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November 10, 2025  

New Year Residential: “Orders” and “Directions”

 

A Three-Day Residential for Teachers and Students of the Alexander Technique

Surprisingly, some teachers now no longer teach their pupils how to direct — a loss that deprives them of one of the most fertile means of self-study and of applying the Technique in daily life.

In this residential we will explore, in depth, what F. M. Alexander and the first-generation teachers taught about ordering and directing: their different shades of meaning, their shared roots in conscious intention, and the ways each invites a different quality of awareness.

We’ll work practically and reflectively with how ordering can calm and clarify the mind, how direction awakens orientation and relationship in space, and how both together lead toward the integrated directive state that unites thought and movement.

See my blog post, Tips4Teachers: Some Thoughts about “Orders” and “Directions”, for an introduction to the ideas behind this course.

Dates: Friday 2 – Sunday 4 January
Cost: £420 (including accommodation in twin, single-sex rooms and all meals)
Overnight accommodation is also available on 1 and 4 January to facilitate travel.
CPD: 15 hours

To enquire about availability, please email me.

Schedule

Time Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
08:00-09:00   Breakfast Breakfast
09:30-11:00   Session 4 Session 8
11:00-11:30 Coffee Coffee Coffee
11:30-13:00 Session 1 Session 5 Session 9
13:00-15:00 Lunch & break Lunch & break Lunch & break
15:00-16:30 Session 2 Session 6 Session 10
16:30-17:00 Tea Tea Tea
17:00-18:30 Session 3 Session 7 Departure
19:30-21:30 Dinner Dinner  
July 25, 2025  

Dublin Congress: 2025

I’m looking forward to meeting old friends and new in Dublin in a few days time.

There are so many workshops, and workshops are great! I’m offering one myself.

But I find that often the most magical moments happen in the work exchanges, where there is no set format, no title or pre-prepared material. Just a space for the unknown; for the new.

If you would like to meet, work together or just chat, I plan to be at the work exchanges on:

Monday 2-3:30
Tuesday 2-3:30
Thursday 10:30-12:30
Friday 10:30-12:30

Come and introduce yourself. I will be pleased to see you.

John

February 1, 2025  

Post-Congress Masterclass

Friday 15 August to Sunday 17 August

In this residential masterclass we will focus on the work of first-generation teachers, Margaret Goldie and Erika Whittaker, who both emphasised the application of Alexander’s ideas to the activities of life rather than to learning hands-on techniques. In their demeanour and their way of going about things, they embodied these principles. Once integrated into one’s way of being, hands-on work becomes a manifestation of that embodied understanding.

“The brainwork more dynamic than ever!”
Margaret Goldie

“It is not about the contact between my hand and the pupil, nor about the contact between the teacher’s back and the pupil’s back. It is about the contact between one human brain and another.”
Margaret Goldie

“What Alexander really wanted from his pupils was that they would learn to make their own decisions.”
Erika Whittaker

“FM could feel people’s thoughts with his hands, and this was very disconcerting for a pupil. You could not get away with anything with FM. But he showed us all the time thought is action, and inhibition in his sense is action…”
Erika Whittaker

Musicians are welcome to bring their instrument. For pianists, please note that I have a piano.

We will cook and eat together, discuss the therapeutic, educational and evolutionary ideas of F M Alexander. We will explore ways of integrating “stopping” and “directing” into all aspects of our lives, and how to use touch to influence thought.

Attendance will be limited to seven people; teachers, students and pupils welcome.

The cost for the event, including food, accommodation (in single-sex twin rooms) and over 17 hours of tuition, is £420.  A non-refundable (unless the course is cancelled) deposit of £84 is required to secure a place. The balance is due one month before the start date.

If you would like to apply or to get further information, please email me.

For feedback from previous courses see: Masterclasses Feedback

Schedule:

Time Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
08:00-09:00 Check-in Breakfast Breakfast
09:30-11:00 Check-in Session 4 Session 8
11:00-11:30 Coffee Coffee Coffee
11:30-13:00 Session 1 Session 5 Session 9
13:00-15:00 Lunch & break Lunch & break Lunch & break
15:00-17:00 Session 2 Session 6 Session 10
17:00-17:30 Tea Tea Tea
17:30-19:30 Session 3 Session 7 Departure
20:00-21:00 Dinner Dinner Departure
October 31, 2024  

2025: Residential Masterclasses

There are two dates planned for residential weekends at my home in Hampshire in 2025:

Friday 3 January to Sunday 5 January
Friday 15 August to Sunday 17 August

In these courses, we will focus on the work of first-generation teachers Margaret Goldie and Erika Whittaker. They both felt that their contemporaries had focussed too much on the physical aspects of teaching and not enough on the mental aspects:

“The brainwork more dynamic than ever!”
Margaret Goldie

“It is not about the contact between my hand and the pupil, nor about the contact between the teacher’s back and the pupil’s back. It is about the contact between one human brain and another.”
Margaret Goldie

“What Alexander really wanted from his pupils was that they would learn to make their own decisions.”
Erika Whittaker

“FM could feel people’s thoughts with his hands, and this was very disconcerting for a pupil. You could not get away with anything with FM. But he showed us all the time thought is action, and inhibition in his sense is action…”
Erika Whittaker

Musicians are welcome to bring their instrument. For pianists, please note that I have a piano.

We will cook and eat together, discuss the therapeutic, educational and evolutionary ideas of F M Alexander. We will explore ways of integrating “stopping” and “directing” into all aspects of our lives, and how to use touch to influence thought.

Attendance will be limited to seven people; teachers, students and pupils welcome.

The cost for each weekend, including food, accommodation (in single-sex twin rooms) and over 17 hours of tuition is £420.  A non-refundable (unless the course is cancelled) deposit of £84 is required to secure a place. The balance is due 28 days before the start date.

If you would like to apply or to get further information, please email me.

For feedback from previous courses see: Masterclasses Feedback

Schedule:

Time Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
08:00-09:00 Check-in Breakfast Breakfast
09:30-11:00 Check-in Session 4 Session 8
11:00-11:30 Coffee Coffee Coffee
11:30-13:00 Session 1 Session 5 Session 9
13:00-15:00 Lunch & break Lunch & break Lunch & break
15:00-17:00 Session 2 Session 6 Session 10
17:00-17:30 Tea Tea Tea
17:30-19:30 Session 3 Session 7 Departure
20:00-21:00 Dinner Dinner Departure
March 6, 2024  

Summer 2024: Residential Masterclasses

There are two dates planned for residential weekends at my home in Hampshire this summer:

Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th August
Friday 6th to Sunday 8th September

TimeDay 1Day 2Day 3
08:00-09:00Check-inBreakfastBreakfast
09:30-11:00Check-inSession 4Session 8
11:00-11:30CoffeeCoffeeCoffee
11:30-13:00Session 1Session 5Session 9
13:00-15:00Lunch & breakLunch & breakLunch & break
15:00-17:00Session 2Session 6Session 10
17:00-17:30TeaTeaTea
17:30-19:30Session 3Session 7Departure
20:00-21:00DinnerDinnerDeparture

All the procedures used in the learning and the teaching of the Alexander Technique have a purpose, and being clear about that purpose can help us to decide when and how to apply them in our teaching.

In this three-day residential course, we will examen, discuss and practise the following procedures – which constitute the main physical aspects of Alexander’s teaching. 

  • Squatting
  • Walking
  • The Lunge
  • Semi-supine
  • Baby-bend (Monkey)
  • Breathwork: Whispered Ah
  • Breathwork: the vowels
  • Breathwork: widening the ribs
  • Hands on the back of the chair
  • Going up onto the toes
  • Wall work
  • Being at the back of the chair
  • Coming forward in the chair
  • Leaning forward in the chair
  • Keeping the back back

Musicians are welcome to bring their instrument. For pianists, please note that I have a piano.

As well as traditional AT work, we will cook and eat together, discuss the therapeutic, educational and evolutionary ideas of F M Alexander. We will explore ways of integrating “stopping” and “directing” into all aspects of our lives.

Attendance will be limited to seven people; teachers, students and pupils welcome.

The cost for each weekend, including food, accommodation (in single-sex twin rooms) and over 17 hours of tuition is £400.  A non-refundable (unless the course is cancelled) deposit of £80 is required to secure a place. The balance is due 28 days before the start date.

If you would like to apply or to get further information, please email me.

For feedback from previous courses see:

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