Hi! I’m Imogen, and I’m passionate about the transformative power of the Alexander Technique to help us release stress in body and mind. I’ve developed my own unique approach which I call BodyIntelligence, integrating mindset, posture and self-care, to give my clients practical strategies to relieve and prevent stress and tension so they can achieve their goals and feel great!
My work is really about how to deal with stress effectively. Stress manifests itself in a variety of different ways, and each one of us is unique. There are, however, universal principles you can learn to help you, whether that stress expresses itself physically, cognitively or emotionally.
What’s brilliant about the Alexander Technique is how you can learn to be an observer of your own patterns of being – of how you react to the stressors of life, external and internal.
You can then learn to PAUSE and CHOOSE a new response – one that lowers stress, releases tension, and leads to more freedom, ease and poise.
I came to this work because I was suffering from physical stress in the form of chronic neck pain and tension. In fact, there was, of course, emotional and mental stress too – I just didn’t recognize it at the time!
During my first lesson in the Alexander Technique I felt immediate relief that I could learn something for myself – that I could take back control – to release the stress patterns underlying my pain.
And while initially I was only interested in relief from the pain and tension that had taken over my life, I soon discovered other benefits way beyond anything I had imagined, including a sense of ease and flow in myself and the way I moved, more energy, increased confidence in myself, and a renewed joy in life itself.
That may sound far-fetched. When, however, you learn to coordinate your whole self – body and mind – in an aligned, balanced and easeful way, the benefits go deep and their reach is far.
What I love most, though, is how practical it is. It can help you do whatever you do with more ease, presence and alignment. That’s empowering.
Three key areas stand out as ways I love to help my clients:
At your desk.
BodyIntelligence can transform the way you work at your desk and use your computer and other devices. There’s nothing like a screen in front of us to suck us in. Excess tension, poor posture, discomfort and even pain, can stop us being able to do our best work and hinder our productivity. Instead, you can learn to be present, comfortable and at ease, alert and able to do your best work, and still feel good at the end of the day!
In front of your audience.
Whether you’d like to be more assertive at meetings, feel more at ease at networking events or making difficult phone calls, or would like to speak confidently in public to audiences big and small, bodyintelligence can help you. You may be making yourself small, literally, diminishing your impact and causing undue anxiety! Learn to own your own space, discover your inner poise, and be perceived by others as more confident, too.
Caring for others.
Many of us, and especially women, find ourselves in care-giving roles and put ourselves at the bottom of our priority list. To be able to look after others well – our children, our parents, our spouse, anyone – we must look after ourselves well, too. This is a matter close to my heart right now, as I deal with my changing role with my own parents. The tools of the Alexander Technique have been invaluable to me, and to my clients in similar situations – it will help you in both the practical physical situations you find yourself in (e.g. learning to move someone else without undue strain on yourself), and the emotional, as you learn to be with yourself in a more compassionate and constructive way.
Throughout my work there is a strong focus on self-care, providing a practical way for you to take care of your greatest asset – YOU. BodyIntelligence is a way to put yourself at the top of your priority list in a way that is the opposite of selfish – in a way that benefits everyone and all you do.
My Qualifications & Experience
I have over 14 years’ experience teaching this transformational work, and over 17 years as a student. To qualify as a nationally certified teacher of the Alexander Technique I completed a three-year training course approved by the American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) which included over 1600 hours of instruction.
I continue learning every day, and attend continuing education classes, workshops, conferences and exchanges with colleagues regularly.
I have been successfully working with clients online since 2014. My students find the online sessions to be especially helpful and empowering and are often able to make improvements more rapidly on their own.
I am deeply indebted to all my own teachers, and especially to Joy Paoletto (my very first Alexander teacher) and Daria Okugawa (the director of my training course), as well as Meade Andrews, Robert Rickover, Jennifer Roig-Francoli and Mio Morales, who have all taught me so much, and influenced my work greatly.