is a 3-5 minute walk from the station and about 50 metres from the car park lift. The centre has step-free access.
Monday 12:00pm – 8pm, Thursday & Friday 9:30am – 8pm, Saturday 10:30am – 5pm (all subject to availability).
Location B (Liz Dodgson)
Riverside Studio, Chiswick
W4 2NT
Chiswick
Easy free parking available outside the door. The E3 and 190 bus come nearby, with a five minute walk from the bus stop at normal walking pace.
Two flights of stairs to get to teaching room with hand rail on one side.
Toilet and waiting room on same level as teaching room.
Lessons available between 8.30 am and 8.00 pm Monday to Friday.
Location C (Loretta Manson)
Bloomsbury Alexander Centre, Holborn
Bristol House
80a Southampton Row
London WC1B 4BB
A few minutes’ walk from Holborn train station. Limited metered parking is available in neighbouring streets and nearby Queen Square. Paid parking available in Bloomsbury Square car park – a short walk away. In the centre itself, there is a tiled hallway to negotiate with three steps in the middle.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 10:00am – 8pm, Wednesday 2:30 – 5.30pm (all subject to availability).
Location D (Loretta Manson)
The Alexander Technique Studio, Wandsworth Common
6 Ravenslea Road
London SW12 8SB
A short walk from Wandsworth Common train station (frequent trains from Victoria – journey takes 10 minutes). Parking is usually available in the street outside. Entrance is up a short path with three steps up to the doorway. The teaching room is on the ground floor, but the toilet is on the first floor, up a staircase in two sections.
Monday, Tuesday & Friday 1:00pm – 8pm, Wednesday 2:30 – 5.30pm (all subject to availability).
Location E (Dai Richards)
Brighton, Brighton and Hove
Ralli Hall
81 Denmark Villas,
Hove BN3 3TH
Just a couple of hundred metres away from Hove Railway Station. Access is at ground level but there are two or three steps up to get into the main entrance.
Lessons available between 8.30 am and 8.00 pm Monday to Friday.
Location F (Dai Richards)
Riverside Studio, Shoreham by Sea
Beach Green
Shoreham by Sea
BN43 5YG
Parking on the street is plentiful and free. My teaching room is on the second floor which ensures fabulous views of the South Downs and the River Adur but it does mean three short flights of steps.
Lessons available between 8.30 am and 8.00 pm Monday to Friday.
Watch Canadian AT teacher Caprice Boisvert and Robert Davis explain how the Alexander Technique has helped Robert manage his Parkinson’s symptoms:
