Blue Mountains Alexander Technique
Enhance your wellbeing with our expert guidance in the Alexander Technique.
Unlock a healthier, more balanced life.
What is the Alexander Technique?
If you are wondering about what the Alexander Technique is and if it can help you, then you’re at the right place! Alexander Technique is a world renowned method to improve posture, movement,breathing and balance! Alexander Technique develops your body and your mind. It is a unique learning method that teaches you to prevent and undo harmful movement patterns, while allowing for effortless elastic uprightness to occur naturally.
You’ll find all the information that you need to get started on this website.
Why choose Alexander Technique?
Alexander Technique posture
What is your posture like? If you answered,”pretty ordinary” then you already know how hard it is to improve your posture. Your posture says so much about you. Poor posture often equals big discomfort.
You can change all that through Alexander Technique lessons. What happens is you learn to think about your posture and your balance in new ways. You are led to experience new ways of moving and balancing.That combination of experience and thinking ends up as a new rapid pathway to being easily upright.
People are quite surprised that they feel light and buoyant after a lesson at Blue Mountains Alexander Technique.
Posture is not about being stiff and rigid. Those who know will tell you that great posture is flexible, easy and free.
Regardless of your weight, your age or your fitness, great posture can be a key to feeling great.
Reduction of chronic pain
People involved in chronic pain studies (read about them here) reported a significant improvement through use of Alexander technique. The number of pain days decreased.
One common outcome of the Technique body learning is a reduction of pain conditions.
While not a treatment or medical procedure, developing insightful information and experience of new movement patterns can be life changing.
Read some of the testimonials below from past students.
They recount how the information that you learn in Alexander classes can be incredibly useful.
Some key elements of pain:
- using incorrect movements can add pressure onto an existing injury obstructing your body’s natural healing.
- Attitude, state of mind is a key factor to the ability to cope with pain.
- Poor information about your injury and what you should be doing to manage it can increase fear levels which in turn reduce pain tolerance
- Becoming more in tune with your body can be counter-intuitive. Pain sufferers try to block sensations from their body. Alexander learning can help with that.
Improved performance
The Alexander work has been described as conservation of energy for humans. Alexander Technique encourages flexibility and flow.
If you are involved in performance based activities the Technique can be very useful for you. Tension and rigidity get in the way of good performance.
Long hours practising your instrument, performing demanding physical roles or meeting the requirements of difficult sporting technique can leave you in pain or physically injured.
Alexander Technique teaches you how to apply thoughtful awareness during your activity. Decrease the amount of unnecessary stabilising, gripping and over-tension then increase your ability to harness flow, natural rhythm and breath to regain pleasure in your activity.
Many famous performers and sportspeople have learned Alexander Technique to assist their process. Paul McCartney, Sting, John Cleese, Paul Newman, Greg Chappell, George Bernard Shaw. Aldous Huxley and many others have benfited.
The movement analysis skills that you learn are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of skills learned.
A new outlook
FM Alexander suggested that we translate every experience into muscle tension. Letting go of over tightened muscles, finding easy balance and buoyant uprightness brings with it a new positive disposition and often an improved emotional flexibility.
Regulating your emotional responses leads to improved outcomes in all areas of life.
120 years ago, Australian FM Alexander put forward a method for change that today would be called “neuro-plasticity”. He knew from his observation that adults can learn and change. He had developed a learning method for physical and mental improvement which famous educationalist, John Dewey, labelled “Thinking in Activity”.
Even today with all we know about neuroscience and human behaviour, very few learning methods can provide as high quality information and potential for physical and mental improvement as the Alexander Technique.
Use this button when you're ready to try a first lesson. Michael and Jane Shellshear are located in Leura NSW.
Schedule AppointmentMichael interviewed on Blue Mountains Radio 12/3/2024
Listen to Michael being interviewed on Robyn Catchlove’s show on Blue Mountains Community Radio. To hear the whole interview click here.
More reasons to consider Alexander Technique lessons
1. Find a method to diminish and manage chronic pain.
Alexander lessons provide a unique form of bodymind learning that appears to have useful properties for people suffering from chronic pain conditions. In lessons, you learn to understand your bodymind responses and diminish unhelpful habitual responses. Pain sufferers in a random controlled study in the UK (A-TEAM 2008) reported a reduction of pain days from >21 per month to < 3 per month.
2. Improve performance
It’s difficult to improve performance when a habitual set has been built around the skilled activity. Alexander Technique lessons show you how to reduce unhelpful habits even when you are involved in your skilled activity. The result is a rapid improvement in performance as you workwith your natural design in activity.
3. Self-image
Having great posture really helps with our self-image. Most posture models, that we learn unconsciously, require excess effort and return to collapse. With AT lessons you learn to activate your body’s natural elastic uprightness for an easy, attractive posture that can be maintained all day long.
4. Movement, Gait and Balance
Sitting, standing, walking, bending, carrying, lifting can be made very easy by integrating and coordinating your movement to work with your body’s natural design.
5. Breath, breathing, voice and communication
In AT lessons, you get to learn accurate information about breath and voice. It helps to overcome all the years of misinformation about breathing this way or that. Singers, actors and speakers will benefits from AT lessons as will anyone with bretahing issues.
Professional Development
Training to become an Alexander Technique teacher is an incredible journey of self-discovery. The intensive and continuous process of self-work, knowledge and skill development is transformative.
Consider Blue Mountains Alexander Technique AUSTAT approved Teacher Training. Discover what’s required to become an Alexander teacher. Click below to find out more.
Are your training needs being met?
Ergonomics, Manual handling. Teams and Leadership, Communication.
- Need problem solving training to meet your company’s training needs?
- Find out why Victorinox, Chevron Oil and the Australian Tax Office, among others, find Alexander Technique a valuable training skill for their workforce.
- Reward your team with an imaginative, enjoyable day of body learning.
Blue Mountains Alexander Technique can develop competitive quotes for transformative workplace training anywhere in Australia.
- Team Building games, hypotheticals and problem solving.
- Easy moving and posture solutions for health and wellbeing.
- Contact us for a quote to bring our training to your company.
Upcoming Events at Blue Mountains Alexander Technique
ONLINE Alexander Technique- short introductory class
ONLINE Alexander Technique- short introductory class
Zoom in for an Introductory presentation of the Alexander technique.
Thursday 13th June 4pm AEST.
Although I teach from the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney Australia, I have worked with many students around Australia and the world who don't have access to a local Alexander technique teacher.
An opportunity to benefit immediately
Take the opportunity to discover what Alexander Technique has to offer you. You don't have to leave your home and you don't have to travel to the Blue Mountains to have your questions answered and your curiosity assuaged.
This Introductory presentation will help you to understand what the Alexander Technique is and how it can assist you.
Learn a new skill that can help you every day of your life.
Going to bodyworkers, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths can be very therapeutic but they all leave you with the same bad habits that keep pushing you into the pain zone. Alexander Technique helps you to reprogram your movements and unravel those bad habits.
Benefits
Learning Alexander Technique provides you with a number of useful skills that you can employ immediately to start making a difference and to improve. Benefits include ease, lightness, pain reduction and new understanding of potential ease in movement and posture.
At this Introductory presentation, I'm not just going to be talking. Together we will demonstrate application of Alexander principles so that you can feel immediate benefit.
Book In now
Alexander Technique Solutions Workshop
Alexander Technique Solutions Workshop
Alexander Technique is a unique approach to health and well being. It teaches the skill of overcoming bad habits of movement and replacing them with very constructive movements.
Posture, balance and any movement can be improved with great information and an understanding that your minds automatic programs can be improved.
You'll be surprised an delighted at how the way you move can be instantly improved just by using some very focused thought.
This Alexander Technique Workshop is held on Saturday June 15th from 10am until 3pm. The cost is $110 and morning tea and a light lunch will be provided.
Apply Alexander skills to playing music, sports, martial arts, acting.
I was led to discover more about controlling my movements including standing, walking, sitting and rising. Very comprehensive but in a manageable staged sequence. I became very aware of my body and movements and my ability to make conscious decisions on how to move it.I have been pain free for quite some time now.-Ron Thomas from Blaxland
Spend one Saturday changing your life. Alexander Technique is yours to discover.
Come up to the Mountains to experience Winter Magic and change your life at an Alexander Technique workshop. June 15th from 10am until 3:00 pm. The Alexander Studio is heated. It's cold outside so bring woollies and warm socks.
You are going to enjoy a great discovery time finding out about how your body can work well and with ease.
- Learn your body's secret for easy balance
- Find out how to move with your body's natural design.
- Learn bodysmart skills to apply in any situation.
- Discover how to change your posture vicious circle into your posture virtuous circle.
- Fall up for the easiest walking movement you have ever experienced.
Book your place here. Limited spots.
If this is right for you, click this button to register.What people say about their Alexander learning experience
“Michael Shellshear is a masterful Alexander teacher. He guides one into freedom, not just physically but also on a deeper level. The knowledge he imparts about Alexander’s teachings and its relationship to the human experience will remain with you for a lifetime.”
" I have Parkinson’s. I can truthfully say that I wouldn’t be walking now without knowledge of the Alexander technique.
Michael transmits to the pupil a very fine inner consciousness.
It is, literally, life-saving."
John Summers - Musician. Hazelbrook
The tools and practical lessons taught by Michael allowed me to bring awareness to how I was moving physically through the world. Pain levels are down and I am excited to see how far I can take this journey of awareness and body integration.
Kyle Stewart Blackheath
It was terrific. With all the bits and pieces of pain in my body, I now have a possible solution. All it requires is focus and application and a modicum of will power. Good luck me!
I was led to discover more about controlling my movements including standing, walking, sitting and rising. Very comprehensive but in a manageable staged sequence. I became very aware of my body and movements and my ability to make conscious decisions on how to move it. I have been pain free for quite some time now.
“Jane, I really can’t thank you enough for giving me the tools and information to shift some particularly challenging lifelong habits. Who knew bringing awareness would help so much?! A big thank you!”
“Thank you, Jane. After your Body Mapping session, the flow of air and sound was free and fluid. It was awesome!”
“Here’s a way to rediscover your body and connect to the way it moves. Come away with a strong connection to a more free flowing, moving you!”
Irene Iskric- Molong NSW
Michael has extraordinary skill in Alexander Technique and his group classes are a joy to attend.
Dave Starr- Hazelbrook
Michael’s use of language really helped me understand and reveal the possibilities of movement without “holding on” and without fear. It was great to observe the work of others, too, as it reinforced the philosophy. A transformative day for me! Thank you, Michael
Susan Head. Bowral NSW
A wonderful, engaging and inciteful workshop, with plenty of opportunity to practise the work and much to take home to continue improving my co-ordination and use. The group of people were great to engage with and Michael with his expansive knowledge and experience bought the whole day seamlessly together. Thank you.
Pam Darby-Mann - Molong
